Fatwa ID: 08167
Answered by: Maulana Sakib Shadman
Question:
Sheikh, I have had a lot of confusion for the past few months, and it’s affecting my mental health. Please help me to come to a conclusion.
My brother married a Salafi woman (extreme), and she always has arguments with us, claiming that we are following the wrong path. She asserts that all Muslims have to research in order to find the right path, just like non-Muslims must do research to find the truth of Islam. She claims that Muslims also must do research in order to follow the true path. She always shows Hadith from Bukhari, etc., to prove her point. To be honest, when looking at the Hadith, she seems correct to me. Moreover, my brother is also inclining towards Salafism now.
Recently, I noticed that 80 percent of the top famous Islamic scholars also belong to Salafi fiqh, and more and more people in my surroundings are becoming Salafis. Recently, my whole uncle’s family became Salafi, and they also have the same argument, saying that Imams are not prophets; they can make mistakes. They always quote the Imam who said that if a Hadith is Sahih, then that is my Madhab. Basically, they are trying to say that there are many mistakes in fiqh, especially in Hanafi fiqh. They claim that Imam Abu Hanifah didn’t have many resources at his time, nor did he travel much, so he gave rulings mostly based on the Quran. That’s why there are contradictions in his rulings with Sahih Hadith. They also argue that the followers of the four Imams are doing what the Arabs used to do in Jahiliyyah: following their elders blindly without any proof. I don’t know, but I find their arguments quite attractive, and I am confused whether we should follow Sahih Hadith and the Quran.
I also did some research myself but couldn’t judge which one is correct. When I read or listen to Salafi scholars, they seem correct, and when I listen to Hanafi scholars, they also seem correct to me. What should I do now? Please help.
Am I following the right path by being a strong Deobandi Hanafi follower, or am I on the wrong path? Please guide me and give answers based on rationality, not just because I follow Hanafi fiqh because my grandfather did. As a Muslim, I should research and not merely believe just because my grandfather follows Hanafi fiqh.
Jazakallah.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Answer:
The topic of Salafis and their misguidance is a vast one, which one can write entire books about.
In fact, one book I urge you to read regarding Salafis is:
Who or What is a Salafi? Is Their Approach Valid?
Author: Sheikh Nuh Ha Mim Keller (1995)
Beliefs and Aqeedah of the so-called “Salaf”
To give you a brief synopsis on this issue, Salafis are an extreme sect of Muslims who declare everyone to be Kafir/misguided except themselves. This is based on the fact that they disagree with the Aqeedah of Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaa’ah. They are in fact anthropomorphists. They believe Allah Ta’ala has human features, such as a hand, face, etc. They believe He literally rose over His throne, thus occupying space. These beliefs are extremely problematic. Asharis and Maturidis simply believe:
لَیۡسَ كَمِثۡلِهِۦ شَیۡءࣱۖ
“Nothing is like Him.”
(Surah Ash-Shūrā: 11)
In other words, Allah Ta’ala has no resemblance to His creation. This is a Quranic concept which anyone with a sound intellect can agree with.
Fiqh
In Fiqh, Salafis believe they have the ability to deduce rulings directly from the Quran and Sunnah without proper knowledge of the sciences of Islam. In doing so, they often follow their whims and desires, picking whichever rulings are easiest for them to follow, even if it is not the most correct opinion.
Let me give you an example:
Let’s say a person is in the state of Wudu. Afterward, he vomited and touched a woman. According to the consensus of all four Madhabs, his Wudu is broken. The Imams simply differ on what caused his Wudu to break.
According to Abu Hanifah (RA), his Wudu is broken due to him vomiting.
According to Imam Shafi (RA), his Wudu is broken when he touches a woman.
But a layman “Mujtahid Salafi” may simply take the easier opinion in both scenarios. He will take the opinion of Imam Shafi when he vomits (i.e., vomiting doesn’t break his Wudu). He will take the opinion of Imam Abu Hanifah when he touches a woman (i.e., touching a woman doesn’t break his Wudu). And so, according to this so-called “Mujtahid Salafi,” his Wudu is not broken. Yet, according to the consensus of all four Madhabs, his Wudu is in fact broken, and so his Salat is not valid.
Taqleed (Following One Madhab)
Salafis criticize Muqallids (those who adhere to one Madhab). Yet, if you look at Salafis and their approach to Taqleed, they may claim to not follow any Madhab, but they do Taqleed of modern-day scholars such as Sheikh Al-Bani and Sheikh Bin Baz, along with earlier scholars from the Khalaf, such as Imam Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn al-Qayyim.
