"This is the reality of the statement of those from the
Salaf and the people of knowledge that say: ‘Verily, the ones who
called towards innovations are not to have their testimony accepted. Nor should
they be followed in prayer. Nor should knowledge be taken from them. Nor should
they be given women in marriage.’ This is their recompense, until they
stop what they are doing. Due to this, it must be noted that there is a difference
between one who calls towards innovations and one who doesn’t call
to it (but yet is still an innovator). The one who calls to it, publicly displays
his evil and thus it is necessary to punish him, as opposed to the one who
conceals his innovation. Indeed, this latter one is only as evil as the hypocrites
– those whom the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) used to accept their open proclamations
(of Faith) and entrust their secret proclamations to Allaah, while possessing
knowledge of the condition of most of them." [8]
Shaikh-ul-Islaam Ibn Taimiyyah (ra) said in his tafseer
of Allaah’s statement: "The woman and the man guilty of
fornication, lash each one of them a hundred times. Let not pity withhold you in
their case, in a punishment prescribed by Allaah, if you believe in Allaah and
the Last Day. And let a party of the believers witness their
punishment."[9]:
"Thus Allaah has commanded that they be recompensed and
punished while in the presence of a group from the believers. This may be
achieved by the event bearing witness to itself or the believers’ bearing
witness to it. The reason behind this is since if the act of disobedience is
done openly, then its punishment must be done openly. This is as is stated in
one narration: ‘Whosoever sins while in secrecy, let him repent in
secrecy. And whosoever sins in public, then let him repent in public.’ It
does not fall under the category of being concealed, such as the concealing that
Allaah loves, as occurs in the hadeeth: ‘Whosoever conceals (the
faults) of a Muslim, Allaah will conceal him (i.e. his faults).’
Rather, if that (public) misdeed were to be concealed, it would be the same as
agreeing with an open evil. In a hadeeth it states: ‘Verily, when a sin is
kept hidden it doesn’t cause harm, except to the one who has committed it.
And when it is done publicly and not repelled, it harms the masses of
people.’
Thus if it is done publicly, then its recompense must be done
in public, as well, in accordance with conceivable justice. For this reason, it
is not considered backbiting to talk about one who openly publicizes his
innovations and wickedness, as has been reported on Al-Hasan Al-Basree and
others. This is because when one publicizes that, he justifies himself to be
punished by the Muslims. The least of these forms of punishment is that he
should be dispraised and dishonored so that the people may avoid and refrain
from him and his deviance. And if he is not dispraised and the evil or
disobedience or innovation that lies within him is not conveyed (to the public),
then the people will be deceived by him. Then it is likely that this will bring
some of them to act upon what he believes in. At the same time, it will only
cause him to increase in his daringness, evil and disobedience. So if the faults
that he has in him are mentioned, then he will restrain and others will restrain
from his evil and from accompanying and socializing with him. Al-Hasan Al-Basree
said: ‘Do you turn away from mentioning the condition of the evil-doer
(faajir)? Mention what he has in him, so that the people may be warned of
him!’ This has been reported in marfoo’ form.
The Methodology of Ahl-us-Sunnah wal-Jamaa'ah in Warning Against Innovators and Their Books
