EVERY HADITH IS CONFIRMED BY THE QUR'AN
& THOSE WHO INVENT LIES AGAINST ALLAH
Assembled & Reproduced by: Mallam Abba
Abana,
gonidamgamiri@yahoo.com &
abba.abana@gmail.com
WhatsApp (+2348186961697)
Dated 28th December 2019 CE and 30th Rabiul
Akhir 1441 AH
Bismillah
Walhamdulillah Was Salaatu Was Salaam 'ala Rasulillah. As-Salaam Alaikum
Wa-Rahmatullahi Wa-Barakatuhu.
Praise be to
Allaah, we praise Him and seek His help and forgiveness. We seek refuge with
Allaah from the evil of our own selves and from our evil deeds. Whomsoever
Allaah guides cannot be misled, and whomsoever He leaves astray cannot be
guided. I bear witness that there is no god except Allaah alone, with no
partner or associate, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and
Messenger (Sallalhu Alaihi Wa Salaam).
Preamble
This article is the true path of Ahl Us-Sunnah Wal-Jamaaah (the followers of the Quraan,
Sunnah, and our pious predecessors) and centered on; that every hadith is confirmed by
the Qur’an, that those who invent lies against Allah and hinder others from his
path are the greatest losers, and ruling on one who rejects a Saheeh hadith. We
have added another different topic on rejecting the Sunnah and
praying behind someone who does in this article.
1.0 EVERY HADITH
IS CONFIRMED BY THE QUR'AN
Ayyub
As-Sakhtiyani reported from Sa`id bin Jubayr that he said, "I did not hear
any Hadith of the Prophet (Sallalahu alaihi wa salaam), substantiated as he
stated it, except that I found its confirmation in the Qur'an. (The narrator
said, "Or he said, `I found its verification in the Qur'an.''') Thus, it
reached me that the Prophet said,
(There is no one
of this Ummah, whether he be a Jew or Christian, who hears of me and does not
believe in me, except that he will enter the Hellfire.)
Therefore, I
said, `Where is its verification in the Book of Allah Most of what I have heard
reported from the Messenger of Allah (Sallalahu alaihi wa salaam), I have found
its verification in the Qur'an.' Then I found this verse, ‘’(but those of the
sects that reject it (the Qur`an), the Fire will be their promised meeting
place.) And this means from all religions.'' Then Allah says, ‘’(So be not
in doubt about it. Verily, it is the truth from your Lord,) This means that the
Qur'an is the truth from Allah and there is no doubt or suspicion concerning it.
This is as Allah says,
(Alif Lam Mim.
The revelations of the Book in which there is no doubt, is from the Lord of all
that exists!)﴿
Holy Quran
chapter 32:1-2﴾ Allah, the Exalted, says, (Alif Lam Mim. This
is the Book in which there is no doubt.) ﴿
Holy Quran
chapter 2:1-2﴾ The Ayah; (but most of mankind believe not.)
is similar to Allah's statement, (And most of mankind will not believe even if
you desire it eagerly.)﴿
Holy Quran
chapter 12:103﴾ Likewise, Allah says, (And if you obey most
of those on the earth, they will mislead you far away from Allah's path.)
