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Misbah Al-Anam by Habib Alawi Ibn Ahmad Al-Haddad
Misbah Al-Anam by Habib Alawi Ibn Ahmad Al-Haddad
OF THE
INNOVATOR OF
NAJD
(Introduction)
by
Habib ‘Alawi ibn Ahmad
al-Haddad
(1216/1801)
REFUTATION
OF THE INNOVATOR OF NAJD
(Introduction)
by
Sayyid ‘Alawi ibn al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Haddad
(1216/1801)
In the Name of Allah All-Beneficent Most Merciful
[Page 2] Praisebelongs to Allah Who delivers
[us] from afflictions and repels calamities! May the
blessings and peace of Allah be on our Master and
Liege-Lord, our Prophet and Intercessor, Muham-
mad, the Beloved who loves and is loved, and upon
his Family, Companions, and Friends (awliyâ’) by
means of whom one obtains all that one requests!
I bear witness that there is no God but Allah
alone without partner, the One, the Dispenser of all. I
bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and
2
1
Ibn al-Jawzi said in the seventh chapter of al-Wafa’: “He
is: Muhammad son of ‘Abd Allah son of ‘Abd al-Muttalib
son of Hashim, son of ‘Abd Manaf, son of Qusay, son of
Kilab, son of Murra, son of Lu’ay, son of Fihr, son of
Malik, son of al-Nadr, son of Kinana, son of Khuzayma,
son of Mudraka, son of Ilyas, son of Mudar, son of Nizar,
son of Ma‘d, son of ‘Adnan... Genealogists differ after
this.” Cf. al-Bayhaqi in Dala’il al-Nubuwwa (1:179-180).
2
The name ‘Alawi denotes a lineage to ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib
among Ahl al-Sunna. Sayyid denotes a lineage to the
Prophet through either al-Hasan or al-Husayn. ‘Allâma
means “erudite scholar,” an emphatic form of ‘âlim,
“learned scholar.” Al-‘ârif billâh is one who has attained
knowledge of Allah according to the criterion of the
Friends of Allah in any given age. Qutb, pl. aqtâb denotes
a pivotal, foremost position in the hierarchy of saints
living in the world at any given time. Al-Ghawth or “The
3
4
Narrated from Abu Hurayra by al-Bukhari and Muslim.
5
5
So did his son Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn ‘Abd al-Latif.
Note: there is also a similarly-titled refutation by ‘Abd
Allah ibn ‘Isa ibn Muhammad al-San‘ani, al-Sayf al-Hindi
fi Ibanat Tariqat al-Shaykh al-Najdi (1218) which begins:
“The beginning of his [IAW’s] affair was in the 1160s…
in Dar‘iyya and its vicinity.” Al-Qinnawji mentioned it in
Abjad al-‘Ulum (3:195) and cites (3:200) from ‘Abd Allah
ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhab the year 1218 as the
entry of the self-named Muwahhidûn into Makka.
6
6
Translation by Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall.
7
7
Al-Suyuti in al-Itqan fi ‘Ulum al-Qur’an (1:180, 1:199-201)
said: “The Qur’an is divided into four parts distinctly named.
Ahmad and others narrated from Wathila ibn al-Asqa‘ that
the Messenger of Allah said: ‘I was given in place of the
Torah the Seven Long Ones (al-sab‘ al-tiwâl); in place of the
Psalms the Hundred-Verse Ones (al-ma’în); in place of the
Evangel the Pendants (al-mathânî), and I was especially
favored with the Detailed Ones (al-mufassal).’ [Ahmad with
a strong chain.] The ‘Seven Long Ones’ are headed by al-
Baqara and closed by Bara’a according to one group.
However, al-Hakim, al-Nasa’i, and others narrate from Ibn
‘Abbas that he identified them as al-Baqara, Al ‘Imran, al-
Nisa’, al-Ma’ida, al-An‘am, and al-A‘raf. The narrator said:
‘Ibn ‘Abbas mentioned the seventh but I forgot it.’ But there
is a sound narration by Ibn Abi Hatim and others from Sa‘id
ibn Jubayr whereby the seventh is Yunus… while al-Hakim
narrates that it is al-Kahf. The ‘Hundred-Verse Ones’ are
those that follow the above, because each of them ap-
proximate more or less one hundred verses. The ‘Pendants’
follow the latter like doubles pairing with them. Al-Farra’
said they are the Suras with less than 100 verses, which are
8
14
Itqan (2:783-784); Ta‘rifat (p. 35-36).
15
Ta‘rifat (p. 36).
16
Itqan (2:917-918); Tawqif (p. 160, 172); Burhan (2:437,
449); Ta‘rifat (p. 73).
17
Burhan (3:434, 3:438, 3:441); Ta‘rifat (p. 35); Tash Kubra
Zadah (d. 968), al-‘Inaya fi Tahqiq al-Isti‘ara bil-Kinaya, cf.
Hajji Khalifa, Kashf al-Zunun (2:1173).
18
Itqan (2:784-789); Burhan (3:434); Tafsir Abi al-Su‘ud
(5:72).
10
19
Itqan (2:929-930); Tawqif (p. 623); Ta‘rifat (p. 247).
20
Itqan (2:775); Tafsir Abi al-Su‘ud (2:75; 4:137; 6:106);
Ibn al-Qayyim, al-Amthal (p. 49).
21
Burhan (3:55, 3:102, 3:105, 3:220, 3:225); Tawqif (p.
105); Ta‘rifat (p. 59).
22
Tawqif (p. 72-73); Ta‘rifat (p. 46).
