Question:
Is there an established treatise regarding Aqeedah from Imam Sufyan bin Saeed Thawri, may Allah have mercy on him?
Answer:
Imam Sufyan Thawri, may Allah have mercy on him, held the belief of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah. His treatise on the belief of Ahl al-Sunnah is established; observe the following.
❀ Imam Shu’aib bin Harb, may Allah have mercy on him
, narrates:
قلت لأبي عبد الله سفيان بن سعيد بن منذر الثوري: حدثني بحديث من السنة ينفعني الله تعالى به، فإذا وقفت بين يدي الله وسألني عنه فقال لي: من أين أخذت هذا؟ قلت: يا رب حدثني به سفيان الثوري فأخذته عنه، فأنجو أنا وتؤخذ أنت، فقال لي سفيان: يا شعيب، هذا توكيد و أى توكيد، أكتب بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم القرآن كلام الله غير مخلوق، منه بدأ وإليه يعود، ومن قال غير هذا فهو كافر، والإيمان قول وعمل ونية، يزيد وينقص، يزيد بالطاعة وينقص بالمعصية، ولا يجوز القول إلا بالعمل، ولا يجوز القول والعمل إلا بالنية، ولا يجوز القول والعمل والنية إلا بموافقة السنة
I asked Imam Abu Abdullah Sufyan bin Saeed bin Mundhir Thawri, may Allah have mercy on him: Please explain to me matters related to belief that will be beneficial for me, so that when I am brought before Allah and He asks me about my belief, from where I took this belief, I may say: My Lord, this belief was explained to me by Sufyan Thawri, so I adopted it, and thus I may be saved and You will not hold me accountable! Imam Sufyan Thawri, may Allah have mercy on him, said to me: O Shu’aib! This is an emphasis, and what kind of emphasis is this! Come, write: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. The Qur’an is the Word of Allah, not a creation; it has come from Allah and (near the Day of Judgment) it will return to Him. Whoever holds a belief other than this is a disbeliever. Faith is the name of speech, action, and intention; it can increase and decrease, it increases with obedience and decreases with sin. Speech without action has no status, nor does verbal speech and action have status without intention (confirmation of the heart). Moreover, speech, action, and intention (confirmation of the heart) are accepted only when they conform to the Sunnah.
Shu’aib bin Harb, may Allah have mercy on him, says: I asked: Abu Abdullah (the kunya of Sufyan, may Allah have mercy on him)! What is meant by conformity to the Sunnah? He replied: Giving precedence to the two Shaykhs, Abu Bakr and Umar, over the other companions. O Shu’aib! The belief I have made you write will benefit you only when you give precedence to Sayyiduna Uthman and Sayyiduna Ali, may Allah be pleased with them, over the companions who came after them. O Shu’aib bin Harb! The belief I have made you write will benefit you only when you do not testify that anyone is destined for Paradise or Hellfire except for those ten noble companions for whom the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, testified that they are in Paradise; all of them are Qurayshi. O Shu’aib bin Harb! The belief I have made you write will benefit you only when you believe in wiping over socks, that if worn in a state of ablution, there is no need to remove them; wiping will suffice instead of washing the feet. O Shu’aib bin Harb! The belief I have made you write will benefit you only when you consider reciting Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim slowly in prayer better than reciting it loudly. O Shu’aib bin Harb! The belief I have made you write will benefit you only when you believe in good, bad, sweet, and bitter destiny, that all of these are from Allah Almighty. O Shu’aib bin Harb! By Allah! Those who say Qadariyyah did not say this; neither Allah Almighty said it, nor the angels, nor the prophets, nor will the people of Paradise say it, nor will the people of Hell say it, and not even their brother, the accursed Iblis, said it.
