An Illustration of How Patience, Certainty and Leadership Is Attained in the Religion
Shaykh al-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah (rahimahullaah) stated as occurs
in Majmu' al-Fatawa (6/215):
And Ahmad, it became widespread that
he is the Imaam of Ahl al-Sunnah and the patient one upon tribulation
when the trials of [Jahmites] appeared, those who negated the attributes of
Allaah the Exalted and said "Allaah will not be seen in the Hereafter"
and that "The Qur'an is not the speech
of Allaah, the Exalted, but it is a creation from his creations" ...
and they misguided some of those in authority and tested the people through
aspiration (hope) and awe (fear). Thus, from the people were those who
responded to them out of aspiration (hope) and from them were those who
responded to them out of awe (fear) and from them were those who went into
hiding and did not reveal himself to them. And they cut off the means of
subsistence of whoever did not respond to them and removed him from his
delegated position. And this tribulation is well-known and famous, it took
place in the rulership of al-Ma'moon, al-Mu'tasim, al-Waathiq and then it was
removed by al-Mutawakkil. So Imaam Ahmad remained firm and did not agree with
them in negation of the attributes of Allaah, the Exalted, and he debated tehm
with knowledge and cut them off. [As a result] they punished him and he showed
patience over their punishment and thus Allaah made him from the leading
Imaams, those who guide (others) by His command, just as the Exalted said,
"And we made them to be Imaams (leaders), guiding by our command when
they showed patience and had certainty in our signs." (32:24). Hence,
whoever has been given patience and certainty, Allaah will make him an Imaam in
the religion.
Notes
Imaam Ahmad bin Hanbal is the bridge
to the aqidah of the Sahaabah after the Jahmites
tried to sever the connection of the Ummah to them. And Imaam Ibn Taymiyyah is the bridge to the aqidah of the Salaf after the Ash'arites
gained prominence between 500H to 700H and tore the Ummah away from them. Both
were given Imaamah (leadership) in the religion.
Imaam Ahmad (rahimahullaah) was
imprisoned and punished on account of a matter pertaining to Tawhid, the claim that Allaah's speech (the
Qur'aan) is created (a statement comprising kufr and shirk). Despite the tyranny and oppression of the rulers in this matter he was patient and also
ordered others with patience and did not allow revolting or fighting against
the rulers. This was in order to preserve the
safety and security of the society at large. Ibn Taymiyyah likewise was imprisoned and put
to trial by the Ash'arites of his time who had likewise influenced the rulers, and he was imprisoned on account of
certain verdicts he gave which pertained to affairs connected to Tawhid and its preservation. Both of these
Ahmads (Ahmad bin Hanbal and Ahmed bin Abd al-Haleem) are Imaams of Ahl
al-Sunnah, a matter that is famous and well-known, due to their aid of the deen
of Islaam and Tawhid of the
Messengers.
We see the mighty difference in
loftiness of purpose, honor and dignity between these great Imaams and those
present today (Ikhwanis.Com), who, whilst idols are
worshipped in their lands in the form of tombs of righteous saints and whilst
the belief that the Qur'an is created is
widespread amongst them, they mobilize the people against the rulers because of economic and political
injustice (whose true and real causes they ignore, despite being made clear
in the Qur'an and Sunnah), and they unite with the
saint-worshippers, Rafidah Shi'ah, Jahmiyyah and others in the process. Then they
clothe all of this activism under the label of establishing "Haakimiyyah," a great deception and
fraud indeed. But more harmful (to Ahl al-Sunnah) than this is the condition of
those ascribing to Salafiyyah (and to Imaam
Ahmad and Ibn Taymiyyah) who accommodate those innovators in their da'wah and
methodology, are sympathetic towards them and display greater love, affinity
and loyalty towards them than the people of the Sunnah and Jamaa'ah. This is an
act of treachery and indicates they do not have the love and loyalty to the aqidah of the Salaf they claim to have in
their hearts, tongues and writings whilst their actions prove totally
otherwise.
The fitnah of the creation of the Qur'an has great lessons in methodology and
da'wah and the Scholars of Sunnah and Salafiyyah have elaborated upon them to show
the great difference between the methodologies of Ahl al-Sunnah in da'wah and
rectification and the various innovated methodologies of da'wah and reform of
the 20th century.
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