Magnificent Points of Advice for those who have turned to the Way of the Salaf

Author: Abu ‘Abdillaah Muhammad bin Ahmad ash-Shihhee

Source: Al-Manhaj
Translator: Abu Maryam Isma’eel Alarcon

Published: Wednesday 5th August, 2015



The Author's Introduction

Verily, all praise is due to Allaah. We praise Him, we seek His assistance and we ask Him for His forgiveness. And we seek refuge in Allaah from the evils of our selves and the evils of our actions. Whomsoever Allaah guides, there is no one that can lead him astray. And whomsoever is led astray, there is no guide for him. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship in truth except Allaah. He stands alone and without any partners. And I bear witness that Muhammad (صلى الله علیه وسلم) is His slave and Messenger.

"O you who believe! Fear Allaah as He ought to be feared and do not die except while you are Muslims." [Surah Aali 'Imraan: 102]


"O you who believe! Fear your Lord who created you from a single person (Aadam), and from him, He created his wife, and from them He created many men and women. Fear Allaah through whom you demand your mutual rights and (do not cut off the relations of) the wombs. Surely, Allaah is ever an All Watcher over you." [Surah An-Nisaa: 1]


"O you who believe! Fear Allaah and be truthful and precise in your speech. He will rectify your deeds for you and forgive you of your sins. And whosoever obeys Allaah and His Messenger, then he has achieved a great success."[/b] [Surah Al-Ahzaab: 70-71]


To Proceed:

Indeed, the most truthful of speech is the Book of Allaah, and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad, sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam. And the worst of all affairs are newly invented matters. For indeed, every newly invented matter (in the Religion) is an innovation, and every innovation is a misguidance. And every misguidance is in the Hellfire.

I Praise Allaah for His many vast blessings, which He has bestowed on this ummah in general, and on Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamaa’ah in particular, such that He has lighted the path for them. So they have become able to see it and they have become tranquil while treading upon it.

And how can they not be able to see it and feel tranquil upon this path, when they are being guided by the Book of their Lord and the Sunnah of their Prophet, according to the understanding of their righteous predecessors (Salaf as-Saalih) – which includes the Sahaabah and the Taabi’een, the virtuous generations? This is the aspect on which some people have gone astray and others are confused over. So they have become – and refuge is sought in Allaah – afflicted by the misconceptions (shubuhaat) that lead one astray and drowned in the vain desires (shahawaat)!

But in spite of this, all praise be to Allaah, many people continue to turn in repentance to Allaah – towards the methodology of the Salaf as-Saalih – fleeing away from the deviant sects and the diseased misconceptions, which had previously plagued their hearts and minds for numerous years, and which had lead them to waste their efforts for a long time.

So their state of being now says about them:

No to Hizbiyyah (partisanship) and no to nationalism!

No to the Tableeghi way and no to Sufism!

No to the Ikhwaani Ideology and no to the Qutubee thought!

No to republicanism and no to the parliament!

But rather (we) only (desire) the Salafee Manhaj upon the way of the Prophet, may the best of peace and blessings be on him.

There is no doubt that the return of these repentant individuals brings us, the gathering of Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamaa’ah, much joy. This is since Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamaa’ah are: The most merciful of mankind towards the creation, and the most knowledgeable amongst them concerning the truth.

How can they not be happy with the repentance of these individuals, when they hear the saying of their Prophet:

“Allaah is the most joyous at the repentance of His servant from one of you – (it is like) he has stumbled upon a riding camel when he had led him astray in a barren land.” [1]


And his saying:

“None of you truly believes unless he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.” [2]


However, this joy is accompanied by some grief and distress over what we see and witness from the conditions of some of these individuals who have turned to the Way of the Salaf, such as confusion and wandering about blindly. This is caused at times due to the many misconceptions that the people of falsehood promote – so these repentant individuals are put on shaky ground flowing to the left and to the right. And at other times, it is due to their lack of asking the scholars from Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamaa’ah with regard to that.

Due to this, I felt a need to write some points of advice [3] for those who have turned in repentance to the Way of the Salaf. I feel that these points will remedy some of the confusion and misunderstandings that have befallen some of them.

I tried hard to keep my words brief and simple so that it would be easy for the readers to grasp and comprehend them.

I hope that Allaah, the Most Kind, the All Aware, may benefit them and me and all of my brothers through this treatise. May Allaah send His peace and blessings on our Prophet, Muhammad and on his family and Companions.

Written by:
Abu ‘Abdillaah Ahmad bin Muhammad ash-Shihhee

Footnotes

[1] Reported by Al-Bukhaaree from the hadeeth of Anas bin Maalik, (رضي الله عنه‎) (6309) and the wording mentioned here is from him. It was also reported by Muslim (6896).

[2] Reported by Al-Bukhaaree (13) and Muslim (162).

[3] I have other points of advice besides these, but I lost them with my notes. Perhaps I will add them to this treatise in the second printing, if Allaah wills.


 

Return to “The Call”