Introduction
In
the Name of Allaah, the Most Merciful, may His Salaah
and Salaam be upon the Final Messenger. To proceed:
A
little over two years ago, I came across a booklet in 'Arabic
called Bidaayatus-Suwal fee Tafdheel Ar-Rasool (The
Superiority of the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam,
as formerly found on Bakkah.net) by Al-'Izz ibn 'Abdis-Salaam.
Since it had been printed along with comments from Shaykh
Muhammad Naasir Ad-Deen Al-Albaanee, I felt it was worthy
of being translated, especially due to his statement:
"I
found a short missive called Bidaayatus-Suwal fee Tafdheelir-Rasool
by Al-Imaam Al-'Izz ibn 'Abdis-Salaam As-Sulamee, the great
Shaafi'ee scholar of Damascus, well known by the title Sultaanul-'Ulamaa'
(the Authoritative Leader of the Scholars). So I devoted myself
to its careful examination and study, indeed a very precise
and scrutinizing study was needed. It then became clear to
me that it was a priceless piece of work, something to be
extremely beneficial for this Ummah for many reasons."
At
that time I was not aware of the reality of this man, Al-'Izz
ibn 'Abdis-Salaam. After hearing our scholars begin to warn
against him, clarifying that he was not from Ahlus-Sunnah
at all, in fact he was a bitter enemy of the scholars
of the Sunnah, and then reading what the brother, Khaalid
Ath-Thufayree, had gathered about him, I felt it incumbent
on me to write something in English to clarify his affair,
especially since it was I who introduced him to many of the
English speaking Muslims by way of the aforementioned translation
and its placement on www.Bakkah.net
I
pray that Allaah allows this clarification to reach open hearts,
and may He grant us all clarity and insight…
Al-'Izz Ibn 'Abdis-Salaam was an
Extreme Soofee
He
studied under two well-known Soofee shaykhs in his time, Shihaab
Ad-Deen As-Sahroorudee and Abul-Hasan Ash-Shaathilee. Furthermore,
he praised the speech of Ash-Shaathilee, and he would wear
the Soofee cloak that was specific to the followers of As-Sahroorudee.
[1]
Ath-Thahabee
said, "Qutb Ad-Deen said: He used to like hearing
funny stories and poetry, and he used to attend chanting
circles and dance." [2]
So
indeed he was a Soofee, having studied under Soofees, worn
their special clothes, attended their specific chanting and
dancing circles, and praised their speech. Furthermore,
let us take a look at what Al-'Izz Ibn 'Abdis-Salaam said
in his own book:
"From
the kinds of knowledge Allaah bestows on the Prophets and
pious worshippers: Divine knowledge that allows him to see
what is in the (people's) hearts, and thus he is able to see
unseen affairs the likes of which are unheard of. He will
also be able to smell and feel things, and he will attain
knowledge of different spheres of the Creation by his heart,
like how Ibraaheem saw all the dominions of the heavens and
the earth. Some of them see angels, devils, and faraway places.
Some even see what is beneath the earth, and others see distant
galaxies and planets with their suns and moons, just as they
are. Some of them see Al-Lawh Al-Mahfooth (the Preserved
Tablet) and they can read what is in it. One of them even
heard the scribbling of the pens and the voices of the angels
and Jinns. One of them was able to understand the language
of the birds…" [3]
This
is clearly the speech of an extreme Soofee, not a man from
Ahlus-Sunnah. Furthermore, look at his revilement of the
scholars as he compares them to the Soofees:
"How
can the 'Aarifoon (a word used to refer to dedicated
Soofees) be compared to the Fuqahaa' (Fiqh scholars)?
The 'Aarifoon are the best of the Creation and the
most mindful of Allaah. Allaah, the Glorified and Exalted,
has said, ( Verily the most honorable
of you with Allaah are the ones with the most taqwaa
), and He has praised them in His Book, calling
them muttaqoon, more than He has praised the rest of
His Creation. And as for His Statement, (
Verily those who (truly) fear
Allaah from amongst His Servants are the 'ulamaa' ),
then the intended meaning is the 'Aarifoon, those who
know Him, His Attributes, and His Actions, not those who know
His Legislation. So it is not permissible to apply this
Verse to the scholars of legislation, since the vast majority
of them have no fear (of Allaah)…" [4]
Al-'Izz
Ibn 'Abdis-Salaam was an Ash'aree
Ash'arees
are a people who twist the texts of the Book and the Sunnah
until they explain away all of Allaah's Attributes except
seven. [5] This was the belief of Al-'Izz ibn 'Abdis-Salaam.
Al-'Izz
himself said, after denying that Allaah has a real Hand, and
explaining it away as power and authority:
"And
as for the one who says that he believes in these texts as
the Salaf did (meaning that he affirms the Attributes), then
verily he has lied. For how could he believe in something
he does not understand, nor does he know the meaning of? To
speak like this (meaning to explain the Hand as power) is
not a blameworthy innovation, rather it is a praiseworthy
innovation, an obligatory one due to the doubts that have
spread…" [6]
This
is exactly the position of the Ash'arees. He also denied that
the Qur'aan is the Speech of Allaah, claiming that it is only
a reference to the Speech of Allaah, and that Allaah speaks
with no letters or sounds. He said, "How strange
is it that someone claims that the Qur'aan is made up of letters
and sounds!" [7]
Furthermore,
he was asked about people who believe that Allaah is actually
above His Throne, while He is everywhere by way of His Knowledge,
which is the belief of Ahlus-Sunnah. He replied:
"The
apparent meaning of what Ibn Abee Zayd (the fourth century
Maalikee scholar who held the correct beliefs referred to
in the question) mentioned is that it is a claim that Allaah
has a position, since he has made a distinction between His
Presence above the Throne and His Presence with His Creation.
So the base rule on the one who believes in a position, is
that he has not left Islaam, since the scholars of Islaam
have not put them out of Islaam, rather they ruled that they
can inherit from the Muslims, be buried in their graveyards,
have their blood and money honored, and they must be prayed
over, like the rest of the leaders (literally "lords")
of innovation…" [8]
So
he called those who believe that Allaah is above His Throne
"Arbaab Al-Bida'", literally: the lords of innovation.
Furthermore,
Shaykh Al-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah said:
"So
it is to be said to those Jahmiyyah Kulaabiyyah,
like Aboo Muhammad (Al-'Izz Ibn 'Abdis-Salaam) and those like
him: How can you claim to be upon the way of the Salaf,
when the essence of the what Salaf were upon was being in
agreement with the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu 'alayhe
wa sallam…?" [9]
Al-'Izz
Ibn 'Abdis-Salaam Reviled the People of the Sunnah
The
first proof for this has preceded, that he said that the 'Aarifoon
are not comparable to the Fuqahaa', claiming that
the vast majority of them have no fear of Allaah.
Furthermore,
regarding those who affirm all of Allaah's Attributes, like
His Hand and His Face, he said:
"The
Hashawiyyah (those who place padding inside of dolls)
and the Mushabbahah, those that claim that Allaah is
like His Creation, are of two types: The first type are those
who have no problem openly proclaiming their hashw
(meaning their claim that Allaah is like His Creation); The
second type are those who hide under the math-hab of
the Salaf…" [10]
The
Ash'arees have always claimed that Ahlus-Sunnah are Mushab-bihah
and Mujassimah (those who liken Allaah to His Creation),
so this is not shocking, however his labeling them with Hashawiyyah,
that they are stuffing or putting the padding in dolls by
way of their affirmation of the Attributes is a disgusting
insult, showing his sheer animosity for Ahlus-Sunnah.