Allah also says,
(And indeed Iblis did prove true his thought about them: and they followed him,
all except a group of true believers.)﴿ Holy Quran chapter 34:20﴾
The Foundations
of Proof
1. The
Qur'an
2. The
Sunnah
3. The Unanimous
Agreement of Scholars (Sheikh Al-Fawzan)
2.0 THOSE WHO
INVENT LIES AGAINST ALLAH AND HINDER OTHERS FROM HIS PATH ARE THE GREATEST
LOSERS
(١٧) وَمَنۡ أَظۡلَمُ مِمَّنِ ٱفۡتَرَىٰ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ
ڪَذِبًاۚ أُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ يُعۡرَضُونَ عَلَىٰ رَبِّهِمۡ وَيَقُولُ ٱلۡأَشۡهَـٰدُ
هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَذَبُواْ عَلَىٰ رَبِّهِمۡۚ أَلَا لَعۡنَةُ ٱللَّهِ
عَلَى ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ (١٨)
ٱلَّذِينَ يَصُدُّونَ
عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَيَبۡغُونَہَا عِوَجً۬ا وَهُم بِٱلۡأَخِرَةِ هُمۡ
كَـٰفِرُونَ (١٩)
أُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ لَمۡ يَكُونُواْ مُعۡجِزِينَ فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَمَا كَانَ لَهُم مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ مِنۡ أَوۡلِيَآءَۘ
يُضَـٰعَفُ لَهُمُ ٱلۡعَذَابُۚ مَا كَانُواْ يَسۡتَطِيعُونَ ٱلسَّمۡعَ وَمَا
ڪَانُواْ يُبۡصِرُونَ (٢٠)
أُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ ٱلَّذِينَ خَسِرُوٓاْ أَنفُسَہُمۡ وَضَلَّ عَنۡہُم مَّا ڪَانُواْ يَفۡتَرُونَ (٢١) لَا جَرَمَ أَنَّہُمۡ فِى ٱلۡأَخِرَةِ هُمُ
ٱلۡأَخۡسَرُونَ (٢٢)
(Holy Quran chapter 11.18. And who does more
wrong than he who invents a lie against Allah. Such will be brought before
their Lord, and the witnesses will say,''These are the ones who lied against
their Lord!'' No doubt! The curse of Allah is on the wrongdoers.)
(Holy Quran
chapter 11.19. Those who hinder (others) from the path of Allah, and seek a
crookedness therein, while they are disbelievers in the Hereafter.)
(Holy Quran
chapter 11.20. By no means will they escape on earth, nor have they protectors
besides Allah! Their torment will be doubled! They could not bear to listen and
they used not to see (the truth).) r
(Holy Quran
chapter 11.21. They are those who have lost their own selves, and that which
they invented eluded them.)
(Holy Quran
chapter 11.22. Certainly, they are those who will be the greatest losers in the
Hereafter.)
Allah, the
Exalted, explains the condition of those who lie against Him and that their
scandal in the Hereafter will be presented before the heads of creation (for
testimony) from the angels, Messengers, Prophets and the rest of mankind and
Jinns. This is just as Imam Ahmad recorded from Safwan bin Muhriz. Safwan said,
"I was holding the hand of Ibn `Umar when a man was brought to him. The
man said, `How did you hear the Messenger of Allah describe An-Najwa (secret
counsel or confidential talk) on the Day of Resurrection' Ibn `Umar said, `I
heard him say,
(Verily, Allah,
the Mighty and Sublime, will draw near the believer and He will place His shade
over him. He will conceal him from the people and make him confess to his sins.
He will say to him, "Do you recognize this sin Do you recognize that sin
Do you recognize such and such sin'' This will continue until He makes him
confess to all of his sins and he (the believer) will think to himself that he
is about to be destroyed. Then Allah will say, "Verily, I have concealed
these sins for you in the worldly life and I have forgiven you for them
today.'' Then he (the believer) will be given his Book of good deeds. As for
the disbelievers and the hypocrites, the witnesses will say,)
(These are the
ones who lied against their Lord! No doubt! The curse of Allah is on the
wrongdoers).'' Both Al-Bukhari and Muslim recorded this narration in the Two
Sahihs. Concerning Allah's statement,
(Those who hinder
(others) from the path of Allah, and seek a crookedness therein,) This means
that they prevent the people from following the truth and traversing upon the
path of guidance that leads to Allah, the Mighty and Sublime. In doing so they
also keep the people away from Paradise itself. Allah's statement,
(and seek a
crookedness therein,) This means that they want their path to be crooked and
uneven. Then, Allah's statement,
(while they are
disbelievers in the Hereafter.) This means that they deny the Hereafter and
they reject the idea that any of its events will occur, or any of it exists at
all. Concerning Allah's statement,
(By no means will
they escape on earth, nor have they protectors besides Allah!) This means that
these disbelievers are under the power of Allah and His force. They are in His
grasp and are subject to His authority. He is Most Able to exact vengeance
against them in this life before the coming of the Hereafter. This is like
Allah's statement,
(but He gives
them respite up to a Day when the eyes will stare in horror.)﴿
Holy Quran
chapter 14:42﴾ In the Two Sahihs it is recorded that the
Prophet said,
‘’(Verily Allah
gives respite to the oppressor until He seizes him, then he will not be able to
escape Him.)’’
