Question: Is the statement of one who says that: "Whoever refutes the Ahlul-Bid'ah is considered a mujaahid in the Path of Allaah" - is this statement correct or not?
Response by Shaykh Ahmad an-Najmee (rahimahullaah):
quote:
Yes. The one who refutes the Ahlul-Bid'ah (people of innovation) is a mujaahid, and there is no doubt about this. Since when Imaam Ahmad ibn Hanbal was told about a man who fasts, and offers salaah, and gives in charity, and performs the i'tikaaf, and does (other) good deeds, and was (then) told about a man who refutes the innovators - implying which of the two was better? He (Imaam Ahmad) said, "Whoever offers salaah and fasts and gives in charity and performs i'tikaaf, then (all of) this is for himself, and as for he who refutes the innovators, then this is for (the benefit of) the people."
So there is no doubt that whoever refutes the innovators is better, and the statements of the 'ulemaa regarding this are many.
[Al-Fataawa al-Jaliyyah 'anil-Manaahij ad-Da'wiyyah - Page 24, Question 29]
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Ibn Taymiyyah (rahimahullaah) said:
quote:
"The one who refutes the innovators is a mujaahid.
" And Ibn al-Qayyim (rahimahullaah) said:
quote:
"The jihaad with decisive proofs [from the Book and the Sunnah] and the tongue takes precedence over the jihaad with the sword and the spear."
[al-Jawaab as-Saheeh of Ibn Taymiyyah (1/237)]
Nasr bin Zakariyaa (rahimahullaah) said I heard Muhammad bin Yahyaa adh-Dhuhlee (rahimahullaah) saying, I heard Yahyaa bin Yahyaa (rahimahullaah) saying:
quote:
"Defense of the Sunnah is more superior than jihaad in the path of Allaah." So I said, "A man spends his wealth, tires his body and strives (in jihaad), so is this one (still) better than him? He said, "Yes, by many times!"
[Dhammu al-Kalaam of al-Harawee]
Regarding the difficulty of criticizing innovators, Ibn Taymiyyah relayed the following:
quote:
"When some people said to Imaam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal (rahimahullaah) that they felt uneasy about criticizing people, he replied, 'If you remain silent and I remain silent, then who will make the ignorant person aware of the authentic from the defective?'"
[Majmoo'-ul-Fataawaa of Ibn Taimiyyah (28/231)]
Al-Hasan Al-Basree (rahimahullaah) said:
quote:
"There is no backbiting with regard to (talking about) the innovator or the sinner who openly professes his evil."
[Al-Laalikaa`ee (1/140, no: 279)]
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