23
Itqan (2:808); Burhan (4:357).
24
Itqan (2:864); Ta‘rifat (p. 46); Makki, Mushkil I‘rab al-
Qur’an (1:221, 2:726); Ibn al-Jawzi, Zad al-Masir (4:433).
11
25
Itqan (2:902); Tawqif (p. 87); Ta‘rifat (p. 51); Burhan
(3:318, 3:331, 3:334); Yaqut, Mu‘jam al-Buldan (5:147).
26
Al-Muhasibi, Fahm al-Qur’an (p. 260); Itqan (2:1175);
Burhan (p. 344); Tafsir Abi al-Su‘ud (4:201).
27
Burhan (1:51); al-Tabari, Tafsir (4:50); al-Shawkani,
Fath al-Qadir 4:567).
28
Itqan (2:860f.).
29
Burhan (1:60); Tafsir Abi al-Su‘ud (2:107); al-Suyuti,
Asrar Tartib al-Qur’an (p. 95)
30
Itqan (2:809, 2:829).
12
31
Itqan (2:871); Burhan (3:67, 3:70); Tawqif (p. 39, 159);
Ta‘rifat (p. 25, 72); al-Qurtubi, Tafsir (2:242); al-Muba-
rakfuri, Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi (8:150);
32
The 1987 Cairo, Dar al-Insan edition of Sulayman ibn ‘Abd
al-Wahhab’s al-Sawa‘iq al-Ilahiyya fi al-Radd ‘ala al-Wah-
habiyya (“The Divine Thunderbolts Refuting the Wahhabis”)
13
33
Cf. “Verily, Allah has, for every innovation plotted against
Islam, a Friend (walî) to defend it and say its proofs.” Nar-
rated from Abu Hurayra by Abu Nu‘aym in Hilya al-Awliya’
(10:434) and Ibn ‘Asakir in the Tabyin (p. 104-105). Al-
‘Ajluni cites it in the introduction of Kashf al-Khafa’ (1:7)
and al-Suyuti indicated that it was a sound (sahîh) narration
in al-Jami‘ al-Saghir although al-Ghumari declared it a
forgery in al-Mughir (p. 29-30). The rest of the hadith states:
“Therefore, take advantage of these gatherings in defending
the weak, and rely on Allah, and Allah is enough to rely
upon.” The hadith is at best weak because it is narrated only
through ‘Abd al-Ghaffar [or al-Ghafur] al-Madini [or al-Ma-
dani], whose status as a narrator is unknown as stated by al-
‘Uqayli in al-Du‘afa’ (3:100) and Ibn Hajar in Lisan al-
Mizan (4:43). Al-Dhahabi in Mizan al-I‘tidal (2:640-641
#5149) states that he is “Perhaps [‘Abd al-Ghaffar ibn al-
Qasim] Abu Maryam [al-Ansari] (#5147), whose narrations
are forged.”
The hadith “Whoever conveys a narration to my Com-
munity so that a Sunna should be upheld and an innovation
sapped, shall win Paradise” is graded “forged” (mawdû‘) as
narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas:
By Abu Nu‘aym in al-Hilya (1985 ed. 10:44) and al-
Khatib in Sharaf Ashab al-Hadith (p. 80) with a chain con-
taining ‘Abd al-Rahim ibn Habib and Isma‘il ibn Yahya ibn
‘Ubayd Allah al-Taymi, both of whom are accused of for-
gery – as reported by al-Munawi in Fath al-Qadir – accord-
ing to al-Dhahabi in al-Mizan (1:253, 2:603).
18
34
The author states elsewhere that the book was summarized
by Muhammad ibn Bashir, qadi of Ra’s al-Khayma, Oman.
20
38
Nasir al-Albani gave the fatwa that whoever invokes
salawât on the Prophet invalidates his Jumu‘a!
22
40
Because in the preceding six centuries Ahl al-Sunna wa
al-Jama‘a deemed the school of Ibn Taymiyya null and
void whereas Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhab revived it.
25
41
In the introduction to his Jami‘ Karamat al-Awliya (“Com-
pendium of the Miraculous Gifts of the Friends of Allah”) in
2 volumes (Beirut: al-Maktaba al-Thaqafiyya, 1411/1991),
Shaykh Yusuf ibn Isma‘il al-Nabahani al-Naqshbandi (d.
1350/1931) said (1:9-11): “I shall mention the titles of some
of the books from which I quoted material…:
- Mishkat al-Masabih (“The Niche of Lights”) by Imam Wali
al-Din al-Tibrizi, who composed it in 737.
- Al-Tafsir al-Kabir by Fakhr al-Din al-Razi (d. 606).
- Al-I‘tibar (“The Book of Reflection”) by the Emir Usama
ibn Munqidh (d. 584).
- Al-Risala al-Qushayriyya (“Epistle to the Sufis”) by Abu al-
Qasim al-Qushayri (d. 465).
- Misbah al-Zalam fi al-Mustaghithin bi Khayr al-Anam
(“The Illumination of Darkness Concerning Those Who Seek
27
43
I could not find this narration in the books I consulted.
44
A sound Prophetic narration transcribed in full below (n.
56).
45
See below, n. 55. Cf. Sayyid Ahmad Zayni Dahlan in
Khulasat al-Kalam (p. 235): “It is enough testimony against
Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab that the Prophet said:
‘Their mark is that they shave,’ for this was never done by
any of the sects of innovators before him.” This is confirmed
by the fact that it is not established the early Khawârij shaved
33
their heads other than on the basis of the hadith of ‘Ali in the
two Sahihs: “A man came with sunken eyes, protruding
cheeks, big forehead, profuse beard, shaven head, saying:
‘Fear Allah, Muhammad!’”
