It Is an evil deed to disturb others in the Masjid.

It Is An Evil Deed To Disturb Others In The Masjid.

By Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

How should one behave, especially in a masjid, when the Adzān is being called? Are we allowed to talk worldly affairs while it is being called? Are we allowed to exchange "Salām" (greetings) while it is being called? Jazakumullah khairan kathira.

In the name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful;

All the praise and thanks is due to Allāh, the Lord of al-‘ālamīn. There is none worthy of worship except Allāh, and that Muhammad, Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam, is His Messenger.

1. Allāh commanded that the masajid should be a place to remember Him.

 Anas Ibn Mālik (radiyallāhu’anhu) reported who, said: “The Messenger of Allāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) said:

‘There will come a time when people will sit in circles in the mosques and they will have no concern except this world. Allāh has no need of them so do not sit with them.’”

[Recorded by Al-Hākim reported in Al-Mustadrak (4/359; This is a sahih hadith even though al-Bukhari and Muslim did not narrate it. Al-Dhahabi said in Al-Talkhis that it is sahih.]

This hadith states that this blameworthy deed is disliked, because the masajid are not built for such a purpose. Allāh commanded that mosques should be made as a place to remember Him and to conduct prayers and acts of worship and obedience to Him, such as I’tikaf (retreat, seclusion for devotion and worship), and different kinds of zikir such as circles for reciting Qur’an and seeking knowledge.

2. The Adzān

On the other hand, there are hadith that command us to repeat the words of the adzan after the muezzin, as a mustahabb or encouraged deed, and to set an example of how one should behave when hearing the adzan. Some people neglect it, and do not realize how much reward they are missing out on and how much they are to blame for that. What sort of hearts must they have?! They hear the remembrance of Allāh then they turn away from Him, and it has no effect on their hearts so that they may fear Him and feel compelled to listen.

One of these hadith is that narrated by Imām Muslim in his Sahih from ‘Amr Ibn Al-‘Aas (radiyallāhu'anhu), who said that he heard the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) say:

“When any one of you hears the Muazzin, let him say something like he says, then send blessings on me, for whoever sends blessings on me, Allāh will send blessings tenfold on him. Then ask Allāh to grant me Al-wasilah, for it is a status in Paradise that only one of Allāh’s slaves will attain, and I hope that I will be the one. Whoever asks for Al-wasilah for me, will be granted my intercession for him.”

[Muslim 384]

3. Greeting of Salam and shaking hands

As for giving the greeting of salām and shaking hands, there is nothing wrong with this, for these are acts of obedience to Allāh. There is no conflict between doing these things and responding to the muezzin, because a person may do all of these things at once.

Muslims should beware of doing anything that may offend or disturb those who come to the mosque for worship. This includes disturbing those who are reading Qur’an, praying or remembering Allāh in the mosque.

It is an evil deed (sayyiah) to disturb the people in the mosque by talking about worldly affairs, because this is offensive to them and distracts Muslims from doing acts of worship properly.

4. It is not allowed to disturb others, even if it takes the form of reading Qur'an, more so how about if it takes other forms.

An authentic hadith narrated from Abu Hazim Al-Timar from Al-Bayadi, that the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam)  went into i’tikaf (seclusion or retreat for worship) in the masjid, and he heard them reciting Qur’an in loud voices while some praying. Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu `alayhi wasallam) pulled the curtain and said:

“The one who is praying is conversing with his Lord, so let him think about what he is saying to Him. Do not compete with one another in reciting Qur’an loudly.”

[Recorded by Ahmad Ibn Shu’ib An-Nasā’ie reported in Al-Sunan Al-Kubra (5/32) under the heading Dzikir Qawl Al-Nabi (Sallallāhu 'alayhi wasallam) - Lā yajhar ba’dukam ‘ala ba’din f’l-Qur`an (Mentioning the statement of the Prophet (Sallallāhu `alayhi wasallam), None of you should compete with one another in reciting Qur’an loudly)]

Ibn Muhairiz (rahimahullāh) is reported to have said: “Speaking in the mosque is idle talk, except for one who is praying, or remembering his Lord, or asking for help or giving help.” [Musannaf ‘Abd al-Razzaq, part 8, Bab Kalam ‘Ikrimah].

