Purifying the Ranks

Indeed, throughout history, the people of falsehood have wanted to misguide people and corrupt places of goodness. They want to prevent the people of the Sunnah from spreading the truth. When they find a place where there is a community upon pure Salafiyyah, where the Qur’an and Sunnah are studied and enjoining good and forbidding evil takes place, they seek to enter it, corrupt the beliefs and ideas of its people, and cause disorder within it. For this reason, the Salafi Imams strive to purify the ranks in order to protect their children and youth, while continuing to call people to the truth and to goodness. Here are some examples: 1. Wāṣil ibn ʿAtāʾ was expelled by Imām al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī, رحمه الله. Abū Saʿd al-Samʿānī, رحمه الله, said: “The origin of the Muʿtazilah was that Wāṣil ibn ʿAtāʾ used to attend the gatherings of al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī in Basrah. When disagreement arose between the Jama'ah and those Muslims who committed major sins, the Khawārij declared them disbelievers, while the Jama'ah said that they were believers, even though they were sinful because of their major sins. Wāṣil departed from the position of both groups. He claimed that the sinful person from this Ummah was neither a believer nor a disbeliever, and that his sinfulness was a position between the two positions: faith and disbelief. So al-Ḥasan expelled him from his gathering. Wāṣil then withdrew to a pillar in the masjid of Basrah, and ʿAmr ibn ʿUbayd joined him. He and his followers were therefore called Muʿtazilah because they had separated from the position of the Ummah regarding the ‘position between the two positions.’” (Al-Ansāb, by al-Samʿānī, 5/338–339.) 2. The Qadariyyah were also expelled from the gathering of ʿIkrimah ibn ʿAmmār, رحمه الله. Muʿādh ibn Muʿādh said: “I heard ʿIkrimah ibn ʿAmmār say to the people: ‘I strongly warn any man who holds the belief of Qadar. Let him stand and leave me, for I will not narrate to him.’” (Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ, 7/138.) 3. Abū ʿAbdullāh Mālik ibn Anas, رحمه الله, said in response to someone who asked him about the manner of Allah’s Istiwāʾ: “Istiwāʾ is known, its manner is unknown, believing in it is obligatory, and asking about it is an innovation. I think you are a heretic. Remove him from the mosque.” (Ṭabaqāt ash-Shāfiʿiyyah al-Kubrā, 4/163.) Regarding this story, Imām Ibn ʿUthaymīn, رحمه الله, commented: “This is how the people of knowledge should be when they see an innovator among their ranks: they should expel him from their ranks. This is because the presence of an innovator among Ahlus-Sunnah is harmful. Innovation is like cancer, and there is no hope of being cured from it except if Allah wills. His statement, ‘except an innovator’, could mean: ‘except that you have become an innovator because of this question,’ or it could mean: ‘except that you are from the people of innovation.’ This is because the people of innovation are those whose religion is based upon ambiguous matters in order to confuse the people. Whichever meaning is intended, it shows that it was from the guidance of the Salaf to expel innovators from the ranks of those seeking knowledge. Likewise, they should be expelled from the entire community, and restrictions should be placed upon them so that their innovations do not spread. One should not say, ‘A person is free.’ Yes, he is free, but within the limits of the Sharīʿah. If he opposes the Sharīʿah, then he must be restricted, and the truth must be made clear to him. If he returns to it, then that is good. Otherwise, he is dealt with according to what his innovation entails, whether declaring him a disbeliever or declaring him sinful.” (Sharḥ al-ʿAqīdah al-Safārīniyyah, 1/171–172.) Purifying the ranks and keeping the people of falsehood away is something known from the righteous Salaf. Al-Naḍr ibn Shumayl, رحمه الله, said: “When someone from the people of Basrah whom he did not know came to Sulaymān at-Taymī, he would say to him: ‘Do you testify that the wretched person is the one who was wretched while still in his mother’s womb, and that the successful person is the one who takes admonition from the example of others?’ If the person agreed, he would narrate to him. Otherwise, he would not narrate to him.” (Al-Jāmiʿ li-Akhlāq al-Rāwī, by al-Khaṭīb al-Baghdādī, 2/348.) Mahdī ibn Hilāl, رحمه الله, said: “I came to Sulaymān and found Ḥammād ibn Zayd, Yazīd ibn Zurayʿ, Bishr ibn al-Mufaḍḍal and our Basran companions with him. He would not narrate to anyone until he tested him. He would ask him: ‘Is fornication by Qadar?’ If he said, ‘Yes,’ he would make him swear that this was the religion by which he worshipped Allah. If he swore to it, he would narrate five hadiths to him.” (Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ, 6/200.) Al-Ḥākim, رحمه الله, said: “I heard Abū Saʿīd ibn Abī Bakr ibn Abī ʿUthmān say: ‘When the affair of the Kullābiyyah occurred in Naysābūr, as-Sarrāj would test people’s children. He would not teach the children of the Kullābiyyah. On one occasion, he made me leave the gathering and said to me: “Say: I disassociate myself before Allah from the Kullābiyyah.” I said: “If I say this, my father will not give me bread.” He laughed and said: “Leave this one.”’” (Tārīkh al-Islām, by al-Dhahabī, 5/387.) Here is also the example of Ismāʿīl ibn Ṭughtakīn ibn Ayyūb, the ruler of Yemen. During his father’s lifetime, he left the way of Ahlus-Sunnah in Yemen and followed the Ismāʿīlī madhhab, so his father expelled him. (Al-Aʿlām, by al-Ziriklī, 1/316.) Imām al-Wādiʿī, رحمه الله, said: “We advise Ahlus-Sunnah to distinguish themselves and to establish their own masjids, even if they are made from mud bricks or palm leaves. They will not be able to spread the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ except by distinguishing themselves. Otherwise, the innovators will not allow them to spread the Sunnah.” (Tuḥfat al-Mujīb, p. 208.) Our Shaykh, Sheikh Yaḥyā ibn ʿAlī al-Ḥajūrī, حفظه الله, said: “We advise you to distinguish yourselves, because mixing with the people of falsehood causes the truth to be lost. ‘Whoever hears of the Dajjāl should keep away from him.’ ‘A man is upon the religion of his close friend, so let each of you look carefully at whom he takes as a close friend.’” (15 Shaʿbān 1430 AH.) He, حفظه الله, also said: “The criterion of distinction according to Ahlus-Sunnah is remaining firm upon the truth while keeping away from the people of falsehood.” (15/11/1430 AH.) He, حفظه الله, also said: “Distinguishing oneself from the people of falsehood is a fundamental principle. Were the trials and tribulations ever caused except by failing to distinguish oneself from the people of falsehood? There are proofs for this from the Qur’an and Sunnah and from the consensus of the Salaf.” (Recorded on 20 Jumādā al-Thāniyah 1431 AH.)