Salafi Research Institute SRI
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
قال الأوزاعي في الرجل يسأل أمؤمن أنت حقا؟ قال. إن المسألة عما سئل من ذلك بدعة وَالشَّهَادَةُ عَلَيْهِ تَعَمُّقٌ ولم نُكَلَّفْهُ فِي دِينِنَا وَلَمْ يُشَرِّعْهُ نَبِيُّنَا، عليه أفضل الصلاة وأزكى السلام، ليس لمن يسأل عن ذلك فيه إمام إلا مثل القول فيه جدل، المنازعة فيه حدث وهزؤ، مَا شَهَادَتُكَ لِنَفْسِكَ بذلك بالذي يوجب لَكَ تِلْكَ الْحَقِيقَةَ إن لم تكن كذلك ولا تركك الشهادة لنفسك بها بالتي تخرجك من الإيمان، إن كنت كذلك، وإن الذي يسألك عن إيمانك ليس يشك في ذلك بمثل، ولكنه يريد أن يُنَازِعَ الله علمه في ذلك حتى يزعم أن علمه وعلم الله في ذلك سواء، فاصبر نفسك على السنة، وقف حيث وقف القوم، وقل بما قالوا، وكف عما كفوا عنه، واسلك سبل سلفك الصالح، فإنه يسعك ما وسعهم، وقد كان أهل الشام في غفلة من هذه البدع حتى قذفها إليهم بعض أهل العراق ممن دخلوا فى تلك البدعة بعد ما ردها عليهم علماؤهم وفقهاؤهم، فَأُشْرِبُهَا قلوبُ طوائف من أهل الشام، وَأَسْلِحَتُهَا أَلْسِنَتُهُمْ، وأصابهم ما أصاب غيرهم من الاختلاف فيهم، وَلَسْتُ بِآيِسٍ أَنْ يَدْفَعَ الله سيئ هذه البدعة إلى أن يصيروا إِخْوَانًا إِلَى تَوَادٍّ بَعْدَ تَفَرُّقٍ في دينهم وتباغضٍ، ولو كان هذا خيرا مَا خُصِصْتُمْ به دون أسلافكم، فإنه لَمْ يُدَّخَرْ عنهم خيرا حق لكم دونهم لفضل عندكم، وهم أصحاب نبيه محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم، الذين اخْتَارَهُمُ له، وبعثه فيهم، ووصفهم بما وصفهم، فقال {(محمد رسول الله والذين معه أشداء على الكفار رحماء بينهم تراهم ركعا سجدا يبتغون فضلا من الله ورضوانا)} ويقول: إن فرائض الله ليس من الإيمان، وإن الإيمان قد يطلب بلا عمل، وإن الناس لا يتفاضلون في إيمانهم، وإن برهم وفاجرهم في الإيمان سواء وما هكذا جاء الحديث عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فإنه بلغنا أنه قال: «الايمان بضع وسبعون، أو بضع وستون جزءا، أولها شهادة أن لا إله إلا الله وأدناها إماطة الأذى عن الطريق، والحياء شعبة من الإيمان». وقال الله تعالى: {(شرع لكم من الدين ما وصى به نوحا والذي أوحينا إليك وما وصينا به إبراهيم وموسى وعيسى أن أقيموا الدين ولا تتفرقوا فيه)} والدين هو التصديق وهو الإيمان والعمل، فوصف الله الدين قولا وعملا، فقال: {(فإن تابوا وأقاموا الصلاة وآتوا الزكاة فإخوانكم في الدين)} فالتوبة من الشرك قول وهي من الإيمان، والصلاة والزكاة عمل [حلية الأولياء ٨ /٢٥٤ وتلبيس إبليس ص ٩٠ والشريعة ٢٩٤ والحجة في بيان المحجة ١ /١١١ وذم الكلام ٥ /١١٧ بأسانيد صحيحة]
al-Awzā’ī (D. 157) was asked by a man, “Are you truly a believer?” He said: Indeed, questioning about that which is asked (i.e doubting his belief) is an innovation (bid’ah), and bearing witness to it is excessive scrutiny. We have not been burdened with it in our religion, nor did our Prophet – upon him be the best of prayers and purest of peace – legislate it. He who asks about that has no (preceding) imam for it except that such a saying involves argumentation. Disputing about it is a innovation and mockery. So, what testimony can you bear about yourself regarding this matter that would establish that reality [of true īmān] for you if you do not possess it? And would your withholding this testimony remove you from īmān if you truly possess it? Indeed, the one who asks you about your īmān is not doubting it in a similar manner, but rather he wants to challenge Allah’s knowledge in that matter, to the extent that he claims his knowledge and Allah’s knowledge in that are equal.
