Islam Upon the Way of
the Righteous Predecessors - Purifying the Way A Brief Introduction to the
Salafi Da'wah
The Salafi Da'wah (da'wah literally means
"call", and in this sense it refers to calling to the truth, preaching
and propagation) is that of the Qur'an and the
Sunnah (i.e. the Religion of Islam - pure and free from any and all additions,
deletions and alterations). It means adherence to the Path of the Messenger, may
the peace of Allah upon him, and the Faithful Believers, namely the Pious
Forefathers (i.e. As-Salaf as-Saalih) of the Islamic Community of Believers and
all
those who follow in their footsteps in belief, actions and morals.
Allah has said: And whoever contends with and contradicts the Messenger after
guidance has been clearly conveyed to him and chooses a path other than that
of the Faithful Believers, We shall leave him in the Path he has chosen and land
him in Hell, what an evil refuge! [Surah al-Nisaa' 4:115]
Shaikh-ul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah commented on this verse: "All who contradict
and oppose the Messenger after the right path has been clearly shown to them,
have followed other than the Path of the Believers; and all who follow other
than the Path of the Believers have contradicted and opposed the Messenger after
the right Path has been shown to them. If one thinks that he is following the
Path of the Faithful Believers and is mistaken, he is in the same position as
one who
thinks he is following the Messenger and is mistaken."
Who are the Salaf and who are the Salafis?
The Pious Forefathers (i.e. As-Salaf as-Saalih) of the Islamic Community of
Believers are the Companions of the Prophet, peace be upon him, their Followers
(the Taabi'een and the Taabi Taabi'een (i.e. the first three generations of
Muslims) and the Scholars of the Ahl-us-Sunnah wal-Jamaa'ah after them who
followed their way in belief and deed. Among them are :
Imam Abu Hanifah (150 AH), Al-Awzai (157 AH), Ath-Thawri (161AH), Al Laith ibn
Saad (175 AH), Imam Malik (179 AH), Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak
(181 AH), Sufyan ibn Uyainah (198 AH), Imam Ash-Shafi'i (204 AH), Ishaq (238
AH), Imam Ahmed bin Hanbal (241 AH), Al-Bukhari (256 AH), Muslim
(261 AH), Abu Dawood (275 AH) and others.
Ibn Taymiyyah (728 AH), and his students: Adh-Dhahabi (748 AH), Ibn al-Qayyim
(751 AH), Ibn Katheer (774 AH) and others.
Muhammed bin 'Abd al-Wahhab (1206 AH) and many of his students.
And in our time: Abdul Aziz bin Baz, Muhammed bin Saalih Uthaimeen, Muhammed
Naasir-ud-Deen al-Albaani.
The Salafis are the Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamaa'ah. They are the Taaifatul- Mansoorah
(the Aided, Victorious Group) and the Firqatun-Naajiyyah (the Saved
Sect) which have been mentioned in the following statements of the Messenger,
peace be upon him:
"There shall not cease to remain a single group from my community upon the
Truth, victorious; they are unharmed by those who abandon them and those who
oppose them. They will remain (in my community and in such a state) until they
fight the liar (i.e. the Anti-Christ (Dajjal)." [Reported in Sahih Muslim]
"Verily those before you from among the People of the Book split into
seventy-two sects and verily this religion . . . "
and in another narration
" . . . this Ummah will split into seventy-three sects: seventy-two will be
in the Fire and one in Paradise and that is the Jamaa'ah." [Reported by Abu
Daawood
- Sahih]
"And this Ummah will divide into seventy-three sects all of which except
one will go to Hell and they (i.e. the Saved Sect) are those who are upon what I
and
My Companions are upon (i.e. those who follow My Way and the Way of my
Companions.)" [Reported by at-Tirmidhee - Hasan]
Why do we call ourselves Salafis?
The name Salafi refers to the one who attaches himself to that group of people
about whom the Prophet , peace be upon him, said: "The best of people is my
generation, then those who come after them, then those who come after them (i.e.
the first three generations of Muslims)." [Reported by Bukhari and Muslim -
Mutawaatir]. This attachment is not to a single person or persons (i.e.
scholars), which is the case of many groups present today. It is not an
attachment to a
person or even tens of people, but to that which will not err, since it is
impossible that the Salaf would unite upon error or misguidance. So in his
subscribtion
to the way of the Salaf, the Salafi has attached himself to that which cannot go
wrong. This is taken from the hadith: "My Ummah will not unite upon
error."
[Reported by at-Tirmidhee and Haakim - Sahih], and it is not correct that this
hadith refers to the people of later ages, since it was only in the era of the
Prophet, peace be upon him, and his Companions that the Ummah was free from
widespread division and deviation. The deviant sects separated themselves
from the Jamaa'ah after them, and from that time onwards their was disunity.
The previous ahaadeeth about the Taaifat- ul-Mansoorah (the Aided Group) and the
Firqat-un-Naajiyah (the Saved Sect) show who is meant in this hadith,
i.e. those who have the outlook and follow the way of the original guided and
united group, the first three generations of Muslims: As-Salaf as- Saalih.
