The Prophet ordered us to follow the Congregation of Muslims when he said: “You have to follow the congregation for verily Allah will not make the largest group of Muhammad’s community agree on error” (`alaykum bi al-jama`a fa inna Allaha la yajma`u ummata Muhammadin `ala dalala).1 Who are better examples and representatives of the congregation of Muslims than the great scholars and imams whom we have mentioned and from whom we have quoted extensively?
Yet we find those who call themselves “Salafi” stepping forward and claiming to be better representatives, as if their usurpation of the name of the pious Salaf acquaints them better of the reality of the Salaf than the true scholars and Imams of this Community. Their motto is: “Everyone who came before us was wrong and we are right,” and does this come from other than their arrogance? We advise every true Muslim not be cheated of their religion by such false teachers. Rather, read more, investigate more, and study more in order to know the truth, with Allah’s help, concerning sound doctrine and the ways of self-purification and tasawwuf in Islam. It is entirely unbefitting of Muslims to be like parrots, repeating some phrases and condemning other phrases on the assumption that they know better than everyone else, because, they claim, “We are Salafi.” Muslims know their scholars from the Salaf and Khalaf and they will not be fooled by a label flaunted by a vocal minority. We leave this minority of so-called “Salafis” to their false pedagogy of anthropomorphism, of questioning and condemning the scholars of Muslims, of attacking the Imams of high moral standards and true religion. We prefer to rally to the rope of unity, which is the rope of the elite of this Community among both the Salaf and the Khalaf who form not two, but one saved group.
We conclude this first part of our Repudiation of “Salafi” Innovations concerning Islamic Beliefs and Doctrine According to Ahl al-Sunna, by glorifying Allah, the Beneficent, the Compassionate, and by asking that He send abundant blessings and peace on the Master of Creation and the Seal of Messengers and Prophets, our Master Muhammad, Peace be upon him and upon his Family and Companions; that He accept from us our intention to serve Him in the way that pleases Him; that He support the renewal of the true belief of the Salaf everywhere and everywhere revoke its false manifestations; that He grant the renewal of the Way of Self-Purification, which is the Way of true and perfect Islam, at the hands of its true Teachers East and West, in Muslim and non-Muslim countries alike; and that He count us among those who have “heard and obeyed,” who have “kept company with the Truthful,” who have “followed those who turned to Allah with love,” and who will be “raised with the saints” and “in the company of Prophets, the Most Truthful, the Martyrs, and the Righteous.”
1 Ibn Abi Shaybah relates it with a sound (sahih) chain.
Reproduced with permission from Shaykh M. Hisham Kabbani’s_The Repudiation of “Salafi” Innovations_ (Kazi, 1996) p. 401-402.Blessings and Peace on the Prophet, his Family, and his Companions
