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

Allaah [The Exalted] said: [وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوٓاْ أَهۡوَآءَ قَوۡمٍ۬ قَدۡ ضَلُّواْ مِن قَبۡلُ وَأَضَلُّواْ ڪَثِيرً۬ا وَضَلُّواْ عَن سَوَآءِ ٱلسَّبِيلِ – And do not follow the vain desires of people who went astray in times gone by, and who misled many, and strayed (themselves) from the Right Path]. [Surah Al-Maa’idah. Aayah 77]

Shaikhul Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah [may Allaah have mercy upon him] said: Allaah addressed the Christians because they followed the desires of their elders in religion who came before them – those misguided ones who also misguided many of their followers, so they deviated from the straight path. Therefore, when it is the case that they and their followers deviated from the straight path, then how can it be possible that Allaah would command His servants to ask Him to guide them to the path of these misguided people who also misguided others from the straight path?! [i.e. that can never be possible]

Allaah [The Exalted] said: [وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوٓاْ أَهۡوَآءَ – And do not follow the vain desires]- Meaning, because the basis of their innovations in religion was due to following the desires of their souls together with conjecture, so they became from those about whom Allaah [The Exalted] stated: [إِن يَتَّبِعُونَ إِلَّا ٱلظَّنَّ وَمَا تَهۡوَى ٱلۡأَنفُسُ‌ۖ وَلَقَدۡ جَآءَهُم مِّن رَّبِّہِمُ ٱلۡهُدَىٰٓ – They follow but a guess and that which they themselves desire, whereas there has surely come to them the Guidance from their Lord! [Surah An-Najm. Aayah 23]

And Allaah [The Exalted] said: [وَمَنۡ أَضَلُّ مِمَّنِ ٱتَّبَعَ هَوَٮٰهُ بِغَيۡرِ هُدً۬ى مِّنَ ٱللَّ – And who is more astray than one who follows his own lusts, without guidance from Allah?] [Surah Al-Qasas. Aayah 50] (1)

The Perils of Following Conjecture and Desires

Shaikh Abdur Razzaaq Al-Badr [may Allaah preserve him] stated regarding the Aayah:

[إِن يَتَّبِعُونَ إِلَّا ٱلظَّنَّ وَمَا تَهۡوَى ٱلۡأَنفُسُ‌ۖ – They follow but a guess and that which they themselves desire], “There is a tremendous benefit derived from this, because the one deprived of sound Eemaan and the sound creed sent down as revelation by Allaah- The Lord of the Aalameen, then his affair is one of two: Corruption in Knowledge or Corruption in his Intent– corruption in knowledge occurs as a result of following conjecture and corruption in one’s intent occurs as a result of following desires, or the person may combine both of them. Another benefit derived from this is that the rectification or well-being of a person cannot be attained except by way of two affairs: Upright [or sound] Knowledge and Upright [or sound] Intent. This is why Imaam Ibnul Qayyim (rahimahullaah) said in Miftaah Daarus Sa’aadah that a person is in need of two things: ‘[Sound] Knowledge by way of which he is [rightly] guided and lofty aspiration by way of which he is urged towards that [sound aspiration]’, because it maybe that a person has beneficial knowledge but not [sound] intent and aspiration. Therefore, one cannot be upright except by way of upright knowledge and intent. Sound knowledge is corrupted through following conjecture and sound intent is corrupted through following the desires of one’s soul. Allaah [The Exalted] stated about the Messenger [sallal laahu alayhi wasallam]: [مَا ضَلَّ صَاحِبُكُمۡ وَمَا غَوَىٰ-Your companion (Muhammad) has neither gone astray nor has erred]. That is because the Daal [misguided person] is one whose knowledge is corrupted and the Ghaawiy [astray one] is the one whose intent is corrupted. Also, the Prophet [sallal laahu alayhi wasallam] described his four khulafaa [Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthmaan and Ali (radiyallaahu-anhum)] with the words ‘Raashideen and Mahdiyyeen’, because the Raashid [i.e. The one who is steadfast upon the right path and is firmly established upon it] is the opposite of the Ghaawiy [The one who strays from the right path or conduct], and the Mahdee [The one guided to the path of truth and yields obediently to it] is the opposite of the Daalun [the misguided one, especially in knowledge and creed]. (2)

Al-Allaamah Rabee Bin Haadee Haadee Al-Madkhalee [may Allaah preserve him and prolong his life upon righteous deeds] said, “Destructive Good Suspicion is to have a good suspicion of the people of falsehood whether are they disbelievers, innovators or evil (open) sinners. And that which led the disbelievers to belie the Messengers, (harbouring) a severe disbelief in them and their message was due to their evil suspicion towards the people of truth (i.e. the Prophets and their true followers), and having a good suspicion of their forefathers and their religions of falsehood and disbelief. Ahlul Bidah such as the Rawaafid, the khawaarij, the soofiyyah, the murji’ah, the qadariyyah and the people of Tahazzub Al-Baatil [false partisanship] are destroyed by good suspicion towards their shuyookh and figureheads, and their corrupt creeds. On the other hand, they are destroyed by their evil suspicions towards the truth and its people. Abul Hasan Al-Maribee and his followers have a share of both this destructive good suspicion and destructive evil suspicion”. (3)

The Evil That Awaits Those Who Spread Kufr and Evil In The Earth

Allaah [The Exalted] said:

إِنَّا نَحۡنُ نُحۡىِ ٱلۡمَوۡتَىٰ وَنَڪۡتُبُ مَا قَدَّمُواْ وَءَاثَـٰرَهُمۡۚ وَكُلَّ شَىۡءٍ أَحۡصَيۡنَـٰهُ فِىٓ إِمَامٍ۬ مُّبِينٍ۬

Verily, We give life to the dead, and We record that which they send before (them), and their traces, and that which they leave behind], and all things We have recorded with numbers (as a record) in a Clear Book. [Surah Yaaseen. Aayah 12]

[إِنَّا نَحۡنُ نُحۡىِ ٱلۡمَوۡتَىٰ – Verily, We give life to the dead]- Meaning, We’ll resurrect them after their death to recompense them for their deeds. (4)

[وَنَڪۡتُبُ مَا قَدَّمُواْ – and We record that which they send before (them)] – Meaning, good and evil, the deeds they did during their lifetime. (5)

[وَءَاثَـٰرَهُمۡۚ – and their traces]. Imaam Ibnul Qayyim [rahimahullaah] said: That which they initiated of good or evil and thus they were followed by others after their death. (6)

Imaam Al-Aloosee [rahimahullaah] said: That which they left behind of good deeds, such as the knowledge they taught people, books they wrote, land they gave as endowment or a building they built in the path of Allaah and other good deeds; or sins, such as establishment of laws [legislation, rules, regulations etc] that are tantamount to oppression and transgression, or setting up principles amongst the people that are tantamount to evil and corruption, and the evil Funoon [i.e. haraam professions, crafts etc] which they initiated and were revived after them by the corrupt people. (7)

Imaam As-Sadi [rahimahullaah] said: It is the good and evil outcomes about which they were the cause of its occurrence during their life time and after their death, and those deeds that emanated from their statements, deeds and circumstances. Every good performed by one of the people due to the knowledge of the servant, his teaching and advice, or through enjoying good and forbidding evil, or knowledge he transmitted to the learners, or in a book which is benefitted from during his life and after his death, or a good deed, such as Salaah, Zakaat, Sadaqah or kindness based on which he was followed, or built a masjid or a place which the people benefit from and what is similar, it will be from the good outcomes that are written for him, and likewise are the evil outcomes. The Prophet [sallal laahu alayhi wasallam] said, “Whoever starts a good thing [i.e. something other than bidah and sin] and is followed by others, he will have his own reward and a reward equal to that of those who follow him, without it detracting from their reward in any way. Whoever starts a bad thing [i.e. a bidah, sin or something that opposes Islaam] and is followed by others, will bear the burden of his own sin and a burden equal to that of those who follow him, without it detracting from their burden in any way”. [Reported by al-Tirmidhi, no. 2675]

This subject matter makes clear to you the lofty station of calling to the path of Allaah, guidance to His path through every means and path that leads to it; and the lowly status of the caller to evil and a leader in it, and that he is the most degraded human being, one who has committed the severest crime and the greatest sin. (8)

[Ref 1: An Excerpt from Al-Jawaabus Saheeh Liman Baddal Deen Al-Maseeh. 2/70-72. Slightly paraphrased]

[Ref 2: An Excerpt from Sharh Kitaab At-Tawheed. Lesson 4]

[Ref 3: Majmoo 13/363-364]

[Refs. 4 & 5: An Excerpt from Tafseer As-Sadi. Daar Ibn Hazm. 1st edition 1424AH (2003). Slightly paraphrased]

[Ref 6. An Excerpt from Badaa’i at-Tafseer Al-Jaami Limaa Fassarahu Al-Imaam Ibnul Qayyim 2/358. Daar Ibn Al-Jawziy 1431AH. Slightly paraphrased]

[Ref 7: An Excerpt from Roohul Ma’aanee 12/325. Daar Al-Fikr. 1417AH (1997). Slightly paraphrased]

[Ref 8: An Excerpt from Tafseer As-Sadi. Daar Ibn Hazm. 1st Edition 1424AH (2003). Slighrly paraphrased]