Ibn Al-Hajj said, concerning the manners of the Muslim when he sets out for the mosque: “He should intend to avoid idle talk in the mosque or talking about that which does not concern him, for there is a report that says that speaking in the mosque about anything but the deeds of the Hereafter is like fire in dry wood, it eats up hasānat (good deeds). So he should take care to avoid that, lest he goes out to engage in trade and comes back having lost everything because of his idle talk.” [Al-Madkhal by Ibn Al-Hajj, part 1, Al-Sunnah fil-Mashiy ila’l-Masjid].

And Allāh knows best.

[Via Islam Q&A]

See: The Etiquette at the Masjid

See: Solāh Tahiyyatul Masjid
See: Disturbing others in the Masjid is an evil deed

See: The Etiquette for Solāh al-Jumu`ah

See: The Sanctified Hour of Jumu‘ah

See: The Virtues of Friday

Allah accept repentence of an Apostate.

Allāh Accepts Repentance Of An Apostate.

Question: One of the brothers came to me one day expressing regret and feeling ashamed of himself because of his bad behaviour towards Allāh – this is the best that he could call it himself – because one day in a fit of anger towards his fiancée he reviled Allāh – we ask Allāh to keep us safe and sound. He came to me in a state of regret and told me that he had shamed himself, and now he felt too ashamed even to pray. He is – praise is to Allāh – a person who is religiously committed.  I hope you could enlighten us how to advise him, and explain the shari’ie ruling on what happened to him and how he may expiate for that if expiation is required.

In the name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful;

All the praise and Thanks are due to Allāh, the Lord of al-'ālameen. There is none worthy of worship except Allāh, and that Muhammad, Sallallāhu alayhi wa sallam, is His Messenger.

Firstly: Undoubtedly what your friend did is bad behaviour towards his Lord, The Most Exalted. His Lord is the One Who created him in the best form and guided him to the true religion and honoured him with intelligence, hearing and sight, and then he reviled Him and insulted Him?! If this was done with regard to any human who had honoured him in some insignificant worldly matters, that would be counted as a bad attitude and bad behaviour, so how about with Allāh, may He be exalted, and there is no comparison between at all the honouring and kindness of a fellow-human and the honouring and kindness of the Creator, may He be exalted.

This reviling puts a person beyond the pale of Islam and makes him an apostate. There is no difference on this ruling among the scholars.

Ibn Qudamah al-Maqdisi (rahimahullāh) said:

Whoever revile Allāh has committed an act of major kufur (which puts him beyond the pale of Islam), whether he was joking or said it in earnest. The same applies to anyone who mocks Allāh, May He be exalted, or His signs, Messengers or Books. Allāh says: “If you ask them (about this), they declare: ‘We were only talking idly and joking.’ Say: ‘Was it at Allāh, and His Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) that you were mocking?’” [Al-Tawbah, 9:65]

[Al-Mughni (12/298)]

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taimiyah (rahimahullāh) said:

Reviling Allāh or His Messenger is inward and outward kufur whether the one who reviles them believes that it is haram or regards it as permissible, or he is unaware of the ruling. This is the view of the fuqaha’ and all the ahl al-sunnah who say that faith consists of words and deeds.

[Al-Sarim Al-Maslul (1/513)]

The fuqaha’ are unanimously agreed that whoever reviles Allāh, may He be exalted, is a kafir, whether he is joking, serious or making fun. [Al-Mawsu’ah Al-Fiqhiyyah (22/184)]

The fuqaha’ are unanimously agreed that whoever reviles Islam or the religion of the Muslims is a kafir. [Al-Mawsu’ah Al-Fiqhiyyah (24/139)]

Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azīz ibn Bāz (rahimahullāh) said:

Reviling the deen is one of the worst of major sins and the greatest of evils. The same applies to reviling the Lord, may He be glorified and exalted. These are two of the gravest things that nullify Islam and are means of apostatizing from Islam. If the one who reviles the Lord, the Exalted, or reviles the deen is a Muslim, then he becomes an apostate from Islam thereby, and he becomes a kafir. He should be asked to repent and if he repents (all well and good), otherwise he should be executed on the orders of the authorities via the syari’ah court. Some of the scholars said: he should not be asked to repent; rather he should be executed because his crime is so great. But the more correct view is that he should be asked to repent so that Allāh may bless him with guidance and he may adhere to the truth. But he should be punished by flogging and imprisonment so that he will not go back to such a great crime. Similarly, if he reviles the Qur’an or the Messenger or any other Prophet, he should be asked to repent and if he repents (all well and good), otherwise he should be executed. Reviling the deen, reviling the Messenger and reviling the Lord, may He be glorified and exalted, are all things that nullify Islam. The same applies to mocking Allāh and His Messenger, or Paradise or Hell, or the commands of Allaah such as prayer and zakah. Making fun of any of these things nullifies Islam. Allāh, may He be glorified and exalted, says:

“If you ask them (about this), they declare: ‘We were only talking idly and joking.’ Say: ‘Was it at Allāh, and His Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) that you were mocking?’ Make no excuse; you disbelieved after you had believed” [Al-Tawbah 9:65-66]

We ask Allāh to keep us safe and sound.

Al-Shaykh Ibn Bāz said:

Everyone who reviles Allāh, may He be glorified, in any way, or who reviles the Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) or any other Messenger in any way, or reviles Islam or criticizes it, or mocks Allāh or His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him), becomes a kafir and an apostate from Islam if he claims to be a Muslim, according to the consensus of the Muslims, because Allāh says:

“Say: ‘Was it at Allāh, and His Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) and His Messenger that you were mocking?’ Make no excuse; you disbelieved after you had believed” [Al-Tawbah, 9:65-66]

The great scholar Imām Abu’l-‘Abbas ibn Taimiyah (rahimahullāh) explained the evidence concerning this issue in his book Al-Sarim Al-Maslul ‘Ala Shatim Al-Rasul (“The unsheathed sword against the one who reviles the Messenger”). The one who wants to learn more about the evidence on this issue may refer to this book, as it is very useful and its author is a great scholar who had vast knowledge of shar’ie evidence, may Allāh have mercy on him.

[Majmu’ Fatāwa al-Shaykh Ibn Bāz (7/77, 87)]

Secondly:  Although the sin that your friend has committed is very great and the rulings concerning it are very strict, Allāh has opened the gate of repentance to the one who wants to turn back from his sin and wants to repent and seek forgiveness. He should not despair of the pardon and forgiveness of Allāh. That is what the shaytān wants from the sinner and apostate. Yes, he should feel regret for his sin, but that should not become a barrier between him and Allāh that prevents him from repenting and seeking forgiveness.

Allāh says:

“Say: O ‘Ibādi (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allāh, verily, Allāh forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful” [Al-Zumar, 39:53]

It was narrated from Abu Musa (may Allāh be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) said: “Allāh holds out His hand at night to accept the repentance of those who have sinned during the day, and He holds out his hand by day to accept the repentance of those who have sinned at night – until the sun rises from its place of setting.” [Narrated by Muslim (2759]

Ibn Rajab Al-Hanbali (rahimahullāh) said:

It was said to Al-Hasan Al-Basri: One of us feels too shy before his Lord to ask forgiveness for his sin then go back to it, then ask forgiveness then go back (to his sin)? He said: The shaytān wishes that he could achieve that with you. Do not tire of seeking forgiveness.

And it was narrated that he said: I think that this is the attitude of the believers – i.e., every time a believer sins, he repents.

[Jāmi’ Al-‘Ulum Wa’l-Hakam (1/165)].

Our advice to him is to repent and regret what he did, and to do a lot of righteous deeds and strive to be better after repentance than he was before he committed this major sin, and Allāh accepts the repentance of the one who repents.

And Allāh Almighty knows best.

[Via Islam Q&A]

Hukum Menyambut Valentine

Oleh Zaharuddin Abd Rahman

Soalan

Assalamua'laikum ustaz,

Benarkah hukum menyambut hari Valentine adalah haram, bagaimana pula hukum menjual hadiah dan bunga kepada pasangan-pasangan bukan Islam dan sebahagian umat Islam yang meraikannya?

JAWAPAN

Saya telah menyertakan jawapan di ruangan artikel bahasa Inggeris, bagi membantu rakan-rakan yang kurang selesa memahami bahasa Inggeris, disertakan jawapan ringkas saya berkenaan sambutan hari valentine.

Asal-usul Valentine

Tindakan mengaitkan pertengahan bulan Februari dengan cinta dan kesuburan sudah ada sejak dahulukala. Menurut tarikh kalender Athena kuno, periode antara pertengahan Januari dengan pertengahan Februari adalah bulan Gamelion, yang dipersembahkan kepada pernikahan suci Dewa Zeus dan Hera.

Di Roma kuno, 15 Februari adalah hari raya Lupercalia, sebuah perayaan Lupercus, dewa kesuburan, yang dilambangkan setengah telanjang dan berpakaian kulit kambing. Sebagai bagian dari ritual penyucian, para pendeta Lupercus meyembahkan korban kambing kepada sang dewa dan kemudian setelah minum anggur, mereka akan lari-lari di jejalanan kota Roma sembari membawa potongan-potongan kulit domba dan menyentuh siapa pun yang mereka jumpai. Terutama wanita-wanita muda akan maju secara sukarela karena percaya bahwa dengan itu mereka akan dikarunia kesuburan dan bisa melahirkan dengan mudah. [http://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hari_Valentine]

Selain itu, sejarahnya juga berkait dengan fakta di bawah:

Saint Valentine is a name which is given to two of the ancient "martyrs" of the Christian Church. It was said that there were two of them, or that there was only one, who died in Rome as the result of the persecution of the Gothic leader Claudius, c. 296 CE. In 350 CE, a church was built in Rome on the site of the place where he died, to perpetuate his memory.

When the Romans embraced Christianity, they continued to celebrate the Feast of Love mentioned above, but they changed it from the pagan concept of "spiritual love" to another concept known as the "martyrs of love", represented by Saint Valentine who had advocated love and peace, for which cause he was martyred, according to their claims. It was also called the Feast of Lovers, and Saint Valentine was considered to be the patron saint of lovers.

One of their false beliefs connected with this festival was that the names of girls who had reached marriageable age would be written on small rolls of paper and placed in a dish on a table. Then the young men who wanted to get married would be called, and each of them would pick a piece of paper. He would put himself at the service of the girl whose name he had drawn for one year, so that they could find out about one another. Then they would get married, or they would repeat the same process again on the day of the festival in the following year.

The Christian clergy reacted against this tradition, which they considered to have a corrupting influence on the morals of young men and women. It was abolished in Italy, where it had been well-known, then it was revived in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when in some western countries there appeared shops which sold small books called "Valentine's books", which contained love poems, from which the one who wanted to send a greeting to his sweetheart could choose. They also contained suggestions for writing love letters.

[Excerpted, with slight modifications, from www.IslamQ&A.com]

Justeru, secara ringkasan saya boleh simpulkan seperti berikut:

1) Kita hanya boleh merayakan perayaan yang diiktiraf oleh Islam iaitu Eidil Fitri dan Eidil Adha. Nabi SAW bersabda:

Ertinya: Sesungguhnya bagi setiap kaum itu perayaan masing-masing, dan ini (Eidil Fitri dan Eidiladha) adalah perayaan kita" [Riwayat Al-Bukhari, 952; Muslim, 1892]

Justeru, sebarang perayaan yang disambut oleh umat Islam mestilah terhad kepada dua perayaan ini sahaja.

