Islam's Reformers .pdf

cooperate with men of bid’a cause them to deviate from theright path. Gathering of people with different beliefs results inthe destruction of the religion. Those who say that they willwake up Muslims, in fact, try to poison them and lead them todisaster.Question 9: “The aim in the establishment of thisorganization, Nadwa, has been asserted to be the abolition ofthe difference between the Sunnî and other groups of bid’a.‘They should not refuse one another’s beliefs, but live brotherly.’Ulamâ’ should not speak or write on the discordant beliefsamong themselves. Or else, they set a bad example to becopied by all Muslims and their disciples. Difference andargument cause perishing and stem from the desires of nafsand self-esteem,’ they say. Are these words right or wrong orexcessive?”Answer 9: When a bid’a gets spread, it is fard to refute itand to try to disseminate its harmfulness and wickedness. Thatthis is fard has been unanimously declared by the ’ulamâ’ ofIslam. Salaf as-Sâlihîn and the ’ulamâ of all times up to nowhave always opposed bid’a in this way. One who does notrefuse men of bid’a but leave them to themselves will havedissented from Muslims’ unanimity, got away from the Islamicjamâ’a and loved bid’as and holders of bid’a. And this means todiscredit the Ahl as-Sunna madhhab and the Muslims of thisright path; to forbid the established reason and to command theprohibition; to lead Muslims to Allâhu ta’âlâ’s damnation. Great’âlim Hadrat Ahmad ibn Hajar al-Makkî, the imâm of Muslims,said in the preface to his work as-Sawâ’iq al-muhriqa, “ThoughI do not have the profound knowledge to comprehend the realityand essence of the writings in this book, I was inclined to writebecause of the following hadîth ash-sherîf reported in Al-Jâmi’by Khatîb al-Baghdâdî: ‘When seditions and bid’as spreadand my Sahâba are slandered, those who know the truthshould declare what they know! May those who do notdeclare what they know be damned by Allâhu ta’âlâ, byangels and by all people! Allâhu ta’âlâ does not accept anyof their ’ibâdât and goodness.’ ” The statement, “Telling whatone knows causes disunion, is sinful and is self-destruction,” isa slander against Allâhu ta’âlâ and Islamic ’ulamâ’, dissentionfrom the Ahl as-Sunna madhhab and denial or prohibition of animportant fard.- 273 -