©Ibn Abdillah As-sudaisiy Al-Iloori
How can a person who claim to be upon Sunnah be twisting the harmless words of a scholar of Sunnah out of sympathy for a bid’ah and or its people?
I do not know Dr. Sharaf حفظه الله with unnecessary chastisement of people of bid’ah. He only warns against them when there is a need for it. Saying if one has the means to prevent some people of bid’ah from carrying out a bid’ah act is clearly harmless. But the enemies of the truth are twisting it to mean the Sheikh is calling to extremism or terrorism. Let us all fear Allāh! Don’t let us make people who are calling to righteousness look bad.
The meaning of what Dr. Sharaf said is clear in a relevant hadith and he even mentioned it in the same Khutbah that some people are trying to twist against him. In the Hadith as reported by ‘Ali ibn Abi Tālib رضي الله عنه, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said among other things:
وَلَعَنَ اللَّهُ مَنْ آوَى مُحْدِثًا
…and God curse him who protects an innovator! [Saheeh Muslim]
So, how is it wrong to disperse those wanting to perpetrate bid’ah in an environment I have power over. How is it bad for me to meet those calling to bid’ah in front of my house and tell them to leave? So, your own interpretation of “tu won ka” is “attack them”, “bomb them”. Subhanallah!
It is very clear since that what some people want is to count every group who ascribe to Sunnah to be upon Sunnah even when it is very clear they have some fundamental flaws that they are not ready rectify in both ‘aqeedah and manhaj. A scholar of Sunnah can speak against the evils of the Sufis, but he must not touch the evils of Tableegh and Ikhwanul Muslimūn. Wallahi, this will not work. We can’t be lumping everything together and think we are doing the right thing.
It is from the ahdāf (objectives) of Manhaj Salaf to always make tazkiyah (purification) of the truth from falsehood. There are many evils some of these groups that lay claim to Sunnah have done in the name of Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamā’ah in our environments. Hence the need to always differentiate them from us. This is doesn’t mean they are not our Muslim brethren. They are our brothers (and sisters) in the Deen. They have all the rights of a Muslim to a Muslim depending on the gravity of their bid’ah. But we must always find ways to let people know we are not the same when it comes to some important issues.
Why is it that we don’t like it when we are mistakenly called “Tableegh” by those who don’t know their left from right? We prefer to be called “Ahlus Sunnah” or “Salafi” because this is the kind of Muslim we aspire to be. This is not self praise – it is for mere identification. May Allāh make us to be among the true followers of the Sunnah and the Salaf (Righteous Predecessors).
Most of the ignorant people always mistake us for them and vice versa because their own focus is just the beards and the thobes. We wear the same uniform doesn’t mean our ‘aqeedah and manhaj are the same. We are even different when it comes to uslūb. I was telling a brother the difference between Salafiyyah and Tableegh group last night and he was just looking at me because for years he has been thinking we are the same. That was how some Shi’as or semi Shi’a groups were mistaken for Ahlus Sunnah for years in our society. The dichotomy is to separate the truth from falsehood – no more, no less.
It is not a surprise seeing ikhwānis defending the Tableegh group against Dr. Sharaf. The Tableegh people too will defend ikhwānis when they are refuted. Allāh’s aid is sought. But truth will always prevail sooner or later. Anyone who calls to mixing truth with falsehood is upon falsehood. The fact that our population is small doesn’t mean we can accommodate just anything in the name of calling to Sunnah with manners. Population does not determine the truth. The truth will always be the truth regardless of the population of those saying it.
We are not partisan here. We strive to speak against ourselves (Salafis) when there is a need for it. So, how are we to keep quiet on the evils of some deviant groups who are firm and adamant on their innovations? Regardless of whether an innovation takes its perpetrators out of Islām, it must be condemned, no matter the person or group that is engaging in it.
Then, if Dr’s look or anger in the Khutbah is what you find too harsh to bear, it is from the Sunnah to be stern while warning against bid’ah in some situations. It is not in all situations that we should talk to be leniently. Sometimes, some people need a bit of hardness to fall back on line. In a relevant Hadith, it was said that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم used to be angry when warning against bid’ah. His eyes will become red, his anger will strong, his voice will be loud كأنه منذر جيش (as if he was preparing soldiers of war). This is just to show how dangerous bid’ah is.
So, what has Dr Sharaf done wrong?