So, be patient in adhering to the Sunnah, and stop where the people (salaf) stopped, say what they said, and refrain from what they refrained from. Follow the path of your righteous predecessors (Salaf), for indeed, what sufficed them will suffice you.
And indeed the people of Shaam were in negligence of these innovations until some of the people of ‘Iraq those who had entered into that innovation after their scholars and jurists had refuted it for them. So it (innovations) was absorbed by the hearts of some groups from the people from Shaam while their weapons were their tongues. They were afflicted with what afflicted others in terms of disagreement among them. And I am not without hope that Allah will repel the evil of this innovation until they become brothers leading to mutual affection, after division in their religion and mutual hatred. If this (innovation) was good, you would not have been singled out for it apart from your predecessors (salaf). For no good was kept from them that was rightfully yours instead of theirs, because of any virtue you possess and they are the companions of his Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, whom He chose for him, and He sent him among them, and He described them with what He described them, saying: {“Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; and those with him are forceful against the disbelievers, merciful among themselves. You see them bowing and prostrating (in prayer), seeking bounty from Allah and (His) pleasure”} [Quran 48:29]. And he claims that the obligations of Allah are not part of īmān, and that īmān can be sought without action, and that people do not differ in their īmān, and that their righteous and their wicked are equal in īmān. This is not how the hadith came from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. For it has reached us that he said: “īmān has seventy-odd, or sixty-odd, branches. The highest of them is the testimony that there is none deserving worship but Allah, and the lowest of them is removing a harmful thing from the road, and modesty (haya’) is a branch of īmān.” [al-Bukhari 9 & Muslim 35] And Allah Almighty said: {“He has ordained for you of religion what He enjoined upon Noah and that which We have revealed to you, and what We enjoined upon Abraham and Moses and Jesus – to establish the religion and not be divided therein”} [Quran 42:13]. And religion is affirmation as well as īmān and action. So Allah described religion as speech and action, for He said: {“But if they repent, establish prayer, and give zakah, then they are your brothers in religion”} [Quran 9:11]. So repentance from Shirk is speech and it is part of īmān. And prayer and zakat are actions.
[Ḥilyat al-Awliyā 8/254, Talbīs Iblīs p. 90, al-Sharī’ah 294, al-Ḥujjah fī Bayān al-Maḥajjah 1/111, Dhamm al-Kalām 5/117; Ṣaḥīḥ asānīd]
In another narration he said:
ولا يستقيم الإيمان إلا بالقول، ولا يستقيم القول إلا بالعمل، ولا يستقيم الإيمان والقول والعمل إلا بالنية موافقة للسنة. وكان من مضى من سلفنا لا يفرقون بين الإيمان والعمل. العمل من الإيمان والإيمان من العمل، وإنما الإيمان اسم جامع كما يجمع هذه الأديان اسمها، ويصدقه العمل فمن آمن بلسانه وعرف بقلبه وصدق ذلك بعمله فتلك العروة الوثقى التي {لا انفصام لها}، ومن قال بلسانه ولم يعرف بقلبه ولم يصدقه بعمله لم يقبل منه وكان في الأخرة من الخاسرين [حلية الأولياء ٦ /١٤٣ وسنده صحيح]
And īmān is not sound except with speech, and speech is not sound except with action. And īmān, speech, and action are not sound except with intention that is in accordance with the Sunnah. And those of our predecessors (salaf) who passed away did not differentiate between īmān and action. Action is from īmān, and īmān is from action. Indeed, īmān is a comprehensive name, just as these religions are encompassed by their names, and action confirms it. So whoever believes with his tongue, acknowledges with his heart, and confirms that with his action, then that is the most trustworthy handhold {“that will never break”} [Quran 2:256]. And whoever says with his tongue but does not acknowledge it with his heart and does not confirm it with his action, it will not be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter, he will be among the losers. [Ḥilyat al-Awliyā 6/143; Ṣaḥīḥ Isnād]