Allah Almighty said:
أَفَرَأَيْتَ مَنِ اتَّخَذَ إِلَٰهَهُ هَوَاهُ وَأَضَلَّهُ اللَّهُ عَلَىٰ عِلْمٍ وَخَتَمَ عَلَىٰ سَمْعِهِ وَقَلْبِهِ وَجَعَلَ عَلَىٰ بَصَرِهِ غِشَاوَةً فَمَن يَهْدِيهِ مِن بَعْدِ اللَّهِ ۚ أَفَلَا تَذَكَّرُونَ ﴿٢٣﴾
Is one who has taken his desire as his god and Allah has caused him to go astray despite knowledge, sealed his hearing and heart and put a cover over his eyes, who can guide him besides Allah? Will you not then take heed?
Also, the Divine Command is:
وَمَا تَشَاءُونَ إِلَّا أَنْ يَشَاءَ اللهُ
You do not will except that Allah wills.
The angels said:
قَالُوا سُبْحَانَكَ لَا عِلْمَ لَنَا إِلَّا مَا عَلَّمْتَنَا ۖ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ الْعَلِيمُ الْحَكِيمُ ﴿٣٢﴾
O Allah! You are pure; we have only the knowledge You have taught us. Indeed, You are the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
Moses, peace be upon him, said:
إِنْ هِيَ إِلَّا فِتْنَتُكَ تُضِلُّ بِهَا مَنْ تَشَاءُ وَتَهْدِي مَنْ تَشَاءُ
This is only Your trial; You misguide whom You will and guide whom You will.
Noah, peace be upon him, said:
وَلَا يَنْفَعُكُمْ نُصْحِي إِنْ أَرَدْتُ أَنْ أَنْصَحَ لَكُمْ إِنْ كَانَ اللهُ يُرِيدُ أَنْ يُغْوِيَكُمْ هُوَ رَبُّكُمْ وَإِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ
If I were to advise you, my advice would not benefit you if Allah intends to misguide you. He is your Lord, and to Him you will be returned.
Shu’aib, peace be upon him, said:
وَمَا يَكُونُ لَنَا أَنْ نَعُودَ فِيهَا إِلَّا أَنْ يَشَاءَ اللهُ رَبُّنَا وَسِعَ رَبُّنَا كُلَّ شَيْءٍ عِلْمًا
It is not possible for us to return to disbelief except that Allah wills. He is our Lord, and our Lord encompasses all things in knowledge.
The people of Paradise will say:
الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي هَدَانَا لِهَذَا وَمَا كُنَّا لِنَهْتَدِيَ لَوْلَا أَنْ هَدَانَا اللهُ
All praise is due to Allah who has guided us; if Allah had not guided us, we would never have been guided.
The people of Hell will say:
رَبَّنَا غَلَبَتْ عَلَيْنَا شِقْوَتُنَا وَكُنَّا قَوْمًا ضَالِّينَ
Our Lord! Misfortune has overcome us, and we were a misguided people.
And the brother of the Qadariyyah, Iblis, also said:
رَبِّ بِمَا أَغْوَيْتَنِي
My Lord! Because You have led me astray.
O Shu’aib! The belief I have made you write will benefit you only when you consider it permissible to pray behind every good and bad imam. Hajj and Jihad will continue until the Day of Judgment. Be patient under the banner of the ruler of the time, whether the ruler oppresses or rules with justice and fairness.
Shu’aib bin Harb, may Allah have mercy on him, says: I asked Sufyan Thawri, may Allah have mercy on him: Abu Abdullah! Should all prayers be performed behind the good and bad? He replied: No, only Friday and the two Eid prayers should be performed behind every imam. However, for the other prayers, you have the choice to pray behind the person whom you trust and consider to be within Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah. Shu’aib bin Harb! If you are stopped before Allah and He asks about this belief, say: This belief was explained to me by Sufyan bin Saeed Thawri; after that, my affair and my Lord’s affair are separate.
❀ Hafiz Dhahabi, may Allah have mercy on him, says:
هذا ثابت عن سفيان
This belief is established from Imam Sufyan Thawri, may Allah have mercy on him.