Bagaimanapun, jika sesuatu majlis, keraian dan sambutan itu dianjurkan bukan atas asas atau nama agama serta tiada kaitan dengannya bahkan dibuat atas dasar adat semata-mata. Ianya boleh dan harus diraikan dengan syarat sambutannya tidak diserapi apa jua unsur maksiat dan syirik. Sebagai contoh sambutan kemerdekaan Negara, sambutan ulangtahun penubuhan sesebuah syarikat dan sebagainya. Cuma ia bukanlah disambut sebagai hari raya ketiga atau keempat, tetapi hanya sebagai majlis keraian setaraf dengan majlis perkahwinan dan sepertinya sahaja.

Ini bermakna, setiap tujuan dan asal usul perayaan itu perlulah disemak. Maka jika disemak perayaan Valentine ini. Ternyata ia berasal dari cerita dongeng, karut dan syirik berakitan dewa dan sebagainya. Selain dari asalusul, cara dan kaedah implementasnya juga mesti dilihat, jika secara adatnya ia disambut dengan dosa dan maksiat. Ia sekali lagi dilarang di atas dasar tersebut pula.

2) Tidak harus pula meniru orang Kafir dan ahli maksiat dalam meraikan majlis yang dianjurkan. Imam Ibn Taymiah dan Ibn Qayyim telah menyebut bahawa telah Ijma' (sepakat keseluruhan Ulama) melarang penyerupaan dalam meraikan perayaan agama (atas asas agama) selain Islam. [Iqtidha, 1/454; Ahkam Ahli Zimmah, 2/722]

3) Islam tidak mengiktiraf hari kasih sayang. Kasih sayang dalam Islam bersifat universal, tidak dibatasi waktu dan tempat dan tidak dibatasi oleh objek dan motif. Hal ini sesuai dengan hadis:

"Cintailah saudara seislam seperti kamu mencintai dirimu sendiri." [Riwayat Bukhari].

Islam sangat melarang keras untuk saling membenci dan bermusuhan, namun sangat menjunjung tinggi akan arti kasih sayang terhadap umat manusia.

Rasulullah saw. Bersabda: "Janganlah kamu saling membenci, berdengki-dengkian, saling berpalingan, dan jadilah kamu sebagai hamba-hamba Allah yang bersaudara. Juga tidak dibolehkan seorang muslim meninggalkan (tidak bertegur sapa) terhadap saudaranya lebih dari tiga hari" [Muslim]

Kasih sayang dalam Islam diwujudkan dalam bentuk yang nyata seperti silaturahmi, menjenguk yang sakit, meringankan beban tetangga yang sedang ditimpa musibah, mendamaikan orang yang berselisih, mengajak kepada kebenaran (amar ma'ruf) dan mencegah dari perbuatan mungkar

4) Sambutan hari Valentine hari ini menjadi semakin terkeji apabila ia menjurus kepada perlakuan maksiat, mengadaikan ‘dara' kepada kekasih yang bernafsu ‘syaitan' dan dengan perlakaun seks bebas yang kononnya bagi membuktikan 'ketulenan' cinta seseorang kepada kekasihnya..

5) Islam juga melarang umatnya dari terlibat, duduk serta bersekongkol dalam majlis yang mempersendakan Islam dan bercanggah dengannya. Ini dari firman Allah yang bermaksud:

"Dan sungguh Allah telah menurunkan kepada kamu di dalam Al Qur'an bahwa apabila kamu mendengar ayat-ayat Allah diingkari dan diperolok-olokkan (oleh orang-orang kafir), maka janganlah kamu duduk beserta mereka, sehingga mereka memasuki pembicaraan yang lain. Karena sesungguhnya (kalau kamu berbuat demikian), tentulah kamu serupa dengan mereka. Sesungguhnya Allah akan mengumpulkan semua orang-orang munafik dan orang-orang kafir di dalam Jahanam" [An-Nisa: 140]

Diriwayatkan dari Umar r.a. bahwa dia pernah mendengar Rasulullah s,a.w. bersabda:
"Barangsiapa beriman kepada Allah dan hari akhir, maka janganlah duduk pada suatu hidangan yang padanya diedarkan arak." [Riwayat Ahmad]

Maka majlis arak yang haram itu adalah sama hukumnya dengan majlis Valentine yang mana sumber, asal usul dan cara pelaksanaannya yang terdedah kepada pelbagai jenis maksiat. Tidak harus sama sekali untuk menghadiri majlis sempena Valentine di mana-mana jua.

