Watering Down of Jarḥ by Dismantling the Principles Set by the Salaf (Part 3)

Sheikh Abdulḥamīd Az-Zu'kari hafidahullāh wrote: The Claim That Changing Times and Consideration of Interests Affect the Ruling on Abandoning Innovators Sheikh Ibn ʿUthaymīn (may Allāh have mercy on him) said in Sharḥ Al-Uṣūl min ʿIlm Al-Uṣūl (p. 462): "If someone says: 'This Islamic religion is a comprehensive, general, and flexible religion, suitable for every time and place,' we say: This is true. However, we do not say that it is subject to every time and place. The one who seeks to make custom override the Shari'ah is not truly affirming that Islam is suitable for all times and places. This is a dangerous notion. Some people have misunderstood this and assumed that the religion must conform to the changes of time, place, and prevailing customs. I say: Yes, it is suitable (for all times), but that does not mean it is subordinate. Practice the religion and then see—does it contradict genuine interests or not? It does not contradict them." [end of quote] This (claim) is a clear call to associate with the people of innovation and to draw near to them despite their misguidance and errors, and in contradiction to the stance of the Salaf, who warned against and distanced themselves from innovators. Yūnus ibn ʿUbayd once said to his son: «يا بني لأن تخرج من بيت - وعدد بعض أهل المعاصي - أحب إليَّ من أن تخرج من بيت فلان؛ يعني: المبتدع» "O my son, for you to leave a house in which are some sinners"—and he named a few—"is more beloved to me than for you to leave the house of so-and-so," referring to an innovator." Even if times have changed, the religion has not. The religion that was practiced during the time of Abū Bakr and ʿUmar, and during the time of Ibn Al-Musayyib and Ibn Sīrīn, and during the time of Imām Aḥmad and Al-Bukhārī, is the same religion we are obliged to adhere to today. Revelation has ceased to descend from the heavens. What remains is submission, compliance, and acceptance. Moreover, the religion only gained strength when the Salafī principles—those that are in agreement with the textual proofs from the Qur'ān and the Sunnah—were applied. The religion only began to weaken when this approach weakened among Muslims. If this principle (of adapting religious rulings to fit the times) were truly valid, then Imām Aḥmad would have said: “The time is not like the time of the Companions; the era has changed,” and so on—but he never said that. [التمييع...فتنة العصر ١/٣٠١] ______ Example: قال الحلبي: ((إنَّ الظروف التي يمر بها العالم العربي تتطلب تذويب الخلافات الفكرية والفقهية والشخصية لتحقيق المصلحة العامة، وإنَّ علينا في الأردن تغليب مصلحة الوطن والمواطن، والالتفاف حول قيادته الهاشمية الحكيمة التي تستمد شرعيتها الدينية والتاريخية من انتسابها للرسول محمد ﷺ. [الحوار في موقع الحلبي في مقال له بعنوان "الشيخ الحلبي في حوار مع بترا: هناك خلط كبير بين التيار السلفي والتكفيريين"]