In The Name of Allaah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.

The Prophet [peace and blessings be upon him] said, “Allaah will raise for this Ummah at the end of every hundred years the one who will revive its religion for it”. (1)

“Allaah will raise for this Ummah”– Meaning the Ummatul Ijaabah [i.e. the Muslims]. “At the end of every hundred years”– Meaning at the end of every hundred years when there is little knowledge of the Sharee’ah and the authentic Prophetic Tradition, whilst ignorance and religious innovation is rife. “One who will revive its religion for it”– Meaning a scholar who is alive and well known. He will clarify the authentic Prophetic Tradition and distinguish it from the religious innovations. knowledge will be abundant again and its adherents will be aided, and the proponents of religious will be overcome and degraded. This reviver is non else but a scholar who has sound understanding of the religious sciences that deal with acts of worship, the underlying wisdoms of the religion and the texts that deal with beliefs of the heart. (2)

Imaam Ibn Katheer [may Allaah have mercy upon him] said, “A group amongst the scholars- including Ahmad Bin Hanbal – stated that Umar Bin Abdul Azeez was alive at the end of the first hundred years and he is more worthy and entitled to be entered into this category of people due to his leadership and striving to establish truth”. (2.1)

The Upright Revivers And The Criteria of Upright Leadership In The Religion

Allaah [The  Mighty and Majestic] said:

إِنَّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ كَانَ أُمَّةً قَانِتًا لِّلَّهِ حَنِيفًا وَلَمْ يَكُ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ

Verily, Ibraaheem was an Ummah [leader], Qaanitan [obedient], Haneefan [one who worshipped Allaah alone], and he was not one of the Mushrikeen [polytheists and those who associate partners with Allah in worship]. [Surah An-Nahl. Aayah 120]

Ibraaheem [peace be upon him] is the Imaam of the Hunafaa [i.e. Leader of the people of Tawheed- those who single out Allaah in worship] and this is why Allaah said to him:  [إِنِّي جَاعِلُكَ لِلنَّاسِ إِمَامًا – Verily, I am going to make you a leader (Prophet) of humankind]. [Surah Al-Baqarah. Aayah 124]

It is a customary habit of the people that they do attach themselves to the great personalities, especially those whom they hold in high esteem. Therefore, if a person utilise as proof that the one he follows is an Imaam [An Upright Leader], then there is no Imaam [for humankind] greater than Prophet Ibraaheem [i.e. after Prophet Muhammad], and Allaah [The Mighty and Majestic] stated about Prophet Ibraaheem: [وَمَن يَرْغَبُ عَن مِّلَّةِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِلَّا مَن سَفِهَ نَفْسَهُ – And who turns away from the religion of Ibraaheem (i.e. Islamic Monotheism) except him who befools himself?] [Surah Al-Baqarah. Aayah 130]

If a person addresses someone else with the statement, ‘My Shaikh’ in connection to a Soofee Tareeqah [i.e. a Soofee Path] or in connection to affairs of misguidance in the name of following someone he considers an Imaam [Upright Leader], then indeed Prophet Ibraaheem is the Imaam of the people who worship Allaah alone [i.e. the greatest Imaam of Tawheed and perfect example after Prophet Muhammad]. If a person utilises this as his proof [i.e. that the one he follows is an Imaam], then examine the Aqeedah [Islamic Creed] of this person whom he gives the status of Imaam and judge it based on the Qur’aan to establish whether he is from the people of Tawheed. If  a person seeks to use the station of Imaam as proof, then indeed this should be the proof [i.e. examine the Aqeedah of the one given the status of Imaam and judge it based on the Qur’aan and the authentic Sunnah to establish whether he is a person upon Tawheed].  Also, Allaah [The Mighty and Majestic] said about the Prophet [sallal laahu alayhi wasallam]: [لَّقَدۡ كَانَ لَكُمۡ فِى رَسُولِ ٱللَّهِ أُسۡوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ۬ لِّمَن كَانَ يَرۡجُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَٱلۡيَوۡمَ ٱلۡأَخِرَ وَذَكَرَ ٱللَّهَ كَثِيرً۬ا -Indeed in the Messenger of Allah (Muhammad) you have a good example to follow for him who hopes in (the Meeting with) Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah much. [Surah Al-Ahzaab. Aayah 21] (3)

