Respecting our Differences

[Aapa]

Assalaam walaikum,

I stopped visiting other forums because of the mumbo-jumbo on the sites.
The discussions were tedious. The vocabulary is arcane and not inviting.

Sometimes it is good just to be an ordinary believer.

 

[BrotherInIslam7]

Salaam Alaiykum,

Mashaallah a much needed thread!! Especially to some who think everyone else is wrong and even the 4 madhabs are wrong and insist on calling themselves salafi rather than muslim just because a human being no greater than the imaams said so.

Salaamalaykum waa rahmatullahi,

Hold on a sec ! Do you mean to say that the people who follow Dawat us Salafiyaa reject the 4 madhabs altogether ? On the contrary, the scholars who follow the methodology in question do take rulings from all four major imams (May Allah have mercy on them all).

This is a misrepresentation of their methodology and a way of scaring people from a noble call. A call for people/scholars to scrutinize the jurisprudential opinions that they follow by referring back to Quran and Sunnah, without being prejudiced against any Madhab or scholar.

And I don't think anyone following this said methodology would refuse to identify themselves as 'muslim'. The same goes for fellow brothers or sisters who identify themselves with a particular madhab. To make such a statement is unfair.

 

[Ibn Uthaymin]

:salam2:

you are right brother, i am almost hanafi (almost means : i have been raised to follow hanafi madhab but after doing some research , i found that following a madhab is not compulsory but following the qura'an and sunnah is important. so i change many of my habits that i thought were correct but still i am 80 % hanafi ). even if i followed hanafi madhab i was not Matureedi in aqeedah, i always had the aqeedah that salafi's have. i took the literal meaning of qura'an always. and i dont hesitate to pray behind any one whatever mdahab . i even have been praying all of my life behind barelvis as there was no other masjid, the only exception being shia'as.

i believe that aqeedah matters the most ,for me difference of madhab is not a big deal, i believe whoever follows whatever madhab is on right path until his aqeedah is correct.

here where i live some guys from different madhabs always try to impose their rulings on us (hanafis), and i always say to them , let us pray our way and we dont force you so you should not force us, but they dont understand this.

shaikh Asim Al Hakim gave a beautiful fatwa about this issue and i like shaykh's approach and if all of us follow that approach their wont be any such differences.

I agree. Aqeedah comes first.

 

[ditta]

As-salaamu'Alaykum,

Alhamdu'Lillaah, the advice given in the original post is of an excellent nature.

I think the problem as highlighted relates to that some Muslims become very eager and enthusiastic. They do not pause for a minute and think about the consequences of their actions. It could be said there is a lack of manners and respect. The manners and respect would originate from childhood and I honestly believe we lack proper etiquette in many situations

I remember hearing a narration in a khutbah a couple of weeks back about Imam Ahmad (rahimahullaah) and another scholar. They disputed about something although after leaving the home, I think Imam Ahmad (or the other scholar) cupped his hands so as to give a 'lift up' to the riding animal. There existed this deep love and brotherhood between them.

I'm sorry if the above narration is incorrect, the khutbah was in Urdu and I had some difficulty understanding it. If someone knows the full narration, then please post it.

Wa-alaykum-us-Salaam.

 

[BrotherInIslam7]

Our beloved Prophet Mohammed sallahu alyha wa salam said: I leave you two things, which if you folow, you will never go astray, Allahs Book ( Quran) and my Sunnah).And Allah and His messanger sallahu alayha wa salaam knows the best.

Alhamdulillah , I am not hanafi, neither Salafi, but I am Muslim only who try to folow Quran, Sunnah of my Prophet sallahu alayha wa salam, and first Salaf and best generations of Muslims.

May Allah guide us all

To be honest, only few people call themselves 'salafi' thinking they are part of a special sect or something like that.. It is merely a reiteration of following the legislation of Quran and Sunnah the right way.

The same way we are labelled as 'Sunni'. It is not like the muslims wanted to divide themselves by calling themselves 'Sunni'. But they were forced to reiterate their methodology and beliefs were based on the Sunnah as sects around them started mushrooming that overlooked the Sunnah. Is being 'Sunni' a reform movement or a new sect ? Certainly not.. The same follows for following the methodology of the Salaf Us Salih. It is not sectarianism.

When you mention " I am Muslim only who try to follow Quran, Sunnah of my Prophet sallahu alayha wa salam, and first Salaf and best generations of Muslims", you are reiterating that you are following the right methodology Alhamdulillah. That which is also understood in short by saying 'salafi' or 'followers of the way of Salaf Us Salih'. You are not being part of a new sect/hizb etc etc.

