Practice of The Imams and Believers
by Sheikh Muhammad Sultan Al-Ma'soomi Al-Khajnadee Practice of The Noble Imams
It has been reported in "Raudat ul-Ulama Al-Zandwasia" with a reference from "Al-Hadaya" that Imam Abu Hanifah was asked,
" 'If you say something that is in disagreement with the Qur'an, what should we do in this case?' He replied, 'Act according to commands of the Qur'an and discard my words' He was again asked, 'If your words go against the Hadith of the Prophet, how should we act in this situation?' Abu Hanifah again replied, 'Discard my words and act upon the Hadith' Once more he was asked, 'If your words oppose the words and actions of the noble companions of the Prophet?' He again repeated his reply, 'Discard my words and follow the example of noble Companions' "
It is reported in "Kitab Al-Imta" that Imam Baihaqi reported in his Sunan that Imam Shafi'I said,
" If I say something and it is in discord with the words of the
Prophet, in this case discard my opinion and act upon the Hadith "
Imam Al-Haramain has explained this more clearly at another place. It is narrated in Kafi,
"If a jurist passes a verdict and that verdict is not in accordance with the Hadith of the Prophet, in such case it is obligatory to act in conformation of Hadith and the verdict of the jurist should be ignored and rejected, because the status of Hadith is much higher as compared to jurist's verdict. If the words of a jurist are acceptable as lawful argument for the common man then the words of the Prophet should be accepted without any further arguments "
Ibn Qayyim says in A'lam al-Muwaqqi'een,
" All the followers and companions of Imam Abu Hanifah agree that even a weak Hadith excels Qiyas (analogy) and opinion. It should be noted that the foundation of Hanafi Mazhab lies on this point. If anybody says that it is not obligatory to act upon the Hadith of the Prophet, it can be very easily assumed that he is not a true Muslim and intends to discard it merely on the basis of presumptions. He is doing it on purpose because no Muslim can dare to think of it. If anybody makes excuses that grasping the sense of Hadith is not possible, it is only a lame excuse, and not acceptable anywhere and in any condition. How can it be accepted when Allah revealed the Qur'an for guidance and for understanding its meaning and to observe its Commands in practical life? Allah Commanded the Prophet to explain its meaning to all. Allah said,
So, how is it possible that the words and sayings of the Prophet, which are basically to explain the meaning of the Qur'an, are beyond the understanding of people except one Imam? On the presumption of blind followers that there is has been no Mujtahid (Jurist of Islamic Law) for centuries, logically no one is presently intelligent enough to, understand the Qur'an and Hadith thoroughly. In the beginning such topics and ideas were propagated by those who wished to conceal the position of their Mazhab and their own ill will against the Qur'an and Sunnah for the purpose of hiding the contradictions of Mazahib. In the first phase the understanding of the Qur'an and Hadith was limited to jurists of Islamic law or Imams, in the second phase the existence of Jurists was absolutely negated, and afterwards such silly ideas were disseminated among the common folks.
Maybe some scholars negated the presence of Mujtahideen in good faith, with the object in mind that common people should not go astray and adopt the way of Mujtahid believing it to be equal to the Qur'an and Sunnah. Afterwards others added to it moving from one Mazhab to another, and adding that acting upon various Mazahib at a time is prohibited and unlawful. As a result of this trick, there was not room left for other Mazahib to take any thing from them. It is well known that there is no place for such absurd ideas in Islam. Many sound-minded scholars are against the idea of blind following of one Imam, but still there is a majority of who cling to this idea, leaving aside the Sahih (authentic) Hadith. To act upon Sahih Hadith is obligatory to follow, and it is strictly prohibited to follow anyone else. They know these facts and even then these people turn to unauthentic sources for guidance. Availability of Qur'an and Hadith is enough to reject all other sources. On the contrary, he who prefers the way of the Qur'an and Sunnah to Imam's way, is an infidel and heretic in their eyes!