Is Sayyid Qutb a Reviver

Allaamah Rabee Bin Haadi Al-Madkhalee (may Allaah preserve him) stated:

Indeed the trial initiated by this man and those with him is the trial of this era. It is the severest trial in this era because it confounds truth with falsehood (through the sound) Salafi methodology. O brothers! Beware of them. They have of deception, adulteration, plotting and trickery, which are not known except to Allaah. They preoccupy themselves mostly with (setting up) traps for the Salafi youth- neither give concern to inviting the Christians and Jews nor the rawaafid (shiites) and the soofees to the true methodology. And why is this (the case)? That is because the one who is deprived of (something) cannot give it (to others).

So (what) they mostly preoccupy themselves with is to corrupt the righteous people and those whom Allaah has guided to the path of the Lord of the Worlds.  Most of (what) they preoccupy themselves with at present in the world is to set traps for the Salafi youth and they wear a counterfeit Salafi gown so that they are able to tear it apart and distance it from this (true) methodology. They utilize various ways to defame the scholars of this (true) methodology and this methodology itself, and Allaah’s Protection is sought! They brandish the methodology of Sayyid Qutb even though within it there is insult against the prophets, excommunication of some of the Prophet’s companions, excommunication of the Muslim Ummah, creeds of misguidance -the creed of Hulool, Wahdatul Wujood, nullification of Allaah’s Attributes and the (innovated speech that the) Qur’aan is created.  All these affairs (of misguidance committed by Sayyid Qutb)- in their view- does not negate revival, because according to them he is a Mujaddid (reviver)!! We say: Yes, he is a reviver, but a reviver of every major religious innovation – the school of thought of the khaarijites, the rawaafid, the murjia, the jabariyyah and the soofiyyah. He revived all of them, and between us (Salafis) and them (i.e. the followers of Sayyid Qutb) are the books of Sayyid Qutb and his writings (as a witness). According to them, this is the reviver and an Imaam for whose sake they (establish) alliances (with those who agree with them) and show enmity (towards those who oppose them). So what calamity upon Islaam can be more severe than this calamity? (4)

What Is Hulool and Wahdatul Wujood

Hulooliyyah and ittihaadiyyah:

Hulool- Lit. “Entering” – Divine indwelling.  The belief that Allaah dwells within a particular human.  i.e. That Allaah dwells in a particular Soofi shaykh,  a pious person, a Prophet – This belief is shared by Christians, certain Soofies, certain Shiites, Sikhs and others.

Wahdaatul Wujood – Lit – Unity of Existence.  The belief that all existence is a single existence and everything we see are only aspects of the Essence of Allaah.  This belief is also held by certain Soofies, Hindus and others.

Those who believe in hulool say that Allaah dwells and is incarnate in human beings, High is Allaah above and far removed from that. This was openly called to by some of the extreme Sufis, such as al-Husayn ibn Mansoor al-Hallaaj who was declared to be an unbeliever by the scholars. They ordered that he be executed and he was crucified in the year 309H. The following saying is attributed to him: “Glory to Him who manifested His human nature, Hiding the piercing brightness of His divinity: Till His creation saw Him openly, In the form of one eating and drinking” Attributed by al-Wakeel to the book at Tawaaseen of al Hallaaj (p. 130).

And his saying: “I am the one who loves and the One who is loved is me, We are two spirits who dwell in a single body. So when you see me you see Him, and when you see Him you see us both.”So al-Hallaaj was a believer in hulool and believed in the duality of the divine nature and that the Deity had both a divine and a human nature. Thus the divine becomes incarnate within the human so that the human spirit is the divine nature of the Deity and the body is its human form. Despite the fact that he was killed for his evil apostasy and although some of the Sufis declare themselves free of him, yet others count him as a Sufi, hold that his beliefs were correct, and write down his words. From them is Abdul-‘Abbaas ibn ‘Ataa al-Baghdaadee, Muhammad ibn Khaleef ash? Sheeraazee and Ibraheem an-Nasraabaadhee, as is reported by al-Khateeb al-Baghdaadee.