For this reason Allah says,
(Their torment
will be doubled!)
This means that the torment will be doubled upon them, because Allah gave them
hearing, vision and hearts, but these things did not benefit them. Rather, they
were deaf from hearing the truth and blinded away from following it. This is
just as Allah has mentioned concerning them when they enter into the Hellfire.
Allah says,
(And they will
say: "Had we but listened or used our intelligence, we would not have been
among the dwellers of the blazing Fire!'') Allah also says,
(Those who
disbelieved and hinder (men) from the path of Allah, for them We will add
torment to the torment.)﴿
Holy Quran
Chapter 16:88 ﴾ For this reason they will be punished for
every command that they abandoned and every prohibition that they indulged in.
Then Allah continues by saying,
(They are those
who have lost their own selves, and that which they invented eluded them.) They
lost themselves, meaning that they be made to enter a blazing Fire, where they
will be punished, and its torment will not be lifted from them for even the
blinking of an eye. This is as Allah said,
(Whenever it
abates, We shall increase for them the fierceness of the Fire.)﴿
Holy Quran
Chapter 17:97﴾ Concerning the statement, (eluded them.)
meaning that it has left them. (that which they invented) besides Allah, such
as rivals and idols. Yet, these things did not avail them in the slightest. In
fact, these things actually caused them great harm. This is as Allah says, (And
when mankind are gathered, they will become their enemies and will deny their
worshipping.)﴿
Holy Quran
chapter 46:6﴾ Allah says,
(When those who
were followed disown those who followed (them), and they see the torment, then
all their relations will be cut off from them.)﴿
Holy Quran
chapter 2:166﴾ Likewise, there are many other verses that
prove this loss of theirs and their destruction. For this reason Allah says,
(Certainly, they
are those who will be the greatest losers in the Hereafter.) ﴿
Holy Quran
chapter 11:22﴾ In this verse Allah informs about the
direction of their end. He explains that they are the greatest losers among
mankind in their transaction for the abode of the Hereafter. That is because
they exchanged the highest levels (of Paradise) for the lowest levels (of Hell)
and they substituted the pleasure of Gardens (of Paradise) for the fierce
boiling water (of Hell). They exchanged the drink of sealed nectar with the
fierce hot wind, boiling water, and a shade of black smoke. They chose food
from the filth of dirty wounds instead of wide-eyed lovely maidens. They
preferred Hawiyah (a pit in Hell) instead of lofty castles. They chose the
anger of Allah and His punishment over nearness to Him and the blessing of
gazing at Him. Therefore, it is no injustice that such people should be the
greatest losers in the Hereafter.
3.0 RULING ON ONE
WHO REJECTS A SAHEEH HADITH
Does the one who
rejects a Saheeh hadith become a disbeliever? One of the brothers rejects some
of the saheeh hadiths that are narrated in al-Bukhaari, Muslim and elsewhere,
on the grounds that they contradict the Quran. What is the ruling on one who
rejects a saheeh hadith? Does he become a disbeliever?
Answer
Praise be to
Allah
Firstly:
The Prophet’s
Sunnah is the second source of Islamic sharee‘ah. The revelation came down to
the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) with the Sunnah as it
came down to him with the Qur’an. The proof of that is the words of Allah, may
He be exalted (interpretation of the meaning):
“Nor does he
speak of (his own) desire.
It is but a
revelation revealed” [Holy Quran chapter an-Najm 53:3-4].