Their Taqleed of such scholars is stronger than our Taqleed of the four Imams. So, they should not criticize us for making Taqleed when they follow these later scholars (Khalaf) blindly. At least our four Imams are from the Salaf (early generations of scholars).
Even when the word ‘Salafi’ comes to one’s mind, one pictures a group of young zealous brothers in the Masjid who like to debate with everyone. This is the nature of the Salafi. In my experience, people with specific personality traits join their movement: people who are stubborn, argumentative, and close-minded, and love to stir up controversy.
Imam Abu Hanifah’s Council of Imams
Finally, when we follow the Hanafi Madhab, we do not simply follow one Imam. Whenever Imam Abu Hanifah (RA) issued any verdict, he had a council of 40 of the most prominent scholars of his time in his Majlis (meeting). Imam Abu Hanifah would consult these Imams for months before issuing any ruling. These were the top scholars of their time, and such intelligent and God-fearing scholars do not exist in our time, nor in any era besides the early generations of scholars. These scholars truly were the cream of the crop and had access to more Hadith and had a greater understanding of Hadith than the scholars that modern-day Salafis follow.
Please see the following link to learn about some of these giants of scholarly knowledge:
Imam Wakee (RA), who was the teacher of Imam Shafi’i, said:
“How could there have remained any errors in this work of Imam Abu Hanifah when he had with him experts of Hadith, experts of Tafseer, experts of Fiqh, experts in Arabic… A person who has such people as companions cannot be wrong because there would always be someone to correct him if he erred.”
It is very easy for someone to claim that they are following Quran and Sunnah. But what the Salafis do not tell you is that the four Imams are our gateway toward the correct understanding and application of the Quran and Sunnah. In fact, Salafis have a very shallow understanding of Deen, and many of their practices contradict the Quran and Sunnah. For example, their incorrect assertion that 3 Talaqs in one sitting counts as one Talaq.
Internet Preachers (Who Are Mostly Not Scholars)
Arab leaders push and promote certain popular preachers on the Internet, who are mostly Madhkhali (a branch of Salafis loyal to the secular Arab leaders). These are the same governments who turn a blind eye to our beloved brothers and sisters in Palestine. These governments are funding these preachers because they promote the ideologies of these Arab royal families, and you will rarely hear these preachers criticize Arab leaders. The disbelievers who manipulate the social media algorithms push this Madhkhali agenda on their platforms to confuse us layman Muslims.
The Internet is full of lewdness and evil. Any person with sound intellect should understand that learning Islam through the Internet without the guidance of a proper scholar will not lead him toward the truth.
Conclusion
Please continue following what you are following. The scholars of Deoband opposed the British colonialists and Western imperialism by fighting on the front line. They sacrificed their blood to preserve Deen according to the correct understanding of the Quran and Sunnah. What have the Salafis ever done except make Takfeer of other Muslims and sow dissension amongst our Ummah? This Salafi movement is relatively new. Before that, Muslims did not have such doubts as you are currently experiencing. Please do not let this movement deviate you from the truth. But at the same time, do not argue with these people. You will never win with them. Please refer to this famous scholarly quote:
“ما جادلت جاهلا إلا وغلبني، وما جادلت عالما إلا غلبته”
“I have never argued with a foolish person except that I lost.
And I have never argued with an intelligent person except that I won.”
Only Allah (عز و جل) knows best.
Written by Maulana Sakib Shadman
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
والأشعرية هم: أتباع أبي الحسن الأشعري وأنصار مذهبه عقيدة واستدلالا، وهو ومن تبعه أقرب الطوائف إلى أهل السنة والجماعة، فيحمدون على ما وافقوا فيه أهل السنة والجماعة، ويخطؤون فيما خالفوهم فيه، ومن أتباعه أبو بكر الباقلاني والبيهقي وأبي الفرج ابن الجوزي وأبو زكريا يحيى النووي وابن حجر العسقلاني وأمثالهم ممن تأولوا نصوص صفات الله تعالى، أو فوضوا في أصل معناها، وهم في نظرنا من كبار علماء المسلمين الذين نفع الله بهم الأمة، فرحمهم الله وجزاهم خيرا.
