What is Salafiyah; Immam Al-Albani (Updated)

Tape #1 Silsillat al-Huda wa-Nur

Contents of Tape

• The foundations of al-Salafiya
• The scholars
• Knowledge is Allah Said, The Messenger Said, The Sahaba said
• Principles of the Salaf

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What is Salafiyah?  
Part 1


Part 2



 Part 3



Part 4



 Part 5

The Shaykh began by reciting kutbat al-hajah

And it proceeds: Then he opened the floor to questions

A questioner (may Allah preserve him) asked the Sheikh (Rahimahu Allah):

There are of the people who read or hear about the call of “Assalafiya” and/or the “dawa Assalafiya” from its enemies, and they do not hear it from the callers of the dawa its self, nor do they hear it from the scholars. So we hope from you O’ Shaykh that you may make it clear to the people and explain to us, what is the dawa Assalafiya.

The Sheikh (Rahimahu Allah) answered:

I have answered this question more than once, but I will answer it once again since the question has been brought up. I say a word of truth when I say… No believer is able to contradict, nor refute after the guidance has been shown to him.

First of all, the name “Assalafiya” is an attribution to the “Salaf”, the predecessors or the ones who came before us. Therefore, it is obligatory that we know what is meant by Assalaf when the word is said or heard by the scholars. In the following, this attribution will be understood, and the weight it holds, and the true definition of it. The predecessors (As salaf) are the people, the family, and/or the first three generations that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) testified to their virtue that has been narrated in the Ahadith that have come in an overwhelming amount. These Ahadith are narrated in the books of Assaheehyan and other than them.

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The best of people are the ones in my generation, and then the ones in the next generation after that, and then in the next generation after that.

The Sheikh continues on to say, the Salaf are these people of the first three generations. These are the Salaf that the Prophet (pbuh) testified to their goodness; these are the salaf that the Salafiya attributes its self to; these are the salaf that the people of the Salafy methodology attribute themselves to.

If we have understood what the Salafiya is, and what it is attributed to, then there is two points that they must be aware of:

-          Salafiya is not attributed to a person(s) – It is not like the other sects that are present in the so called “field” of Islam today from attributing themselves to people and personalities. Therefore Salafiya is not attributed to a person or tens of people. Verily this attribution that the salafiya holds is an attribution to something that is free of mistakes and shortcomings and imperfections. It is impossible that the Salaf could come upon a misguidance, or that the Salaf can have consensus upon a misguidance.

In opposite to this are the Khalaf, the people who have come after, who do not use a clear proof or text from the Shariah. Therefore they can make a mistake, and there is no proof that they do not have shortcomings. This is testified to by the hadith of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the completion of a hadith which proceeded, “…and after them, will come a people that will testify that were not asked to testify…”.

And this also is testified to in another hadith of the Prophet (peace and blessings upon him) where he praises a small group (Taa'ifa) of the believers yet he dispraises the majority of them, and this is found in the understanding of the hadith. The Prophet (Sallah allahu allayhi wa sallam) said:

"There will not cease to be a group (Taa'ifa) of my nation apparent upon the truth that will be harmed by those who oppose them until the order of Allah comes (in one narration) and in another narration, until the hour comes."

So this hadith has praised a small group (Taa'ifa) in the end of time. In the Arabic language Taa'ifa is used for a small number of people. If we have understood what has been said that: Assalafiya is an attribution to the righteous predecessors and an attribution to being free from shortcomings (Al-Issma). If this is understood, then we may come to the second point.

The second affair:

-          If a Muslim comes to the understanding of what the Salafiya attributes itself to from the salaf, and what it represents and/or contains of "Al-issma", then I do not say that he opposes it for this is an opposition that would be impossible. Rather, I say it becomes impossible for him not to take it upon himself not become a Salafi.

Therefore, the Muslim should know that Assalafiya represents and attributes its self to the Al-issma (flawlessness).

Where do we get "Al-issma"? It comes from a hadith that even though some of the Khalaf, those who come after the Salaf, try to use in opposition to the truth. The Khalaf try to use this hadith to say it is upon the Muslims to take the opinion of what most of the scholars say (Al-akthariya) because they claim that, As the Prophet (sallah allahu alayhi wasalam) said that this nation will not come upon a misguidance. This hadith cannot and does not hold true concerning the khalaf, thus it cannot be established upon them. They have many disputes between them that cut directly into the fundamentals, foundations, and principles of each sect. Thus, the hadith will not hold true concerning them. Anyone who has studied the current affairs of today knows this, and the current state is not a good state.

And we add to this: The ahadith that have come as a clarification (concerning the splitting) and they are the ahadith  of the Jews and the Christians that have fallen in to this splitting before us and what this Muslim nation will fall into as well.

The Prophet (saw) informed us of the splitting in the hadith in which he said peace be upon him "The jews split up into 71 sects, the Christians in 72 sects, and the Muslim ummah into 73 sects, all of them in the hellfire except for one. So who is it Oh Prophet of Allah? The Prophet (saw) said: The group (jamaa'a)."

This group (the jamaa’a) is the group of the Prophet peace be upon him, it is his companions (sahabah) may Allah be pleased with them. It is the group that we can have a clear undisputable understanding and agreement, that they are the ones mentioned in the previous hadith that “my Ummah will not make consensus upon a misguidance” it is understood that this hadith is meant concerning this group (the sahabah). So this mentioned group is the Prophets companions, the same people he notified as being the ones who the Prophet peace be upon him called the saved sect. 

To be continued…………

Al Immam al-Albani