This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amanpuri's book Aamad Mustafa ﷺ.
Following the Messenger ﷺ and the Methodology of the Predecessors of the Ummah
◈ A dialogue took place between Urwah bin Zubair, may Allah have mercy on him, and Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both:
أضللت الناس ، قال : وما ذاك يا عرية؟ قال : تأمر بالعمرة فى هؤلاء العشر، وليست فيهن عمرة، فقال : أولا تسأل أمك عن ذلك؟ فقال عروة : فإن أبا بكر وعمر لم يفعلا ذلك، فقال ابن عباس : هذا الذى أهلككم، والله ما أرى إلا سيعذبكم، إني أحدثكم عن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم، وتجيئوني بأبي بكر وعمر، فقال عروة : هما والله كانا أعلم بسنة رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وأتبع لها منك
"Urwah said: You have led people astray. Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, said: Urwah! What is the matter? He said: You command performing Umrah during the ten days of Dhu al-Hijjah, even though Umrah is not performed in those days? He said: Why do you not ask your mother (Asma bint Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with her) about this? He replied: Sayyiduna Abu Bakr and Umar, may Allah be pleased with them, did not do this. He said: By Allah! This very thing has destroyed you people. I fear that Allah's punishment may come. I narrate the Hadith of the Prophet, peace be upon him, and you bring up the words of Abu Bakr and Umar, may Allah be pleased with them? Urwah said: By Allah! Both of them knew the Sunnah of the Prophet better than you and followed it more than you."
Reference: Al-Faqih wal-Mutafaqqih by Al-Khatib: 1458 and its chain is authentic
◈ After mentioning this narration, Al-Khatib Al-Baghdadi, may Allah have mercy on him, writes:
قد كان أبو بكر وعمر على ما وصفهما به عروة؛ إلا أنه لا ينبغي أن يقلد أحد فى ترك ما ثبتت به سنة رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم
"Abu Bakr and Umar, may Allah be pleased with them, were exactly as Urwah, may Allah have mercy on him, described, but it is not permissible for anyone to abandon a matter established from the Sunnah of the Messenger, peace be upon him, even if it is contradicted by their practice."
Reference: Al-Faqih wal-Mutafaqqih by Al-Khatib: 1458
Sheikhin (may Allah be pleased with them) and Umrah in the first ten days of Dhu al-Hijjah:
Here I want to clarify that it is not established that the two Shaykhs, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr and Sayyiduna Umar, may Allah be pleased with them, prohibited Umrah in the first ten days of Dhu al-Hijjah. The fact that someone does not perform a wajib (obligatory) act is not evidence that they consider that act impermissible.
Secondly, even if the two Shaykhs, may Allah be pleased with them, did not consider Umrah permissible during these days, it still cannot be called opposition; it would be attributed to lack of knowledge, because the overall conduct of the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, was that they would humbly accept the hadith of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him.
◈ Imam Ishaq ibn Rahwayh, may Allah have mercy on him (d. 238 AH), mentioned with his chain of narration:
أخبرنا عيسى بن يونس، نا ابن جريج، عن عطاء، قالسمعت ابن عباس يقول : عجبا لترك الناس هذا الإهلال، ولتكبيرهم ما بي، إلا أن يكون التكبيرة حسنا، ولكن الشيطان يأتى الإنسان من قبل الإثم، فإذا عصم منه جاءه من نحو البر، ليدع سنة وليبتدع بدعة
"Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them, said: It is astonishing! People have stopped saying Talbiyah and started saying Takbir. It is accepted that Takbir is a good thing, but Satan comes to a person through the door of sin; when a person avoids that trap, he comes through the door of good deeds so that the person abandons the Sunnah and adopts innovation."
Reference: Musnad Ishaq ibn Rahwayh: 482, and its chain is authentic
◈ The narration of Ibn Jurayj, may Allah have mercy on him, from Ata ibn Abi Rabah, may Allah have mercy on him, is to be understood as a hearing. Ibn Jurayj, may Allah have mercy on him, states:
عطاء، فأنا سمعته منه، وإن لم أقل : سمعت
"I have heard from Ata, may Allah have mercy on him, although I do not explicitly mention the hearing."
Reference: Al-Tarikh al-Kabir by Ibn Abi Khaythamah: 241/2, 247, and its chain is authentic
Therefore, its chain is authentic. والحمد لله
◈ Imam Sufyan ibn ‘Uyaynah, may Allah have mercy on him (d. 198 AH), used to say:
إن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم هو الميزان الأكبر، فعليه تعرض الأشياء، على خلقه وسيرته وهديه، فما وافقها فهو الحق، وما خالفها فهو الباطل
"The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, is the greatest criterion; therefore, all matters will be presented according to his character, conduct, and methodology. Those that conform to him are true, and those that oppose him are false."
Reference: Al-Jami’ li Akhlaq al-Rawi by Al-Khatib: 8, and its chain is authentic
◈ Imam Awza’i, may Allah have mercy on him (d. 157 AH), said to Mukhlad ibn Husayn:
يا أبا محمد، إذا بلغك عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم حديث، فلا تظنن غيره، ولا تقولن غيره، فإن محمدا إنما كان مبلغا عن ربه
"Abu Muhammad! When you receive a hadith from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, then do not think of anything else, nor say anything other than that, because Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, was conveying revelation from his Lord."