Allah, may He be
exalted, has enjoined upon the believers complete submission to the words of
the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and his hadith and
rulings, to the extent that He, may He be glorified, swore by His divine self
that whoever hears the words of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him), then rejects them and does not accept them, has nothing to do with
faith at all. He, may He be glorified and exalted, said (interpretation of the
meaning):
“But no, by your
Lord, they can have no Faith, until they make you (O Muhammad (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him)) judge in all disputes between them, and find in
themselves no resistance against your decisions, and accept (them) with full
submission” [Holy Quran chapter an-Nisa’ 4:65].
Hence there was
consensus among the scholars that whoever denies that the Sunnah constitutes
shar‘i evidence in general terms, or rejects a hadith of the Prophet (blessings
and peace of Allah be upon him – knowing that it is the words of the Prophet
(lettings and peace of Allah be upon him) – is a disbeliever, who has not
attained even the lowest level of Islam and submission to Allah and His
Messenger.
Imam Is-haaq ibn
Raahawayh (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Whoever hears a
report from the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
that he accepts as being sound, then rejects it, not by way of dissimulation
(when he has no choice because of a threat), is a disbeliever. End quote
As-Suyooti (may Allah
have mercy on him) said:
You should
understand, may Allah have mercy on you, that whoever denies that the hadith of
the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) constitutes shar‘i
evidence – whether he denies a report that speaks of something that the Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said or did, if that hadith fulfils
the conditions stipulated in usool al-hadith – has committed an act of
disbelief that puts him beyond the bounds of Islam, and he will be gathered (on
the Day of Resurrection) with the Jews and Christians, or with whomever Allah
wills of the disbelieving groups. End quote.
Miftaah al-Jannah
fi’l-Ihtijaaj bi’s-Sunnah (p 14)
Al-‘Allaamah Ibn
al-Wazeer (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Rejecting the
hadith of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
when one is aware that it is his hadith constitutes blatant disbelief. End
quote.
Al-‘Awaasim
wa’l-Qawaasim (2/274)
It says in
Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa’imah:
The one who
denies that we should follow the Sunnah is a disbeliever, because he is
expressing disbelief in Allah and His Messenger, and rejecting the consensus of
the Muslims. End quote.
Fataawa al-Lajnah
ad-Daa’imah (vol. 2, 3/194)
Secondly:
As for the one
who rejects a hadith and does not accept it, denying that it is the words of
the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), he is not like those
who come under the first category. We understand that many followers of the new
“enlightenment” trend – who have taken it upon themselves to judge the
Prophet’s Sunnah on the basis of their views and affiliation – in fact, have
not come up with anything new. Rather they are a continuation of the innovators
who came before them, whose specious arguments the scholars quoted and took it
upon themselves to refute them.
To these people
and others like them we say:
Academic
methodology dictates that we should examine several important matters before
rejecting a hadith or denying that it is the words of the Prophet (blessings
and peace of Allah be upon him). These conditions are as follows:
The first
condition:
We should see
whether there is a complete contradiction between what is mentioned in the
hadith and what is mentioned in a Qur’anic text that is clear and unambiguous
in meaning and not abrogated. We should emphasise here the condition of
complete contradiction – and not just an apparent contradiction that may come
to the mind of one who hastens to jump to conclusions when examining hadith.
Perhaps those who are involved in denying the hadiths will agree with us on
this condition, because most of the apparent contradictions that occur to many
people are not contradictions in reality; rather they are mere speculation in
the mind of the objector and it is possible, with deliberation and by examining
the shades of meaning of different words, to answer the one who thinks that
there is a contradiction, and demonstrate how the hadith is in harmony with the
fundamentals and sublime aims of sharee‘ah. Whoever studies the book of
al-‘Allaamah Ibn Qutaybah ad-Deenoori entitled Mukhtalif al-Hadith will realise
how reckless many of them were in their denial of hadiths on the basis of the
claim that they are not in accordance with the Qur’an, or that they contradict
sound reasoning, but when Ibn Qutaybah mentions the correct explanation of
these hadiths given by the scholars, it becomes clear that there is a sound
interpretation for them that is in harmony with Islamic teachings, and that the
notion that these hadiths contradict the Quran is based on corrupt
understanding.
