This
is a question for our shaykh, the 'Allaamah, Shaykh Naasir.
The questioner asks, "What is the Sharee'ah's ruling
on these numerous Islaamic groups, sects, and organizations
- as they are different from each other in their methodologies,
styles, calls, and beliefs, the very foundations that they are
established upon? In regards specifically to the hadeeth that
proves that the group that adheres to the Truth is a single
group?"
AL-ALBAANEE:
We have made a great number of statements surrounding the answer
to this question, so now let us bring forth something further
about it.
We say:
It is not hidden from any Muslim who knows the Book, the Sunnah,
and what our righteous predecessors were upon (may Allaah be
pleased with them all) that the division into parties and the
gathering of the people upon their various ideas, firstly, and
their various methodologies and styles, secondly [2], is not
part of Islaam in any way. Rather this is from the things that
our Lord, Mighty and Majestic, has prohibited us from, in more
than one verse in the Noble Qur'aan, like the statement of Allaah,
the Mighty and Majestic [3]:
(
And do not be from the polytheists, from those who split up
their religion and became sects, every sect rejoicing about
what was with them )
And
our Lord, the Mighty and Majestic, says [4]:
(
And if your Lord so willed, He would have made the people into
one nation, but they will go on differing, except those on whom
your Lord has Mercy )
Allaah,
the Glorified and Exalted, made an exception to this differing,
this differing that we are going to see in reality, even though
it is prohibited by the Sharee'ah. He exempted At-Taa'ifatul-Marhoomah
(the group that will receive Mercy) from this differing, when
He said:
(
…except those on whom Allaah has Mercy )
And
there is no uncertainty and no doubt that any group that wants
to be truly sincere to Allaah, then they will try to become
from the nation that receives Allaah's Mercy, those exempted
from this differing that is going to exist. Verily this differing
is not going to be something to help them reach their goals
and they will not accomplish anything practical within the Muslim
societies except by returning to the Book of Allaah, the Sunnah
of the Messenger (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam), and
what our righteous predecessors (may Allaah be pleased with
them all) were upon.
The
Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) clarified
the flawless methodology in more than one authentic hadeeth.
The Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) drew a straight
line on the ground one day. Then he drew short lines all around
the straight line, on both sides of it. Then he recited Allaah's
Statement, Blessed and Exalted [5]:
(
And verily this is My Straight Path - follow it! And do not
follow the other paths, as they will cause you to break away
from My Path! )
After
the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) read the
verse, he ran his finger along the straight path and said:
"This
is the Path of Allaah, and these paths on its sides, the sides
of the straight path, there
is a Shaytaan at the head of every path, calling the people
to it." [6]
There
is no doubt that these short lines were made to represent the
numerous sects and groups. Therefore it is obligatory on every
Muslim who sincerely longs to be part of the saved sect, that
he sets out to follow this Straight Path and does not turn right
or left. There will be no successful sect other than Allaah's
Sect, Blessed and Exalted, the one that He told us about in
the Noble Qur'aan [7]:
(
Verily it is the sect of Allaah that will be uppermost )
Therefore,
every sect other than Allaah's Sect, is only one of Shaytaan's
sects, and not the Sect of Ar-Rahmaan. And there is no uncertainty
and no doubt that taking the Straight Path requires one to be
firmly aware of what this Straight Path really is. This could
never occur with blind partisanship or by blindly gathering
the people together upon a statement, even a statement based
on the Truth - Islaam, for they understand very little of Islaam.
So this act of becoming a group will not be correct or successful
unless it is coupled with awareness of Islaam - the same Islaam
that Allaah revealed upon the heart of Muhammad (sallallaahu
'alayhe wa sallam).
One
sign of the saved sect, one that the Prophet (sallallaahu
'alayhe wa sallam) described clearly when he was asked about
it, is found in his statement:
"It
is what I and my Companions are upon this day."
[8]
Therefore
this hadeeth gives the concerned researcher a firm awareness
that this Straight Path of Allaah must be sought upon knowledge
of two very, very important affairs: (1) what the Messenger
(sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) was upon and (2) what
his Companions were upon. That is firstly because the noble
Companions were the ones who brought his guidance (sallallaahu
'alayhe wa sallam) to us, his Sunnah. Secondly, they were
best of the people in truly applying this Sunnah of his. So
when the affair is like this, it is not possible for us to properly
understand the Sunnah of the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe
wa sallam) in a way other than the way his Companions understood
it.