Reference: Al-Faqih wal Mutafaqqih by Al-Khatib: 1498, and its chain is Hasan
◈ Also, he advises in a sincere manner:
اصبر نفسك على السنة، وقف حيث وقف القوم، وقل بما قالوا، وكف عما كفوا عنه، واسلك سبيل سلفك الصالح؛ فإنه يسعك ما وسعهم
"Keep yourself steadfast on the Sunnah; wherever the Salaf stood, stand there too, and say what the Salaf said. Wherever the Salaf stopped, you also stop, and follow their methodology. What sufficed the Salaf will suffice you."
Reference: Hilyat al-Awliya wa Tabaqat al-Asfiya by Abu Nu'aym al-Isbahani: 143/6, and its chain is authentic
◈ Imam Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz, may Allah have mercy on him (d. 101 AH), wrote this letter to the people:
لا ر أى لأحد مع سنة سنها رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم
"In the presence of the way of the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, following anyone else is not correct."
Reference: Al-Tarikh al-Kabir by Ibn Abi Khaythamah: 9335, and its chain is authentic
◈ Imam Malik ibn Anas, may Allah have mercy on him (d. 179 AH), said:
كلما جاء نا رجل أجدل من رجل، أرادنا أن نرد ما جاء به جبريل إلى النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم
"Eloquent people keep coming to us, hoping that by their eloquence, we will be influenced to reject divine revelation."
Reference: Sharaf Ashab al-Hadith by Al-Khatib: 1, and its chain is authentic
Imam Shafi’i, may Allah have mercy on him (d. 204 AH), said:
يسقط كل شيء خالف أمر النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم، ولا يقوم معه ر أى ولا قياس، فإن الله عزوجل قطع العذر بقوله صلى الله عليه وسلم
"Everything that opposes the command of the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, is false; no opinion or analogy can stand before it, because Allah has removed all excuses against the statement of the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him."
Reference: Kitab al-Umm: 193/2, Al-Sunan al-Kubra by Al-Bayhaqi: 241/9
◈ Hafiz Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him (d. 676 AH), writes:
إذا ثبتت السنة، لا تترك لترك بعض الناس أو أكثرهم أو كلهم لها
"When a hadith of the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, is established, it should not be abandoned due to the non-performance of some, most, or all people."
Reference: Sharh Sahih Muslim: 186/4
◈ Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him (d. 728 AH), said:
من المعلوم أنك لا تجد أحدا ممن يرد نصوص الكتاب والسنة بقوله، إلا وهو يبغض ما خالف قوله، ويود أن تلك الآية لم تكن نزلت، وأن ذلك الحديث لم يرد، ولو أمكنه كشط ذلك من المصحف لفعله
"It is certain that whoever rejects the texts of the Book and Sunnah along with his statement, dislikes what contradicts his opinion and wishes that this verse had not been revealed and this hadith had not been reported. If it were in his power, he would remove it from the Qur’an."
Reference: Dar’ Ta’arud al-‘Aql wal-Naql: 217/5
◈ He also said:
إن السعادة والهدى فى متابعة الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم، وأن الضلال والشقاء فى مخالفته، وأن كل خير فى الوجود، إما عام وإما خاص؛ فمنشؤه من جهة الرسول، وأن كل شر فى العالم مختص بالعبد، فسببه مخالفة الرسول أو الجهل بما جاء به، وأن سعادة العباد فى معاشهم ومعادهم باتباع الرسالة
"The happiness and guidance of humanity lies in following the Messenger, while opposing him, peace and blessings be upon him, leads to misguidance and misery. The person of the Messenger is the source of all general and specific goodness, and opposing his commands is the foundation of all evil. Success in this world and the Hereafter depends on following the Messenger."
Reference: Majmu’ al-Fatawa: 93/19
◈ Hafiz Ibn Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him (d. 751 AH), writes:
من عرض أقوال العلماء على النصوص ووزنها بها، وخالف منها ما خالف النص؛ لم يهدر أقوالهم ولم يهضم جانبهم، بل اقتدى بهم، فإنهم كلهم أمروا بذلك، فمتبعهم حقا من امتثل ما أوصوا به، لا من خالفهم، فخلافهم فى القول الذى جاء النص بخلافه؛ أسهل من مخالفتهم فى القاعدة الكلية التى أمروا، ودعوا إليها من تقديم النص على أقوالهم، ومن هنا يتبين الفرق بين تقليد العالم فى كل ما قال، وبين الاستعانة بفهمه والاستضاءة بنور علمه، فالأول يأخذ قوله من غير نظر فيه ولا طلب لدليله من الكتاب والسنة، بل يجعل ذلك كالحبل الذى يلقيه فى عنقه، يقلده به، ولذلك سمي تقليدا، بخلاف ما استعان بفهمه واستضاء بنور علمه فى الوصول إلى الرسول صلوات الله وسلامه عليه
"The person who presents the statements of the scholars in light of the texts of the Shariah and rejects statements that contradict the texts neither disregards the opinions of the scholars nor belittles them; rather, he follows the scholars because the scholars are also commanded to follow the revelation. They have advised that any statement contrary to the text can be rejected. Therefore, the true follower of the scholars is the one who acts upon their advice. It is better to abandon the statements of the scholars that contradict the texts than to abandon the texts because of those statements. This is where the difference between taqlid (imitation) and understanding of the Salaf becomes clear. The imitators accept their statements without looking for evidence in the Book and Sunnah and without proof, and Satan makes it a noose around their necks, without which they cannot proceed anywhere. That is why it is called taqlid, whereas understanding the Salaf means reaching the Sunnah of the Messenger in the light of the knowledge of the Salaf."
Reference: Al-Ruh: 264
