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In the Name of Allaah, the All-Merciful... ]
Loving
and Hating for the Right Reasons
From
the noteworthy sayings of Imaam Ahmad about the scholars of
Ahlus-Sunnah is his statement, "Love the people
of the Sunnah according to the degree that they are upon the
Sunnah." This means that your love should be based
on the Sunnah, that you do not love for petty reasons, nor
for some worldly reasons. Real love is for those who are upon
the Sunnah.
It
could be that a person of the Sunnah, a person of the correct
'aqeedah, does some evil things. However, due to his
correct 'aqeedah, his clarity, and his submission to
Allaah's Book and the Sunnah of His Messenger (sallallaahu
'alayhe wa sallam), you find that he is a person whose
heart is free of innovation and doubts.
He
said, "Love the people of the Sunnah according to
the degree that they are upon the Sunnah." What is
understood from this also is that a man hates the people of
innovation according to the degree of their innovations. This
means that if they perform some acts of worship, or they are
known for their distance from worldly things, or they have
conveyed some important knowledge, then they are not to be
hated for these things. Rather they are to be hated because
they have gone against the Sunnah of our beloved one, Muhammad
(sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam).
Similarly,
Aboo Ad-Dardaa', may Allaah have Mercy on him and be pleased
with him, used to say, "O how great is fasting!"
mocking them, "Rather how great are the people
who sleep deeply at night and do not fast in the daytime!
How could you be so unfair about the fool and how he stays
up at night and how he fasts in the daytime?! For verily an
atom's weight of righteousness along with taqwaa and conviction
is greater than a mountain's weight of worship performed by
conceited people!"
The
scholars have said, explaining these words of Aboo Ad-Dardaa',
that he was encouraging the people to love the one who sleeps
all night without praying, as well as the one who does not
fast any optional days. Why? They said that this kind of person,
upon the Sunnah with conviction, his affair is good. He said,
"An atom's weight of righteousness along with taqwaa
and conviction is greater than a mountain's weight of worship
performed by conceited people!"
If
a person is upon the Sunnah with conviction, then verily Allaah,
the Mighty and Exalted, will bless his small efforts. A person
may perform a lot of worship, be he is haughty and self-righteous
about his worship, his lengthy recitation, or his many days
of fasting. He looks at the people as if they are nothing.
He does not even realize the effects of his behavior, nor
does he know how his actions will be at the time of his death.
The
Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) said:
"Verily
a man may perform the deeds of the people of Paradise until
there remains only a handspan's distance between him and it,
and then what is written for him overtakes him, and he performs
the deeds of the people of the Hellfire, and thus enters it."
"And
verily a man may perform the deeds of the people of the Hellfire
until there remains only a handspan's distance between him
and it, and then what is written for him overtakes him, and
he performs the deeds of the people of Paradise, and thus
enters it." [7]
Because
of this hadeeth, many of the Salaf used to cry upon thinking
about the book that contains what is written for them, saying,
"My heart in suspended, what has preceded me? (What is
written for me?)" Others, when they used to think
about their final actions as mentioned in this hadeeth, that
what is written for him will overtake him, they would say,
reflecting over these final deeds, "Our hearts are
suspended according to our final actions, what will we be
taken upon?"
Therefore,
when a person worships, he must worship with fear, fearing
that perhaps Allaah will not accept that deed from him. Some
of the Salaf said about this, "I only wish that I
could offer two rak'ahs that I know would be accepted."
Why? That is because Allaah, the Mighty and Exalted, says
[8]:
( Verily
it is only the deeds of the people of taqwaa that Allaah
accepts )
We
see here that Imaam Ahmad was establishing the relationship
between every Muslim and Ahlus-Sunnah, between every
Muslim and those of the correct beliefs in tawheed,
those who do not contradict the Sunnah with their intellects,
nor do they contradict the Sunnah with their desires.
If
something from the speech of the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe
wa sallam) reaches you, that which gives details to the
Qur'aan, or if something reaches you from the actions of the
Companions (may Allaah be pleased with them) or their speech,
then it is the truth. The scholars are those who sufficed
themselves with the reports of the Companions, acted by their
way, and lived according to their guidance. Whoever takes
from other than this is on the brink of destruction.
Identifying
Innovation and Staying Away From it
From
Imaam Ahmad's other noteworthy sayings, may Allaah have Mercy
on him, is his statement, "I do not know any people
more in need of learning hadeeth than the people in our time."
They
asked him, "And why is that?"
He
replied, "Innovation has spread, so whoever does not
have the Sunnah, or the narrations, then he will fall into
innovation."
Why
would a person ignorant of the narrations of the Sunnah fall
into innovation? Because innovation is something beloved to
a person's soul, since the person only does it trying to get
close to Allaah, the Mighty and Exalted.