34
46
Narrated by Abu Dawud; also al-Bukhari and Muslim
with the wording: “I do not know whether my companions
forgot or pretended to forget [i.e. to prevent fitna], but the
Messenger of Allah did not leave out [naming] the
instigator of each single disaster that was going to happen
until the end of the world. There were more than three
hundred of them. He named them for us, each with his
own name, the name of his father and his tribe.”
35
47
I did not find this narration in the books I looked up.
48
Narrated in the Six Books and Ahmad. Al-Tirmidhi
said: “These are the Hurûriyya and other Khawârij.”
49
See the hadith cited by the author further below: “There
will come a time when nothing shall remain of the Qur’an
except its name…”
36
50
See below, §31.
51
Narrated from Sahl ibn Hunayf by Muslim and Ahmad.
52
See n. 44.
53
Narrated from Abu Hurayra and Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri by
al-Tabarani in al-Awsat with a chain of sound narrators as
stated by al-Haythami (6:234) but with the wording,
“Whoever kills them has the reward of one martyr and
whoever is killed by them has the reward of two.”
54
I did not find this narration in Muslim nor in any books
of Sahih or Sunan, but its first, middle, and last sentences
37
56
Narrated by Abu Dawud and Ahmad. ‘Abd al-Razzaq
(10:154) also narrates from Ma‘mar, from Qatada that the
Prophet said: “There shall be divergence and factionalism
in my Umma and a nation shall appear who will seem pleas-
ing to you or rather shall be pleased with themselves, who
will call unto Allah but have nothing to do with Allah what-
soever. They fancy that they have some standing
(58:18) but they have none. When they come out to fight you,
39
kill them! He who kills them is closer to Allah than they are.”
They asked: “What are their signs?” He said, “Shaving and
bearing.” Qatada said: “Meaning, they shall shave their heads
and affect dignified bearing and humbleness.”
40
57
Narrated from Abu Dharr by Muslim, Ibn Majah, Ahmad,
and al-Darimi.
58
Narrated not from ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar but ‘Abd Allah
ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘As by Abu Dawud and Ahmad with
weak chains because of Shahr ibn Hawshab but the hadith
is also narrated from thus by al-Azdi in his Jami‘ as ap-
pended to ‘Abd al-Razzaq, Musannaf (11:377) and from
Abu Hurayra by al-Hakim (1:510 sahîh chain, al-Dhahabi
concurring; however, the latter’s chain is merely fair due
to ‘Abd Allah ibn Salih al-Juhani. The full wording in
41
faced the East and said: ‘From right there shall the head of
Satan rise! Thence shall come the earthquakes and the
dissensions!’”
61
Narrated from ‘Uqba ibn ‘Amr – Abu Mas‘ud – by al-
Bukhari, Muslim, and Ahmad in the wording: “The Pro-
phet pointed to Yemen and said: ‘Belief is right there!
Lo! Truly hardness and coarseness of heart is among the
bawlers at the tail-ends of camels (al-faddâdîn ‘inda usûl
adhnâbi al-ibil), from where shall rise the two horns of
Satan – in Rabi‘a and Mudar.’” Also narrated from Ibn
‘Umar by Muslim in two places in the wording: “I heard
the Messenger of Allah say, pointing with his hand
towards the East: ‘Lo and behold! Dissension is right
there! Lo and behold! Dissension is right there’ – three
times – ‘from where shall rise the two horns of Satan.’”
43
62
Narrated from Abu Hurayra by Bukhari, Muslim, Ah-
mad, and Malik; from Ibn ‘Umar by Muslim and Ahmad.
63
Narrated from Abu Mas‘ud by al-Bukhari and Jabir ibn
‘Abd Allah by Muslim and Ahmad, the latter two with the
wording: “Harshness of hearts and rudeness are in the East
while belief is among the people of the Hijaz.” Ahmad has
a third wording: “while serenity (al-sakîna) is among the
people of the Hijaz.”
64
Narrated from Abu Hurayra by Muslim, al-Tirmidhi
(hasan sahîh), and Ahmad.
44
65
Narrated from Ibn ‘Umar by al-Bukhari, al-Tirmidhi
(hasan sahîh gharîb), and Ahmad with three chains, one
of which with the addition: “And in it [Najd] are nine
tenths of all evil” with a chain of sound narrators as per al-
Haythami. The claim of tawâtur is incorrect, as the hadith
is only narrated from Ibn ‘Umar and none of the hadith
masters cited it as mutawâtir. Allah knows best.
66
I did not find it in al-Bukhari but al-Haythami said it is
narrated from Ibn ‘Ùmar by al-Tabarani in al-Awsat.
Imam Malik narrated without chain in his Muwatta’ that
“When ‘Umar decided to go to Iraq, Ka‘b al-Ahbar said to
him: ‘Do not go out there, O Commander of the Believers!
For in it are nine tenths of sorcery, in it are the sinners
among the jinns, and in it is the incurable disease.’”
45
67
Narrated from Thawban by al-Tirmidhi (hasan sahîh), Abu
Dawud, Ibn Majah, Ahmad, and al-Darimi.
68
Narrated from ‘Awf ibn Malik by al-Bukhari. Another
version is that of Dirar ibn ‘Amr whereby the Prophet
said concerning the saying of Allah He is able to
46
someone enters to kill one of you, be like the better one of the
two sons of Adam.”
70
Cf. Ibn al-Athir, al-Nihaya, article “h-l-s”.