His
extreme hatred for the people of the Sunnah even lead him
to turn the ruler away from the 'Aqeedah of the Salaf,
and instill in him hatred for Ahlus-Sunnah and a desire to
punish them. He wrote to the ruler, Al-Ashraf, who had been
upon the 'Aqeedah of Ahlus-Sunnah:
"That
which we believe about the ruler is that if the Truth becomes
clear to him, then he must return to it (intending the Ash'aree
beliefs), and he must punish those who spilled falsehood upon
him, for verily he is most deserving of being in accordance
with his father, the ruler, King Al-'Aadil, may Allaah cover
him in His Mercy and Pleasure, for verily he had chastised
a group of the innovative Hambalees with an extreme and exemplary
reprimand, and he declared them to be innovators and disgraced
them…" [11]
And
thus Al-Ashraf turned to the way of the Ash'arees. He also
caused another ruler, Al-Kaamil, to disgrace the people of
the Sunnah as well. [12]
Shaykh
Al-Islaam's Position on Al-'Izz Ibn 'Abdis-Salaam
Khaalid
Ath-Thufayree said:
"Throughout
his refutations of Al-'Izz, Shaykh Al-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah
described him with a number of things. From them:
1)
His lack of knowledge of the statements of the people of the
Sunnah, and those of the people of innovation. (Al-Fataawaa
4/153)
2)
Most of the companions of Al-'Izz Ibn 'Abdis-Salaam outwardly
showed their contradiction to the Salaf in affairs of Eemaan
and ta'weel. (Al-Fataawaa 4/156)
3)
He described Al-'Izz Ibn 'Abdis-Salaam and those like him
as being "Jahmiyyah Kulaabiyyah." (Al-Fataawaa
4/158)
4)
Al-'Izz Ibn 'Abdis-Salaam and those like him have taken the
path of the criminals who have claimed that the Messenger
did not convey the Truth with regards to Tawheed, nor did
he exemplify the affair for the people within his own practice.
Rather, he showed the people that which is in contradiction
to the Truth. And the Truth is either that which he hid, or
either that which he was not knowledgeable of. (Al-Fataawaa
4/195)" [13]
Conclusion
I
hope that Allaah grants success to this attempt to clarify
the reality of Al-'Izz Ibn 'Abdis-Salaam, the extreme Soofee,
Ash'aree, and reviler of Ahlus-Sunnah.
This
clarification is necessary since certain callers to innovation
claiming Salafiyyah are trying to boost the status of Al-'Izz
until they have made him comparable to the great imaams
of Ahlus-Sunnah! So know that this fitnah is on
its way to the English speaking Muslims, if it has not already
found its way there.
For
those of you who can read 'Arabic, then I highly recommend
that you refer to the book by Khaalid Ath-Thufayree: Haqeeqatul-'Izz
ibn 'Abdis-Salaam wa Mawqif Shaykh Al-Islaam Minhu. It
is available from the Sahab Salafee forum at the following
URL:
http://www.sahab.org/books/book.php?id=150
(EL)
I
anticipate that some people may have some questions or concerns
about what has been presented, thus I have prepared replies
to two questions:
Q1:
What about Al-Albaanee's praise of Al-'Izz Ibn 'Abdis-Salaam,
that he was a great Shaafi'ee scholar, and so on?
A1:
I posed this question to Shaykh 'Ubayd Al-Jaabiree, who replied:
"As
for Shaykh Al-Albaanee's praise for Al-'Izz, then we will
apply our principle, that detailed criticism takes precedence
over general praise. The shaykh was not aware of the criticism
against him, so he was only speaking based on what he knew.
And as Imaam Maalik said, 'Everyone can have their statements
accepted or rejected, except the occupant of this grave,'
meaning the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu 'alayhe wa
sallam."
Q2:
Why are some people upset about those who speak against Al-'Izz
Ibn 'Abdis-Salaam?
A2:
Well, there are different types of people who dislike
this clarification for different reasons, so this answer requires
us to look at each group and why they dislike it:
-
1 - Muslims who do not like refutations
in general, due to their ignorance of the manhaj of
the Salaf and the importance of clarifying the truth for the
people.