The word Salafi is an abridgement for a long definition. Someone who is a Salafi
means:
He is not of the sects of the Khawaarij who consider the Muslims to be Kaafirs
(nonbelievers) due to their commiting major sins, and make lawful the taking of
their wealth and blood. He is not of the sects of the Shi'ah (Shi'ites) who hate
and curse the Prophet's Companions and claim them to be apostates, claim that
the Qur'an has been altered, reject the authentic Sunnah and worship the
Prophet's Family, peace be upon them. He is not of the Qadariyyah who deny Qadr
(the Divine Decree). He is not of the Murjiah who claim Imaan (Faith) to be only
in words and not in deed. He is not of the Asharriyah who deny Allah's
Attributes. He is not of the Sufis who worship graves, saints and claim Divine
incarnation. He is not of the Muqallidoon who necessitate that every Muslim
adhere to the Madhhab (School of Thought) of a particular Imam or Shaikh, even
when that madhhab differs with the clear verses of the Qur'an and authentic
hadiths of the Prophet, peace be upon him. He values Tawheed (the Unity of
Allah), singling out Allah in his worship, supplication, seeking aid, seeking
refuge
in times of ease and hardship, sacrifice, vow-making, placing total reliance in
Him and in judging by what Allah has revealed as well as all other forms of
worship. This is the foundation he strives to build without which there is no
true Islamic Governance. He actively tries to remove Shirk (asscociating
partners
with Allah) which is present in all the Muslim lands, as removing it is a
requirement of Tawheed. He knows victory is not possible without Tawheed and
that
Shirk cannot be fought with the likes of it (i.e. another form of Shirk). So he
follows the way of all the Prophets and the example of our Noble Prophet
Muhammad, peace be upon him, and he renounces those who, whilst claiming to be
the true reformers, compromise with the proponents of Shirk within the
Muslim Ummah. He adheres to the Prophet's , peace be upon him, way in his life
and the way of his Companions after him. The Prophet , peace be upon him,
said: "I am leaving you two things and you will never go astray as long as
you cling to them -- they are the Book of Allah and my Sunnah." [Reported
by Al-
Haakim - Sahih]. He returns to the Word of Allah and His Prophet, peace be upon
him, whenever there is disagreement or difference of opinion, acting in
accordance with the saying of Allah: "If you differ in anything among
yourselves refer it to Allah and His Messenger if you do believe in Allah and
the Last Day,
that is more better and more suitable for final determination." [Surah al-Nisaa'
4:59] He gives precedence to the Word of Allah and His Prophet, peace be
upon him, above the words of anybody else, according to the speech of Allah:
"O you who believe! Do not put yourselves forward in the presence of Allah
and His Prophet and fear Allah. Verily Allah is All-Hearing and
All-Knowing." [Surah al-Hujuraat 49:1]. He revives the Sunnah of the
Prophet, peace be upon
him, in his worship and behaviour and thus his behaviour and his life become a
stranger among the people as the Prophet, peace be upon him, has mentioned in
his saying: "Islam began as a stranger and shall return as a stranger as it
began. So give glad tidings to the strangers." [Reported by Muslim - Sahih].
And in
another narration: "So give glad tidings to the few, those who purify,
correct what the people have corrupted of my Sunnah." [Al-Silsilah of
Shaikh al-Albaani -
Sahih]. He enjoins the good (calls to Tawheed, obedience to Allah and imitation
of the Prophet , peace be upon him, ) and forbids the evil (warns against
Shirk, disobedience to Allah and turning away from the Prophet's, peace be upon
him, Sunnah). Thus he warns the people, out of deep concern, about the
innovations, misguided ways and of the deviant, destructive groups who only
invite the people for worldly gain, rule and authority in the land and not for
the
establishment of Tawheed or the removal of Shirk. He acts in accordance with
speech of Allah: "Truly he succeeds who purifies it (i.e. the soul)".
[Surah
as-Shams 91:8], so he seeks constant forgiveness, makes true repentance, brings
Allah to mind abundantly, and rushes to perform the righteous deeds in order
to purify his soul. He worships Allah out of a combination of Fear, Hope and
Love. Allah says in the Qur'an: " . . . Call upon Him, with Fear and Hope.
[Surah
A'raaf 7:56], and He says: "Their limbs do forsake their beds the while
they call upon their Lord out of Fear and Hope and they spend (in charity) out
of the
sustenance which We have bestowed upon them." [Surah as-Sajdah 32:16] and
He says: "Yet there are men who take (for worship) others besides Allah: as
equal (with Allah). They love them as they should love Allah. But the Believers
are overflowing in their love for Allah." [Surah al-Baqarah 2:165]. The
Salaf
used to say: "Whoever worships Allah with Love only is indeed a Zindeeq
(Heretic) and whoever worships Him with Hope only is indeed a Murji (one who
believes that sins impart no harm as long there is Faith) and he who worships
Him with Fear only is indeed a Haruri (one of those who deserted from the army
of 'Ali and fought against him). But he who worships Him with Love, Fear and
Hope is indeed a believing Muwahhid (i.e. one clinging to the Tawheed of
Allah.)"
The word Salafi is an abridgement of that long definition. Furthermore,
Salafiyyah is not the blind following of any particular Shaikh or Imaam. It is
only
adherence to the Qur'an and Sunnah as understood by the Pious Forefathers (i.e.
As-Salaf as-Saalih) of the Islamic Community of Believers (Ummah).
Therefore, upon comprehending this, a Muslim has no option but to become a
Salafi; since in doing so he attaches to that group which has been guaranteed
success, victory, salvation and safety from the Fire by the Prophet, peace be
upon him, Sahih (Authentic) hadiths, and he dissociates himself from that which
has deviated and separated from the Firqatun- Naajiyah (the Saved Sect.)
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