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 SALAFIs
believe that a Muslim should follow in his
life whatever the Noble Qur'an and Prophet
Muhammed (pbuh) have instructed. Nothing has
to be added or deleted in religious matters
as it would be against Qur'anic and
Prophet's teachings. Islam has to be
understood by a Muslim as it had been
understood by Prophet's (pbuh)
contemporaries (Sahaba) and followers after
them. They were the Salaf'-Al -Salihin (or
Salafs) of the past. Salafs believed that
after Prophet (SA) the Sahaba had the best
understanding - Fahmu Al Sahaba - of the
Noble Qur'an and the teachings of the
Prophet (pbuh). Any kind of interpretation
beyond it would amount to 'innovation' (Bid'a).
After the Sahaba, the immediate followers of
Sahaba (Thabii'n), then their immediate
followers (Thabi'Al-Thabii'n) had the best
understanding of the Qura'n and Sunnah
(Prophet's life style, words, instructions,
commands, actions and so on). A true Muslim
is one who strives to follow Prophet (pbuh)
and his Sahaba as much as possible, in
understanding the Qura'n and Sunnah. The
Salafs (literally means 'predecessors')
followed the Qura'n and Sunnah, very
strictly in solving any kind of religious
issue. In other words their method (Manhaj)
consisted of looking for solutions for such
problems in the Qura'n and then Prophet's
Sunnah, then the words and deeds of Sahaba
then Thabii'n and then Thabi'Al Thabii'n and
so on. Salafis are those who accept this
approach of Salafs. They stress this point
and put in efforts to propagate the Message
of Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) as he preached.
The first four Caliphs of the Islamic world
and the followers of Prophet (pbuh) during
his life time showed the world that Islam is
the most practical religion with all its
purity and entirety. They were keen to
observe the commands of the Prophet even to
its literal accuracy. A few examples from
history are quoted here which illustrate how
they were precise in following the Qur’anic
commands:
Caliph Omar ( r) ordered to cut a tree ‘Dath
Anwath’ which was thought to be possessing
supernatural power to grand wishes of its
admirers.
Abdullah Ibn Masu’d admonished some Muslims
sitting in a mosque and chanting ‘Dikr’
(praises of the Prophet). He did so because
the Prophet had shown the exact and right
way in which his praises were to be told.
Some one sneezed and after that he praised
Allah: All Praises to Allah (Al Hamdu Lillah).
But then he added ‘ Was Salat Wa Salamu Alaa
Rasoolillah – May the protection and
blessings of Allah be upon the Messenger of
Allah). Immediately Abdulla Ibn Umar
corrected him: “ That is not what the
Prophet has taught us to say when we sneeze.
‘All Praises to Allah’ is enough. Anything
more than that is an innovation”
Great Salafs like Imam Ahmed Ibn Hambal,
Shaik –Ul- Islam Ibn Thymiah, Imam Muhammed
Ibn Abdul Wahab, Imam Shaukani advocated
these teachings and fought against evil
practices in the community. Imam Ahmed Ibn
Hanbal is one of the great puritan reformers
of Islam whose name has constantly been
invoked against the forces of rationalism
down through the ages.
One of Ibn Hanbal's greatest followers, Ibn
Taymiyah (1263-1328) was a great scholar who
defied even the Caliph and proclaimed
Islam's message among Muslims. He was
arrested for issuing a Fatwa' against
'divorce by verbally uttering three times'.
Another reform movement started by Imam
Muhammed Ibn Abdul Wahab and Imam Mohammed
Ibn Saud (the founder of Saudi dynasty) in
the mid-18th century was probably the
forerunner of modern Salafiya'h. Together
they demolished the tombs of Hijaz area in
Arabia and prohibited all polytheist
elements from the religious practices of
Muslims. The modern Salafiya'h gained
momentum in Egypt whose advocates
established supremacy of Islamic law but
with fresh interpretations to meet the
community's changing needs. In later years
Jamaludhin Afghani, Muhammed Abdu and Rashid
Ridha fought for holding fast to the purity
of Islam.
Even if something appears to be good and
harmless in religious practices, Salafs did
not patronize such practices. This was so
because any kind of man-made innovation is
likely to turn out to be corrupt and
eventually leading to polytheist practices.
History has proven this argument. After the
demise of the Caliphs and their
contemporaries such innovations crept into
the Muslim community. Most of these were due
to the influence of polytheist and pagan
circumstances in which Muslims lived.
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