The Importance of Sunnah and the Condemnation of Blind Following
Allah Almighty says:
﴿ لَقَدْ مَنَّ اللَّهُ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِذْ بَعَثَ فِيهِمْ رَسُولًا مِّنْ أَنفُسِهِمْ يَتْلُو عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتِهِ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَإِن كَانُوا مِن قَبْلُ لَفِي ضَلَالٍ مُّبِينٍ﴾
Indeed, Allah conferred a great favor upon the believers by sending among them a Messenger from themselves who recites to them His verses, purifies them, and teaches them the Book and wisdom, although they had been before in manifest error.
From this verse, it is understood that Allah Almighty made His last Prophet Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, a cause of guidance for the people of the world, and those who followed and obeyed him emerged from the profound darkness of misguidance onto the bright path of success and guidance. It is clear that following the Noble Prophet, peace be upon him, is a cause of guidance, and following anyone else is misguidance.
At another place, it is stated:
﴿قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ . قُلْ أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَالرَّسُولَ ۖ فَإِن تَوَلَّوْا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ الْكَافِرِينَ.﴾
O Prophet! Say to the people, if you truly love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you and forgive your sins. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful. Say, obey Allah and the Messenger; but if they turn away, then indeed, Allah does not love the disbelievers who deny obedience to Him and His Messenger.
Loving Allah Almighty is a condition of faith because entering the valley of faith means that a person loves Allah Almighty, as Allah Almighty says:
﴿وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَشَدُّ حُبًّا لِّلَّهِ﴾
And the believers love Allah intensely.
If a person claims to love Allah Almighty, then it is necessary for him to follow the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him. It is a fact that if a person makes a claim, it is incumbent upon him to provide proof for it. Similarly, whoever claims to love Allah Almighty must prove it by following the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him; otherwise, his claim is entirely false. It is understood that obedience to the Messenger is obligatory for the believers, and rejecting obedience to the Messenger is equivalent to disbelief. At another place, it is stated:
﴿لَّقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ لِّمَن كَانَ يَرْجُو اللَّهَ وَالْيَوْمَ الْآخِرَ وَذَكَرَ اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا﴾
Indeed, in the Messenger of Allah you have an excellent example for whoever hopes in Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah often.
Allah Almighty has declared the person of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, as the best example for the believers. It is obligatory upon Muslims to firmly hold onto whatever they receive from the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, because this is the requirement of faith in Allah and the Last Day.
Allah Almighty says:
﴿وَمَا آتَاكُمُ الرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَمَا نَهَاكُمْ عَنْهُ فَانتَهُوا ۚ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ ۖ إِنَّ اللَّهَ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ﴾
Whatever the Messenger gives you, take it, and whatever he forbids you, refrain from it. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is severe in penalty.
Following the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, is the means to remain steadfast on guidance and is the straight path.
Allah says:
﴿وَاتَّبِعُوهُ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ﴾
And follow him so that you may be guided.
At another place, Allah Almighty says:
﴿وَاتَّبِعُونِ ۚ هَٰذَا صِرَاطٌ مُّسْتَقِيمٌ﴾
And follow me; this is the straight path.
Those who adopt any way other than the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, thinking that by doing so they will find the path of guidance, are deluded. Because whoever abandons the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, is misguided and will be unsuccessful and disappointed on the Day of Judgment. At another place, it is stated:
﴿فَلْيَحْذَرِ الَّذِينَ يُخَالِفُونَ عَنْ أَمْرِهِ أَن تُصِيبَهُمْ فِتْنَةٌ أَوْ يُصِيبَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ﴾
Those who disobey the Messenger should beware lest a trial strike them or a painful punishment befall them.
Besides various forms of trials, one form (which is clearly evident from the undeniable proofs of history) is that people will abandon following the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and instead follow various Imams, and this division will cause intense hatred and disputes among them, eventually leading to civil war.