Practice of The Believers
It has been repeated time and again that it is the duty of every Muslim male and female to act upon the Sahih Hadith of the Prophet, and going against the way of the Prophet is a hideous sin. The Qur'an says,
" And let those who oppose the Messenger's commandment beware, lest some Fitnah (trials, afflictions etc) befall them or a painful torment be inflicted on them " [24:63]
It has also been repeated many times that it is not fit for a Muslim to adhere to the blind following of one Mazhab or a person if a reliable Hadith is available. If he does so he is very similar to those who have been mentioned in the Noble Qur'an,
" And even if you were to bring to the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) all the ayat they would not follow your Qiblah (Prayer direction)" [2:145]
Every Muslim should be an eager follower of the Sunnah and Hadith, and going after a Mazhab or a person should not a hindrance in his aim. Allah says,
" And if you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger if you believe in Allah and in the Last Day." [4:59]
In case of dispute on any matter, one should turn to Hadith for guidance. There are many issues which are disputed among Imams so, it is wise and preferable to adopt 'the Sunnah.' This is most amazing, though the followers of every Mazhab know that a Mujtahid is not exempted from errors and is liable to misconceptions, and they also know that Prophet is free from making any error, even then they leave aside the Sahih Hadith and stick to the words of the Mujtahid. They trust the dubious words of a Mujtahid and cling to them, but they do not trust the words of the Prophet whose utterances are absolute truth.
I have seen a lot of people who are devoted worshippers, but they pay no attention to Hadith. They spend all their time in the study of books belonging to their Mazhab. They regard the study of Hadith a useless theme. This is due to ignorance of truth and reality.
Muhammad Hayat Sindhi says,
" It is obligatory for every Muslim man and woman to learn the Qur'an and Hadith, to understand its meaning and sense. Every one should try to dig out " Do's and Don'ts " from the Qur'an and Hadith. If someone is not capable of doing so, he may follow the religious leaders and guides, but not a specific person or Imam, because in doing so there is possibility of raising the status of Imam to the level of a Prophet. "
He should act upon what is unanimously agreed upon by all Mazahib. At the time of utmost need, he can act according to Rukhsah (permission) sanctioned unanimously and agreed upon by all Mazahib, but if it is not a crucial demand, it is better to act according to the agreed upon way. Our contemporaries have made it compulsory to abide by one Mazhab. Neither can one move from one Mazhab to another nor can he adopt anything from other sects. We see the blind followers leaving the path of sense and reason and going after doubtful ideas and absurdities.
Imam Shafi'I says,
" He who follows an individual, concerning the lawfulness or prohibition of things, and a Sahih Hadith is available to lead to a right a decision and the reality of the matter, but the blind following of an Imam (not Imam himself) stops him from, accepting that Hadith against the views he is holding, such a person is making his Imam a god on account of regarding a prohibited thing to be lawful and vice versa. (Verily we are for Allah and will certainly return to Him) "
By chance if the blind followers find an action or saying of a Companion of the Prophet which is against a Hadith, they infer immediately that perhaps the Companion did not know this Hadith. Their deduction is correct and based on sound reasoning. But, on the other hand when they come across a Hadith which is against the words of their Imam, instead of accepting it with the same sound reasoning, they defend their Imam with absurd and baseless interpretations. Very often they tamper with the original words of the Hadith and change the literal and essential meaning. If, in the absence of any acceptable interpretation from their side, they are told there is a possibility that the Imam did not get this Hadith, they get annoyed and their behaviour is quite disgusting.
