Our Call to The Ummah
by Shaykh Muqbil bin Haadee
1. We believe in Allah and His Names and Attributes, as they were mentioned in the Book of Allah and in the Sunnah of Messenger of Allah (sallalahu alaihi wasallam), without tahreef (distortion), nor ta’weel (figurative interpretation), nor tamtheel (making a likeness), nor tashbeeh (resemblance), nor ta’teel (denial).
2. We love the Companions (radiAllahu anhum) of the Messenger of Allah (sallalahu alaihi wasallam), and we hate those who speak against them. We believe that to speak ill of them is to speak ill of the Religion, because they are the ones who conveyed it to us. And we love the Family of the Prophet (sallalahu alaihi wasallam) with love that is permitted by the sharee’ah. ‘Imraan Ibn Husayn (radiAllahu anhu) said, “O people! Learn the knowledge of the religion from us, if you do not do so, then you will certainly be misguided.” (al-Kifaayah (p.15) of al-Khateeb al Baghdaadee)
3. We love the People of Hadeeth and all of the Salaf of the Ummah from Ahlus-Sunnah. Imam Shaatibee (d.790H) (rahimahullah) said, “The Salafu-Saalih, the Companions, the taabi’een and their successors knew the Qur’aan, its sciences and its meanings the best.” (al-Muwaafiqaat (2/79) of ash-Shaatibee).
4. We despise ‘ilmul-kalaam (knowledge of theological rhetoric), and we view it to be from amongst the greatest reasons for the division in the Ummah.
5. We do not accept anything from the books of fiqh (jurisprudence), nor from the books of tafseer (explanation of the Qur’aan), nor from the ancient stories, nor from the Seerah (biography) of the Prophet (sallalahu alaihi wasallam), except that which has confirmed from Allah or from His Messenger (sallalahu alaihi wasallam). We do not mean that we have rejected them, nor do we claim that we are not in need of them. Rather, we benefit from the discoveries of our Scholars and th jurists and other than them. However, we do not accept a ruling, except with an authentic proof.
6. We do not write in our books, nor do we cover in our lessons, nor do we give sermons with anything except the Qur’aan or the authentic and authoritative hadeeth. And we detest that emanates from many books and admonishers in terms of false stories and weak and fabricated ahaadeeth. ‘Abdullah Ibnul-Mubaarak (d.181H) (rahimahullah) said, “The authentic ahaadeeth are sufficient and the weak ahaadeeth are not needed.” (al-Jaami’ li-Aklaaqir-Raawee (2/159) of as-Suyootee).
7. We do not perform takfeer upon any Muslim due to any sin, except Shirk with Allah, or the abandonment of Prayer, or apostasy. We seek refuge in Allah for that.
8. We believe that the Qur’aan is the Speech of Allah, it is not created.
9. We hold that our ‘obligation is to co-operate with the group that traverses the methodology of the Book and the Sunnah, and what thee Salah of the Ummah were upon: in terms of calling to Allah the Glorified, and being sincere in worship of Him, and warning from Shirk,, innovations, and disobedience, and to advise all of the groups that oppose this (from a fatwa by the Committee of Major Scholars dated: 11/16/1417. (no. 18870). It was signed by al-‘Allamah ‘Abdul-Azeez Ibn Baaz, Shaykh Abdul Azeez ibn Abdullah aalush-Shaykh, Shaykh Abdullah Ibn Abdur-Rahmaan al-Ghudayyaan, Shaykh Bakr Ibn Abduullah Aboo Zayd, and Shaykh Saalih Ibn Fawzaan al-Fawzaan). So co-opeating upon righteousness and piety (taqwaa) and mutual advisisng necessitates warning against evil and not co-operating with the wicked (From the words of Shaykh Ibn Baaz in al-Furqaan magazine (issue no. 14, p. 15).
10. We do not deem it correct to revolt against the Muslim rulers as long as they are Muslims, nor do we feel that revolutions bring about reconciliation. Rather, they corrupt the community.
11. We hold that this multiplicity of present day parties is a reason for the division of the Muslim and their weakness. So therefore we set about ‘freeing the minds from the fetters of blind-following and the darkness of sectarianism and party sprit. ‘(Fiqhul-Waaqi’ (p.49) of al-Albaanee)
12. We restrict our understanding of the Book of Allah and of the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (sallalahu alaihi wasallam) to the understanding of the Salah of the Ummah from the Scholars of hadeeth, not the blind-followers of their individuals. Rathe, we take the truth from wherever it comes. And we know that there are those who claim Salafiyyah, yet Salafiyyah is free from them, since they bring to the society that Allah has prohibited. We believe in ‘cultivating the young generation upon this Islaam, purified from all that we have mentioned, giving to them a correct Islamic education from the start without any influence from the disbelieving western educations.’ (Fiqhul-Waaqi (p.51) of alAlbaanee).
13. We believe politics is a part of the Religion, and those who try to separate the Religion from politics are only attempting to destroy the Religion and to spread chaos.
14. We believe there will be no honour or victory for the Muslims until they return to the Book of Allah and to the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (sallalahu alaihi wasallam).
15. We oppose those who divide the Religion into trivialities and important issues. And we know that this is a destructive da’wah.
16. We oppose those who put down the knowledge of the Sunnah, and say that this is not the time for it. Likewise, we oppose those who put down acting upon the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (sallalahu alaihi wasallam).
17. Our Da’wah and our’aqeedah is more beloved to us than our own selves, our wealth and our offspring. So we are not prepared to part with it for gold, nor silver. We say this so that no one may have hope in buying out our da’wah, nor should he think that it is possible for him to purchase it from us for deenaar or dirham.
18. We love the present day Scholars of the Sunnah and hope to benefit from them and regret the passing away of many of them. Imaam Maalik (rahimahullah) (d.179H) said, “The knowledge of hadeeth is your flesh and blood and you will be asked concerning it on the Day of Judgement, so look who you are taking it from.” (al-Muhaddithul-Faasil (p.416) and al-Kifaayah (p21) of al-Khateeb).
19. We do not accept a fatwa except from the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (sallalahu alaihi wasallam).
These are glimpses into our ‘aqeedah and our da’wah. So if one has any objection to this, then we are prepared to accept advice if it is truthful, and to refute it if it is erroneous, and to avoid it if it is stubborn rejection. And Allah knows best.
This explanation of our call has been summarized from Tarjumah Abee ‘Abdur-Rahmaan Muqbil Ibn Haadee al-Waadi’ee (p. 135-142) of Muqbil Ibn Haadee with minor additions from other sources.