Jadi adakah pergi shopping sempena 'sale' hari Valentine juga salah?

Jawabnya, sekadar membeli belah ia tidak salah, namun TIDAK DIBENARKAN menyertai seseuatu PERHIMPUNAN, SAMBUTAN KHAS kerana Valentine seperti majlis Konsert, Nyanyian dan sepertinya.

6) Hukum memberikan hadiah sempena hari Valentine juga adalah menjadi haram berdasarkan kaedah dari firman Allah: "Janganlah kamu bantu membantu dalam perkara dosa dan permusuhan"

Bagaimanapun hukum menjual bunga sahaja, ia tidak kurang dari kategori jualan yang syubhah, makruh atau haram khas di hari Valentine.

Diriwayatkan, ada seorang laki-laki yang memberi hadiah satu bekas arak kepada Nabi s.a.w, kemudian Nabi memberitahu bahwa arak telah diharamkan Allah. Orang laki-laki itu bertanya:

Lelaki: Bolehkah saya jual?

Nabi: Zat yang mengharamkan meminumnya, mengharamkannya juga menjualnya.

Lelaki: Bagaimana kalau saya hadiahkan raja kepada orang Yahudi?

Nabi: Sesungguhnya Allah yang telah mengharamkan arak, mengharamkan juga untuk dihadiahkan kepada orang Yahudi.

Lelaki: Habis, apa yang harus saya perbuat?

Nabi: Tuang saja di dalam parit air. [Al-Humaidi dalam musnadnya]

Justeru, kita dapat melihat bahawa benda yang haram, maka haram juga dijualnya mahupun dihadiahkan. Dalam hal menjual bunga, ia juga boleh menjadi syubhah di hari Valentine seperti ini, kerana diketahui ianya dibeli khas untuk mearikan Valentine yang haram. Seperti juga hukum menjual anggur kepada tukang buat arak yang telah diketahui. Ia tidak dibenarkan dalam Islam menurut pendapat yang terkuat.

7) Para ulama juga menyatakan LARANGAN untuk saling mengirim ucapan Valentine, cinta dan kasih bersempena hari itu. Perlu dianggapkan hari Valentine itu tidak wujud dan ia adalah sebuah hari biasa sahaja.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Excerpted from www.zaharuddin.net published 26 Muharram 1428 -14 Feb 2007

The Doctrine of Ahl Al-Sunnah

The Doctrine of Ahl Al-Sunnah

Versus The "Salafi" Movement

بســـم الله الرحمن الرحيــــم
وصلى الله على سيدنا محمـد وآلـه وصحبه وسلَّم

"And Say: Truth Has Come and Falsehood Has vanished away. Lo! Falsehood is ever bound to vanish."
[Al-Isra’, 17:81]

All the Praise belongs to Allah, Who has made the truth prevail over falsehood of innovation and innovators, and raises high the Sunnah of the Prophet, s.a.w, and the people who follow it. The Praise belongs to Allah, Who in every century inspires the emerging of scholarly people to defend the Way of the Prophet, s.a.w, from the distortions of the ignorant -- those who call the majority of Muslims mushrik (idolaters) and mubtadi` (innovators) and kafir (disbelievers), falsely claiming that they alone are saved. Peace and Blessing of Allah be upon the Prophet, his Family, and his Companions who are the exemplars and guardians of the Sunnah.

