[Q]: Can one possess both love and hatred for an innovator?
[A]: Love for the sake of Allaah and hatred for the sake of Allaah is the most trustworthy handhold of eemaan (faith). And it encompasses love for the sincere and truthful Believers, because you love them for the sake of Allaah the Mighty and Majestic.
And hatred encompasses hatred for the hypocrites and the disbelievers, along with their variant categories. Likewise, it encompasses hatred for the people of innovation, because they have a share in opposing the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (’alayhis-salaatu was-salaam); each of them shares in this in accordance to his innovation (bid’ah). And they have a share in agreeing with the disbelievers and the hypocrites in these oppositions with regards to ’aqeedah (creed) and manhaj. So they consequently take their portion from the hatred.
And when we reflect upon the speech of the Salaf and when we comprehensively study the books of the Sunnah, then we do not find this apportionment. That is, the apportionment of the heart concerning the affair of the people of innovation into love from an angle and hatred from another angle. We do not find that. We do not find anything from the Salaf, except an encouragement to hate them and to boycott them. Rather, a number of Imaams have mentioned an ijmaa’ (consensus) upon hating them, boycotting them and separating from them. This has been mentioned by a number of Imaams, from them: Imaam al-Baghawee (d.516H) – rahimahullaah – the author of Sharhus-Sunnah and the author of at-Tafseer and other than these two from beneficial writings. [1] And he is an Imaam from the Imaams of the Sunnah and perhaps he is to be counted from amongst the revivers of the Religion. Likewise, Imaam as-Saaboonee (d.449H), the author of Sharh ’Aqeedatus-Salaf Ashaabil-Hadeeth, and other than him have mentioned an ijmaa’ (consensus) upon hatred for the people of innovation and boycotting them and separating from them. [2] This consensus occurred from the Companions and those who came after them. [3]
And I do not believe that an individual is capable of combining between love and hatred and apportioning them and dividing them into two categories: hatred in accordance to whatever the person has committed from innovation, and love due to whatever has remained upon him from the Sunnah. So this is a burden that cannot be endured. And everyone can have his statement accepted or rejected, even if this statement was uttered by a man from amongst the Imaams of Islaam. And his statement is evaluated as the statements of the Imaams of the Sunnah are evaluated. We accept whatever is found therein from truth and raise it above our heads. And whatever is an error, then it is rejected. Everyone can have his statement accepted or rejected, except the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam).
And the Salaf interacted with the statements of the Companions. So they maintained respect and honour for them, but they did not accept the errors from them. So infallibility is not for anyone but the Messenger of Allaah (’alayhis-salaatu was-salaam) and for the Prophets (’alayhimus-salaatu was-salaam) in whatever they convey. As for other than them, then they are not infallible from falling into error.
Due to this, you would see that they did not accept something from the statements of ’Umar (radiyallaahu ’anhu), nor something from the statements of ’Uthmaan (radiyallaahu ’anhu), in which there was a problem. They would then reject it. And they would reject something from the statements of ’Alee, something from the speech of Ibn ’Abbaas and something from the speech of Ibn Mas’ood and from the speech of the Major Imaams after them: from the statements of Sa’eed Ibnul-Musayyib (d.93H) and from the statements of Maalik (d.179H) and al-Awzaa’ee (d.157H) and ath-Thawree (d.167H) and ash-Shaafi’ee (d.204H) and Ahmad (d.241H) and other than them.
They accepted from their speech whatever was in conformity to the truth and whatever agreed with the Book and the Sunnah and they respected them and were pleased with him. And they believed about them that they were mujtahidoon (Scholars capable of ijtihaad) and they were rewarded, even if they erred. And this was in issues wherein ijtihaad (independent reasoning) is permissible. And that occurs in the absence of a text from Allaah and from His Messenger (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam).
As for innovations in ’aqaa‘id (beliefs) and manaahij (methodologies), then this obligates hatred for the one who innovates therein. So the statement that we love him in accordance to what he possesses from Sunnah and we hate him accordance to whatever has from innovation, then this speech was not found amongst the Salaf.
Indeed, we have debated this ideology in some of the written works [4] in refutation of the people of al-Muwaazinaat [5] and those who are connected to al-Muwaazinaat and who hide behind the statement of Shaykhul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah (d.728H) who held that an individual is to be loved in accordance to what he possesses from the Sunnah and hated in accordance to what he possesses from innovations. And we refuted these things with speech from the Salaf and their positions. [6] Rather, with their consensus. I ask Allaah to establish us firmly upon the Sunnah.
However, hatred fluctuates. Hatred for the Jew is more intense than the hatred for the Christian. We hate the Christians and we hate the Jews, we do not love them. However, the Jew is more staunch in enmity,
“You will surely find the most intense of the people in animosity toward the Believers to be the Jews and those who associate others with Allaah.” [Sooratul-Maa‘idah 5:72]
So the Christians have a slighter hatred for the Muslims than the Jews and a slighter animosity. And this is something confirmed, it has been confirmed by the current state of affairs and throughout history.
