Salafiyyah is Not a Sect
Assalamu Alaykum,
Firstly, Salafiyyah is not a Sect. It is an
ascription or a methedology. If you base your Islam purely on the Quran and the Hadith, then you already are a Muslim who is on the Salafi dawah (call). Let me explain:
Islam is very simple,
We follow the Quran and the Sunnah with the understanding of the first three generations, this is in accordance to what Allah and his Prophet
taught us.
the Prophet
Said:
"Hold on to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the Rightly Guided Caliphs after me. Hold on to it firmly. And beware of heretical innovations (Bid'ah) because each heretical innovation (Bid'ah) is a falsehood and each false- hood is a deviation from the right path." (Reported by Ahmad Ibn Hanbal Abu Dawud, at-Tirmidhi who said it is a good and sound hadith, and Ibn Majah)
The Prophet
also said:
"The example of the believers in their affection and compassion and benevolence is like the body; If one part of it becomes ill the whole body comes to its aid with fever and
sleeplessness." (Reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim)
"A group of my 'Ummah will continue to follow the truth prominently. Whoever betrays them or opposes them can never harm them to the Day of Judgment." (al-Bukhari and Muslim)
We Must Stick to the Quran and Sunnah with understanding of the pious predecessors.
This has been emphasised many times in the Hadith:
The Messenger of Allaah said:
"I counsel you to have Taqwaa of Allaah and to hear and obey, even if an Abyssinian slave were to command you. For, verily, whoever amongst you lives (to grown old), he will see many differences. So stick to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly guided khaleefahs. Cling tightly onto it and hold onto it with your molar teeth. And beware of newly invented matters. For, indeed, every newly invented matter is an innovation, and every innovation is a thing that leads astray, and everything that leads astray is in the Hellfire." [Abu Dawood ]
The Salaf were the best of people:
The Prophet
said:
"The best of people are my generation, then the second, then the third, then there will come a people, having no good in them." [[related by Ibn Mas'ood]
We must call ourselves Muslims,
Allah says in the Quran:
And strive hard in Allâh's Cause as you ought to strive (with sincerity and with all your efforts that His Name should be superior). He has chosen you (to convey His Message of Islâmic Monotheism to mankind by inviting them to His religion, Islâm), and has not laid upon you in religion any hardship, it is the religion of your father Ibrahim (Abraham) (Islâmic Monotheism). It is He (Allâh) Who has named you Muslims both before and in this (the Qur'ân), that the Messenger (Muhammad SAW) may be a witness over you and you be witnesses over mankind! So perform As­Salât (Iqamat-as-Salât), give Zakât and hold fast to Allâh [i.e. have confidence in Allâh, and depend upon Him in all your affairs] He is your Maula (Patron, Lord, etc.), what an Excellent Maula (Patron, Lord, etc.) and what an Excellent Helper! [Surah Al-Imrân 3:78]
We Are Sunni, meaning people of the Sunnah. But we can also say that we are upon the manhaj or methedology of the salaf. Salaf simply means the pious predecessors.
This can further bring distinction to make sure people understand that we are not some Sufi or person who inclines to modernism or extremism, but someone who acknowledges the Islam of the Quran and sunnah and that of the Salaf.
At the time of the Prophet
the truth was apparent. The Prophet
was alive and hence the Muslims only needed to call themselves Muslims.
This name is true today of course and shall be forever. And it is the one we use.
There is nothing wrong with a person saying that they are upon way of the Salaf. Likewise a person can say he is an Atharee, meaning he belongs to the people who like the athaar of hadeeth. Or Ahlul Hadith, the people of Hadeeth. It is the same thing.
Imaam adh-Dhahabee (d.748H rahimahullaah) - said: "It is authentically related from ad-Daaraqutnee that he said: There is nothing more despised by me than 'irnul-kalaam (innovated speech and rhetorics). I say: No person should ever enter into 'ilmul-kalaam, nor argumentation. Rather, he should be a follower of the Salaf." [Siyar 16/457]
Abu Haneefah (d. 150H rahimahullaah) said: "Adhere to the athar (narration) and the tareeqah (way/following) of the Salaf (Pious Predecessors) and beware of newly invented matters for all of it is innovation" [Reported by As-Suyootee in Sawn al Mantaq wal-Kalaam p.32]
Ibn Taymiyyah (d.728H rahimahullaah) says: "There is no blame on the one who manifests/proclaims the way (madhdhab) of the Salaf, who attaches himself to it and refers to it. Rather, it is obligatory to accept that from him by unanimous agreement (Ittifaaq), because the way (madhdhab) of the Salaf is nothing but the Truth (Haqq)." [From Majmoo al-Fataawaa, 4:149.]
The salaf are those who have gone before us in the past.
Our Madhab or way is that of the Salaf. It is not permissible for anyone to call himself a person of the Salaf. We aspire to be among them. Nor is it a Sect.
A person can not say he is from the Salaf or that he is rightly guided. Only Allah knows this. We are weary of any arrogance and must always remain humble.
"Everyone of the tribe of Adam sins. And the best of the sinners are the ones who (constantly) make repentance." Surat-ul-Ana'aam [3:153].
We try to live Islam just as the Prophet
and his companions did. So we value the Quran and the Authentic hadith.
As Muslims we should not be tied down to any personality, group etc, but we take that which is mentioned in the clear texts of Islam
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (Rahimahullah) warns the Muslims from forming a Salafi "Group"
By Sheikh Ibn al-'Uthaymeen (Rahimahullah)
From his [the Prophet](SAW) statement,
"Whoever lives amongst you will see much differing, so adhere to my Sunnah",
It can be learnt that if parties (ahzaab) within the ummah emerge in increasing numbers then one should not affiliate himself to a party (hizb). In the past, many groups have appeared; Khawaarij, Mu'tazilah, Jahmiyyah, Shee'ah, even Raafidah. Then there appeared, later on Ikhwanis, Salafis, Tablighis, and all those like them. Put all of them to one side and take [the path] ahead. Which is what the Prophet SAW guided to. "Adhere to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly guided caliphs." No doubt, it is obligatory for all Muslims to adopt the way of the salaf as their madhhab, not affiliation to a specific party (hizb) named, "The Salafis". It is obligatory for the Islamic Ummah to adopt the way of the salaf as-salih as their madhhab, not bigotry to those called "the salafis". Pay attention to the difference: There is the way of the salaf, and there is a party (hizb) called "the salafis".
What is the objective? Following the Salaf. Why? The salafi brothers are the closest sect to that which is right, no doubt, but their problem is the same as others, that some of these sects declare others as being misguided, they declare them to be innovators and as being sinners. We don't censure this, if they deserve it, but we censure handling this bid'ah in this way. It is obligatory for the leaders of these sects to get together and say, “Between us is the book of Allah, and the Sunnah of His messenger, so lets us judge by them and not according to desires, opinions and not according to personalities. Everyone makes mistakes and achieves correctness no matter what he has reached with regards to knowledge and worship. Infallibility is [only] in the religion of Islam."
In this hadeeth the Prophet SAW guided to the way in which a person secures himself. He doesn't affiliate him to any sect, only the way of the salaf as-salih, to the Sunnah of our Prophet SAW and the rightly guided caliphs.