As known
to people of knowledge, the Sunnah is broken down into Al-Qowliyyah
(statements), Al-Fi'liyyah (actions), and At-Taqreeriyyah
(approvals). As for As-Sunnah Al-Qowliyyah, then
it is easily understood, it is the statements that the Companions
reported from him (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam). As-Sunnah
Al-Fi'liyyah is what they reported regarding his actions
(sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam). As for As-Sunnah
At-Taqreeriyyah, it is what the Companions reported about
each other, not from his actions (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa
sallam), but he saw the action and remained silent about
it. This silence is not considered from his statements (sallallaahu
'alayhe wa sallam), nor from his actions, rather it is his
approval.
From
here, it is appropriate for me that I stress the importance
of joining together these two affairs that we have mentioned
here. It is not sufficient for any Islaamic group that ascribes
to the Truth, claiming to work by the Qur'aan and the Sunnah,
that they summarize Islaam to be based only on the Book and
the Sunnah. Rather they must also have a clear awareness of
how the Companions of the Messenger (sallallaahu 'alayhe
wa sallam) implemented his Sunnah.
There
are many, many examples that make the importance of combining
of these two affairs easily understood. I have mentioned a conglomeration
of them during previous speeches and in my answers to people's
questions. Another example has come to me now - verily it is
what is found in Saheeh Al-Bukhaaree, the Sunan of
Abee Daawood, and other books, and it comes by more than one
route, that the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam)
used to order his Companions to straighten the lines during
the establishment of the prayer. Nu'maan ibn Basheer and others
said, "One of us would connect his foot to his companion's
foot and his shoulder to his companions shoulder."
[9] This is something that actually took place among the Companions;
it was how they carried out the order of the Messenger (sallallaahu
'alayhe wa sallam) to straighten the rows.
There
is no uncertainty and no doubt that the Prophet (sallallaahu
'alayhe wa sallam) could not possibly have been unaware
of what his Companions were doing directly behind him as they
followed him in prayer. It was not possible for this consolidation
that his Companions practiced to be hidden from him, as they
were carrying out his order (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam)
to straighten and consolidate the rows. For verily, from the
amazing things that were specific to him, from his miracles,
he was able to see what was behind him just as he could see
what was in front of him during the prayer. [10]
So if
straightening and consolidating the rows in this fashion, connecting
the feet and shoulders, had not been legislated, then it would
have been takalluf (overburdening oneself, excessiveness).
And if it was takalluf, then the Messenger (sallallaahu
'alayhe wa sallam) would have forbidden them from it. That
is because, as in the authentic hadeeth, he prohibited takalluf.
[11]
If it
is said that maybe it was possible that this was done without
his knowledge (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam), then I
say that the avenues of 'maybe' are very expansive indeed, however
this issue we are discussing can not be like that due to two
reasons. I have mentioned one of them, that the Prophet (sallallaahu
'alayhe wa sallam) used to see what was behind him just
as he could see what was in front of him.
The
second reason is that if it so happened that he (sallallaahu
'alayhe wa sallam) had not witnessed this thing that the
Companions were doing behind him in prayer, then verily no secret
affair on Earth nor in the Heavens was ever hidden from the
Lord of the Messenger (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam).
So, as I have said about our Messenger (sallallaahu 'alayhe
wa sallam) before, he had no duty other than conveying Allaah's
Message. So, firstly and quite decisively, it should be said
about the Lord of our Messenger, Blessed and Exalted - If He,
the One whom no secret affair on Earth nor in the Heavens is
hidden from, did not want to legislate this manner of straightening
and consolidating the rows for His believing servants, then
He would have ordered His Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa
sallam) to prohibit them from this takalluf.
Therefore,
it is not befitting for the Muslim to understand his silence
(sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) about something as anything
other than something our Lord, the Mighty and Majestic, was
aware of, and, furthermore, Allaah's approval for His Prophet
to allow that thing to take place.
From
here let us move on to refer to some of the issues that have
been the source of differing for a long time, issues related
to some fiqh rulings between the Hanafees and Shaafi'ees. One
side would bring a proof regarding something that happened in
the time of the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam).
The other side would refute that, saying that there is no clear
indication in the report that what happened was made known to
the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam), it does
not say that he was informed about it and approved of it. This
reply that some of the people of the math-habs gave is
refuted by that which has preceded in our discussion.
Let
me give you an example or two. As found in Saheeh Al-Bukhaaree,
Mu'aath ibn Jabal (may Allaah be pleased with him) used to pray
the last prayer (of the day), the 'Eshaa' prayer, behind
the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam)
in his masjid. Then he used to go to his tribe and lead them
in 'Eshaa' prayer as well.
One
of the narrators of the hadeeth, Jaabir ibn 'Abdillaah (may
Allaah be pleased with him), said, "It was an optional
prayer for him, and it was their obligatory prayer."
