This is the deen of islaam in truth and its fundamental
and its basis is the Book and the Sunnah. So they are the points of reference in
every dispute that the Muslims fall into and he who refers back to other than
them is not a believer! As Allah the most Most high says:
"But no,by your Lord,they can have no
faith,until they make you (O Muhammad (sallallaahu `alaihi wasallam) judge in all disputes between them
and find in the,selves no resistance against your decisions and accept (them)
with full submission.[1]
Not one of the scholars
said, 'follow me in my opinion' rather they said, 'take from where
we have taken,' besides, much has been added to these madhabs
from the understanding of their later generations[2]. They contain
many errors and matters of conjecture,which if the Imaams to whom they
are attributed were to see them, then they would absolve themselves
of them and from those who said them.
All of the people of knowledge from the Pious
predecessors clung to the manifest texts of the Book and thew Sunnah and
encouraged the people to stick to them and act accordingly. This is established
from the Imaams from amongst them. Abu Haneefah, Maalik, Ahmad,ash-Shafiee, the two Sufyaans,
ath-Tahwree and Ibn Uyaiynah, al-Hasan al-Basree, Abu Yousuf Yaqoob-the Qadee, Muhammad
ibn al-Hasan ash-Shaybaanee, Abdur Rahmaan al-Awzaee,
Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak, al-Bukharee, Muslim and the
rest (ra). All of them
warned against innovations in the Deen
and against blind following of anyone except the infallible Messenger (sallallaahu `alaihi wasallam) .
As for other than him, then he is fallible
whoever he may be, his saying which is in accordance wiht the Book
and the Sunnah is accepted and that which goes against them is to
be rejected. As Imaam Maalik (ra) said, "The saying of everyone
may be taken or rejected except for the companion of this grave" and
he pointed to the grave of the Prophet (sallallaahu `alaihi wasallam) [3]
The scholars,the four Imaams and the others, all
followed this
way,all of them warned against blind following! Since Allaah, the Most High,
condemned the blind followers in more than one place
in His book. Most of the earlier and later people became disbelievers due
to their blind following of their priests, rabbis, old people and
forefathers. It is established from Imaams Abu Haneefah (ra),
Maailik,ash-Shafiee, Ahmad and others (ra) -that
they said:
"It is not permissible for any one to give judgement with our saying unless
they know the source from which we took it" [4]
"If the hadeeth is found to be authentic then it is my madhab" [5]
"If I say something then compare it to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah
of His Messenger and if it agrees to them,then accept it and that which
goes against them,then reject it and throw my saying against the wall".[6]
These are
the sayings of these prominent Imaams, may allaah enter them into the Home
of Peace.Unfortunately, the later blind followers and authors who wrote the
books, whom the people think to be scholars and infallible mujtahids, have made
it obligatory for the people to blindly follow one of the four
Imaams and their well known madhaabs. After declaring this to be obligatory, they forbade
taking or acting upon anyone else's saying,it is as if
they have made him (ie the Imaam) Prophet to be obeyed. It would have been
better had they acted upon the sayings of the Imaams.However, most of
them know nothing of the Imaam whom they claim to follow,except his
name. Further,some of the latter followers invented questions, created new
madhabs and ascribed them to the original Imaams. So those who
came after them think that it is the saying of the Imaaam or his students
and in reality it goes against what the Imaam said and approved;he is
free from what they ascribe to him, such as the saying of many of
the later Hanafees that it is forbidden to point the forefinger in the
tashshuud in prayer [6] or that what is meant by Allah's hand id His
power,or that He is present by His Dhaat (self) in every place and not
above the Arsh because of this and its like the unity of the Muslims has
been destroyed their community has seperated, the splits increased and the
horizons filled with hypocrisy and disunity!Each of them declaring those
who differ from them in the slightest matter to be upon misguidance ,to
the extent that some of them declare the others to be disbelievers and
some striking the necks of the others to be disbelievers and some
striking the necks of the others and have become fitting for what the
truthful and trustworthy Messenger, the most noble of us ,Muhammad (sallallaahu `alaihi wasallam) said,
"My Ummah will split into seventy -three
sects,all of them in the fire except one" It was said, 'Who are they O
Messenger of Allaah? He said, "That which I and my Companions are
upon" [7]
FOOT NOTES
[1]
Sooratun-Nisaa(4):65
The Basis of Islaam is to Act upon the Book and the Sunnah