We ask these
people and their ilk, who have the audacity to reject the Sunnah and cast
aspersions on the hadiths of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him) without any academic methodology or acceptable critical guidelines, and
without properly understanding the fundamentals of hadith science that they are
talking about, the following:
Do you think that
it is possible for a hadith to completely contradict the Holy Qur’an to the
extent that the examiner may think that this hadith is not the words of the
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), at the time when we see all
the scholars of Islam, from the time of the Companions of the Messenger of
Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) up until the present day, in
agreement on accepting this hadith and commenting on it, interpreting it,
quoting it as evidence and acting upon it?
Doesn’t rational
thinking – on which they claim to base their argument – dictate that they
should respect the consensus of specialists on the matter that is at the heart
of their specialty?
Can anyone have
the audacity to say that physicists, chemists, mathematicians, educationalists
or economists, for example, have made a mistake if they agree on a matter – especially
when the one who is objecting to them is not one of the specialists in that
field; rather all that can be said is that he has read some articles about it
or a few books along the lines of Science For Dummies or The Complete Idiot’s
Guide to Science [i.e., books that offer a basic introduction to a
field]?
The second
condition:
There should be a
weakness in one of the links of the isnaad that could have led to the mistake
mentioned in the text.
Similarly, we
think that this condition is in harmony with sound methodology and is a valid
condition. No one should disagree on this point who understands anything about
the principles of academic criticism. Denying that a text is the words of the
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) should mean that there is a
weak link in the chain of narration that led us to mistakenly believe that this
hadith is the words of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him),
when in fact it is not.
Imam ash-Shaafa‘i
(may Allah have mercy on him) – who is prominent in terms of knowledge and
faith, and was the first one to write on the topic of Usool Al-Fiqh –
said:
If a hadith is
narrated by trustworthy narrators from the Messenger of Allah (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him), then that is sufficient to regard it as a sound
hadith.
Ikhtilaaf
al-Hadith, in al-Umm (10/107).
And he
said:
There is no other
way to determine whether a hadith is sound or otherwise except by knowing how
honest and trustworthy the narrators are, with the exception of very few
hadiths.
Ar-Risaalah
(para. 1099)
And he also
said:
Muslims of good
character are those who are good and sound in and of themselves… As for what
they say and do, it is to be regarded as sound and acceptable, unless we find
something in their actions that indicate otherwise. So we should be cautious
with them in cases where their actions differ from what is expected of
them.
Ar-Risaalah (para. 1029-1030); see also al-Umm
(8/518-51 9)
After narrating
some of the academic principles concerning this matter, which is something that
he discussed a great deal in his various books, Imam ash-Shaafa‘i (may Allah
have mercy on him) says that what he stated – some of which we have quoted here
– is not the view of only a few scholars, or his own personal view; rather
these are the principles on which there was consensus among the scholars who
came before him. He says:
At the beginning
of this book of mine, I quoted, in support of what I discuss of principles and
guidelines, from a number of earlier scholars who had knowledge of the Qur’an
and Sunnah, different scholarly opinions, analogy and rational thinking, and
none of them differed with another. They said: This is the view of the scholars
among the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, the Taabi‘een, and the
generation who followed them, and it is our view. Whoever diverges from this
path is, in our view, diverging from the path of the Companions of the
Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and the path of
the scholars who came after them, until the present day, and he is one of the
people of ignorance. And all of them said: we cannot see anything but the
consensus of the scholars in all regions, unanimously agreeing to regard as
ignorant the one who departs from this path. And they – or most of them – went
even further and expressed more stringent views with regard to the one who
departs from this path, but there is no need to quote them here.
Ikhtilaaf al-Hadith, al-Umm (10/21). See also:
ar-Risaalah (para. 1236-1249).
The first thing
that the one who rejected a hadith that is attributed to the Prophet (blessings
and peace of Allah be upon him) must do is research and find out the identity
of the narrator who was mistaken in his transmission of this hadith. If the one
who denies the hadith cannot find an acceptable reason in the isnaad for
rejecting the hadith, then this indicates that he is mistaken in his
methodology. It also indicates that it is essential to have another look and
try to understand the hadith and the Qur’an and the aims and goals of
sharee‘ah.
