itsmeok
28-04-2016, 10:16
I am a university student who has some friends with Ash`ari and Maturidi beliefs. When I try to explain that the belief of Ahl Al-Sunnah is to affirm Allahs attributes, they say that these finer details of creed are not important to ones religion as long as one believes in the six articles of faith and does not commit shirk. Rather, we should focus on increasing in worship and abandoning sins. How should I respond? I get on quite well with these brothers and we co-operate in organising Islamic classes and lectures on campus.
Published Date: 2016-04-28
Praise be to Allah
So long as the truth is clear in your mind, and you think it most likely that there is no deceit on their part in order to spread their innovation, there is no reason why you should not accept their invitations and refrain from debating issues concerning which you differ, in order to focus on what is more important and cooperate with them in confronting the greater danger and serving the greater interest.
You are living in a country where there is the greatest need to support and help one another, not to be divided and fight. The ummah today needs each one of us to play his role wherever he is, and strive to overcome the many crises we face, which are leading to drifting away from religion, loss of identity, hidden colonization, occupation, poverty, ignorance, injustice, the spread of oppression and tyranny, and so on. These crises cannot be overcome by focusing on arguments or by giving precedence to differences of opinion that have existed throughout our Islamic history and have been the subject of much debate and argument.
We are not talking here about giving up the beliefs of Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa‘ah – Allah forbid. Nor are we talking about ignoring the need to research, discuss and examine these beliefs, and focus on the various issues of ‘aqeedah that have an impact on the thinking of the modern Muslim, and how we can build people with better understanding and stronger faith.
Rather we are talking about finding a way that could help us to focus our energy on constructive and positive activities, and unity. We are talking about discussing and recalling the most beautiful pages of our Islamic history, when people were guided by the light of knowledge and the sublime manners and attitudes of scholars, which taught us – in addition to adhering to the ‘aqeedah of Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa‘ah – to show mercy to people and not to look down on them at all, in accordance with the practical advice that was transmitted by al-‘Allaamah as-Sa‘di (may Allah have mercy on him) in his book al-Munaazaraat al-Fiqhiyyah (p. 10): We cooperate in that on which we are agreed and excuse one another with regard to issues on which we differ.
This was the attitude of many scholars, both classical and modern: an attitude of creating harmony among Muslims and overlooking issues concerning which there were differences, and creating a framework that was broader than the issues of difference, in which they could work together and cooperate, making excuses for those who had different views concerning some issues. This was also the attitude of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, which manifested itself in many situations and in many of his statements, one of the most significant of which is that which we will quote here, in which he said:
People know that there was alienation and ill feeling between the Hanbalis and Ash‘aris, and I was one of those who tried the most to create an atmosphere of love and harmony among the Muslims, seeking to bring them together, and I was one of the most assiduous in following the commands of Allah to hold fast to the rope of Allah (the Qur’an). I was able to remove most of the resentment that people felt in their hearts, and I explained to them that Imam al-Ash‘ari was one of the greatest scholars of ‘ilm al-kalaam who affirmed his adherence to the way of Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) and others who followed in his footsteps, as al-Ash‘ari himself mentioned in his books…
When I told them about some of the statements of al-Ash‘ari – and the Hanbalis saw that – they said: This is better than what we heard from Shaykh al-Muwaffaq, and the Muslims rejoiced at this reconciliation.
I also told them what Ibn ‘Asaakir had said about his (al-Ash‘ari’s) virtues: that the Hanbalis and Ash‘aris had been in harmony until the time of al-Qushayri, and when that friction occurred in Baghdad, there was division. And it is well-known that among all groups you will find some who are deviant and some who are righteous.
Moreover, throughout my life until this moment I have never called anyone – when teaching about the fundamentals of Islam – to the Hanbali madhhab or any other madhhab, and I have never been biased towards the Hanbalis. I have not mentioned that in any of my words, and I have only mentioned that on which the salaf and their scholars were unanimously agreed.… Furthermore, I have always been – and those who are close to me know this from me – one of those who most emphatically prohibit describing any particular individual as a disbeliever, evildoer or sinner, unless it is known that definitive proof has been established against him, in such a way that anyone who goes against that proof is either a disbeliever, evildoer or sinner.
I affirm that Allah has forgiven this ummah for all mistakes, which includes mistakes that have to do with issues of belief and mistakes that have to do with some religious practices.
The early generations differed concerning many of these issues, but none of them accused anyone of being a disbeliever, evildoer or sinner.
End quote from Majmoo‘ al-Fataawa (3/22 7)
Published Date: 2016-04-28
Praise be to Allah
So long as the truth is clear in your mind, and you think it most likely that there is no deceit on their part in order to spread their innovation, there is no reason why you should not accept their invitations and refrain from debating issues concerning which you differ, in order to focus on what is more important and cooperate with them in confronting the greater danger and serving the greater interest.
You are living in a country where there is the greatest need to support and help one another, not to be divided and fight. The ummah today needs each one of us to play his role wherever he is, and strive to overcome the many crises we face, which are leading to drifting away from religion, loss of identity, hidden colonization, occupation, poverty, ignorance, injustice, the spread of oppression and tyranny, and so on. These crises cannot be overcome by focusing on arguments or by giving precedence to differences of opinion that have existed throughout our Islamic history and have been the subject of much debate and argument.
We are not talking here about giving up the beliefs of Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa‘ah – Allah forbid. Nor are we talking about ignoring the need to research, discuss and examine these beliefs, and focus on the various issues of ‘aqeedah that have an impact on the thinking of the modern Muslim, and how we can build people with better understanding and stronger faith.
Rather we are talking about finding a way that could help us to focus our energy on constructive and positive activities, and unity. We are talking about discussing and recalling the most beautiful pages of our Islamic history, when people were guided by the light of knowledge and the sublime manners and attitudes of scholars, which taught us – in addition to adhering to the ‘aqeedah of Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa‘ah – to show mercy to people and not to look down on them at all, in accordance with the practical advice that was transmitted by al-‘Allaamah as-Sa‘di (may Allah have mercy on him) in his book al-Munaazaraat al-Fiqhiyyah (p. 10): We cooperate in that on which we are agreed and excuse one another with regard to issues on which we differ.
This was the attitude of many scholars, both classical and modern: an attitude of creating harmony among Muslims and overlooking issues concerning which there were differences, and creating a framework that was broader than the issues of difference, in which they could work together and cooperate, making excuses for those who had different views concerning some issues. This was also the attitude of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, which manifested itself in many situations and in many of his statements, one of the most significant of which is that which we will quote here, in which he said:
People know that there was alienation and ill feeling between the Hanbalis and Ash‘aris, and I was one of those who tried the most to create an atmosphere of love and harmony among the Muslims, seeking to bring them together, and I was one of the most assiduous in following the commands of Allah to hold fast to the rope of Allah (the Qur’an). I was able to remove most of the resentment that people felt in their hearts, and I explained to them that Imam al-Ash‘ari was one of the greatest scholars of ‘ilm al-kalaam who affirmed his adherence to the way of Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) and others who followed in his footsteps, as al-Ash‘ari himself mentioned in his books…
When I told them about some of the statements of al-Ash‘ari – and the Hanbalis saw that – they said: This is better than what we heard from Shaykh al-Muwaffaq, and the Muslims rejoiced at this reconciliation.
I also told them what Ibn ‘Asaakir had said about his (al-Ash‘ari’s) virtues: that the Hanbalis and Ash‘aris had been in harmony until the time of al-Qushayri, and when that friction occurred in Baghdad, there was division. And it is well-known that among all groups you will find some who are deviant and some who are righteous.
Moreover, throughout my life until this moment I have never called anyone – when teaching about the fundamentals of Islam – to the Hanbali madhhab or any other madhhab, and I have never been biased towards the Hanbalis. I have not mentioned that in any of my words, and I have only mentioned that on which the salaf and their scholars were unanimously agreed.… Furthermore, I have always been – and those who are close to me know this from me – one of those who most emphatically prohibit describing any particular individual as a disbeliever, evildoer or sinner, unless it is known that definitive proof has been established against him, in such a way that anyone who goes against that proof is either a disbeliever, evildoer or sinner.
I affirm that Allah has forgiven this ummah for all mistakes, which includes mistakes that have to do with issues of belief and mistakes that have to do with some religious practices.
The early generations differed concerning many of these issues, but none of them accused anyone of being a disbeliever, evildoer or sinner.
End quote from Majmoo‘ al-Fataawa (3/22 7)