71
Narrated from ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Amr by Abu Dawud,
Ahmad, Ibn Majah, al-Tirmidhi (gharîb), Ibn Abi Shayba
(4:102), and others. Shaykh Ahmad Shakir in his edition
of Imam Ahmad’s Musnad (6:429-432 #6980) graded the
chain “sound” with his usual laxity.
48
72
Narrated from Ibn ‘Umar by Abu Dawud, Ahmad with
a sound chain according to Shakir (5:408-410 #6168), and
al-Hakim (4:466-467, sahîh, al-Dhahabi concurred).
73
The rest of the narration states: “Whoever enters it it
shall overwhelm him, and the part of the tongue in it is
like the sword-blow.” Narrated from Abu Hurayra by Abu
Dawud with a weak chain, Ibn Hibban in his Sahih
(15:98) with a sound (sahîh) chain as per Muslim’s crite-
rion, and Nu‘aym in al-Fitan (1:176), and through another
chain from Unays ibn Abi Marthad al-Ansari by Baqy ibn
Mukhlad in his Musnad, al-Bukhari in al-Tarikh al-Kabir,
al-Bayhaqi, Ibn al-Sakan who included it among the sahîh
narrations, Ibn al-Athir in Usd al-Ghaba (1:160), and Ibn
49
75
I did not find this nor the preceding narration in the
books of hadith. Overly precise predictions of time and
place – as in the first bracketed passage – are among the
marks of forgery according to the hadith masters, but the
second and third bracketed passages are reminiscent
respectively of the narration of Gibril in the two Sahihs
mentioned in the beginning of the introduction of Shaykh
Hisham Kabbani; and the Prophetic narration from Mu‘a-
wiya: “There will come out of my Community people in
whom unspeakable lusts run amok, the way a dog drags its
owner here and there. There shall be not one nook or cran-
ny except they enter it.” Narrated by Abu Dawud and
Ahmad with good chains as per al-‘Iraqi in al-Mughni and
al-Hakim (1:128= 1990 ed. 1:218 “a sound chain,” al-
Dhahabi concurred).
51
26. Even more explicit than the above is that this de-
luded man – Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhab –
is from Tamim, and it is likely that he is the pro-
geny of Dhu al-Khuwaysira al-Tamimi who is
named in the following hadith from Abu Sa‘id
al-Khudri [in the two Sahihs, the Sunan, and
Ahmad’s Musnad]: [As the Prophet was dis-
tributing spoils from Yemen,] a man named Dhu
al-Khuwaysira from the Banu Tamim came with
sunken eyes, protruding cheeks, big forehead,
profuse beard, and shaven head. He said: “Fear
Allah, O Muhammad!” Etc. which ends with the
prophecy that “Out of that man’s seed shall
come a people who will recite the Qur’an but it
will not go past their throats. They will deviate
from religion the way an arrow swerves from its
target. They shall kill the Muslims and leave the
idolaters alone. If I live to see them, verily I shall
kill them the way the tribe of ‘Ad was killed.”
27. In Mishkat al-Masabih from Sharik ibn Shihab
who said: “I desired to meet one of the Compan-
ions of the Prophet whom I might question
about the Separatists (al-khawârij). I met Abu
Barza on a day of ‘Îd among a group of his com-
52
76
Narrated by al-Nasa’i and Ahmad with fair chains, al-
Tabari in his Tafsir (10:156), al-Tabarani in al-Kabir, Ibn
Abi Shayba (7:559), al-Hakim (1990 ed. 2:160, 2:167)
who declared it sahîh as per Muslim’s criterion, and al-
Bayhaqi in al-Sunan al-Kubra (2:312 #3538). Al-Maqdisi
included it in the sound narrations of his Mukhtara (8:230-
231) as it is closely confirmed by the above-cited narra-
tion of Dhu al-Khuwaysira in the two Sahihs; while al-
Haythami (6:229-230) indicated that Ahmad’s chain was
good and al-Tabarani’s sound. Ahmad’s two versions add:
the man “bore the trace of prostration between his eyes.”
54
77
Narrated by Ahmad with a chain of sound narrators as
indicated by al-Haythami (6:225) and the co-editor of the
Musnad – al-Zayn – as well as Ibn Abi ‘Asim in al-Sunna
(2:457) and al-Haythami in Zawa’id Musnad al-Harith
(2:713). Another narration specifies that the first man was
Abu Bakr and the second ‘Umar. By the time ‘Ali rose,
the prostrating man was gone.
56
78
I did not find it in the sources I consulted but see Ibn
Taymiyya, Minhaj (1986 ed. 4:492).
57
79
Narrated from ‘Ali by al-Suddi, Ibn Abi Hatim, and Ibn
Jurayj in the books of commentary such as al-Qurtubi, Ibn
Kathir, and al-Suyuti’s Tafsirs. Whoever drank, his face
turned yellow if he used to worship the calf. Al-Qushayri in
his Tafsir related that whoever drank it went mad.
58
80
In two other versions in Muslim and Ahmad.
81
Narrated from Abu Hurayra by Muslim and Ahmad.
82
Narrated from ‘Ali by al-Bayhaqi in Shu‘ab al-Iman
(2:311), al-Qurtubi in his Tafsir (12:280), al-Dani in al-
Sunan al-Warida fi al-Fitan (3:454), and, in part, by al-
59
83
Narrated by al-Bukhari without chain in his Sahih as
part of the chapter-title “Killing the Khawarij” in the book
titled Istitabat al-murtaddin wal-mu‘anidin wa qitaluhum.