At one place, it is stated:
﴿وَمَا يَنطِقُ عَنِ الْهَوَىٰ . إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا وَحْيٌ يُوحَىٰ.﴾
He does not speak from his own desire. It is only a revelation revealed.
If personal desires were to be respected in religion according to Allah Almighty, then this status should have been given to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him. But Allah Almighty did not declare the desires of the Messenger as religion; rather, He clearly stated that this Prophet does not speak from his own desires but whenever he speaks, he speaks in the language of revelation. It is a matter of reflection that when even the desires and opinions of the Noble Prophet, peace be upon him, are not obligatory to follow, then how can the personal opinions of any other person or Imam become religion? For this reason, Allah Almighty equates obedience to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, with obedience to Himself. Thus it is stated:
﴿مَّن يُطِعِ الرَّسُولَ فَقَدْ أَطَاعَ اللَّهَ ۖ﴾
Whoever obeys the Messenger has indeed obeyed Allah.
Tell me, can this status be given to any other human or any Imam besides the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, whose obedience Allah Almighty equates with His own obedience, and then not only follow that Imam but go even further and imitate him?
Following based on knowledge is obligatory, whereas imitation (taqlid) is specific to ignorance because following is based on evidence and knowledge, whereas imitation is doing something based on someone’s word without evidence. In imitation, there is no need for evidence; rather, blindly following someone is called imitation, and the only proof for the imitator is the statement of his Imam. Neither can he investigate the matter himself nor can he scrutinize his Imam’s investigation. Such ignorance has no place in Islam.
Consider some hadiths and narrations in this regard so that this issue becomes fully clear.
عن أبى هريرة قال قال رسول الله: كل أمتي يدخلون الجنة إلا من أبى قيل ومن أبى؟ قال: من أطاعني دخل الجنة ومن عصاني فقد أبى
Narrated Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: “My entire Ummah will enter Paradise except one who disbelieves.” It was asked, “Who is the one who disbelieves?” He said, “Whoever obeys me will enter Paradise, and whoever disobeys me has disbelieved.”
On one occasion, when three companions, may Allah be pleased with them, expressed their intention to exert more effort in worship than the Prophet’s practices by staying awake all night, fasting continuously, and renouncing marriage to devote their lives to worship, the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said to them:
فمن رغب عن سنتي فليس مني
“So whoever shows aversion to my Sunnah (and leaves it out of disdain and obstinacy), he is not from me.”
The meaning is that no matter how much hardship you endure in deeds, if a person’s actions lack following and obedience to me, then such a person has no relation to me.
Sayyida Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her (died 57 AH), narrates that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: There are six types of people upon whom I curse and Allah Almighty has cursed them as well. (One of these six is)
والتارك لسنتي
“Whoever abandons my Sunnah.”
Sayyiduna Arabaz bin Sariya, may Allah be pleased with him (died 75 AH), narrates that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
فعليكم بسنتي وسنة الخلفاء الراشدين المهديين تمسكوا بها وعضوا عليها بالنواجذ وإياكم ومحدثات الأمور فإن كل محدثة بدعة وكل بدعة ضلالة
“It is obligatory upon you to follow my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly guided Caliphs. Hold onto it firmly with your molar teeth and avoid innovating new matters in religion, for every innovation is misguidance and every misguidance is in the Hellfire.”
It is understood that any new matter introduced in the name of religion in Islam is an innovation (bid’ah), and innovation is another name for misguidance. Therefore, imitation (taqlid) is also an innovation because it is an invention in religion. Sayyida Aisha Siddiqah, may Allah be pleased with her, narrates that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
من أحدث فى أمرنا هذا ما ليس منه فهو رد
“Whoever introduces into our religion something that is not part of it, it is rejected.”