-
2 - Soofees,
since Al-'Izz was a Soofee, and they hate that Ahlus-Sunnah
have discovered his true orientation and have exposed him.
-
3 - Ash'arees, since Al-'Izz was an
Ash'aree, and like the Soofees and the rest of the people
of desires, they hate that Ahlus-Sunnah have discovered his
true orientation and have exposed him.
-
4 - Followers of groups like Al-Ikhwaan
Al-Muslimoon, Surooriyyah, and Qutbiyyah. They dislike refutations
in general due to their innovated principle of Muwaazanaat.
They hate this refutation specifically since they believe
that Al-'Izz used to publicly rebuke the leaders, thus becoming
a great imaam in their eyes.
-
5 - More specifically, followers of
Salmaan Al-'Awdah, since he specifically has tried to include
Al-'Izz from the imaams of Ahlus-Sunnah, even placing him
on the level of Imaam Ahmad. So shedding light to the deviation
of Al-'Izz exposes more of the errors of Salmaan Al-'Awdah,
thus further enraging his followers.
And
Allaah knows best.
FOOTNOTES
[1]
Husn Al-Muhaadharah (1/273) of As-Suyootee, as quoted
by Khaalid Ath-Thufayree in Haqeeqatul-'Izz ibn 'Abdis-Salaam
(p.6).
[2]
Al-'Ibar (3/299) of Ath-Thahabee, as quoted by Khaalid
Ath-Thufayree in Haqeeqatul-'Izz ibn 'Abdis-Salaam
(p.6).
[3]
Qawaa'id Al-Ahkaam (p.102) of Al-'Izz Ibn 'Abdis-Salaam,
Mu'assasatu-Rayyaan printing, 1419.
[4]
Fataawaa Al-'Izz Ibn 'Abdis-Salaam (p.242), Mu'assasatur-Risaalah
printing, 1416.
[5]
Fur further discussion of the Ash'arees and the sources of
their beliefs, refer to the excellent book of our Shaykh Muhammad
ibn Saalih Al-'Uthaymeen, Exemplary Foundations, which
has been published in English by our brothers at TROID.
[6]
Fataawaa Al-'Izz Ibn 'Abdis-Salaam (p.456), Mu'assasatur-Risaalah
printing, 1416.
[7]
At-Tabaqaat Ash-Shaafi'iyyah (8/224) of As-Subkee,
as quoted by Khaalid Ath-Thufayree in Haqeeatul-'Izz ibn
'Abdis-Salaam (p.5). Indeed Allaah does speak with
sounds aqnd letters, as occurs in the authentic narrations,
"Then Allaah will call out with a voice…" and
"Whoever reads a single letter from the Book of Allaah,
then he will have ten rewards…" To deny this is
to deny the basic meaning of speech itself.
[8]
Fataawaa Al-'Izz Ibn 'Abdis-Salaam (p.287), Mu'assasatur-Risaalah
printing, 1416.
[9]
Majmoo' Al-Fataawaa (4/158-159).
[10]
At-Tabaqaat Ash-Shaafi'iyyah (8/222) of As-Subkee,
as quoted by Khaalid Ath-Thufayree in Haqeeqatul-'Izz ibn
'Abdis-Salaam (p.9).
[11]
At-Tabaqaat Ash-Shaafi'iyyah (8/230) of As-Subkee,
as quoted by Khaalid Ath-Thufayree in Haqeeqatul-'Izz ibn
'Abdis-Salaam (p.10).
[12]
Refer to At-Tabaqaat Ash-Shaafi'iyyah (8/238-239) of
As-Subkee, as quoted by Khaalid Ath-Thufayree in Haqeeqatul-'Izz
ibn 'Abdis-Salaam (p.10).
[13]
Haqeeqatul-'Izz ibn 'Abdis-Salaam (p.3-4) of Khaalid
Ath-Thufayree.
This
article was
taken from BAKKAHnet (www.bakkah.net)