84
Narrated from ‘Umar by al-Tabarani in al-Awsat with a
very weak chain as indicated by al-Haythami (1:187) and al-
Suyuti in al-Jami‘ al-Saghir. However, it is confirmed by the
following marfû‘ narrations: 1. “Most of the hypocrites of my
Community are its reciters of Qur’an” (akthar munâfiqî
ummatî qurrâ’uhâ). Narrated (a) from ‘Uqba ibn ‘Amir and
(b) ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘As by Ahmad with sound
chains and al-Tabarani in al-Kabir (17:179, 17:305) with
weak chains as per al-Haythami (6:229-230), (c) from Shu-
rahbil ibn Yazid al-Ma‘afiri by al-Bayhaqi in Shu‘ab al-Iman
62
86
Al-Ash‘ari, Maqalat al-Islamiyyin (1995 ed. 1:167-174).
64
87
Cf. fatwa of Ibn Baz on those who visit Awliya’s graves.
88
Both narrations from ‘Imran ibn Husayn in Muslim.
The latter is also in Ahmad, who also narrates a third
65
91
Narrated from Usama ibn Sharik by al-Nasa’i with a good
chain – an authentic narration confirmed by similar narrations
from ‘Arfaja in Muslim, Ahmad, Abu Dawud, and al-Nasa’i.
67
92
A forgery narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas by al-Tabarani in his
Saghir and Awsat with a chain containing Muhammad ibn
Muawiya al-Naysaburi who is abandoned as a narrator and
al-Dhahabi said of him, “He is a liar” in his summary of Ibn
al-Jawzi’s Mawdu‘at, Tartib al-Mawdu‘at (p. 286 #1018).
93
Narrated from ‘Ali by al-Daylami with a weak chain as
stated by al-‘Ajluni in Kashf al-Khafa (2:27), with a word-
ing adding, “and sleeping before sunrise.” Abu Nu‘aym in
his Hilya (2:217 #1992) narrated from Zayd ibn Thabit
that the Prophet said: “By Him in Whose Hand is my
soul, never on the face of the earth was committed greater
evil in the sight of Allah, after polytheism, than the shed-
68
96
Narrated from Hudhayfa ibn al-Yaman by Muslim, Ibn
Sa‘d in his Tabaqat, and Ibn ‘Asakir in his Tarikh.
70
97
Narrated from ‘Amr ibn Shaghawi by al-Tabarani in al-
Kabir (17:43) with a fair chain according to al-Suyuti in al-
Jami‘ al-Saghir – confirmed by al-Munawi in Fayd al-Qadir
but contradicted by al-Haythami (1:176); and from ‘A’isha –
without mention of the sixth item – by al-Tirmidhi, al-Tahawi
in Sharh Mushkil al-Athar (9:84-86 #3460-3462=4:366-367),
Ibn Hibban (13:60 #5749), al-Hakim – also from Ibn ‘Umar –
(1:36, 2:225, 2:525, 4:90), and Ibn Abi ‘Asim in al-Sunna
(#44, #337), “with a sound chain” according to al-Suyuti in
al-Jami‘ al-Saghir and al-Daylami as stated by al-Munawi in
Fayd al-Qadir, “a weak chain” according to al-Arna’ut in his
edition of Ibn Hibban. See also al-Haythami, Mawarid al-
Zam’an (p. 42). Al-Dhahabi in his notes on the Mustadrak
calls it “a wholly denounced narration” (hadîth munkar
bimarra) while in al-Kaba’ir (p. 166) he declares its chain
sound! Al-Tirmidhi declared as “more correct” the same
hadith narrated through a mursal chain [by Ibn Abi Hatim in
his ‘Ilal al-Hadith (2:91)] from Zayn al-‘Abidin ‘Ali ibn al-
Husayn ibn ‘Ali, from the Prophet .
71
98
Narrated from Abu Umama by Ibn Majah and al-Darimi
with a weak chain but the hadith is sound without the phrase
“except him to whom Allah shall give life with knowledge,”
from Abu Hurayra by Muslim, al-Tirmidhi (hasan sahîh),
and Ahmad; from Anas by al-Tirmidhi (gharîb); from al-
Dahhak ibn Qays and al-Nu‘man ibn Bashir by Ahmad; from
Hudhayfa, Jundub ibn Sufyan, Sa‘d ibn Abi Waqqas, and Ibn
‘Abbas by al-Tabarani as per al-Haythami (7:301-4, 309);
and, in the ahlâs hadiths, from Abu Musa and Ibn ‘Umar (cf.
above, #20, 22).
99
A fair hadith as narrated from Abu Waqid by al-Tabarani
in al-Kabir (3:249, 20:43) and al-Awsat since al-Haythami
(7:303) said its chain contains ‘Abd Allah ibn Salih [al-
Juhani] who was declared trustworthy although there is some
weakness in him, but the rest of its narrators are the men of
sound hadith. On Ibn Salih see al-Dhahabi, Mizan (2:440-445
#4383). Al-Arna’ut and Ma‘ruf said of him in Tahrir al-
Taqrib (2:222 #3388): “Truthful (sadûq), his memorization
72
106
Al-Bukhari, al-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, and Ahmad narrate
from Ibn ‘Abbas that the Prophet said: “Whoever falsely
claims to have dreamt of something shall be punished on the
Day of Resurrection so that he will have to tie up two ex-
tremely thin strands (sha‘îratayn) and he cannot tie them up.”
76
107
Between Sharif Ghalib and Sharif ‘Abd Allah ibn Surur
in 1204-1205, cf. Dahlan, Khulasat al-Kalam (2:226-227).