Wasalaamalaykum waa rahmatullahi

 

[Abu Talib]

:salam2:
Shaikhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (rahimahullah) said

It must be known that there is not one scholar, who is accepted widely and willfully by the Ummah, that purposely intends to oppose the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alahi wa-sallam) in any aspect of his Sunnah, whether small or large. For indeed, they all agree on the obligation of following the Messenger (sallallahu alahi wa-sallam) upon a firm and certain understanding. They also agree that one can accept or reject the statement of any individual from mankind, except that of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alahi wa-sallam). Therefore, when it is found that an opinion, held by one of them, contradicts an authentic hadeeth, there is no doubt that excuses must be made for him, in explanation to his abandoning of it. These excuses can be divided into three categories;
1. The lack of his believing that the Prophet (sallallahu alahi wa-sallam) said it,
2. The lack of his believing that particular issue was affected by that statement,
3. His belief that the ruling was abrogated.
[Raful-Malaam anil-A'immatil-A'laam (Removing the Harms from the Noble Imams)]

 

[abu'muhammad]

Assalaamu alaykum,

I have to read the post fully.. But copy-pasting the information on the same subject below. Hope that will be useful to all of us.

And jazaak Allaahu khayran for posting the message, sister.

The scholars of the Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas said:

As for the reasons for the differences among the scholars, there are many, for example: none of them encompassed all of knowledge, so things that were known to others may have been hidden from one of them, and he may have understood the texts in a way that others did not understand them because the clear evidence was hidden from him. End quote.

Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baax, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Razzaaq ‘Afeefi, Shaykh ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Ghadyaan, Shaykh ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Qa’ood.

Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 2/178

Thus the following becomes clear:

1. It is obligatory for a Muslim to follow that which is in the Holy Qur'aan and that which is proven of the Prophet's Sunnah, and he does not have to follow a specific fiqhi madhhab.

2. There are many reasons for the differences between scholars, and these differences have been compiled in the book Raf’ al-Malaam ‘an al-A’immat al-A’laam, by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him), and Asbaab Ikhtilaaf al-‘Ulama’ wa Mawqifuna min dhaalika by Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him).

3. The imams of Islam are not only four; rather they are many, but Allah has caused these four imams to become famous; may Allah have mercy on them.

4. The way of these four imams and other imams of the Muslims is based on following and revering the texts, and they enjoined us to do that and forbade us to imitate them blindly. The one who is pleased with them as imams should be pleased with their way. None of the imams of Islam called on people to adopt his view and give it precedence over the views of anyone else, and Allah has stated that they are above that. Indeed it is proven from all of them they warned against doing this and advised people to follow the Qur'aan and Sunnah.

5. These madhhabs are like schools of understanding of the Qur'aan and Sunnah. The imams strove to work out the rulings that they thought were closest to the Qur'aan and Sunnah and there is nothing wrong with the Muslim following one of these madhhabs, but that is on the condition that if it becomes clear to him that the Sunnah of the Prophet is something other than what he has learned from his madhhab, then what he is required to do is to ignore the view of the madhhab and follow the Sunnah. This is the advice of these imams, as Imam al-Shaafa’i (may Allah be pleased with him) and others said: If the hadeeth is saheeh, then that is my madhhab.

6. People are not equal in their study of the texts of Revelation and they are not equal in their ability to understand those texts. Hence many Muslims are content to follow these imams. As these four imams became famous and had students who propagated their views, therefore you find some people following the Hanafi or Maaliki or Shaafa’i or Hanbali madhhab. Usually the madhhab of the common folk is the madhhab of their Shaykh in their city or village. There is nothing wrong with what the common folk do, because they are enjoined to ask the people of knowledge. But they do not have the right to denounce others for adopting a different opinion or to issue fatwas or to adhere fanatically to the words of their Shaykh. Rather when the truth becomes clear to him he must act upon it and not do anything other than that.

 

[BrotherInIslam7]

Salaamalaykum waa rahmatullahi..

^^ The fatwa pasted above is concise and quite brilliant.

JazakAllahu Khayran akhi for sharing with us..

 

[Aapa]

Assalaam walaikum,


Finally something makes sense. The 6th point helps me to understand the depth and breadth of the facilitation of knowledge.

 

[Asja]

To be honest, only few people call themselves 'salafi' thinking they are part of a special sect or something like that.. It is merely a reiteration of following the legislation of Quran and Sunnah the right way.