——–
ص411 – كتاب فتاوى اللجنة الدائمة المجموعة الثانية – الأشعرية – المكتبة الشاملة
https://baraka.wordpress.com/2021/01/01/salafis-are-mushabbihah-anthropomorphist/
وقال غير واحد: والأشاعرة من حيث هم يسمون أيضاً الصفاتية، لإثباتهم صفات الله تعالى القديمة، ثم افترقوا في الألفاظ الواردة في الكتاب والسنة، كالاستواء والنزول والإصبع واليد والقدم والصورة وغيرها فرقتين: فرقة تؤول جميع ذلك على وجوه محتملة. وفرقة لم تتعرض للتأويل ولا صاروا إلى التشبيه، ويقال لهؤلاء الأشعرية الأثرية.
——–
ص252 – كتاب جلاء العينين في محاكمة الأحمدين – عقيدة الأشعري – المكتبة الشاملة
٣٢٣٢٠ – قلنا: المقلد يتبع [ما له به علم فوجب] إتباعه؛ لأن الله تعالى فرض علينا التقليد، وهذا كما بخبر الواحد وهو لا يعلم صحته، لكنه يعمل به لدليل معلوم لزمه العمل به
——–
ص6527 – كتاب التجريد للقدوري – مسألة القاضي المقلد – المكتبة الشاملة
[س ٦٤: سئل فضيلة الشيخ- رحمه الله-: هل يجب التقليد لمذهب معين أم لا؟]
فأجاب بقوله: نعم، يجب التقليد لمذهب معين وجوبًا لازمًا، لكن هذا المذهب المعين الذي يجب تقليده مذهب الرسول – صلى الله عليه وسلم -؛ لأن الذي ذهب إليه الرسول – صلى الله عليه وسلم – واجب الاتباع، وهو الذي به سعادة الدنيا والآخرة، قال تعالى: (قُلْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ) (٢) ، وقال تعالى (وَأَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَالرَّسُولَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ) (
——–
ص166 – كتاب مجموع فتاوى ورسائل العثيمين – س سئل فضيلة الشيخ رحمه الله هل يجب التقليد لمذهب معين أم لا – المكتبة الشاملة) .
أبو إسحاق: يقولون يُكْثِر السلفيون من ذكر قول الأئمة الأربعة إذا صح الحديث فهو مذهبي فيأتون على حديث إفتاء بعض العلماء بخلاف ظاهره، فيُلْزِمون الإمام به، مع أن الإمام النووي رحمه الله حَقَّق في مقدمة المجموع أن هذه العبارة ليست على ظاهرها، وبذلك تفرد السلفيون بآراء فقهية ضعيفة يُلْزِمون الأمة بها، فما قولكم؟
——–
ص338 – كتاب جامع تراث العلامة الألباني في المنهج والأحداث الكبرى – تهم وشبهات السلفيون يلزمون الأئمة بأقوال هم يفتون بخلافها – المكتبة الشاملة
فالمركب مَا اجْتمع عَلَيْهِ الآراء فِي حكم الْحَادِثَة مَعَ وجود الِاخْتِلَاف فِي الْعلَّة ومثاله الْإِجْمَاع على وجود الانتقاض عِنْد الْقَيْء وَمَسّ الْمَرْأَة أما عندنَا فبناء على الْقَيْء
وَأما عِنْده فبناء على الْمس
——–
ص291 – كتاب أصول الشاشي – بحث كون الإجماع على أربعة أقسام – المكتبة الشاملة
https://sunnahinsights.com/errors-accompanying-the-salafi-youth/
https://ctc.westpoint.edu/the-past-and-future-of-deobandi-islam/
(وبالْعَطْفِ) نحو: أنتِ طالقٌ وطالقٌ وطالقٌ، أو بالتكرير من غير عطفٍ نحو: أنتِ طالقٌ طالقٌ طالقٌ (تَبِينُ بالأوَّلِ) وكانت الثنتان فيما لا يملك، وهو قول عليّ وابن مسعود وزيد وإبراهيم. وقال ابن (أبي) (١) ليلى: إذا كان في مجلسٍ واحدٍ يقع ثلاث تطليقات، لأن المجلس الواحد يجمع الكلمات المتفرقة ويجعلها واحداً. وقال مالك، والشّافعيّ في القديم، والأوزاعيّ، واللّيث بن سعد: تطلق ثلاثاً. وقال أحمد: إنْ ذكر بالواو تطلق ثلاثاً وإلاّ تبين بالأوَّل، لأن المذكور بحرف الجمع كالمذكور بلفظ الجمع. ولهم: أنّ المجلس واحدٌ وهو يجمع المتفرقات، فيقع الثلاث.
——–
ص105 – كتاب فتح باب العناية بشرح النقاية – كتاب الطلاق – المكتبة الشاملة