108
The truce was signed in 1213 with ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn
Muhammad ibn Sa‘ud, after which the Wahhabis entered
Makka peacefully and performed pilgrimage three years in
a row (1213-1215), then withdrew again after fighting
flared up, by which time the Hijaz tribes had been con-
verted to the Wahhabis. Cf. Dahlan, Khulasa (2:267-269).
77
109
I could not find this narration in the books I consulted.
110
Ibn al-Qayyim, I‘lam al-Muwaqqi‘in (1:64). A sound
(sahîh) hadith narrated from Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri by al-
79
111
Ibn Taymiyya, Minhaj al-Sunna (1986 ed. 5:149-151).
82
112
“The commentator” is al-Suyuti, whose book Tarikh al-
Khulafa’ ends with the section being quoted by the author
beginning with Ibn Abi Hatim’s narration until the words
“seemed small in comparison.”
83
113
Founder of the Safavi Dynasty in Western Persia.
85
Chapter One
Exposition of the doctrine of Divine Oneness
(al-tawhîd) and what contradicts it; the Prophetic
miracle (al-mu‘jiza) and the saint’s miracle (al-
karâma); evidence that the latter is possible for the
Friend (walî) of Allah by Consensus and that none
denies this except the Khawarij and the innovators.
Chapter Two
In which it can be learned that the so-called
“Oneness of Godhead” (tawhîd al-ulûhiyya) is part
of the general meaning of the “Oneness of Lordship”
(tawhîd al-rubûbiyya) and that the fiendish Najdi
88
Chapter Three
Refutation of the Najdi’s claim whereby visiting
the righteous (al-sâlihîn) and believing in them con-
sists in major association with Allah (shirk akbar)!
[Page 12] Refutation of his words uttered against the
Imam of scholars and the Scholar of poets, Imam al-
Busiri (d. ~694) who said, addressing the Prophet
[in Qasidat al-Burda]:
O noblest one in all creation!
I have none with whom I can seek shelter
Other than you on the Day
The Universal Event shall befall.120
119
See on this, Abu Hamid Ibn Marzuq’s [Muhammad al-
‘Arabi ibn al-Tubbani al-Maliki al-Maghribi al-Makki (d.
1390)] demonstration in his landmark 2-volume refutation
Bara’at al-Ash‘ariyyin min ‘Aqa’id al-Mukhalifin.
120
Cf. above, n. Error! Bookmark not defined.. See the
refutation of Ibn ‘Uthaymin’s objections to these same lines
89
Chapter Four
Exposition of the high station of the Friends of
Allah and of the fact that the worlds do not worship
them besides Allah in spite of such high station.
Chapter Five
Exposition of the fact that even if those who are
ignorant and commit errors in this Community do
something tantamount to idolatry and disbelief, nev-
ertheless, this does not make them polytheists nor
disbelievers. They are excused on the basis that they
are mistaken and ignorant. This remains the case un-
til they clearly grasp the reason behind the fact that
he who contravenes such-and-such becomes a disbe-
liever. This education is obtained through the invita-
tion of an imam or his deputy and through their dem-
onstration of the fact to him in clear and unambigu-
ous fashion.
Chapter Six
Exposition of the separation of the Community
into sects and the necessity to adhere to the largest
mass of the people (al-sawâd al-a‘zam), who are the
People of the Way of the Prophet and the Congrega-
91
Chapter Seven
This is the central argument of the book. The
chapter establishes the truth of the miracles of the
saints after their death and lists those who related
examples of this among the major verifying scholars
and authoritative jurists. The chapter further estab-
lishes the permissibility of seeking aid (istighâtha)
and means (tawassul) with the living and the dead.
The chapter mentions the added benefit of mankind’s
growth in the different worlds – each of which is
defined – and the unique distinction of the souls of
Prophets and saints apart from others.
Chapter Eight
If someone asks: “You affirm the reality of the
miracles of the Prophets and Saints whether they are
alive or dead, and you declare it obligatory to believe
in them; however, we find that, in our time, there are
those of the people of Najd and their predecessors in
misguidance, who have destroyed the domes of [the
92
Chapter Nine
Concerning the benefits of trials and difficulties
and the belief that it is Allah Who is the Doer alone.
If one believes that the doer is one of the creatures of
Allah then commits a grave lapse and perpetual
calamity is feared for that one. This chapter mentions
the explanation of the benefits of calamities, difficul-
ties, trials, and great losses by the Sultan of Ulema,
Shaykh al-Islam al-‘Izz ibn ‘Abd al-Salam. The
chapter concludes with the prohibition of ill deeds,
93
Chapter Ten
Concerning the statements of the Ulema about
Imam Ibn Taymiyya al-Hanbali in order that the
reader be familiar with what they said concerning
him.121 This is advice for the Community of the Pro-
phet which was made immune from agreeing on
misguidance.
Chapter Eleven
On hanging something on oneself or on cattle for
protection and the refutation of the Najdi who said
that it is prohibited. The chapter concludes with a
refutation of the Najdis’ condemnation of the placing
of scarecrows (jamâjim) in plantation fields.
121
See http://sunnah.org/history/Innovators/Default.htm.
94
Chapter Twelve
Refutation of the Najdi’s condemnation of state-
ments such as: “This is entrusted to Allah and to His
Prophet” (amânatullâhi warasûlih), or “I leave it to
Allah and to you, O So-and-so,” or “for Allah and
for you,” or “I have no-one except Allah and you”
and the like.