Sayyiduna Abu Bakr As-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, once said:
لست تاركا شيئا كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يعمل به إلا عملت به فإني أخشى إن تركت شيئا من أمره أن أزيغ
“I am not ready to abandon any act that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, used to do unless I follow it, because I fear that if I abandon any of the Prophet’s acts (Sunnah), I will go astray.”
Sayyiduna Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, once said in opposition to an ijtihadi ruling of Amir al-Mu’minin Uthman Ghani, may Allah be pleased with him:
ما كنت لأدع سنة النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم لقول أحد
“I cannot abandon the Sunnah of the Noble Prophet, peace be upon him, on the word of any person.”
This statement of Sayyiduna Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, is the best commentary on the verse: ﴿فَإِن تَنَازَعْتُمْ فِي شَيْءٍ فَرُدُّوهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ﴾, which will come later.
Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas’ud, may Allah be pleased with both of them, states:
لو تركتم سنة نبيكم لضللتم
“If you abandon the Sunnah of your Prophet, you will go astray.”
It is obligatory upon every follower of the Noble Prophet, peace be upon him, to adopt his Sunnah. Even when the Hour approaches, Sayyiduna Isa, peace be upon him, will descend from the heavens and will himself adhere to the Sunnah of the Prophet and will lead people to follow the Sunnah of the Prophet. Adopting the Sunnah of any other prophet instead of the Noble Prophet, peace be upon him, is also misguidance and deviation, let alone following any Imam.
Allah Almighty has made obedience to Himself and His Messenger obligatory upon Muslims in all circumstances. Thus it is stated:
﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنكُمْ ۖ فَإِن تَنَازَعْتُمْ فِي شَيْءٍ فَرُدُّوهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ إِن كُنتُمْ تُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ خَيْرٌ وَأَحْسَنُ تَأْوِيلًا﴾
O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. And if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger, if you should believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is the best [way] and best in result.
Obedience to Allah and the Messenger, peace be upon him, is unconditional, while obedience to the leaders (Ulul Amr) is conditional. If the leaders’ commands are according to the Book and Sunnah, then their obedience is obligatory; but if their commands contradict the Book and Sunnah, then their obedience is not correct. In this regard, the statement of Sayyiduna Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, has already been mentioned. The Noble Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
لا طاعة فى معصية إنما الطاعة فى المعروف
“There is no obedience in disobedience to Allah and His Messenger. Obedience is only in what is good.”
Obedience to the Noble Prophet, peace be upon him, is obligatory because he is the representative of Allah Almighty, responsible for conveying Allah’s commands to people, and he is infallible and guided by revelation. In contrast, non-prophets lack all these qualities, and errors from them are inevitable. Therefore, blindly imitating them and considering their statements as proof is a cause of misguidance, and presenting the sayings of any Imam over the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, is the gravest misguidance. How can the obedience of an Imam, who himself is obliged to obey Allah and the Messenger and seeks the Sunnah of the Messenger for following, become obligatory to imitate?
It is a fact that these Imams themselves forbade people from imitation.
The question is, if the Imams forbade people from imitation, then why insist on imitation? The real fact is that insistence on imitation is an innovation of later people; otherwise, scholars have opposed imitation in every era. For example, it is famous that Hafiz Ibn Kathir was of the Shafi’i school, but while explaining ﴿حَافِظُوا عَلَى الصَّلَوَاتِ وَالصَّلَاةِ الْوُسْطَىٰ﴾, after mentioning various opinions, he said:
“But remember that all previous opinions are weak. The dispute is only about the morning and afternoon prayers, and it is proven by authentic hadiths that the afternoon prayer is the Salat al-Wusta (middle prayer). Therefore, it is necessary to abandon all opinions and hold the belief that the Salat al-Wusta is the afternoon prayer.”
Imam Abu Muhammad Abdul Rahman bin Abi Hatim Razi narrated in his book Fada’il al-Shafi’i that Imam Shafi’i used to say:
كل ما قلت فكان عن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم بخلاف قولي مما يصح فحديث النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم أولى ولا تقلدوني
“If there is any authentic hadith against any of my sayings (of the Prophet, peace be upon him), then the hadith is more worthy. Beware of imitating me.”