The reason for this book

This brief but excellent book by the Iraqi scholar Al-Zahawi (1863-1936) is published in English for the first time, by Allah's grace, to give our Muslim brother in the West the necessary historical background on important questions of belief and methodology which are currently under attack from certain quarters of our Community. It is a companion volume to our two books entitled Islamic Doctrine and Beliefs According to Ahl al-Sunnah. [1]

Islam, in our understanding and that of the majority of Muslims, both scholars and non-scholars, is the Islam of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama`ah -- The People of the Way of the Prophet and the Community of Muslims. Chief and foremost among them are the true Salaf of Islam: the Companions, the Successors, and their Successors according to the Prophet's sound hadith in Muslim: "The best century is my century, then the one following it, then the one following that." All the scholars understood by that hadith that the true Salaf were the models of human behavior and correct belief for us Muslims and for all mankind, that to follow them was to follow the Prophet, and that to follow the Prophet was to achieve salvation according to Allah's order: "Whoever obeys the Prophet obeys Allah" [An-Nisaa’, 4:80].

In our time, however, the name Salaf has been usurped by a movement which seeks to impose its own narrow interpretation of Religion towards a re-fashioning of the teachings of Islam. The adherents of this movement call themselves "Salafi." Such an appellation is baseless since the true Salaf knew no such school as the "Salafi" school nor even called them by that name; the only general name they recognized for themselves was that of Muslim. As an eminent scholar has stated, the Salafiyyah is not a recognized school of thought in Islam, rather, it refers to a blessed historical period of our glorious past.

In reality, today's so-called "Salafi" movement, now about thirty years old, is the modern outgrowth of a two-century old heresy spawned by a scholar of the Najad area in the Eastern part of the Arabian Peninsula by the name of Muhammad ibn `Abd al-Wahhab (1703-1792). This scholar has been refuted by a long line of scholars both in his time and ours. Their names and the titles of some of their excellent refutations are found in the bibliography given at the end of this introduction.

In essence, Salafism and Wahhabism are the same, but the latter is identified by its founder while the former takes the name of the Salaf and makes it its own. Yet both the Salafism and Wahhabism depart from the belief and practice of the Salaf, as the present book abundantly makes clear.

About the book

Al-Zahawi displays a profound mastery of the proofs of Ahl al-Sunnah which he presents in a clear and systematic style. The book is divided into concise sections tracing the origins of the Wahhabi/Salafi movement and the teachings that this movement promotes in isolation of the doctrine of the majority of Muslims. After a brief historical overview of the bloody origins of Wahhabism and the "Salafi" creed, the author turns to investigate the foundations of the Shari`ah which have been targeted by the Wahhabi/Salafi movement for revision, namely:

· The Wahhabi/Salafi tampering of the doctrine of the pious Salaf concerning Allah's essence and attributes, and his freedom from body, size, or direction;

· The rejection of ijma` (scholarly consensus) and qiyas (analogy);

· The rejection of the sources and methodological foundations of ijtihad (deriving qualified judgment) and taqlid (following qualified judgment).

The author then narrows down on the Wahhabi/Salafi practice of takfir, which is their declaring Muslims unbelievers, according to criteria not followed by the pious Salaf but devised by modern-day "Salafis." The author shows that the "Salafis" went out of bounds in condemning the Ummah (Muslim Community) on the question of taqlid, declaring unbelievers all those who practice taqlid, that is, the majority of Muslims. Finally, the author turns to the linchpin of "Salafi" philosophy: leaving the ijma` of the true Salaf in declaring unbelievers all Muslims who use the Prophet Muhammad's intercession, Peace be upon him, as a wasilah or means of blessing.

About the author

Al-Shaikh Jamil Effendi Al-Siqdi Al-Zahawi was the son of the Mufti of Iraq and a descendant of Khalid Ibn Al-Walid. He was educated in the Islamic sciences chiefly by his father and, besides going on to become the greatest Arabic and Persian poet of modern Iraq, was also a literary master in the other two Islamic languages of the time: Turkish and Kurdish.

Al-Zahawi gave early proofs of his scholarly talents. By the age of forty he had served on the board of education in Baghdad, as the director of the state printing office, as editor of the chief state publication, Al-Zawra', and as a member of the Baghdad court of appeal. The second half of his life was devoted to writing, journalism, and teaching. He taught philosophy and Arabic literature in Istanbul and law in Baghdad. A prolific writer, at one point he declined the office of court poet and historian of Iraq offered him by King Faisal. In addition to the above he was scientifically inclined and wrote papers on various scientific topics such as electricity and the power of repulsion, all this despite a chronic disease of the spine which had crippled him from his twenty-fifth year.