Some of the early imaams used this as a proof to say that it
is permissible for a person to pray his obligatory prayer behind
someone praying an optional prayer. So some of the people of
the math-habs used to refute this, saying that there
is no proof in this, as there is no mention that the Prophet
(sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) knew that Mu'aath was
returning to his people to pray with them after praying with
him - an optional prayer for him, and their obligatory prayer.
I think you all know the answer now.
For
if we say that the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alayhe
wa sallam) truly did not know that Mu'aath was repeating
this prayer optionally, then our Lord, the Mighty and Majestic,
as I have said previously, knows the secret and hidden affairs.
So if this action of Mu'aath was something not legislated, then
the ruling would have came down from the Heavens clarifying
that this is something not from the Sharee'ah.
Let
me give you another example, and I will sum up our talk with
this one. I am only bringing a lot of examples here because
of the importance of this point, for I have seldom found it
explained clearly and properly in the books of the scholars.
In the Musnad of Al-Imaam Ahmad, the Mustadrak
of Al-Haakim, the Sunan of Al-Bayhaqee, and other books
of the Sunnah, there is another report on the authority of Jaabir
(may Allaah be pleased with him) wherein he said, "We
were out with the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) during
a battle when we killed a woman from the polytheists..."
I need
to make a side note here, and I hope it will be very brief:
This hadeeth does not contradict the narration wherein the Prophet
(sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) prohibited the killing
of women and children. [12] That is because the prohibition
has its proper place, and the killing mentioned here in the
hadeeth of Jaabir has another place. The prohibition is applied
to women that do not take part in the battlefield against the
Muslims. This also applies to children, as they are also not
part of the fighting armies.
Let
us go back to Jaabir's narration, "…we killed a
woman from the polytheists…" meaning from those
who were fighting. He went on, "…and her husband
was absent. When he returned and was informed of what happened,
he vowed not to enter the village until after he had taken revenge
on the Companions of the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alayhe
wa sallam) for her killing. So he followed the Companions' footsteps,
tracking them down…"
It is
well known that the Arabs used to know how to track people proficiently
by following after their footsteps. They used to have this skill
of tracing footsteps, in fact it is what led them to discover
the hiding place of the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam)
in the cave the day he made hijrah from Makkah to Al-Madeenah.
It was his footsteps that led them to know that the Messenger
(sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) had reached that place
since the footsteps had disappeared. But Allaah blinded their
vision so they could not see the Messenger (sallallaahu 'alayhe
wa sallam) nor his companion in the cave.
When
his companion (Aboo Bakr As-Siddeeq) saw the feet of the polytheists,
he became afraid, not for his own self, but for the sake of
his Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam). So he (sallallaahu
'alayhe wa sallam) said:
(
Do not grieve, for verily Allaah is with us. )
Something
must be said here about what has been mentioned in some books
of hadeeth, and in books of seerah as well, that the
disbelievers of Quraysh, after having tracked their fugitives
to the cave, saw that a dove had made its nest at the entrance
of the cave, and a spider had spun a web there as well, so they
allegedly said, "It is not possible for anyone to be
in this cave," and departed.
This
is not authentic. As for the chain of this hadeeth, it is not
authentic. Furthermore there is a strong, authentic narration
stating that Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, ordered an angel
to spread his wings over the cave's entrance, and thus they
did not see them. [13]
Let
us return to our hadeeth of the polytheist that tracked the
army waging war on the village. He reached their place of rest
for the night, which was in a valley. As was the Prophet's way
in organizing the military, he (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam)
said to his Companions:
"Who
will stand guard tonight?"
So two
young men from the Ansaar stood up, one from the tribe of Al-Ows,
the other from Al-Khazraj. They said, "We will, O Messenger
of Allaah!" He (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam)
said to them:
"Take
your places at the opening of the mountain passage."
So they
went off. The polytheist was watching them from afar, waiting
for his chance to fulfill his vow to get revenge for his wife.
When they got to their post, the place where they were to watch
over the sleeping army, the two decided to split the duty. One
of them would stand guard half the night while the other slept,
then they would trade places.
So then
an idea came to the first one on guard, he decided to combine
two forms of worship at one time - the worship of guarding the
Muslim army and the worship of prayer in the tranquility of
the night. So he began to pray. This is when the polytheist
who was hiding behind a rock took his opportunity. He threw
a spear at the praying guard, placing it in his leg. So the
Companion only removed the spear and tossed it on the ground,
and the blood began to stream down his leg. When the polytheist
saw that his target had not ceased standing, it made him know
that he was still alive of course, so he struck him with another
spear, placing it in his leg. Then he struck him with another,
a total of three spears hitting his target.
