Benefit 20: What removes a person from Salafiyyah?

Imam Ash-Shāṭibi raḥimahullāh said: هذه الفرق إنما تصير فرقا، بخلافها للفرقة الناجية في معنى كلي في الدين، وقاعدة من قواعد الشريعة، لا في جزئي من الجزئيات، إذ الجزئي والفرع الشاذ لا ينشأ عنه مخالفة يقع بسببها التفرق شيعا، وإنما ينشأ التفرق عند وقوع المخالفة في الأمور الكلية، لأن الكليات تقتضي عددا من الجزئيات غير قليل ... ويجري مجرى القاعدة الكلية كثرة الجزئيات فإن المبتدع إذا أكثر من إنشاء الفروع المخترعة عاد ذلك على كثير من الشريعة بالمعارضة كما تصير القاعدة الكلية معارضة أيضا. “The [misguided] sects divided into sects due to their disagreement with the saved sect concerning a fundamental aspect of the religion and a principle from the principles of the Sharee’ah - not because of a secondary matter, because the odd secondary matter does not result in a violation that leads to factional division, rather division arises if the violation occurs in the fundamental matters; because fundamental matters comprise numerous secondary matters...however, continual violation of numerous secondary matters is as [detrimental] as violation of a fundamental principle; because when the innovator continues innovating in secondary matters, much of this reverts to being considered a violation of the Sharee’ah the same way violation of a fundamental principle is considered a violation.” [Al-I’tiṣām (2/712)] Similarly, Sheikh Fawzān ḥafidhahullāh said (paraphrasing): “Whoever opposes the saved sect in the principle of Al-Walā' wal Barā' (allegiance and disallegiance) or As-Sam’ waṭ-Ṭā’ah (hearing and obeying the rulers) is no longer considered among the saved sect - even if he conforms in all the remaining aspects of ‘Aqīdah. So, he places himself in great danger and comes under the Prophet's threat ﷺ: ‘All of them in the fire’ - even if he opposes a single matter of ‘Aqīdah.” [Al-Ajwibatul Mufīdah] QUESTION: What's the proof to show that opposing a single fundamental principle is sufficient to remove a person from the fold of Salafiyyah? ANSWER: The saying of Allāh Almighty: {وَلَقَدۡ قَالُوا۟ كَلِمَةَ ٱلۡكُفۡرِ وَكَفَرُوا۟ بَعۡدَ إِسۡلَـٰمِهِمۡ} “And they certainly uttered a word of disbelief, and they disbelieved after accepting Islam.” [Sūrah At-Tawbah: 74] And the statement of the Prophet ﷺ: ((إن العبد ليتكلم بالكلمة ما يتبين فيها يزل بها إلى النار أبعد مما بين المشرق والمغرب‏)). “A person utters a word thoughtlessly (i.e., without giving it any consideration) and as a result of this, he will plunge into the fire of Hell deeper than the distance between the east and the west.” [Reported by Bukhāri and Muslim on the authority of Abū Hurairah raḍhiyallāhu ’anhu] If one statement is enough to remove a person from the fold of Islām entirely, then it goes without saying that opposing a fundamental principle is enough to remove them from the fold of Salafiyyah. Thus, whoever opposes Ahlus-Sunnah concerning a fundamental principle, or opposes numerous secondary principles; as opposing numerous secondary principles is equivalent to opposing a fundamental principle, then this person becomes an innovator and leaves the fold of Salafiyyah. Likewise, whoever opposes Ahlus-Sunnah in a matter concerning which the dispute between Ahlus-Sunnah and Ahlul-bid'ah is well-known, this person also becomes an innovator, as Sheikhul Islam Ibn Taymiyyah rahimahullah said: البدعة التي يعد بها الرجل من أهل الأهواء، ما اشتهر عند أهل العلم بالسنة مخالفتها للكتاب والسنة؛ كبدعة الخوارج والروافض والقدرية والمرجئة. “The type of innovation by which a person is considered to be from Ahlul-Ahwā' (the people of desires & innovation) is that which is well-known to those knowledgeable of the Sunnah to be in opposition to to the Book and the Sunnah; such as the innovation of the Khawarij, Rawafidh, Qadariyyah and the Murji'ah.” [Majmoo’ Al-Fataawa Ibn Taymiyyah (35/413)] Moreover, opposition of a principle occurs through addition or subtraction, as Imam Ibn Al-Wazeer rahimahullah stated: