ANALYSING SH. AT-TAHIRI (4)

Accompanying innovators Host: Currently, some of the extremists within Salafi circles are quick to exclude others from Salafiyyah, even over a picture. For example, if today we attended a wedding together and someone from another group joined us, and a photo was taken of you smiling at the event, they might claim, “Look, Dr. Abu Salah is accompanies so-and-so; therefore, Sheikh Abu Salah must endorse him.” Sheikh: The matter of accompanying the people of bid’ah which has been relayed from the Salaf that, "such and such person accompanies the innovators," and they would respond: "align him with them." The intended point is when a person (intentionally) goes and associates with someone who is an AGREED-UPON INNOVATOR, a person known for takfir or for irjaa. There is also the matter of defining what it means to "accompany innovators"? What is meant here is accompanying their callers. Otherwise, one’s neighbour might be an innovator, just as one’s neighbour might be Jewish or Christian. I, as a Salafi, am still obligated to be a good neighbour. I am instructed to uphold good conduct with neighbours. I might even congratulate them on the birth of a child, for example. Consider the case of Salman Al-Farisi, who had a Magian servant. When Salman visited him, he would say, "May Allāh prolong your life and increase your wealth," and the man would smile with happiness. He only spoke truth, but this is a different situation. Here, we are talking specifically about callers of innovation, those widely recognised for their deviance. These are the individuals we warn others about accompanying. As for the lay-people amongst them, they should be given advice with gentleness and compassion, in the hope that they will be guided to the truth.