This statement of Imam Shafi’i is also narrated by Imam Rabi’, Imam Za’faranī, and Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal. Musa Abu al-Walid bin Jarud narrated from Imam Shafi’i that he said:
إذا صح الحديث وقلت قولا فأنا راجع عن قولي وقائل بذلك
“If my statement contradicts an authentic hadith, I retract my statement and clearly say that my madhhab is that which is in the hadith.”
This is the honesty and leadership of the Imam, and every one of such Imams has said that their statements should not be considered religion. رحمهم الله ورضي عنهم أجمعين. Therefore, Qadi Mawardi says:
“The madhhab of the Imam regarding Salat al-Wusta should be understood as the afternoon prayer, although the Imam’s own statement is that it is not the afternoon prayer. But according to his statement, we have abandoned that opinion because it contradicts the hadith.”
The Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, did not give importance to anyone’s statement over the Sunnah of the Prophet, peace be upon him, even rejecting the Sunnah of the rightly guided Caliphs. Consider the statements of Abdullah bin Umar, may Allah be pleased with both of them, Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas, may Allah be pleased with him, and Abdullah bin Abbas, may Allah be pleased with both of them, in this regard.
Narrated Salim bin Abdullah, may Allah have mercy on him, that a man from the land of Sham asked Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar about Hajj al-Tamattu’. Sayyiduna Ibn Umar said it is permissible. The man said, “But your respected father (Umar Farooq, may Allah be pleased with him) forbade it.” Ibn Umar replied, “If my father forbade it and the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, did it, then what do you think? Will you follow my father’s action or the Messenger of Allah’s action? Which way will be followed?” The man replied, “The way of the Messenger of Allah (Sunnah).” Then Ibn Umar said, “The Messenger of Allah performed Hajj al-Tamattu’.”
Sayyiduna Dhahak bin Qais, may Allah be pleased with him, said the same to Sayyiduna Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas, may Allah be pleased with him, that Umar forbade Hajj al-Tamattu’. Sayyiduna Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas said that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, performed it, and we (the Companions) also performed it.
(Also, Tirmidhi states this hadith is authentic)
In an authentic narration, Ibn Mas’ud, may Allah be pleased with him, clearly forbade imitation.
Sayyiduna Mu’adh bin Jabal, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
أما العالم فإن اهتدى فلا تقلدوه دينكم
“Do not imitate a scholar even if he is on the straight path.”
From the statements of Sayyiduna Mu’adh bin Jabal and Abdullah bin Mas’ud, may Allah be pleased with both of them, it is understood that adopting imitation in religious matters is completely impermissible and forbidden, and there is no justification for imitation in Islam. If guidance must be followed, then the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, deserve to be obeyed, and obedience to the Companions is also conditional upon the Book and Sunnah.
Perhaps someone said:
فاهرب عن التقليد فهو ضلالة إن المقلد فى سبيل الهالك
“Run away from imitation because it is misguidance, and there is no doubt that the imitator is on the path of destruction.”
Hafiz Ibn Abdul Barr and other scholars have narrated the consensus of Muslims that imitation is another name for ignorance, and the imitator is ignorant.
Imam Tirmidhi, after narrating the hadith of Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas, may Allah be pleased with both of them, that “the Prophet, peace be upon him, marked the sacrificial animals,” says:
When Imam Waki’ narrated this hadith, he said, “Do not look towards the opinion of the people of reasoning (Ahl al-Ra’y) in this, because marking (Ash’ar) is Sunnah, and the opinion of the people of reasoning is innovation.” Abu Sa’ib said that we were with Imam Waki’ when he said to a person among the people of reasoning (Ahl al-Ra’y), “The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, marked (Ash’ar), and Abu Hanifa says this is mutilation (cutting ears, noses, etc.).” The person said, “And the narration that Ibrahim Nakha’i said marking is mutilation.” It is said that I saw Imam Waki’ become furious and said, “I tell you that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said (to mark), and you say Ibrahim Nakha’i said (this). You deserve to be imprisoned, and you will not be released until you retract your statement.”