An
example of this is what is reported about Ibn Mas'ood (may
Allaah be pleased with him). He went to a gathering where
one of those present would say to the rest, "Glorify
Allaah 100 times," and they would say, "Subhaanallaah,"
100 times. He would say, "Praise Allaah 100 times,"
and they would say, "Al-hamdu lillaah," 100
times. Then he would say, "Declare Allaah's Greatness
100 times," and they would say, "Allaahu
akbar," 100 times, all of this with stones in front
of them to keep count with.
So
Ibn Mas'ood (may Allaah be pleased with him) came to them
when he was informed of this. He rebuked them, saying, "Verily
you people are either more rightly guided than the Companions
of the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam),
or you are upon a branch of misguidance! These are the dishes
of the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam)
that are not yet even broken, and his wives have not yet even
passed away…" This shows that this event occurred
shortly after the death of the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe
wa sallam).
They
said to him, and they were good people, "O Abaa 'Abdir-Rahmaan!
We only intended good!" They declared that they did
not intend except good, to glorify Allaah, to praise Him,
and to declare His Greatness. And you all know the hadeeth
teaching us to do this every day. They said, "O Abaa
'Abdir-Rahmaan! We only intended good!"
Ibn
Mas'ood said, "How many have intended good, but never
accomplish it?" He meant that a person must hold
to the Sunnah in his affairs, as innovation is built upon
the idea of intending good, just as those people said, "We
only intended good!"
People
intend good in every type of innovation that you see, like
innovations in our belief for example, like denying some of
Allaah's Names and Attributes. You find them saying, "We
were denying such and such an attribute to establish tawheed."
They were only intending good. They negated an Attribute
that Allaah, the Mighty and Exalted, is worthy of, something
that is part of His Perfection, while they say, "We
only intended good!" They only intended to exalt
Allaah [9]. The Mu'tazilah considered the negation
of Allaah's Attributes to be from tahweed.
Others
named their negation of Allaah's Attributes "ta'weel"
and explained them as something else. What did they intend
by this? They intended to exalt Allaah, the Mighty and Exalted.
However, the statement of 'Abdullaah ibn Mas'ood applies,
"How many have intended good, but never accomplish
it?"
Certainly
this is an important principle. How can a man be saved from
this? How can someone be saved from worshipping with innovation,
or admiring the innovative worship of others, or approving
of their novelties in worship? These acts can seem outwardly
good, they can seem to be ways to get close to Allaah. Perhaps
they are acts of humility, the person may even be crying.
How can he be saved from this confusion? He must have knowledge
of the Sunnah, the narrations, and the statements of the people
of knowledge.
One
of Imaam Ahmad's companions used to sit with Al-Haarith Al-Muhaasibee
[10] frequently. Imaam Ahmad's companion said to him, "Al-Haarith
is saying this and that, and he has humility in his worship,
and he has great acts of worship…"
Ahmad
said, "When does he visit you?"
He
replied, "He visits me after Maghrib."
Imaam
Ahmad said, "Then I will also come, but allow me to
sit in a place where I can hear his talk but I do not see
him nor does he see me. I want to hear his talk while he does
not see me."
So
Imaam Ahmad went and hid himself. After praying Maghrib,
they sat down and their host brought food. Then they prayed
'Eshaa', returned to the house, and sat down again.
They sat for a long time and Al-Haarith did not speak. Rather
he sat in humility, in a way that fear, humbleness, and humility
could be felt from him.
One
of Al-Haarith's companions asked him something, and then he
began to talk, using good manners and softening their hearts.
He continued talking as some of his companions reached states
of humility, and others began to weep.
The
companion of Imaam Ahmad said, "Then I went to see
Imaam Ahmad, and I found him crying. So I said, 'O Abaa 'Abdilllaah!
What about this talk that you heard?' He replied, 'I have
not heard any speech finer than this! However, do not sit
with him!'"
He
said, "I have not heard any speech finer than this!
However, do not sit with him!" Why? Because this
kind of speech had not been in accordance with the guidance
of the people of the Sunnah who preceded them. He was coming
with a new manner of speech and a new manner of humility that
had not been known to the scholars, a new style that the people
before them had not known. So due to this, Imaam Ahmad was
afraid that, with these new things, if they would have continued
sitting with them, they would have strayed toward some innovation.
Imaam Ahmad prohibited the people from befriending Al-Haarith
and from sitting with him, due to what reached him about some
of his other erroneous statements.
He
said, "I have not heard any speech finer than this,"
referring to the talk that affected the people's hearts,
"However, do not sit with him!" He said that
because Al-Haarith's style of presenting knowledge was not
the way of the people of knowledge.
Let
us return to what Imaam Ahmad said about that era, "I
do not know any people in more need of learning hadeeth than
the people of our time."
They
asked him, "Why is that?"
He
replied, "Innovation has spread, so whoever does not
have the Sunnah, or the narrations, will fall into innovation."
With regard to our current condition, this is something that
everyone should take note of. Because, in our times, everyone
loves the Religion, everyone wants to be religious and obedient,
everyone wants to have humility in their hearts.
But
all of this must be done according to the Sunnah, since any
act of worship that is not in accordance to the Sunnah is
rejected. Allaah, the Mighty and Exalted, says [11]:
(
He is the One who created life and death in order to test
you, which of you are best in deeds )
Al-Fudhayl
ibn 'Iyyaadh said, explaining this verse, "The best
deeds are the most sincere and correct ones."
It
was said, "We all know about sincerity, but what is
the meaning of correctness?"
He
replied, "That it is in accordance with the Sunnah
of the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam)."
This is the meaning of the hadeeth of the Prophet (sallallaahu
'alayhe wa sallam):
"Whoever
performs an action that is not in accordance with our affair
shall have it rejected."
Imaam
Muslim collected this hadeeth in his Saheeh.
Therefore
the affairs is not simply about someone softening the people's
hearts, benefiting the people, or reminding the people of
the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam). "This
is a fine thing, it is nothing but good," the people
may say. It is sufficient to reject it that it is not in accordance
with the Sunnah. Why is that? Because the Prophet (sallallaahu
'alayhe wa sallam), the one we take as our example, said,
"Whoever performs an action
that is not in accordance with our affair shall have it rejected."
There
are some actions that were invented after the time of the
Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam), and they are
considered innovations, novelties, and misguidance. There
are other actions that were introduced after the time of the
Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam), however the
scholars do not count them among the blameworthy innovations.
So what is the criterion that separates the two cases?
How
can a person distinguish between what is considered innovation
and what is not? The distinguishing factor is this: Do you
see a precedence for it in the time of the Prophet (sallallaahu
'alayhe wa sallam), or an incentive for it in the Sunnah?
If there was an incentive for it in the time of the Prophet
(sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) and he did not do it,
then that action is not legislated. Allaah has said [12]:
(
Today I have perfected for you your Religion… )
Imaam
Maalik said, "Whoever believes that there is a good
innovation in the Religion, then he has accused Muhammad (sallallaahu
'alayhe wa sallam) of betraying the trust of the message."
And the refuge is only with Allaah.
Therefore,
as long as there was an incentive to do the action in the
time of the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam),
and in the time of the Companions, then this proves that performing
the action is an innovation. Why is that? Because the incentive
was present in his time, in ours, and in the times between.
So
this action, if it was something legislated, then it would
have been legislated in the time of the Prophethood. So since
it was not legislated in the time of the Prophethood, this
shows it is a misguided innovation.
As
for the second category (of things introduced into the Religion),
they are those actions that did not have an incentive for
them in the time of the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa
sallam), there was nothing warranting these actions. Let
us look at some examples of both the first and second categories.
To
mentions something well known, the first category would include
the various innovative parties and gatherings, like celebrating
the night of Al-Israa' and Al-Mi'raaj, the night
of Al-Badr, or the birthday of the Prophet (sallallaahu
'alayhe wa sallam), and this is the most serious of them.
What
is the goal behind all of these celebrations? The intention
behind them is to instill a love for the Prophet (sallallaahu
'alayhe wa sallam) in the souls of the people, and to
let people hear the history of the Messenger (sallallaahu
'alayhe wa sallam), so that they will love him. These
intentions are all good.
But
weren't these incentives present in the time of the Prophet
(sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam)? The people in the
time of the Companions and the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe
wa sallam), all the Companions, all the Bedouins, all
the people around Al-Madeenah, weren't they all in need of
reflecting? Didn't they all need to love Al-Mustafaa (sallallaahu
'alayhe wa sallam)? They were in need of that.
Then
why was that action not done? No doubt, abandoning certain
actions is from the Religion. Just as receiving an order and
obeying it is from the Religion, to avoid doing something
that had an incentive in the time of the Prophet (sallallaahu
'alayhe wa sallam) is also from the Religion. Otherwise,
there would exist some things in our Religion that get us
closer to Allaah, the Mighty and Exalted, that our Prophet
(sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) did not convey to us.
The
second category includes actions that have incentives that
came after the time of the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe
wa sallam), and there was no incentive to perform that
action in the time of the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe
wa sallam), or something preventing it from being done.