The same way we are labelled as 'Sunni'. It is not like the muslims wanted to divide themselves by calling themselves 'Sunni'. But they were forced to reiterate their methodology and beliefs were based on the Sunnah as sects around them started mushrooming that overlooked the Sunnah. Is being 'Sunni' a reform movement or a new sect ? Certainly not.. The same follows for following the methodology of the Salaf Us Salih. It is not sectarianism.

When you mention " I am Muslim only who try to follow Quran, Sunnah of my Prophet sallahu alayha wa salam, and first Salaf and best generations of Muslims", you are reiterating that you are following the right methodology Alhamdulillah. That which is also understood in short by saying 'salafi' or 'followers of the way of Salaf Us Salih'. You are not being part of a new sect/hizb etc etc.

Wasalaamalaykum waa rahmatullahi

Assalamu allaicum wa raahmatullah wa barakatuhu

I am not sure dear brother that only few people as you said call themselves " Salafis", and I am not sure what you have meant by that, but it is truth that many Muslims are confused regarding this subject, and calling themselves " Salafis", or on onother side some of them are calling themselves " Hanafis", while they should call themselves only Muslims, Alhamdulillah,like Allah has called us long time ago, like our Prophets called himselfe, his Sahabahs r.a., and all Prophets before him. Muslim means a loot, when you call yourselfe like that, but calling yourselfe " Salafi", or " Hanafi", it does not mean a loot SubhanAllah, because there are many who called themselves " Hanafi", but they do not folow that madhab, but they can be Deobandis or some other wrong sect. It is the same with some who call themselves " Salafis", which should say that they folow first generations of Muslims, but in reality they do not, but they support terrorism or suicide bombing which is far away from Islaam Alhamdulillah.

It has appeared so many sects today and Muslims are so much devaided, because if some non Muslims look from his way of view and see that someone is caling himselfe " Salafi" or " Hanafi", what he would say SubhanAllah. He would not knew what is truth Islaam, and who are truthfull Muslims. Islaam is not any sect or metodology, but Islaam is based on Quraan, Sunaah of our Prophet sallahu alayha wa salam and practise of his honoured Sahabahs r.a. It is not the same to say "I am folowing this",and to say " I am this one"... It is right to say I am Muslim , who folow Islaam which is based on Quraan, Sunaah of Prophet Mohammed sallahu alayha wa salam and practise of Islaam by first Salaf generations of Muslims,and it is not right to say only " I am Salafi", while that persone should say on the first place " I am Muslim" who folows this....... " Name " Muslim" is on the first place of others,and is name how Allah has called us long time and honoured us with this name ,and it is the only name how we Muslims should call ourselves.

And Allah subhan we teala knows the best.

May Allah forgive me if I said something wrong and increase our knowledge.

 

[saima abdullah]

As-salaamu'Alaykum,

Alhamdu'Lillaah, the advice given in the original post is of an excellent nature.

I think the problem as highlighted relates to that some Muslims become very eager and enthusiastic. They do not pause for a minute and think about the consequences of their actions. It could be said there is a lack of manners and respect. The manners and respect would originate from childhood and I honestly believe we lack proper etiquette in many situations

.

i think this brother or sister has read the whole article and get the advice rest are hanging in two events that are mentioned in the start ....alhumdulillah if a single person get the sense it served its purpose

 

[dunno]

:salam2:

I live in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia and I have never heard this medhab stuff, regarding difference in salat etc. i mean no one talks about it here if it's from the 4 imams then it's perfectly acceptable.

hmm? did anyone here lived in Saudi arabia? shed some light on this? is it that we all follow hanbali madhab? or do we just accept all four? it's strange because i never seen anyone in Saudi identify themselves as hanfi or hanbli or any of the 4 imams everyone holds then im great regard. tho people do identify themselves as "Following the salaf" salafi is something i hear in the media.

can anyone shed some light on this?

 

[BrotherInIslam7]

Assalamu allaicum wa raahmatullah wa barakatuhu

I am not sure dear brother that only few people as you said call themselves " Salafis", and I am not sure what you have meant by that, but it is truth that many Muslims are confused regarding this subject, and calling themselves " Salafis", or on onother side some of them are calling themselves " Hanafis", while they should call themselves only Muslims,

Walaykumsalaam waa rahmatullahi,

Let me clarify. I meant to say that only a few people who label themselves 'Salafis' and use it as a way to cause trouble (calling other innovators and non believers.. Astaghfirullah) and use it to look down upon others or criticize unnecessarily. In reality, they are not following the advice of the scholars (May Allah preserve them).