So the Muslim is able to live in the lands of the Christians, as you see many of the Muslims living in the lands of the Christians, but they are not able to live in the lands of the Jews. Rather, the Jews overtake them in the lands of the Christians, let alone their own lands. Likewise, the Sunnee is not able to live amongst the Rawaafid. So he will find therein suppression, suffering and perils that he would not find even amongst the Jews. How can we love the Rawaafid despite what they have from views of disbelief and when they hate us more than the hatred of the Jews? How can we love them? And how can we divide love up between us and them?
The point is that when you read the books of all the Salaf, you do not find this Muwaazinaat (counterbalancing). And when we hate the people of innovation from the Soofiyyah and other than them, and they are many sects, and when we hate the Ash’ariyyah and other than them, we do not hate them in the same manner that we hate the Jews and Christians. Meaning, love is like eemaan, it increases and decreases and it fluctuates with regards to the servants. And hatred is likewise. My hatred for the Jews is not same as my hatred for the Christians, which is not the same as my hatred for the people of innovation.
And when the disbelieving Jews and Christians transgress against the likes of the Ashaa’irah and the Soofiyyah, then we defend them (i.e. the Ashaa’irah and the Soofiyyah) and we aid them in facing those enemies (i.e. the Jews and Christians), even though we hate them and they hate us with an intense hatred. They do not have this apportionment. So it is obligatory upon them to love us and return back to what we have with us. However, there is no love and there is no justice. Rather, some of their extremists become fanatical, so they declare us disbelievers out of oppression and enmity. And we do not declare them disbelievers and we do not display towards them the enmity to be shown to the disbelievers. [7]
Endnotes:
[1]: Imaam Aboo Muhammad al-Husayn Ibn Mas’ood al-Baghawee (d.516H) – rahimahullaah – said, “Indeed, the Companions and the taabi’oon and their followers and the Scholars of the Sunnah have proceeded upon this, having consensus and agreement with regards to enmity towards the people of innovation and boycotting them.” Refer to Sharhus-Sunnah (1/227) of al-Baghawee. [TN]
[2]: Imaam Aboo ’Uthmaan Ismaa’eel Ibn ’Abdur-Rahmaan as-Saaboonee (d.449H) – rahimahullaah – said whilst speaking about the Salaf, “And they were in agreement, along with that, upon subduing the people of innovation and humiliating them, disgracing them, banishing them and driving them away. They held that one must maintain a distance from them and from whosoever associates with them and is intimate with them. And they must seek nearness to Allaah the Mighty and Majestic by avoiding them and boycotting them.” Refer to ’Aqeedatus-Salaf wa Ashaabul-Hadeeth (p. 123) of as-Saaboonee. [TN]
[3]: Ibn ’Asaakir (d.571H) related this consensus from Imaam al-Awzaa’ee (d.157H) in Taareekh Dimashq (6/362), Ibn Battah (d.387H) narrates it from ’Abdur-Rahmaan Ibn Abee Zinaad in al-Ibaanah (2/532), Aboo Nu’aym al-Asfahaanee (d.430H) relates it from al-Fudayl Ibn ’Iyaad (d.187H) in Hilyatul-Awliyaa‘ (8/104), Saalih Ibn Ahmad (d.266H) narrates it from his father Imaam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal (d.241H) in his Masaa‘il (2/166-167), al-Muzanee (d.264H) mentions it in his Sharhus-Sunnah (p. 85) and al-Aajurree (d.360H) mentions it in ash-Sharee’ah (3/574). For many such examples, refer to Ijmaa’ul-’Ulamaa‘ ’alaa Hajr wat-Tahdheer Ahlil-Bid’ah wal-Ahwaa‘ of Khaalid adh-Dhufayree. [TN]
[4]: Refer to the author’s magnum opus, Manhaj Ahlus-Sunnah fee Naqdir-Rijaal wal-Kutub wat-Tawaa‘if, as it contains almost two hundred pages of scholarly refutation upon the doubts of Salmaan al-’Awdah and Ahmad Ibn ’Abdur-Rahmaan as-Suwayyaan. [TN]
[5]: The innovation of al-Muwaazinaat refers to obligating the mention of good qualities possessed by the individual being criticized. Shaykh Saalih Ibn Fawzaan al-Fawzaan said about it, “When you mention their good qualities it means that you are calling to following them. No, do not mention their good qualities. Mention the errors that they are upon only.” Refer to As‘ilatul-Manaahijil-Jadeedah (p. 31-32) of Jamaal al-Haarithee. [TN]
[6]: From the individuals who have used this view to dilute the position of Ahlus-Sunnah towards the people of innovation in our time is Abul-Hasan al-Ma‘ribee, he said, “And I believe that the Muslim is shown allegiance and enmity and loved and hated and joined and boycotted in accordance to whatever he has from goodness and evil and Sunnah and innovation (bid’ah), and in accordance to his zeal for goodness and his pursuit of it, or his following of his own desire and his oppression against the people of the truth, along with weighing the benefits and the harms.” Refer to Majmoo’ Rudood (p. 295) of Rabee’ al-Madkhalee.
[7]: Refer to ’Awnul-Baaree (2/978-981) of Rabee’ al-Madkhalee.
Translation by Maaz Qureshi