So how about if
the hadith was narrated with the soundest isnaads on the face of the earth? How
about if the hadith was narrated via many chains of transmission – as is the
case with most of the hadiths that are rejected by the proponents of
“enlightenment” – and from a number of the Sahaabah (may Allah be pleased with
them)?
The third
condition:
One should
express his reservations about a hadith as a personal view based on his own
reasoning, which may be right or wrong, and he should avoid stating his view as
certainty, as if it is the correct view. He should also avoid making
accusations against others who differ with him or casting aspersions on the
intelligence of Muslim scholars. This applies in cases where there is a valid
reason to hold such a view, and provided that one is qualified to speak about
such matters and is proficient in the skills needed to understand and research
them. A hadith may appear to be da‘eef (weak) to one scholar for a particular
reason, but he should not speak in accusatory tones of those who accepted the
hadith.
Whoever does not
comply with these three conditions and persists in denying and rejecting the
hadiths is exposing himself to grave danger, because it is not permissible for
a Muslim to reach a conclusion that is not based on proper methodology and
without following any guidelines, and criticise other scholars (who disagree
with him), otherwise he may fall into sin and error.
Imam Ahmad (may
Allah have mercy on him) said: Whoever rejects the hadith of the Messenger of
Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) is on the brink of doom. End
quote.
Al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali
al-Barbahaari said:
If you hear a man
casting aspersions upon a hadith or denying a hadith, or giving precedence to
something else over a hadith, then suspect his commitment to Islam, for he is
undoubtedly following whims and desires and innovation.
If you hear a
man, when you quote a hadith, showing no interest in it on the basis that he
only wants to hear quotations from the Qur’an, you should not doubt that he is
a man who is following the path of the heretics, so get up and leave him, and
bid him farewell. End quote.
Sharh as-Sunnah
(113-119)
Shaykh al-Islam
Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Whatever the
Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) narrates from his Lord, it
is obligatory to believe in it, whether we understand its meaning or not,
because he is the most truthful one [namely the Prophet (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him)]. Whatever it says in the Qur’an and Sunnah, every believer
must believe in it, even if he does not understand its meaning. End quote.
Majmoo‘
al-Fataawa (3/41)
And Allah knows
best.
Source: Islam
Q&A
4.0 REJECTING THE SUNNAH AND PRAYING BEHIND
SOMEONE WHO DOES
Assalamalaykum wa
rahmatulla wa barakatuh,
Question
My family is not
very religious but I try to be, but am constantly mocked and ridiculed for
trying to follow the sunnah of Prophet Muhammad and enjoining the right and
forbidding the wrong. My family think I am extreme in my views because I hold
hadith in high regard, whereas my father does not. He believes that a hadith
explaining the commandments in the Qur'an, for example praying, should be
followed, but those concerning matters outside of the Quern, for example
prohibition of touching a female who is not your mehram, should not be
followed. He has many other beliefs, but my question is this:
Is it permissible
for me to pray behind him with him as the Imam? If not, is it permissible for
me to pretend that I am praying so that he does not feel offended that I do not
want to pray behind him? Because I have read in Quern that children should not
hurt their parents, and one of the biggest sins in Islam is a child making his
parents cry, and I feel that in telling him that I am not able to pray behind
him, I would infact hurt him.
I eagerly await
your response. Jazzakallahkhairum for your help.
Wa
alaykum-as-salam wa rahmatulla wa barakatuh.
Answer
Al-hamdu lillaah.
The situation in
which you are, dear brother, is certainly a difficult one. It is not easy to
live with a father that has aberrations and perversities stemming from being
misguided from the true path of ahl us-sunnah wal-jamaaah (the followers of the
Quraan, Sunnah, and our pious predecessors). However, a Muslim is to anticipate
and seek reward from Allaah for: being patient with and persevering in dealing
with your father; and, being polite when counseling and showing him the truth
of guidance, using appropriate and agreeable methods that do not give your father
the impression that you are trying to show superiority or arrogance, or that
you are belittling him. Instead, your father should feel that the advice is
from a son that acknowledges and respects his position as his father, and that
your concern is out of care and veneration., as the case was with Prophet
Ibrahim (peace be upon him) when calling his father to the path of truth.
