03-24-2004, 10:16 AM
How To Spot A Pseudo-Salafi/Wahhabi A Mile Away
1. Their Salat does not match any of the FOUR Mathaahib of Islam
# In particular, their raising their hands after coming up from Ruku', and crossing their arms between Ruku' and Sujud.
# Their way of making Tashahhud by moving their fingers up and down during all the Tashahud. Their pretensions of following Sunnat-Al-Mustafa contradicts all Mathaahib even though they are using the same Sunnah narrated by Ahmad: "The Prophet PBUH used to move His finger during Tashahhud!" Some Madhhabs went for moving it once, others (Malikiyyah) went for moving it all the time but from Right to Left NOT up and down. They came up with a new way of doing it that contradicts all that preceded them.
# They do not raise their hands for Duaa (supplication).
# They do not cover their heads during Salat or otherwise, even though it's known for centuries that a man who doesn't cover up his head is Makhrum Al-Muru'a (There is a "breach" in his dignity).
# They certainly do not wear Turbans, which is a Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad Sall Allahu alaihi wa Sallim, of the Sahaba RAA, and the Taabi'een.
# In certain occasions they might wear the Iq'al (Round black thing over a piece of red or white cloth...) which is in total contradiction with Sunnah, since not even once has the Prophet Sall Allahu alaihi wa Sallim wore a Iq'al during his lifetime.
# They do not pray Salat Al-Ishraq, a two-rakaat Sunnah after sun-rise.
If you still think that these signs are not enough to recognize them and keep away from them and you decided to check them out in spite of all the warnings that Our Teachers have given us, read the following.
2. Their preaching is based on the premise of using Qur'an and Sunnah ONLY! Meaning that the civilization built by the Moslems for over 13 centuries is not from Qur'an and Sunnah and a return to the source is a must, no mention should be given to any of the Scholars of Islam whoever they might be.
# Among the most likely sayings they might use from the early great scholars of Islam is: "If you see anything that I say contradicting a Sunnah of the Prophet Sall Allahu alaihi wa Sallim, throw what I say against the wall and use the Sunnah instead!.." These words were uttered by humble scholars who did not want to show off, but are used nowadays instead as means to bash them. They do not mention, however the fact that the same Imam who said these words also said: "If the Messenger of Allah Subhana wa ta 'ala left my company even for one single night I would count myself among the hypocrites!" That was Abu-Hanifa An Nu'man Ibn Thabit may Allah Subhana wa ta 'ala be pleased with him.
# They also say: "They were men and we are men!..", "We know today what they did not know then!"
# The most moderate among them are those who do not say anything negative about the 4 imams even though they do not follow any of them in their practices. They follow their own way of learning Salat based on a famous book: "Sifat Salaat Annabi Sall Allahu Alaihi Wa Sallam" by
Nasr-Eddine Al-Albani. With all due respect to a Muhaddith of such caliber as Al-Albani I prefer to follow Imam Malik, or Abu-Hanifa or Ashaafi'i or Ibn-Hanbal; or better even Sheikh Hisham Kabbani, since I am a A'ammi and "Al-A'ammi Laa Madhhaba Lah" (The commons do not have a Madhhab! They are supposed to just follow!)
# One of their worst arguments is asking for a Daleel (Scholarly proof concerning religious matters) from Qur'an or Sunnah, which belongs to the Ulamaa (Scholars of Islam). They do not understand that Qur'an and Sunnah are the pillars on which all other Adillah (proofs) are built including Qiyas, Ijma'a, Q'aul al-Sahabi, and last but not least Maaruf (what people of good morals have agreed upon as being a good practice).
# If you tell them about the most common practice among the Moslems all over the world of celebrating the birth of the Prophet Sall Allahu alaihi wa Sallim, which is by the way better than the night of Power (Laylat El-Q'adr), they would say it's Bida'a (innovation leading to Hell).
# Their mosques (or at least the ones which they have control over) have only barren walls, while their homes and offices (office within the same Islamic center for instance) are decorated with verses and nice calligraphies. Do not ask them why, they would just smile and will not answer.
# They might be generous and well behaved, but be careful of what they might say behind your back if you tell them I am a student of such and such a Sheikh. That is one of the greatest sins in their eyes. They would be willing to forgive you if you didn't know anything about Islam at all, but will never forgive you taking the knowledge of Islam through someone other than a book, a tape audio or video, or from one of their universities
# A final point on this section is their literal interpretation of some Ahadith of the Prophet Sall Allahu alaihi wa Sallim Such as: "What is below the ankles is in Hell!". On the opposite side they tend to find any interpretation but the most obvious one to the Hadith of Wilaya: "...I will be his sight with which he sees, his hearing with which he hears, his hand with which he grabs, his leg with which he walks..." I recall once saying this Hadith to a friend of
mine in the Library of the Islamic Center of Lansing and one of them was sitting near. He said: "This is Hululiyya!" I could not help it to answer him saying: "If what Muhammad PBUH says is Hululiyya, then I am Hululliy!".
3. If you have reached this point and you think "I knew all this!" It means that you are in need of serious help to get rid of the deviate thinking they might have put in your mind. The way I am struggling to get rid of the remains of being around them for a long enough time. May Allah Subhana wa ta 'ala save us from Kufr (Unbelief) and Dhalal (Misguidance).
# For them Asha'aria are not on the right path but deviated from the "mainstream" of Islamic Aqidah.
# Sitting in a circle of Dhikr (remembrance) is a deadly crime against oneself and against Islam.
# Reading Qur'an in a group is as bad if not worse.
# Shi'ah are not Moslems they say (Correct on this point}.
# Christians and Jews are Kuffar and intermingling with them is one of the worst sins. Their argument is that one has to take the least of two evils: Let them be as they are ignorant of Islam, or lose your own Islam.
Anecdote: One of them is a student in my Department. I invited him once to join a picnic organized by the faculty members for the graduate students as a professional gathering where he could learn more about the ins and outs of the Department. He was outraged and his answer was: "I AM A MOSLEM!" However they organize their own picnics.
Now, you know them and you can get away from them. Some might still have doubts and might want to look further into the matter. Here is the last point to consider and use for reasoning.
4. When it comes to technology none would dare to speak in public or pronounce his opinion if s/he is not a highly specialized person in that technical field. Nobody would dare to perform surgery if he wasn't qualified and certified surgeon. No sane person would take the seat of a pilot and take-off with a jet full of people unless he is qualified pilot. How then can some dare to make Fatwas and decide about the most important and sensitive matters in people's lives: Religion? Not any religion: Islam! When their whole life was only studying electrical engineering, computing or social sciences from an American university? The destruction of Islam those people are conducting is by putting such an important matter as religion into the hands of ignorants and giving them the permission to play with it as they please. Religion is too serious a business to let it be handled by non-experts. My advice is to look for those who know this religion in and out and take it from them, or else, bite on a tree-branch and wait for death.
Was salaam.
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