How strange is it that in case of a noble Companion they accept the plea of not having the information about the Hadith, but in the case of an Imam they do not accept the same plea, whereas the eminence and status of a Companion is much higher than the Imam. Blind followers just teach and learn books of the Hadith, but never try to understand the significance of the Hadith in practical life, which is the real purpose of the Qur'an and Sunnah. When they come across a Hadith against their faith they interpret it in various ways and when they are unable to find a fair and reasonable interpretation, they lay the matter on the Imam by saying,
" Our Imam is well-versed in the science of Hadith, his scholarship and knowledge is far better than ours. He might be aware of his action, we merely follow him "
The words of the Imam are clear enough,
" Do not accept our verdict or do not follow our action,
until and unless you understand the argument behind it "
They should be aware of the punishment of such improper actions, and should not make a dispute to a settled matter. The Qur'an says,
" But no, by your Lord, they can have no Faith, until they make you (O Muhammad s.a.w) judge in all disputes between them, and find in themselves no resistance against your decisions, and accept (them) with full submission " [4:65]
Sanad ibn Anan writes in Madawwanah,
" Any wise, sensible person would not like to find himself to be a fixated follower. I do not say that following is forbidden for everybody, a common man who is ignorant and uneducated is allowed to follow under certain conditions, but it is necessary to understand the arguments of Jurists and Imams. Adopting the views of others without knowing the reason behind it and without checking the validity of the argument is called blind following, such a following does not enhance the knowledge of the follower, yet there is a possibility of going astray. To follow a specific person is a heresy in itself, and we definitely know that this kind of following had not started at the time of Companions of the Prophet. The noble Companions always sought guidance from the Qur'an and Sunnah, and if they did not get a clear answer from these two sources they collectively considered the issue and acted according to the result unanimously agreed upon.
The second generation adopted a similar approach. In the third era great scholars like Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam Malik, Imam Shafe'i and Imam Ahmed taught. They also followed the path of venerable Companions of the Prophet. Their era had not seen the blind following of one person. Companions of Imams and their contemporaries too did not follow any one person, they would grasp anything which was in accordance with the Qur'an and Sunnah from anywhere they got. Companions of Imam Abu Hanifah and Imam Malik opposed them on a number of issues. It is a demonstrable fact that fixated following originated after two centuries which were applauded by the Prophet "
Sindhi has censured the blind following of one person, his views are according to the Qur'an and Sunnah. No doubt blind following is a vile and base heresy, and a very dangerous, harmful and ruinous weapon of Satan, which he has used to disunite the Muslim Ummah. Followers of the Imams respect their Imams more than the Companions of the Prophet. They accept the Hadith gladly, which confirms their point of view, but a Hadith which nearer to the point of view of another Imam is not acceptable. A Hadith which does not support their point of view is unimportant and vain, though it is clear from ambiguity - then they would try to craft the arguments in favour of their Mazhab and will try to defend their Imam. When they write a commentary on a book of Hadith, they distort the meanings and tamper with the meanings of Hadith which are not in conformity with their views. When they fail to do this, (because some Hadith are so clear that they cannot change the meanings) the Hadith are labeled 'abrogated' without any proof and without any logical argument. Blind followers will not accept any argument against their views. When you bring them arguments and examples from the Qur'an and Sunnah, despite obvious proof, they will not pay any heed to it. According to the Qur'an,
" As if they were frightened (wild) donkeys. Fleeing
from a hunter, or a lion, or a beast of prey " [74:50,51]
They will run away from truth. They pose as big religious leader from their appearance but actually they are misled.
Abu Qasim Qushairi says,
" We, the truth seekers, should always follow the one who is innocent and free from any possibility of making an error, and we should stop from following those who are liable to make a mistakes. We should take from the Imam whatever is in accordance with the Qur'an and Sunnah, and disregard whatever is doubtful. The Qur'an commands us to follow the Prophet. On the contrary there is no evidence or sound argument to follow the word of a Jurist or a Sufi, except that which is in agreement with the Qur'an and Sunnah. Those who shun following the Qur'an and Sunnah are at a great loss, for they adhere to those views which the Imam himself has prohibited. Such adheres of blind following are censured by Islamic Law, Jurists and Sufis. A seeker of reality and truth is always careful and struggle for truth.