Chapter Thirteen
Concerning the lawfulness of erecting domes
over the (graves of) the Friends of Allah and the
Ulema, not to mention the Prophets; the lawfulness
of swearing an oath (nadhr) on their behalf accord-
ing to certain conditions; and the lawfulness of
placing lights or candles under their domes for the
use of visitors.
The chapter ends with a very beneficial word on
the desirability of travel for the visit of the Friends of
Allah – not to mention his Prophets – and the keep-
ing of their company afforded by their visit. If
something reprehensible takes place there, still one
must visit and condemn whatever is reprehensible if
possible, otherwise, he will be rewarded [for con-
demning it] in his heart. The conclusion mentions the
95
122
So had the original Khawarij but they were not declared
disbelievers by the Companions.
96
Chapter Fourteen
Refutation of the Najdi’s condemnation of seek-
ing means (tawassul) with the elite of Allah among
the righteous, whether alive or dead. He condemned
it although it is obligatory to seek means with them,
as was shown by the Imam al-Sayyid ‘Abd Allah ibn
Mawlana [Page 13] al-Sayyid Ibrahim Mirghani in his
book Tahrid al-Aghbiya’ ‘ala al-Istighatha bi al-
Anbiya’ wa al-Awliya’ (“The Provocations of the
Ignorant Against Seeking the Help of Prophets and
Saints”). May Allah benefit us throught them in this
life and the next! Amin.
We list for the reader the statements of the
Ulema concening the obtainment of blessings (tabar-
ruk) through the Saints and their relics. We then
explain their proofs for using means (tawassul) and
seeking aid (istighâtha). We then enumerate for the
reader some of the gross aberrations of the Najdi in
that chapter. Finally, we demonstrate to the reader
that there is a Consensus among the Four Schools
that one who disparages the Prophets commits disbe-
lief, as well as other points. This is for the benefit of
the Community lest they fall in the same way as the
Najdi and thus perish in theis world and the next.
97
Chapter Fifteen
Refutation of the calumny of the innovator from
Najd against invoking blessings and peace on the
Master of Prophets by addressing him in the second
person from the mosque pulpits with a loud voice. I
even heard that he killed someone who refused to
cease doing this after he forbade it. He went so far as
to say that playing a musical instrument in the house
of a prostitute was preferable to the act of the person
who calls upon the Prophet invoking blessings
and peace upon him. Is there anything more ludi-
crous than this saying of his? The scholars refuted
that position in the past. Among them are the mufti
of Zabid, al-Sayyid ‘Abd al-Qadir ibn Ahmad ibn
Muhammad al-Ahdal and Shaykh al-Islam Ahmad
ibn ‘Umar al-Habashi. The Pole of Saints, the Helper
of Mankind ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Alawi al-Haddad was
also consulted about that question and he gave them
a reply that is found quoted in full in the book
Masa’il al-Sufiyya (“Sufi Questions”), which the
reader should consult. I did not have that book avail-
able at the time of writing this. The statements of
other scholars are also quoted on the question. Also
in the chapter is the refutation of the Najdi’s prohibi-
98
Chapter Sixteen
The disbelief (kufr) shown by the Najdi’s state-
ment whereby the school of Imam Abu Hanifa
amounts to nothing (laysa bi shay’); his rejection of
the scholars who follow one of the Four Schools and
their books; his affirmation that he will not imitate
them nor accept the sayings of their major followers
among the verifying Imams who transmitted their
knowledge, even if such report reached the degree of
mass-transmission (tawâtur) and decisiveness (qat‘).
Even so, he burnt their books and shredded them –
indeed he went so far as to deny mass-transmitted
narrations from the Prophet ! For example, he
denied the saying of the Prophet : “From it – that
is, Najd – shall rise the side of Satan’s head.” We
conclude this chapter with a section to the effect that
it is incorrect to use as a proof a sound hadith or a
verse of Qur’an nor to base any action on them
until we look and see who among the Four Imams
99
123
Narrated from ‘Abd Allah ibn Yusr by al-Tabarani in
al-Awsat and Abu Nu‘aym in his Hilya (1985 ed. 6:97),
from Mu‘adh by Abu Nu‘aym in his Hilya (1985 ed. 6:97)
and al-Tabarani in al-Kabir (20:96) and Musnad al-
Shamiyyin (1:233) with a weak chain as per al-Haythami
(1:188); from ‘A’isha by Sa‘id ibn Mansur in his Sunan,
Ibn Hibban in al-Majruhin (1:235), Ibn ‘Adi in al-Kamil
(2:324), and Ibn Hajar in Tahdhib al-Tahdhib (2:281);
from Ibn ‘Abbas by Ibn ‘Adi in al-Kamil (2:65); mawqûf
from Ibrahim ibn Maysara by al-Bayhaqi in his Shu‘ab
(7:61) and al-Lalika’i in Sharh Usul I‘tiqad Ahl al-Sunna
(1:139); declared weak by al-‘Iraqi. Ibn al-Jawzi went so
far as to declare it forged in his Mawdu‘at and al-Fattini
confirmed him in Tadhkirat al-Mawdu‘at. However, al-
Shawkani merely considered it weak in his Fawa’id. See
also al-Suyuti’s documentation of the scholars’ opinions,
mostly that it is forged, in his La’ali’ (1317/1899 edition
1:130). Abu Nu‘aym in the Hilya (8:103) also narrates it
as a saying of al-Fudayl ibn ‘Iyad.
100
124
Narrated from Hudhayfa by Ibn Majah with a weak
chain as per al-Busiri in Misbah al-Zujaja (1:10) and from
Anas by al-Daylami.
125
Ashâb al-bida‘ kilâb al-nâr. Narrated from Abu Umama
by Abu Hatim al-Khuza‘i in his Juz’.
126
Al-‘Iraqi said in his Takhrij Ahadith al-Ihya’ that its
chain was very weak.
101
Teaching Anthropomorphism
Among the greatest innovations of the Najdi is
his convening of courses in anthropomorphism ta-
jsîm of the Creator. Highly Exalted is Allah above
the sayings of the negators and disbelievers! May
Allah grant the best reward to our Master, the Imam
al-‘Izz ibn ‘Abd al-Salam ibn Abi al-Qasim al-
Sulami (d. 660) who said the following in his ‘Aqida:
127
Mahmud al-Warraq (d. ~230), cited in al-‘Iqd al-Farid
(3:216) and al-Kashkul (2:216).
102
128
Diwan al-Sababa 3.
103
129
This question is still unanswered today by those who
object to confronting certain grievous heresies on the
grounds that “we should be united.” The author’s intent is
to bring to light their hidden agreement with the
deviations which they are unwilling to denounce.
104
hide from men and seek not to hide from Allah; but He
is with them when by night they hold discourse
displeasing unto Him. (4:108) Should one of them be
asked about something related to gross anthropomorphism
he promptly orders silence concerning it, whereas if he is
asked about other than anthropomorphism among the in-
novations – at that time he answers truthfully. If his inner
disposition (bâtinuhu) did not harbor notions of ascribing
a body to Allah and likening Him to creation, he would
certainly have answered by upholding Allah’s Oneness
and declaring His Transcendence.
From its inception until now, that particular sect of in-
novators have been laid upon with disgrace wherever
they are found (3:112). As often as they light a fire
for war, Allah extinguishes it. Their effort is for cor-
ruption in the land, and Allah loves not corrupters
(5:64). No sooner does an opportunity loom for them on
the horizon but they jump to it, nor a chance for causing
confusion (fitna) but they pounce on it.
Ahmad ibn Hanbal and the illustrious ones of his
companions, as well as the rest of the learned scholars of
the Predecessors are completely innocent before Allah of
what has been attributed to them and invented in their
name.130 How can anyone believe that Ahmad ibn Hanbal
130
Ibn al-Jawzi wrote in the introduction of his Daf‘
Shubah al-Tashbih: “I have advised both follower and
leader in these terms: Colleagues! You are adherents and
105
132
The author means the Mongols and the Franks who
were attacking al-Shâm at the time.
107
133
See Ibn Khafif’s ‘Aqida §41 (“Things do not act of their
own nature…”). Cf. al-Zahawi in al-Fajr al-Sadiq: “Food
does not sate, nor does water quench thirst, nor does
medicine heal. But the One who is the real Satisfier of our
hunger, the Quencher of our thirst and the Healer of our
ills is Allah alone. The food, the water, the medicine are
only the proximate or secondary causes which custom has
established on the surface of things by our mind’s regular
association of them with certain concomitant events.” As
translated in The Doctrine of Ahl al-Sunna Versus the
“Salafi” Movement (p. 86). A man asked al-Tustari:
“What is sustenance?” He said: “Perpetual dhikr.” The
man said: “I was not asking about that, but about what
sustains one.” He replied: “O man! Things are sustained
by nothing but Allah.” The man said: “I did not mean that,
I asked you about what is indispensible!” He replied:
“Young man, Allah is indispensible.” Abu Nu‘aym, Hilya
(10:218 #15022). This is the consensus of Ahl al-Sunna,
as opposed to the Shi‘a, the Mu‘tazila, and the
philosophers such as al-Farabi and Ibn Rushd. The latter
three groups subscribed to Aristotelian causality (al-‘illa
al-aristiyya) i.e. the belief that causes are given a degree
of inherent causality. Ibn Taymiyya was attacked for
endorsing this belief in his al-Radd ‘ala al-Mantiqiyyin
(“Against Logicians”). Cf. al-Buti, al-Salafiyya (p. 173).
109
134
Al-Mutanabbi, Diwan (4:246).
110
135
Abu Firas al-Hamadani, Diwan (1:24).
136
Narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas as part of a longer hadith by
Ahmad in his Musnad with a sound chain as stated by
Shaykh Ahmad Shakir in his edition (3:194 #2669); al-
Tirmidhi in his Sunan with two similar chains, and he
graded it hasan sahîh; al-Bayhaqi in al-Asma’ wa al-Sifat
(1:188 #126) – as part of his explanation of the divine
Attributes al-Dârr al-Nâfi‘ (“The Bringer of Harm and of
Benefit”) – with a sound chain; and Abu Ya‘la al-Mawsili
in his Musnad (4:430 #2556). Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali cites it
in his Jami‘ al-‘Ulum wa al-Hikam (“The Compendium of
the Sciences and the Words of Wisdom”) and declares it
authentic (1:359-361). Imam al-Nawawi cites it in his
112
138
Ibn ‘Abd al-Salam, al-Mulha fi I‘tiqad Ahl al-Haqq in
Rasa’il al-Tawhid (p. 11-27); also in Ibn al-Subki, Ta-
baqat al-Shafi‘iyya al-Kubra (8:219-229).
114
Chapter Seventeen
On the desirability of visiting the Prophet and
travelling to him, with the immense merit of visita-
tion. We conclude the chapter by using him as a
means and conclude the book with questions and an-
swers in refutation of the Najdi by [his former
teacher] the Shaykh and verifying Imam Muhammad
ibn Sulayman al-Kurdi al-Madani al-Shafi‘i – may
Allah benefit us with him! And what greater inde-
115