An
example of this is the compilation of the Qur'aan into one
book. Another example is Taraaweeh Prayer. The Prophet
(sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) prayed with them some
nights, and then left it off, fearing that it may be taken
as an obligation by the people. So when he passed away (sallallaahu
'alayhe wa sallam) and the time of 'Umar came (may Allaah
be pleased with him), there was no longer anything preventing
them from the action.
As
for the compilation of the Qur'aan into one book, the Qur'aan
was still coming down in the time of the Prophet (sallallaahu
'alayhe wa sallam). So if it had been compiled into one
book during his lifetime, then every time a new verse was
revealed, they would have had to add it into the sides or
bottoms of the pages, thus the mus-haf would be in
disarray.
Or
they would have had to rewrite the mus-haf every time
Allaah revealed a verse, as Allaah orders the affairs however
he likes, they would have had to keep rewriting the mus-haf.
For this reason, Aboo Bakr (may Allaah be pleased with him),
began the compilation of the Qur'aan into one book after the
death of the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam).
Therefore,
what a great piece of advice Imaam Ahmad (may Allaah be pleased
with him) left for us! From his advice about sticking to the
Sunnah, he said, "I do not know any people more in
need of learning hadeeth than the people of our time."
When they asked him why, he said, "Because innovation
has spread."
So
if that was just about innovation in teaching styles and manners,
then what about those that are related to affairs of belief?
For example, what about issues of leadership, issues of enjoining
the good and forbidding the evil, issues of obeying the rulers
and not opposing the leaders, and the likes?
Many
people have contradicted the Sunnah in these affairs and followed
their opinions. So for this reason, what a great need we are
in for the Sunnah! Reflect over what Imaam Ahmad said in the
end of this statement, "So whoever does not have the
narrations will fall into innovation."
So
whoever holds to the Sunnah and submits to the narrations,
then Allaah, the Mighty and Exalted, will protect him from
the newly invented matters by His Bounty and Generosity.
Praying
at Night
One
of Imaam Ahmad's students, 'Abdus-Samad ibn Sulaymaan, said
something that I mentioned earlier in this lecture, "I
stayed with Ahmad ibn Hambal. He left for me a container of
water. In the morning he found that I had not used it. He
said, 'A companion of the narrations, and he has no activity
in the night?!' I told him, 'I am a traveler.' He replied,
'Even as a traveler!'"
This
is an outstanding lesson from Imaam Ahmad! The student of
knowledge must keep himself upon some rites of worship, he
must have an eagerness to get close to Allaah, the Mighty
and Majestic.
How
will he memorize the Sunnah? How will he gain knowledge? How
will he learn? How will he gain understanding? How will he
comprehend the meanings of the Qur'aan? How will he understand
its explanation? How will he memorize the Qur'aan when he
does not keep himself firm upon acts of worship and obedience?
He
must dedicate himself specifically to praying at night, with
whatever is easy for him. Allaah says [13]:
(
Stand the night except for a little )
Then,
Allaah the Exalted says in the last part of the same chapter
[14]:
(
Then recite from the Qur'aan what is easy )
This
means that you stand for a time that is easy on you, even
if it is only three rak'ahs. Stand for whatever is
easy for you.
It
can not be that the norm for the student of knowledge is that
he does not pray tahajjud at night, that he does not
dedicate himself to some worship. The righteous man, the one
who seeks to correct himself, must have a special concern
for this great act of worship, standing in the night.
Praying
at night is one thing. These days we need to talk about something
even more serious. We have to talk about offering the Fajr
Prayer in congregation! If the people of the past were
advised to take care of their prayers at night, then where
are we in these times when many of the people who ascribe
to righteousness can not even master praying the Fajr
Prayer in congregation!
Then
how will our affair be, and what should we be talking about?
No doubt the affair is not easy, so let every one of us inspect
our own selves. Let us repent sincerely, without delay, from
every sin. If we have been negligent of our duties, then repentance
is obligatory. If we have been negligent of recommended things,
then a person renews his commitment to seek Allaah's great
Bounties.
Allaah
the Exalted has described the people of taqwaa in Soorah
Ath-Thaariyaat [15]:
(
Verily the pious will be in gardens and springs, receiving
what Allaah has given them, verily they used to do good works
before that, they used to sleep little at night, and they
used to seek forgiveness in the morning )
Al-Hasan
Al-Basree (may Allaah have Mercy on him) spoke about these
two verses ( They used to sleep little
at night, And they used to seek forgiveness in the morning
), with some very remarkable comments. He said,
"They stood the night praying, and when the early
morning came they sought forgiveness, fearing that their prayers
would not be accepted from them."
These
are the kinds of statements that come from those who have
live hearts. We may have no part in the affair except to convey
the narration, as the ones who we narrate to may be more receptive
and understanding of them than the narrator.
This
article was taken from BAKKAHnet (www.bakkah.net)