From
Jaabir's precise use of words, he said that he "placed"
[14] the spear in his leg, and "placing" is normally
done by the hand. He used this word to stress the precision
found in the throws, as if he placed the spear directly in him
manually (without throwing it).
Even
through all of this, the Companion continued his prayer without
cutting it off, while the blood poured from him. He completed
two rak'ahs. Then he either woke his companion up, or
he woke up on his own. When his companion saw the blood, he
inquired about it and asked what had caused it.
He said,
"I swear by the One in whose Hand is my soul, verily
I was in the middle of a soorah, and if I had not been afraid
of failing to guard the passageway that the Messenger of Allaah
assigned me to, then I would still be reading it."
Meaning that he remembered while praying that he was on duty
to watch over the sleeping army, a duty that the Messenger (sallallaahu
'alayhe wa sallam) assigned him.
So if
he would have continued his prayer, allowing the sweetness of
his private discourse in front of Allaah to keep him, the polytheist
would have continued to strike him, then he may have been killed
during that prayer, thus not fulfilling his duty and possibly
allowing the enemy to attack the Muslims. For that reason, he
contented himself with only two rak'ahs of prayer. He
did not do that fearing his own life - no! He only did that
fearing the destruction of the Companions that would have followed
his death, as the enemies would have been able to attack them
due to his failure.
We have
reached the end of this story. The reference point from it is
that some of the imaams used it as a proof that wudhoo'
is not broken by bleeding, and rightly so. Since, if wudhoo'
is broken upon bleeding, this man would not have continued praying.
Those who oppose them say that this was his personal action
only. Those being refuted say, "Yes, but this was a
man from the Companions of the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu
'alayhe wa sallam)." So they reply, "There
is nothing in the hadeeth indicating that the Messenger of Allaah
(sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) knew anything about this."
We answer
them with two things, and there is an answer for them in the
story of Mu'aath (may Allaah be pleased with him) that has preceded
as well. But there is something stronger than that in these
two answers:
1
- This man was appointed to a duty by the Messenger
of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam). He suffered
these injuries in such a situation, while worshipping, maintaining
his good spirit. Is it possible for the commander of army to
be ignorant about an event like this, any army commander?! So
then what if that commander was the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu
'alayhe wa sallam)? It is extremely, extremely unlikely
that this could have happened without the Messenger of Allaah's
knowledge (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam).
Therefore,
the correct position is that the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu
'alayhe wa sallam) was aware of this event. Built on this,
if bleeding is something that breaks wudhoo', then he
(sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) surely would have made
it clear. As is well known in the fundamentals of fiqh, "It
is not permissible to delay clarification beyond the time of
need."
2
- If those who oppose this continue in their stubbornness,
in their claim that there is no mention in the text that Messenger
of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) knew about
this, then we say to them: It is sufficient for you that the
Lord of the Messenger knew about it. This is something not possible
for them to refute. So while He did not reveal anything in His
Sharee'ah clarifying that blood is something that breaks
wudhoo', then this story is an additional proof for those
who use it to say that bleeding does not break wudhoo'.
The
reason why I have brought all these points is so that we understand
that there is no way to reach the true, correct understanding
of Islaam, except by knowing the seerah of the Companions and
how they practiced this great Islaam, the religion that he (sallallaahu
'alayhe wa sallam) taught them personally, whether by his
statements, actions, or approvals.
Based
on this, we believe firmly that every group that does not build
upon this foundation, the Book, the Sunnah, and the methodology
of the righteous predecessors, with an expansive, studious approach
that includes all of Islaam's rulings, big and small, central
issues and subsidiary ones, is not part of the saved sect, the
one that treads the Straight Path that the Messenger (sallallaahu
'alayhe wa sallam) referred to in the authentic hadeeth.
If we
took into account that there are various groups in the Muslim
lands, all upon this same methodology, then these are not sects,
rather they are only one group, their methodology is one methodology,
their way is one way. Their division throughout the different
lands is not a division because of fiqh issues, nor a
division based upon different 'aqeedahs, nor a division
resulting from different methodologies. Verily this division
is only due to their physical separation throughout the lands,
as opposed to the differing between groups and sects all in
the same land, with regards to that [15]:
(
…every sect rejoicing about what was with them )
We do
not believe that these sects are upon the Straight Path, rather
we say quite decisively that they are upon those other paths,
the ones that have a shaytaan at the head of each one of their
paths calling to them.
I hope
that there is an answer in this to the question that preceded.
[And
Allaah knows best.]
