{"id":37015,"date":"2025-05-11T09:48:08","date_gmt":"2025-05-11T09:48:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/daruliftabirmingham.co.uk\/home\/?p=37015"},"modified":"2025-07-13T13:24:09","modified_gmt":"2025-07-13T13:24:09","slug":"confusion-regarding-salafi-ideology-and-hanafi-fiqh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/daruliftabirmingham.co.uk\/home\/confusion-regarding-salafi-ideology-and-hanafi-fiqh\/","title":{"rendered":"Confusion Regarding Salafi Ideology and Hanafi Fiqh"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fatwa ID: 08151<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Answered by: Maulana Sakib Shadman<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Question:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sheikh, I have had a lot of confusion for the past few months, and it\u2019s affecting my mental health. Please help me to come to a conclusion.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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\u2019t have many resources at his time, nor did he travel much, so he gave rulings mostly based on the Quran. That\u2019s 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\u2019t know, but I find their arguments quite attractive, and I am confused whether we should follow Sahih Hadith and the Quran.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I also did some research myself but couldn\u2019t 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Answer:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Beliefs and Aqeedah of the so-called \u201cSalaf\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Asharis and Maturidis simply believe:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u0644\u064e\u06cc\u06e1\u0633\u064e \u0643\u064e\u0645\u0650\u062b\u06e1\u0644\u0650\u0647\u0650\u06e6 \u0634\u064e\u06cc\u06e1\u0621\u08f1\u06d6<\/span>
\n\u201cNothing is like Him.\u201d<\/span>
\n(Surah Ash-Sh\u016br\u0101: 11)<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Fiqh<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Let me give you an example:<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Let\u2019s 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

According to Abu Hanifah (RA), his Wudu is broken due to him vomiting.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

According to Imam Shafi (RA), his Wudu is broken when he touches a woman.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But a layman \u201cMujtahid Salafi\u201d may simply take the easier opinion in both scenarios. He will take the opinion of Imam Shafi when he vomits (i.e., vomiting doesn\u2019t break his Wudu). He will take the opinion of Imam Abu Hanifah when he touches a woman (i.e., touching a woman doesn\u2019t break his Wudu). And so, according to this so-called \u201cMujtahid Salafi,\u201d 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Taqleed (Following One Madhab)<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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 <\/span>(early generations of scholars).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Even when the word \u2018Salafi\u2019 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Imam Abu Hanifah\u2019s Council of Imams<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Please see the following link to learn about some of these giants of scholarly knowledge:<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

40 Great Students of Imam Abu Hanifah<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n