Holding Fast to the Way of the Companions

Imam Ahmad (rahimahullaah) said in his Usool-us-Sunnah: 

“The foundations of the Sunnah with us are: Holding fast to what the Companions of Allaah's Messenger (salallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) were upon.”

Shaykh Ahmad bin Yahyaa an-Najmee (rahimahullaah) - in his book Sharh Usool is-Sunnah (abridged) - said concerning the above statement of Imam Ahmad: 

The Messenger (salallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said: 

Binding upon you is my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the Rightly Guided Caliphs after me - hold onto it with your molar teeth.

 
And holding on to whatever the Companions were upon is holding on to the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of the Messenger and to his Seerah (i.e. his biography) and to his Rightly Guided Successors, from the noble Companions.

 
The Prophet (salallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) described the sect of salvation in the hadeeth of the splitting of the Ummah: 

This Ummah will divide into seventy-three sects, all of them will be in the Hellfire except for one. He was asked: "Who are they (the Saved Sect)?" He said: They are those who are upon that which I and my Companions are upon.

 
So if we know this, then it is upon the seeker of knowledge that he read the biography and life of the Prophet and likewise about the lives of his Companions and how they were, for indeed the innovations occurred after the time of the Messenger (salallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam), and the Companions opposed all innovations. 

And the first of the innovations to befall the Ummah was the innovation of the Khawaarij. Then there was the bid'ah of ar-Rafd (i.e. the Shee'ah), then came the bid'ah of al-I'tizaal, and there also occurred the bid'ah of Al-Qadr. 

  
So all of this was taking place in that time, yet the Companions withheld and never entered into innovations; rather they forbade them and opposed them as occurs in the hadeeth of 'Abdullaah ibn 'Umar (radhi Allaahu 'anhumaa) in Saheeh Muslim when he was informed of the bid'ah of the Qadariyyah so he said to those who conveyed that to him: 

“If you meet them, then inform that I am indeed free of them and that they are free of me.”

Then he narrated the hadeeth from his father in which Jibreel came to the Prophet (salallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) to ask him about the Religion. 

And likewise 'Ali ibn Abee Taalib (radiallaahu 'anhu) who took a position against the Khawaarij and sent his cousin 'Abdullaah ibn Abbaas (radiallaahu 'anhumma) to them, and he debated with them after which four thousand returned to the truth (repented) and the rest remained. So 'Ali fought them on the day of Nahrawaan. So we see the Companions of Allaah's Messenger withheld from bid'ah which became apparent in their times - and they took positions of enmity towards bid'ah.

 
And that which clarifies their hatred of the people of bid'ah is the narration of Abu Umaamah al-Baahilee (radiallaahu 'anhu) that is reported by Abu Dawood (rahimahullaah) in Kitaab as-Sunnah - that when Abu Umaamah saw the severed heads of the leaders of the Khawaarij erected upon stakes, he stated that they are:

“The dogs of the Hellfire, and the most evil of the creation.”

Shaikh an-Najmee explained regarding Imam Ahmad's additional statement:

“The foundations of the Sunnah with us are: Holding fast to what the Companions of Allaah's Messenger (salallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) were upon. And taking them (i.e. the Companions of the Prophet) as an example to be followed.”

And the meaning here is that we follow the Companions of Allaah's Messenger (salallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam), and that we believe that they are the most excellent of the Ummah, and that they are the most beloved (of the Ummah) to Allaah and the closest to Him. Allaah, the Most High, stated: 

And whoever contradicts and opposes the Messenger (Muhammad) after the right path has been shown clearly to him, and follows other than the believers' way. We shall keep him in the path he has chosen, and burn him in Hell - what an evil destination. (An-Nisa, ayah 115) 

His saying (what means): 

...and follows other than the believers' way.

 

The Sahaabah, they are uppermost of the Ummah in Emaan and most virtuous in station in the sight of Allaah. The Prophet (salallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) stated: 

Were one of you to spend in charity the like of Mount Uhud in gold, it would equal a handful or even half a handful of one of them (i.e. the Companions). [Reported by al-Bukhaaree, Book of Virtues of the Sahaabah; Chapter: The excellence of Abu Bakr as-Siddeeq after the Prophet (salallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam), 3/12 (3673)] 

So what is intended by the term 'believers' in this verse are the Companions of Allaah's Messenger (salallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam). As for the one who follows other than their path and takes other than them as examples to be followed, then he is far, far astray, and is in clear and manifest loss - and it is sufficient that Allaah renounces him, and leaves him in the path that he has chosen and roasts him in the Hellfire, and what an evil destination. Allaah's refuge is sought. 

So it is clear from this that it is obligatory upon every student of knowledge that he follows the path of 'believers', who are the Companions of Allaah's Messenger (salallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam), and it is necessary for him to be aware of this threat and pays attention to it. 

And we recall here the saying of one of the Ikhwaan (Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt): 

Indeed there belongs to al-Ikhwaan a lofty palace,

Everything that is within it is good,

Do not ask me who built it,

Indeed it is al-Banna Hasan.

 
Let us investigate, was that which Hasan al-Banna affirmed for his hizb (party) in agreement with that which the Companions of Allaah's Messenger were upon or contrary to it? 

We re-iterate, look into this principle from its pinnacle: what is it that Hasan al-Bannah affirmed and established in his da'wah and his manhaj (methodology)? Did he forbid the Major Shirk that was present in his country? 

The answer: No he did not. 

Did he rebuke bid'ah - and from its greatest types is the bid'ah of the Sufis, those who speak with wahdatul-wujood (i.e. that Allaah and His creation are one - aoodhubillaah)? Did he forbid those holding to these affairs? 

The answer again is 'no,' he did not.

 
Indeed he praised and commended al-Mirghanee, the Sufi, the Sudanese who spoke with the corrupted belief of Wahdatul-Wujood. So in this manner, we see this manhaj and what it contains of innovations, and shirk and other affairs that should cause them to hang their heads in shame. 

Likewise is the case when we look towards the manhaj (methodology) of Jamaa'at at-Tableegh. Do we see them engaged in the call to Tawheed and acting upon that? 

The answer is no we do not. Rather they forbid the one who calls to Tawheed.   

And the same can be said about the Jamaa'at as-Surooriyyah, which believes in rebelling against the Muslim rulers. 

So when we look upon these methodologies, do we see the 'Path of the Believers' or other than the path of the believers? 

So then we know that the intent behind the term 'believers' (in the verse) are the Companions of Allaah's Messenger (salallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) and those who proceed upon their manhaj, following their path, from the people of Hadeeth (as`haab al-hadeeth), the Imaams of guidance - by way of whom Allaah preserved the Sunnah of His Prophet (salallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam).