[ Part Four of a series of inspiring articles from a recorded lecture entitled, “Min Ma’een al-Imaam Ahmad” (“Benefits from the Life and Works of Imam Ahmad”) by Shaykh Saalih Aal ash-Shaykh (may Allaah preserve him) ]
Recognizing the High Status of the Scholars
From his other noteworthy sayings, may Allaah have Mercy on him, elevate his and our positions, and reward him with the best reward, the most plentiful and loftiest one, “Whatever the scholars of Ahlus-Sunnah have detested, then it is evil.” He (Imam Ahmad) said (repeating), “Whatever the scholars of Ahlus-Sunnah have detested, then it is evil.” He meant that the scholars of Ahlus-Sunnah are to be referred to in affairs of what is to be considered evil and what is not.
So whatever the scholars of Ahlus-Sunnah have detested in the issues of ‘aqeedah, then it is evil. Whatever the scholars of Ahlus-Sunnah have detested with regards to manners, then it is evil. Whatever the scholars of Ahlus-Sunnah have detested in affairs of ordering righteousness and forbidding evil, then it is evil. This means that a man must return to the scholars of the Sunnah if he wants to know about the affairs of the Sunnah, about the proper understanding of righteousness and evil.
So whatever the scholars of Ahlus-Sunnah have detested, then it is an evil thing, the evil of which we have no doubt in. This is indeed a great lesson from Imam Ahmad for every Muslim, that he must follow and take guidance from the scholars of Ahlus-Sunnah, those who have great concern for the Sunnah of the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhe wa sallam).
This goes for all aspects of towheed, as well as acts of worship, business transactions, manners, education, work, and all dealings between people in the society. You must refer to the scholars of Ahlus-Sunnah in these affairs. This will free your heart from your desires. This will cause your heart to be detached from what your intellect likes and dislikes. Therefore it is binding for us to be followers, for us to return often to the people of knowledge, to the people of the Sunnah for religious rulings.
For whatever the scholars of Ahlus-Sunnah detest, then it is an evil thing. That means that you do not classify things as being evil according to your own opinion, nor do you get to know affairs by way of your opinions, rather you must refer to the scholars of Ahlus-Sunnah regarding the current and future affairs.
This is something that there is no doubt about, since the scholars of Ahlus-Sunnah are the inheritors of the prophets and the guides to the Sharee’ah. They are the ones that Imam Ahmad spoke of in the introduction to his book, “The praise is for Allaah, the One who keeps a group of scholars available during the times when there is no messenger, scholars who bring those who have strayed back to the Guidance, curing their blindness and bringing them back to life using Allaah’s Book.”
Therefore, they are the ones we refer to. The affairs are not about, “Is this a bad thing or not? Should I reject it or not? Should I respond or not? Is this correct or not?” These things must not come from a person’s independent judgments from his own opinions, rather he must refer these matters back to the scholars of Ahlus-Sunnah.
Why? That is because these things are affairs of ‘aqeedah, affairs of the Religion. Everyone claims that they understand the affair of enjoining good and forbidding evil. The Khawaarij claimed it, and thus stood up against the imams. The Mu’tazilah claimed it, and thus viewed the opposition of the imams as being a good thing. Like them, many groups claimed to be enjoining good and forbidding evil, and thus stood up against the imams. However, the affair is to be according to the judgment of the scholars of Ahlus-Sunnah, and whatever they have classified as being an evil thing.
Continue reading… Part Five – Loving and Hating for the Right Reasons
Or go to the Index of articles in this inspiring series.
Translation, Titles, and Footnotes by: Moosaa Richardson
Originally published on Bakkah.net: 1423-05-16
Assalaamu alaikum. Can you please tell me if there’s a way I can know when part 5 of these series will be here?
Jazakumullahu khair
Wa ‘alayk as-salaam. Part five is available. We have updated the link in the article above.
High status of Islamic scholar is clearly verified in Quran. There is the direct line through the scholars which is leading to the Prophet sallallahu aleyhi wa sallam. It is very important because for instance once there was only one scholar alive telling the truth – Imam Ahmad – but we do not think that there were not other hundreds of scholars who were not telling the truth – but does that mean that Imam Ahmad was wrong – one scholar against hundreds or thousands of Islamic scholars – Now- because number doesn’t reflect the reality – the line and the true knowledge matters only. But subhanAllah today we remember only Imam Ahmad while others who stood by the Lie are not remembered at all. One such a critical and important personality – Imam Ahmad rahmatullahi aleyhi
السلام عليكم
Is it permissible to call an Imam/Scholar like Imam Abu Haneefa (Rahimahullaah) – “Imam e Aadham” when someone loves or respects him a lot whilst not at all intending the absolute meaning of the expression?
Like how Ahlus Sunnah call Imam Ahmad “Imam Ahlus Sunnah” due his status but in no way intending the absolute meaning which would only be appropriate for the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم?
وعليكم السلام ورحمة الله وبركاته
Calling a scholar “the greatest scholar”, or “al-Imaam al-A’tham”, or “the imaam of Ahlus-Sunnah”, or “Shaykh al-Islam”, or “the leading scholar” (of an era, or field), or “the greatest scholar EVER”, all of that is an opinion, and so long as it is a show of appreciation for a deserving scholar and does not flow over into impermissible bias and partisanship, it is OK, and these are expressions used by the scholars to praise the people of knowledge throughout history. But if one said: “Everything this scholar said was true”, or “Whoever opposes this scholar (in any issue) must be wrong”, or belittling the scholars who oppose him in understandable differing, and similar things, these are all blameworthy manifestations of ghuluw (exaggeration in status), which must be shunned. The only person who is followed in all rulings absolutely is the one who spoke with Revelation, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah raise his rank and grant him peace), and so everyone else, from the greatest of the Companions, down to the local teachers in today’s masjids, can have their statements accepted or rejected, based on the evidences from the Book and the Sunnah. And Allah knows best.