Anybody who follows an Imam and knows that a certain view of Imam is not in conformity with the Qur'an and Sunnah, or Ijma of the Ummah or Qiyas, even then he sticks to the word of Imam, his claim of being a follower of the Imam is entirely false. He is not a follower of the Imam, but actually a follower of his own baser self and bigotry. The Imam has no responsibility for his deed, because every Imam has persistently commanded their companions to be heedful about the principles of Islamic Law. So, the Imams have no relationship and association with those who are not mindful of the Qur'an and Sunnah. They are misled and mislead others. Truth was revealed to the Prophet, and what he disseminated is truth. To follow an Imam or his sect without comprehending the basic philosophy behind his arguments is a big folly.
Only a fair-minded and unbiased person can conceive the intensity of the problem. Such a following is nothing but lust, vanity and prejudice. All Imams have condemned blind following without understanding the logic behind their philosophy. He who follows the arguments and benefits from all the Imams, undoubtedly follows the Qur'an and Sunnah and his Imam. But on the other hand, if he sticks to his Imam's view when a clear proof or a Hadith is available contrary to the view of his Imam, he is a wrongdoer and would be ousted from his and other Mazahib. If the Imam had known the Sahih Hadith, he would have changed his view in accordance with the Hadith. So, a person who clings to blind following persistently is an open rebel against Allah, and disobedient to the Prophet. He is a selfish, vicious and faithless person who is dominated by lusts and desires. He is a devotee and disciple of Satan "
The Qur'an says,
" Have you seen him who takes his own lust (vain desires) as his ilah (god) and Allah, knowing (him as such), left him astray, and sealed his hearing and his heart, and put a cover on his sight. Who then will guide him after Allah? Will you not then remember? " [45:23]
Rabi' bin Sulaiman Jaizi narrates that once a person asked about an issue from Imam Shafi'i. He replied that it is narrated that the view of the Prophet is like this in this matter. The man asked again, "Do you have the same view in this matter?" Imam Shafi'i trembled with fear and turned pale on hearing this question and said, "Hell with you, no place on earth and heaven would save me from wrath of Allah, if I give a reference of a Hadith and my verdict is not in accordance with it. I shall honour and pay due respect to the Hadith." Imam Shafi'i repeated this again and again and fear of Allah overpowered him. Humaidi has also narrated this incident.
Know that most of the sons of Adam are unfortunate and in loss, a very few are fortunate and successful. Anybody who wishes to assess himself and wants to know his position in the scale of good and evil, should judge himself with the gauge of Qur'an and Sunnah, instantly he will come to know what his measure is and where, the way he is going after, leads him. Allah has clearly described the criterion of virtue and evil in the Qur'an, Surah Al-Asr. Allah swears by time and says that Man is in loss except those who bear four qualities.
Anyone having supernatural qualities, like flying or walking on water, and without any acceptable reason gives up the commands of Allah and commits sin without hesitation, can never be a saint or pious person, but surely he is a disciple of the Devil in the shape of man, whom Allah has appointed to test man's faith in Allah. Allah can test a man the way He likes. Allah granted Satan the potential to change his form, and he runs through the blood of man in his veins. Satan is busy day and night to misguide him. When the Day of Judgment will be close by, Allah will grant great powers to Dajjal, like giving life, and causing death and rain. Allah tests the faith of his slaves in different ways.
Sha'rani in Al-Mizan writes that Abu Dawood reported that he asked from Imam Ahmad whether he (Abu Dawood) should follow Ima Auzai or Ima Malik? He (Imam Ahmad) answered,
" Do not affiliate yourself to anyone, but follow what is in conformity with the Qur'an and Sunnah, follow the Prophet and his Companions and then their followers, if you wish "
At an another occasion he said,
" Do not follow me or Imam Malik, Imam Shafi'I, Imam Abu Hanifah, Imam Auzai, or Imam Sufyan Thauri, but always follow the first source which all of them have followed, and that is the Qur'an and Sunnah. It is stupidity to include the views of others in one's faith and stick to them "
Ibn Jauzi writes in his book Talbees Iblis,
" To blindly follow is to make knowledge ineffective. The real function of the intellect is to think, ponder, meditate and dig up hidden points and the significance of ideas. The intellect is a light for the guidance of life, Allah has bestowed this light upon every human being. But very few use this, most put off this light and walk in darkness "