Allaah the Most Glorious said in the Quraan (interpretation of the meaning):
When he (Ibrahim) said to his father: "O
my father! Why do you worship that which hears not, sees not and cannot avail
you in anything? O my father! Verily, there has come to me of knowledge that
which has not come to you. So follow me; I will guide you to a straight path. O
my father! Worship not Satan. Verily, Satan has been a rebel against the Most
Beneficent (Allah). O my father! Verily, I fear lest a torment from the Most
Beneficent (Allaah) overtake you, so that you become a companion of Satan ( in
Hell-Fire)." He (the father) said: " Do you reject my gods, O
Ibrahim? If you do not stop (this), I will indeed stone you. So get away from
me safely before I punish you." Ibrahim said :" Peace be upon you. I
will ask forgiveness of my Lord for you. Verily, He is unto me, ever most
gracious. (Holy Quran chapter surat Maryam, 19:41-47)
Note that Prophet
Ibrahim (peace be upon him) addressed his father in the most subordinate and
most refined, courteous, and polite expression (abati in Arabic). Prophet
Ibrahim (peace be upon him) did not say to him, "I am a scholar and you
are ignorant"; instead, he said "There has come to me of knowledge
(as a Prophet) that which has not come unto you." Ibrahim (peace be upon
him) showed his concern and compassion towards his fathers well-being when he
said, "O my father! Verily, I fear lest a torment from the Most Beneficent
(Allaah) overtake you." When his father rejected the truth and threatened
to stone him, Ibrahim (peace be upon him) replied in utmost politeness,
"Peace be upon you," and promised him that he will pray to his Lord
on his behalf for forgiveness. This is how a righteous son should advise his
misguided father.
You also should
know that rejecting or denying the Sunnah of our Prophet (peace be upon him) is
an extremely grave matter; hopefully this subject will be covered in detail as
a separate issue. In brief, if your father’s bidaah (innovation in religion)
takes him out of the fold of Islam, then your prayers behind him is not valid
since he would be a kafir (infidel, unbeliever). Such would be the case if, for
example, he insists and persists in completely rejecting the sunnah in its
entirety, even after the proof and evidence demonstrating and substantiating
the truth and validity of the matter is presented to him. On the other hand, if
your father’s bidaah does not take him out of the fold of Islam, such as the
case of refusing to perform certain acts mentioned in the Quraan and Sunnah,
then it is permissible to pray behind him and your prayers are sound, and
Allaah knows best.
Addendum: Sheikh
Muhammad ibn Salih ibn Uthaimeen has replied the following with regards to this
question:
Denying (the
Sunnah) could be of two types: a denial with regards to interpretation or a
denial of rejection. If it is a denial of rejection, in the sense that one
might say, "Yes, I realize that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said this,
but I reject it and dont accept it," then the person is a kaafir
(unbeliever) and has committed apostasy. Thus, it would be impermissible to
pray behind him. If, on the other hand, it is a denial of interpretation, then
he is granted a respite, if the interpretation is possible and warranted by the
language, and he knows the sources of Islamic law and its resources. In this
case, it is not an act of kufr, but rather under the category of those who innovate
incorrect practices in the religion (if his interpretation is such). It would
be permissible to pray behind such a person, unless there is a beneficial
objective behind not doing so, such as deterring him from such opinions, so
that he may reconsider his mistaken interpretations. In this latter case, then
it would be preferable not to pray behind him (if such a beneficial effect
would be realized). Source: Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
References
https://islamqa.info/en/answers/115125/ruling-on-one-who-rejects-a-saheeh-hadith
https://islamqa.info/en/answers/9067
https://islamqa.info/en/answers/20153
https://islamqa.info/en/answers/604,
https://islamqa.info/en/answers/13206
https://islamqa.info/en/answers/77243
https://islamqa.info/en/answers/245