This article was taken
from BAKKAHnet (www.bakkah.net)
FOOTNOTES
(Abul-'Abbaas)
[1]
This tape, with a translation into English, is available
for purchase.
[2]
Look at how Al-Albaanee re-organizes the question here. The
questioner blended together issues of belief and methodology,
so before responding, the Shaykh distinguishes between then
two, giving priority to the first, may Allaah have Mercy on
him and benefit the Muslims by his knowledge and wisdom.
[3]
the meaning of Soorah Ar-Room (30):31-32
[4]
the meaning of Soorah Hood (11):118-119
[5]
the meaning of Soorah Al-An'aam (6):153
[6]
an authentic hadeeth collected by Ahmad and Ad-Daarimee.
[7]
the meaning of Soorah Al-Maa'idah (5):56
[8]
an authentic hadeeth collected by At-Tirmithee, see Saheeh
Sunan At-Tirmithee (#2641) of Al-Albaanee.
[9]
an authentic hadeeth collected by Aboo Daawood, see Saheeh
Sunan Abee Daawood (#662). Al-Bukhaaree referred to it in
the heading of his chapter, Joining Shoulders and Feet in
the Row (Chapter #76 of the Book of the Athaan). A similar
statement was also reported on Anas ibn Maalik in the same chapter,
and Anas added, "If I did this with one of them today,
he would flee like an untamed donkey!" See Fathul-Baaree
(2/260).
[10]
As he (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) said, on the authority
of Anas:
"Establish
your rows, for verily I see you from behind my back."
It was
collected by Al-Bukhaaree (#718, 2/255 of Fathul-Baaree).
Also, it is important to mention that the Prophet (sallallaahu
'alayhe wa sallam), when ordering the Companions to straighten
their rows and consolidate, he would turn and face them to ensure
that their lines were straight, as found in Saheeh Muslim (#978)
and Sunan Abee Daawood (#662 of Saheeh Sunan Abee Daawood)
for example, and the reports are many. So this action of the
Companions (placing their feet and shoulders together) was done
as he faced them, for why would the Companions wait for him
(sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) to turn around and begin
praying to implement his order? Can you imagine the Companions
not carrying out an order from the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu
'alayhe wa sallam) immediately upon hearing it?! Therefore,
firstly and foremostly, their action should be considered from
As-Sunnah At-Taqreeriyyah, as it was their immediate,
collective reaction to a command issued to them while he (sallallaahu
'alayhe wa sallam) was in front of them, looking at them.
And for those who will not accept this, then it would still
be considered As-Sunnah At-Taqreeriyyah due to this excellent
point of the Shaykh, may Allaah have Mercy on him, that the
Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) could actually
see them during the prayer from behind his back.
[11]
As Anas (may Allaah be pleases with him) said, "We have
been prohibited from takalluf," in an authentic hadeeth
collected by Al-Bukhaaree (#7293).
[12]
an authentic hadeeth collected by Al-Bukhaaree (2/251), Muslim
(5/144), Aboo Daawood (#2668), Ibn Maajah (#2841), At-Tirmithee
(1/297), and others on the authority of 'Abdullaah ibn Umar
(may Allaah be pleased with him).
[13]
I was unable to find a reference for this hadeeth. May Allaah
generously reward the one who finds some information about
this narration and e-mails
it to me.
[14]
in 'Arabic: wadha'a
[15]
the meaning of Soorah Ar-Room (30):32
TEST
YOUR UNDERSTANDING
What
are the three types of Sunnah as mentioned in the article? Give
an example of each one.
Is it
sufficient for the Muslims to unite upon the Book of Allaah
and the Sunnah of the Messenger (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam)?
If not, what else is required?
Does
bleeding break one's wudhoo'?
Is praying
foot-to-foot and shoulder-to-shoulder in congregation a choice
made by some of the Companions or something legislated in the
Religion? How can we tell the difference?
RELATED
ARTICLES
Splitting
and Differing Occurs Through Innovation & Its People
(EL)
Imaam Ash-Shaatibee
The
Ruling Concerning Multiple Groups (EL)
Imaams Ibn Baaz, Al-Albaanee, Ibn 'Uthaymeen
Splitting
and Differing (EL) by the two imaams: Muhammad
ibn 'Abdil-Lateef and Muhammad ibn Ibraaheem Aalish-Shaykh
(EL)
ARTICLES
BY THE SAME AUTHOR
When
Is the Time of 'Eshaa' Prayer Over?
The
Wasiyyah (Will) of Imaam Al-Albaanee
www.albani.co.uk
(EL)
(EL)
an external link - As other websites may change their pages
often, we rely on our visitors to report broken links, this
keeps bakkah.net running smoothly. Report broken or problematic
links here.
