Islam's Reformers .pdf

in his word and if he likes that exalted leader’s writings, heshould follow these writings and love the Ahl as-Sunnascholars, whom al-Imâm ar-Rabbânî praises highly, and heshould not be disrespectful towards them. One should be ascholar to appreciate the value of another scholar. Not to realizethe value of the Ahl as-Sunna scholars, or to strive to blemishand criticize those blessed persons, causes one to depart fromal-firqat an-nâjiyya (the Group of Salvation), and he whodeparts from Ahl as-Sunna becomes either a heretic or anunbeliever. [2] As it is written on page 65 of the book Hidâyat almuwaffiqînby Abû Muhammad Viltorî, one of the ’ulamâ’ ofIndia, ’Allâma Ahmad Sâwî al-Mâlikî said on the âyat “Idhânasîta” of the sûrat al-Kahf in the marginalia of Jalalain’s tafsîr:“It is not permissible to follow a madhhab other than the fourmadhhabs. One who does not follow one of the four madhhabsis in heresy (dalâla) and also leads others to heresy. Some ofsuch people become kâfirs because one of the things thatcause kufr is to attempt to derive rules from âyats and hadîths.”61 - The following passage is translated from an-Nablusî’sal-Hadîqat an-nadiyya:“1) The hadîth sherîf reported by al-Bukhârî and Muslimdeclares, ‘If something that does not exist in this religionwhich I have revealed, is invented with the hope of thawâb,this thing must be refused.’ This hadîth points out that it is nota bid’a to bring forth something that does not concern thereligion or worship. The improvements, changes made ineating, drinking, dressing, building houses and in transportationare not bid’a.“2) A hadîth reported by at-Tabarânî says, ‘If Muslims, aftertheir Prophet (’alaihi ’s-salâm), make a bid’a, an innovationin the religion which he revealed, a sunna which is similarto it dissappears from among them.’ This hadîth points outthat it is not bid’a to make an improvement or a change inworldly affairs and customs, which is done without expectingthawâb.“3) It is declared in a hadîth reported by at-Tabarânî, ‘Until aman of bid’a gives up his bid’a, Allâhu ta’âlâ does notaccept his repentance.’ It is necessary to repent after every[2]Mawlânâ Hamd-Allah ad-Dajwî, al-Basâ’ir li-munkirî’t-tawassulibi-ahl al-maqâbir, Pashawar, Pakistan, 1385, p. 52.- 281 -