Imam Waki’ was a student of Imam Abu Hanifa, and some people claim that he was an imitator of Imam Abu Hanifa, but this incident is sufficient to refute such claims. (Many such examples are also found in I’lam al-Muwaqqi’in and Iqaz al-Himam Awli al-Absar.)
Generally, imitators are accustomed to viewing the hadiths of the Noble Prophet, peace be upon him, through the lens of imitation. They evaluate Sunnah and hadith according to their self-made principles and rules, and when a hadith does not fully fit their principles, they distort it to fit their rules. If a hadith contradicts their madhhab, they begin to find faults in it and perform a post-mortem on authentic hadiths, which is lamentable!
Among many issues, the attitude of imitators towards raising the hands before bowing, after bowing, and when rising from two rak’ahs has been extremely regrettable. On one hand, imitators deny authentic hadiths, and on the other hand, they have spread strange stories to make raising the hands a detestable act in people’s eyes. As a result, this great Sunnah has become a detestable act in the eyes of ignorant people. Expressing hatred for the Sunnah of the Prophet, peace be upon him, or harboring hateful feelings against it in the heart is an act contrary to faith. Allah Almighty says:
﴿فَلَا وَرَبِّكَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ حَتَّىٰ يُحَكِّمُوكَ فِيمَا شَجَرَ بَيْنَهُمْ ثُمَّ لَا يَجِدُوا فِي أَنفُسِهِمْ حَرَجًا مِّمَّا قَضَيْتَ وَيُسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا﴾
(By the Lord of Muhammad, peace be upon him!) They will never be believers until they make you (O Muhammad) judge in their disputes and find no resistance in their hearts to your decisions but accept them wholeheartedly.
Some so-called “Hanafis” have also declared the Ahl al-Hadith as disbelievers over raising the hands.
Ashiq Ilahi Meerthi Deobandi writes:
“The real issue was that some Hanafis began to call the Ahl al-Hadith, i.e., the non-imitators of the time, disbelievers over raising the hands, and this was a grave mistake and great misguidance.”
It is necessary for people, after understanding the importance of this Sunnah, to perform it strictly and not care about the blame of the blamer because the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
صلوا كما رأيتموني أصلي
“Pray as you have seen me praying.”
The honorable Sheikh Hafiz Zubair Ali Za’i, may Allah preserve him, has fulfilled the rights of knowledge and research by presenting the issue of raising the hands to the readers with great effort and diligence. With complete honesty and fairness, he has presented both sides of the issue—raising the hands and not raising the hands—along with confirmations and references from Muhaddithin and righteous predecessors. With undeniable evidence, he has proven the continuous Sunnah status of raising the hands, while also exposing the weak and feeble arguments of the people of reasoning and analogy regarding not raising the hands. He has also presented proof from the majority of Muhaddithin, researchers, and critics of hadith about the true status of these evidences and their impracticality, and has exposed the lies and deceptions of some contemporary people of reasoning, analogy, and imitation. My prayer is that Allah Almighty increases the knowledge, practice, and lifespan of the honorable Sheikh Hafiz Zubair Ali Za’i, may Allah preserve him, and grants him success on every front against false sects, and humiliates and disgraces the false sects on every front, Ameen.
After this book, God willing, soon the issues of saying “Ameen” aloud, Fatiha behind the Imam, and placing the hand on the chest will also be published by him, and a comprehensive and complete book on prayer is also underway. Additionally, some literature in Arabic is awaiting publication. (By the grace of Allah, his books have been published.)
(1st Muharram al-Haram 1411 AH)