Wahdatul-Wujood, i.e. that all in existence is a single reality, and that everything we see is only aspects of the Essence of Allaah. The chief claimant of this belief was Ibn ‘Arabee al-Haatimee at-Taa’ee, who was buried in Damascus having died in the year 638H. He himself says about this belief in his book al-Fatoohaat-ul-Makkiyyah: “The slave is the Lord and the Lord is a slave, I wish that I knew which was the one required to carry out the required duties.  If I were to say the servant then that is true, or if I were to say the Lord, then how can that be required for Him.” Al-Fatoohaat-ul-Makkiyyah as it is attributed by Dr. Taqiyyuddeen al-Hilaalee in his book al-Hadiyyatul-Haadiyah (p.43).

He also says in al-Fatoohaat: “Those who worshipped the calf worshipped nothing except Allaah.” Quoted as Ibn ‘Arabee’s saying by Ibn Tayrniyyah in al-Fataawaa (vol.11), who attributes it to the book al-Fatoohaat. Ibn ‘Arabee is called ‘al-‘Aarif billaah’ (The one having great knowledge of Allaah) by the Sufis, and also ‘al-Qutubul Akbar’ (The great pivot), ‘al-Miskul-Adhfar’ (the sweetest smelling musk), “al-Kibreetul-Ahmar’ (the reddest brimstone), despite his belief in wahdatul-wujood and other calamitous sayings. Indeed he praised Fir’awn (Pharaoh) and declared that he died upon Eemaan! Furthermore he speaks against Haroon for his criticism of his peoples worship of the calf, thus directly opposing the text of the Qur’aan. He also held that the Christians were Unbelievers only because they made divinity particular to ‘Eesaa, whereas if they had made it general to all then they would not have been unbelievers. [Despite all the gross deviation of Ibn ‘Arabee and the fact that the scholars declared him to be an Unbeliever, yet he is revered by the Sufis and others who do not distinguish between the truth and falsehood, and those who turn away from accepting the truth even when it is as clear as the sun. But his books, which are filled with clear apostasy, such as al-Fatoohaatul-Makkiyyah and Fusoosul-Hikam are still circulated. He even has a tafseer, which he called at-Tafseerul-Baatin since he holds that there is an apparent and a hidden meaning for every Aayah, so the outer meaning is for the people of Ta’weel. From this group came Ibn Basheesh who said: “O Allaah rescue me from the mire of Tawheed, and drown me in the centre of the sea of unity, and mix me into the state of unity and oneness until I do not see, nor hear, nor sense except through it”. (5)

Ref 1: Sunan Abee Daawud. Hadeeth Number 4291. Declared authentic by Imaam Al-Albaanee [rahimahullaah] in Saheeh Abi Daawud. Publisher, Maktabah Al-Ma’aarif.

Ref 2: An Excerpt from Awnul Ma’bood Sharh Sunan Abee Daawud. Vol 11. Pages 259-260. Publisher: Daaer Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyyah. 1st Edition 1419AH (Year 1998). Slightly paraphrased]

Ref 2.1: Al-Bidaayah Wan-Nihaayah. Vol 9. Pages 303-309. Publisher: Maktabah Al-Ma’aarif and Daar ibn Hazm. 9th Edition. 1414 AH (1994)

Ref 3: An Excerpt from ‘Sharh Kitaab At-Tawheed’. Lesson 1- By Shaikh Abdur Razzaaq Al-Badr (hafidhahullaah). Slightly paraphrased

[Ref 4: لذريعة إلى بيان مقاصد كتاب الشريعة للإمام المحدث أبي بكر محمد بن الحسين الآجري   pages: 112-113; Vol 1, abridged]

[Ref 5: http://www.salafitalk.net/st/viewmessages.cfm?Forum=8&Topic=3528%5D