The Way to Salvation is Found in
Holding to the Qur'aan and the Sunnah
Shaykh Rabee' ibn Haadee Al-Madkhalee
www.bakkah.net

[ Part One ] - [ Part Two ] - [ Part Three ] - [ Part Four ]

PART FOUR:

...So he has informed us about this splitting in this hadeeth and the one before it, and he has guided us to the way to escape from the ongoing cycle of differing and the fitnah of this differing and struggle, the way to escape from the midst of these contradictory sects. Every single group from them, and Allaah's Refuge is sought, rejoices over the falsehood and misguidance they have, as Allaah, the Blessed and Exalted, has said:

"Every group rejoicing with what it has." [25]

The Messenger of Allaah ordered us to withdraw from this and retreat to his Sunnah, his way and methodology, sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam, following the Book of Allaah and his Sunnah, sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam. For verily he, sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam, was the most devoted of the people to this Book, and the most devoted of them in following his own statements, sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam. When he ordered us with something, then he did not contradict that himself, just as when he prohibited us from things, he did not contradict his own prohibitions. Never could he have done that, sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam. Thus his Sunnah was holding to the Book of his Lord and all that which Allaah inspired him with of his pure, prophetic Sunnah.

He also directed us to seek out the guidance of the rightly guided successors, those that the Messenger of Allaah had described them with "rashaad," as being upon guidance as opposed to ignorance, and called them "muhtadoon," meaning that they were rightly guided to the Truth, as opposed to being astray.

So whoever wants to be saved from ignorance and misguidance, then upon him is to hold fast to their way in the midst of all this differing that has ripped up this Ummah and caused its humiliation, and Allaah's Refuge is sought. It is due to this that Allaah has allowed the nations of disbelief, from the East and the West, to gain authority over the Ummah. Allaah has allowed them to have authority over this Ummah that has split up and differed after the clear evidences have reached it from Allaah, the Blessed and Exalted, and His Messenger, sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam.

So whoever wants to be saved from this dark reality, then it is upon him to hold fast to the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of His Prophet, seeking to bring their light to this darkness, that which the people of desires and innovations are stumbling about it. For verily the one who holds to them proceeds upon guidance from Allaah, upon light and evidence from his Lord and from the Sunnah of His Messenger, sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam.

This is the way that leads to deliverance and salvation from the Vengeance of Allaah and His Anger, in both this world and in the Next Life. And this is the way to success in attaining His Pleasure and His Gardens that He has prepared for those who are mindful (of Him):

"A garden the width of the Heavens and the Earth, prepared for the muttaqeen. (They are) those who spend in times of ease and times of hardship, those who restrain their anger, those who excuse the people. And Allaah loves those who do good works." [26]

Why has Allaah described them with these attributes, with taqwaa, with these nice attributes? Because these attributes are taken from the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of His Messenger, sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam. They (rightly guided successors) only attained these attributes by following the orders of Allaah and abstaining from things He prohibited.

These noble Verses and prophetic narrations urge us to have taqwaa and sincerity, as well as righteousness and generosity in spending in the way of Allaah. Furthermore, they urge us to be lenient and overlook (the mistakes of others), and they call for the Muslims to increase their brotherhood with other truthful Muslims, those who are holding fast to the Book of their Lord and the Sunnah of their Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam.

So be from these people who hold to the Book of their Lord, those who follow the guidance of their Prophet and the rightly guided successors, those who clamp down on this way firmly with their molar teeth, as our Messenger has advised us, sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam.

And be warned against newly invented matters, those based upon the misguidance of the devil, those that the devils of Mankind and those of the Jinn call to, as the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam, has informed us, when he recited Allaah's Statement:

"And verily this is My straight Path, so follow it, and do not follow the other paths, lest they separate you from My Path." [27]

The Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam, drew a straight line and said:

"This is the Path of Allaah."

And then he drew lines to the right and left of it, and said:

"These are other paths, there is a devil on each one of them calling to it." [28]

Allaah calls to the straight Path, and the Messengers, from them, Muhammad, sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam, were callers to the straight Path of Allaah. And the devil and his army are the callers to these other paths. They are the ones who call to this misguidance and these stray paths, and Allaah's Refuge is sought.

The reality is that whoever holds tight to the Book of Allaah, then he is rightly guided and he traverses upon the straight Path. And the one who opposes the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of His Messenger, sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam, is deviant, astray, and misguided, and he traverses the path of the devil, or one of the paths that has a devil on it.

And may the Salaah of Allaah be upon our Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam, the one who did not leave any good thing except that he directed us to it, nor did he leave any evil thing except that he warned us from it, sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam. So may Allaah reward him for his goodness to this Ummah with the best that He rewards one of His Prophets.

And may the Salaah and Salaam of Allaah be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and Companions. Was-salaamu 'alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh.

FOOTNOTES (Abul-'Abbaas)

[25] Soorah Ar-Room (30):32

[26] Soorah Aali 'Imraan (3:133-134)

[27] Soorah Al-An'aam (6):153

[28] An authentic hadeeth collected by Imaam Ibn Maajah (#11), on the authority of Jaabir ibn 'Abdillaah, may Allaah be pleased with him, and Imaam Ahmad (#4142), on the authority of 'Abdullaah ibn Mas'ood, may Allaah be pleased with him. Al-Albaanee declared it to be saheeh in Saheeh Sunan ibn Maajah (#11).

TEST YOUR UNDERSTANDING

How can a Muslim escape the fitnah of differing over religious matters?

What attributes are mentioned for the people of taqwaa in the article?

How many paths are there to the Truth? And how many paths of misguidance are there? (from the hadeeth of Ibn Mas'ood)

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Part One

Part Two

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