Alhamdulillah this is not the case for the majority of the people who identify themselves as followers of Salaf us Salih.

There is also a thread in which Sh Uthaymeen rahimullah advises the followers of the dawah to not make a new hizb with this methodology. It is only to express the methodology of our dawah, not for sectarianism.

Alhamdulillah,like Allah has called us long time ago, like our Prophets called himselfe, his Sahabahs r.a., and all Prophets before him. Muslim means a loot, when you call yourselfe like that,

Well at the time of the Prophet (PBUH) and Sahaba ( May Allah be pleased with them all), such deviations had not corrupted our lands as we have today. Certainly, we should identify as 'submitters of our will to Allah Almighty' or muslims. We are not to be allergic to this term.

I don't think any of them is calling towards revoking any association or identification with the term 'muslim'. But once you are among muslims, what methodology and belief system do you follow, that is the question.

but calling yourselfe " Salafi", or " Hanafi", it does not mean a loot SubhanAllah, because there are many who called themselves " Hanafi", but they do not folow that madhab, but they can be Deobandis or some other wrong sect. It is the same with some who call themselves " Salafis", which should say that they folow first generations of Muslims, but in reality they do not, but they support terrorism or suicide bombing which is far away from Islaam Alhamdulillah.

This is even more problematic with the term 'muslim'. We have qadaniyya, twelvers imams, druze, allevis, barelwiyya with a host of others all claiming to be 'muslim'. Ofcourse there are bad apples everywhere.

It has appeared so many sects today and Muslims are so much devaided, because if some non Muslims look from his way of view and see that someone is caling himselfe " Salafi" or " Hanafi", what he would say SubhanAllah. He would not knew what is truth Islaam, and who are truthfull Muslims. Islaam is not any sect or metodology, but Islaam is based on Quraan, Sunaah of our Prophet sallahu alayha wa salam and practise of his honoured Sahabahs r.a. It is not the same to say "I am folowing this",and to say " I am this one"... It is right to say I am Muslim , who folow Islaam which is based on Quraan, Sunaah of Prophet Mohammed sallahu alayha wa salam and practise of Islaam by first Salaf generations of Muslims,and it is not right to say only

If you read the works of our major scholars of Ahl Us Sunnah Wal Jamaa, they have praised the ways of people who cling to Sunnah and the ways of the salaf. They have used terminology that was prevalent in/for their times. This did not mean that they were sectarian or didn't identify themselves with the word 'muslim'.

For example Imam Tirmidhi rahimullah used the word 'Ahlul Hadeeth' quite often. Imam Bukhari rahimullah praised the Ashabul Hadeeth. These were means of identifying their methodology with attention to the situation at the time. In today's time, we have made the error of interpreting things by our intellect, through buzurghs etc. Therefore, the call towards understanding the deen as it was done by the salaf is essential.

" I am Salafi", while that persone should say on the first place " I am Muslim" who folows this....... " Name " Muslim" is on the first place of others,and is name how Allah has called us long time and honoured us with this name ,and it is the only name how we Muslims should call ourselves.

Allah ta'ala also called us all mankind as 'Ins' in the Quran. Yet we have different names for the purpose of identification and it has effects on our personality and character InshaAllah.

There are many beautiful threads on TTI regarding this topic. I benefited a lot from them Alhamdulillah. You can search and hope you find them of benefit too.

Wasalaamalaykum waa rahmatullahi

 

[Asja]

Asslamu allaicum wa rahamtullah wa barakatuhu

Jazzak allah khair dear brother "BrotherInIslam7"

For the sake of Allah and good I hope that we have all benefit from the very usefull article posted by our sister, InshAllah, and I also hope that at the end we all agree upon the same that we should avoid labeling ourselves with different names souch as salafi, hanafi etc, and that we should call ourselves Muslims only, in this adding to the one who asks that we are fallowing Quran and Sunnah, and practise of Islam by the first Salaf generation of Muslims. And Allah knows the best.

And dear brothar if I can ask you please, and if it does not take much of your time, since you have already red the threads you have mentioned, can you please send me the links of the same, as sometimes the option "Search Forums" does not give us expected results.

May Allah bless you and all Muslims.ameen summa ameen

Wa Allaicumu sallam wa rahmatullah wa baraaktuhu