At the turn of the century Arabia had witnessed the return of the Wahhabis to power and the open rebellion of their forces against the Caliph of the Islamic community. What was worse, the Wahhabi heresy was knocking at the gates of Baghdad, and the scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah spoke out in order to stem its rising tide. In 1905 at the age of 42 and upon the request of his father al-Zahawi published this eloquent indictment of the sect's innovations in doctrine and jurisprudence, refuting its tenets one by one. He named the book, of which the present work forms the major part, Al-Fajr al-sadiq fi al-radd `ala munkiri al-tawassul wa al-khawariq ("The True Dawn: A Refutation of Those Who Deny The Validity of Using Means to Allah and the Miracles of Saints"). The title indicates Zahawi's opinion, reminiscent of that of other scholars who wrote similar refutations, that the Wahhabi position on tawassul represents the essence of their deviation from the beliefs of Ahl al-Sunnah, although it is but one of their many divergences with Sunni Muslims.

Zahawi's brilliant style, his acute sense of balance and moderation, and his luminous logic and concision gave this brief book an undisputed place of honor among modern works of heresiology. May Allah reward him with His generosity, as well as those who collaborated on this timely and all-beneficial translation for the edification of English-speaking Muslims. We warmly recommend this book to all the sincere students and teachers who are interested in the growth and dissemination of sound Islamic belief in the West. As Sayyidina `Umar Al-Khattab said, "This Religion is our flesh and our blood, so watch from whom you take it": in our time it is a duty to inform ourselves as to the soundness of the religious teaching which we are receiving and passing on to our children. For our own sake and theirs, we must discern the sources of such teaching with extreme caution, sifting the sound from the unsound, correcting what is wrong with our hand, our tongue, and our heart.

Muslims of the twenty-first century should beware of the renewed onslaught on their beliefs being conducted today from within our Communities East and West. In the name of Qur'an and Sunnah, but actually supported by certain regimes pursuing specific ideologies, "Salafis" are taking over the mosques built by Ahl al-Sunnah in Europe and North America -- mostly Indian and Pakistani immigrants -- by means of elections and fundings. It is the duty of all Muslims to ascertain that the mosques of Allah continue as centers of sound Islamic practice, not "Salafi" practice. This can only be done if one first apprises oneself of the reality of "Salafi" beliefs which are different from those of the main body of Muslims.

The Prophet, Peace be upon him said: "My Community will split into seventy-three sects. All of them will be in the fire except one group." They asked: "Who are they, O Messenger of Allah?" He said: "Those that follow my way and that of my companions." [2] This is a rallying-cry to the Firm Rope of 1,418 years of mainstream Islam and an invitation to reject the absurd claim of the "Salafi" movement that it is they, and not Ahl al-Sunnah, who are the Saved Group. As Zahawi asks -- may Allah have mercy on him: If the saved group is those who came after Muhammad ibn `Abd al-Wahhab, then what is the status of all those who came before him, and that of the majority of those who came after him -- that is, Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama`ah?

This warning is not meant as an attack on Islamic unity. On the contrary, our cry of alarm must be understood as a reaffirmation that the Saved Group which the Prophet mentioned in his hadith are the People of the Way of the Prophet and their scholars. Those scholars have spoken in no uncertain terms in condemnation of the innovations of Wahhabis and "Salafis" in our time, as the present book and the bibliography below, al-hamdu lillah, prove beyond doubt.

May Allah give victory to those who stand truly for the way of His Prophet, Blessings and Peace be upon him. O Believers read this book and take heed of its message. We conclude this brief introduction with a selective list of authors and works of Ahl al-Sunna scholars in whose pages the deviations of Wahhabis and Salafis are exposed time after time and conclusively refuted. We look forward to their translations and recommend every one of them.

And all the praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of al-‘alameen.

Shaikh Hisham Muhammad Kabbani
Los Altos, California
1 Muharram 1418
19 May 1996