A R E T U R N T O T H E S U N N A H [UNCOVERING THE DECEPTIONS OF THE ENEMIES OF THE SUNNAH AND ITS PEOPLE] [ In Defense of the Sunnah Series, no. 1 ] Stated Shaykhul-Islaam Muhammad Ibn ’Abdul- Wahhaab (d.1206H) – rahimahullaah – in ar-Rasaa‘ilun- Najdiyyah (4/124), “It is known that the Ahlul-Hadeeth are the greatest of the groups of the Ummah in research and knowledge of the Sunnah of the sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam Messenger of Allaah ( ) ... And no one denies that, except an enemy of Allaah, His Messenger and His believing servants.” He also said, “No one hates the Scholars of Ahlul-Hadeeth, except one who is from the people of innovations, fabrications and sinfulness,” ar-Rasaa‘ilun-Najdiyyah (4/75). Stated al-’Allaamah ’Abdul-Lateef Ibn ’Abdur- Rahmaan Ibn Hasan (d.1295H) – rahimahullaah – in ad-Durarus-Sunniyyah (4/102), “Ahlus-Sunnah wal- Hadeeth in every time and age have been a trial for the inhabitants of the earth. The people of Sunnah became distinguishable through their love and praise for them, and the people of innovations were exposed through their enmity and hatred for them.” Author: Imaam Muhammad Naasirud-Deen al-Albaanee Adapted by: Maaz Qureshi Source: www.troid.org A Return to the Sunnah Imaam Muhammad Naasirud-Deen al-Albaanee www.troid.org TABLE OF CONTENTS [1]: Introduction ................................................................... 2 [2]: Benefit – Concerning Revilement of the Hadeeth and the Ahlul-Hadeeth wal-Athar ................................................................................................ 4 [3]: Benefit – The Isnaad and It’s Status in Islaam .............. 13 [4]: Reasons For Compiling this Treatise ............................ 17 [5]: A Return to the Sunnah – The Text .............................. 19 [6]: There Can be No Agreement Upon The Means Before Agreement Upon the Goal: Islaam .................................................................................... 23 [7]: Is There a Problem With Returning to the Sunnah? …… 26 [8]: Should the Callers be Pleased with This Solution? ....... 34 [9]: The Words of Professor at-Tantaawee ........................... 36 [10]: Why Do the Callers To the Sunnah Call For a Return to the Sunnah? ............................ ................................................................................................ 37 [11]: Points of Censure in the Speech of Professor at-Tantaawee ..................................... ................................................................................................ 45 [12]: The Position of the Callers to the Sunnah Towards the Madhaahib .............................. ................................................................................................. 47 [13]: at-Tantaawee’s Agreement with the Callers to the Sunnah in Abandonment of the Madhaahib in Adherence to the Sunnah ................................. 55 [14]: An Introduction to Taqleed and a Clarification of What is Prohibited and What is Obligatory From It .................................................................. 59 [15]: The Difference Between Taqleed and al-Ittibaa’…………... 68 [16]: The Reply of Professor ’Alee at-Tantaawee ..................... 75 [17]: Appendix I: A Glimpse Into the Life of Imaam Muhammad Naasirud-Deen al- Albaanee .................................................................................. 78 2 A Return to the Sunnah Imaam Muhammad Naasirud-Deen al-Albaanee www.troid.org [18]: Appendix II: The Lies of Sa’eed Ramadaan al-Bootee upon al-Albaanee, as Plagiarized by Nooh Haa Meem Keller ………………………………………….… 82 [19]: Appendix III: The Contentions of Shabbir Ally Concerning the Four Madhaahib ……………………………………………………………………………………. 93 [20]: Conclusion ................................................................... 101 3 A Return to the Sunnah Imaam Muhammad Naasirud-Deen al-Albaanee www.troid.org INTRODUCTION... All Praise is due to Allaah, we praise Him, seek His aid and His Forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allaah from the evils of our souls and the evils of our actions. Whomsoever Allaah guides there is none to misguide and whomsoever Allaah misguides there is none to guide. I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, alone, without any partners and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger. “O you who believe! Fear Allaah as He should be feared, and die not except in a state of Islaam (as Muslims) with complete submission to Allaah.” [Soorah Aali-’Imraan 3:103] “O mankind! Be dutiful to your Lord, Who created you from a single person (Aadam), and from him (Aadam) He created his wife [Hawwaa (Eve)], and from them both He created many men and women and fear Allaah through Whom you demand your mutual (rights), and (do not cut the relations of) the wombs (kinship). Surely, Allaah is Ever an All-Watcher over you.” [Sooratun-Nisaa‘ 4:1] “O you who believe! Keep your duty to Allaah and fear Him, and speak (always) the truth. He will direct you to do righteous good deeds and will forgive you your sins. And whosoever obeys Allaah and His Messenger, he has indeed achieved a great achievement (i.e. he will be saved from the Hell-fire and made to enter Paradise).” [Sooratul-Ahzaab 33:70-71] To proceed, verily the best speech is the Book of Allaah and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam). And the worst of affairs are the newly invented matters, every newly-invented matter is an innovation, every innovation is misguidance and all misguidance is in the Hellfire. 4 A Return to the Sunnah Imaam Muhammad Naasirud-Deen al-Albaanee www.troid.org BENEFIT -- CONCERNING REVILEMENT OF THE HADEETH AND THE AHLUL--HADEETH WAL--ATHAR: By Allaah, the people of innovations and desires - from the Salaf to the Khalaf - have not ceased to attack Ahlus-Sunnah with vile names and accusations. These vile names and wicked propaganda have only served to fool the weak hearted and dull witted ones who are too ignorant to recognize the truth. As for those knowledgeable and cognizant of their manhaj (methodology), then they remember what Aboo Haatim ar-Raazee said, “A sign of the people of innovation is that they fight the people of narrations (ahlul-athar).”1 And it is individuals with this very trait that we shall be dealing with in this brief treatise we have prepared seeking only the Face of Allaah. Know – O Sunnee – that you will see the people who are deluded by their own whims and desires charging Ahlus-Sunnah will all sorts of weak, pathetic and fabricated accusations. They will say that the youth of Ahlus-Sunnah are ignorant and not concerned with learning. We remind them of the statement, “Ahlus-Sunnah are the most merciful of the creation with the creation. And they are the most knowledgeable of the people with respect to the truth. And they are in between the sects of the Muslims, just as Islaam is in between the religions.”2 At other times, we find them accusing the Ahlus-Sunnah of having evil and despicable manners. They will try to rescue their own leaders and figureheads who have received deathblows from the Scholars of Ahlul-Hadeeth, by using the excuse that we – the youth who transmit what the Scholars have said about these leaders and figureheads - do not show respect to our elders and those more superior to us in ‘knowledge.’3 They further assault the sons of Ahlul-Hadeeth wal-Athar by saying that they have immersed themselves in the refutation of Ahlul-Bid’ah wal-Ahwaa‘,4 thus drowning in the abyss of 1 Sharh Usoolul-I’tiqaad (1/39) of Imaam al-Laalikaa‘ee 2 as-Siraaj (no. 62) 3 And we say ‘knowledge’ with all due caution, since knowledge of innovations, desires, kalaam and Shirk does not enter into the beneficial knowledge that one is rewarded for. Indeed, Imaam Sufyaan Ibn Sa’eed ath- Thawree (d. H) – rahimahullaah – repeated thrice in Sharaf Ashaabul-Hadeeth (p. 38), “This Religion is based upon narrations, not opinion. This Religion is based upon narrations, not opinion. This Religion is based upon narrations, not opinion.” So how could we better present this position of ours, except by the famous poetry of Aboo Zayd al-Faqeeh, as is found in Sharaf Ashaabul-Hadeeth (2/37), ‘Every speech after the Qur‘aan is heresy, Except for the Hadeeth and except for understanding (fiqh) in the Religion. And knowledge emanates from “It was narrated to us.” (haddathanaa) And everything other than this is a whispering from the devils.’ 4 Imaam Ibnul-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (d.751H) - rahimahullaah – said, “And the scholars of the Salaf were severe in refuting the innovation and correcting its people in all sections of the earth. And they warned against their fitnah (trial, tribulation) with a harsh warning. And they would reach a state that they had not reached in opposing the evils and the oppression and the enemies.” ‘So if you see a man who has refuted a strange fiqh 5 A Return to the Sunnah Imaam Muhammad Naasirud-Deen al-Albaanee www.troid.org harshness, hard-heartedness and a cold attitude towards the Muslims in general. All of this comes as a result of them (the People of Innovation) being unable to swallow and stomach the replies of Ahlul-Hadeeth, which are filled with, ‘Allaah said...’ and ‘His Messenger said...’ And this has been the case in the fight between the adherents to Sunnah and Salafiyyah, as opposed to the bigoted partisans to Bid’ah and khuraafiyyah. Said Aboo Mansoor Ibn Sallaam al-Faqeeh, “There is nothing heavier upon the people of heresy and more hated by them than listening to the Hadeeth and its narration