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

The Prophet [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] said, “The best of the people are those living in my generation, then those who will follow the latter and then those who come after them. Then there will come after them people who will be treacherous and will not be trustworthy, they will bear witness without being asked to do so, and they will vow, but will never fulfil their vows, and fatness will appear among them”.

Al-Allaamah Rabee Bin Haadi Al-Mad’khali [may Allaah preserve him] stated, “They give false testimony, act treacherously and deceitfully. They behave in a very sinful manner and follow evil desires, except those whom Allaah safeguards amongst the Taa’ifatul Mansoorah [i.e. the aided group of Muslims upon the straight path] – those whom Allaah’s Messenger [alayhis salaatu wassalaam] praised. Therefore, it is obligated on us to acquire knowledge for the sake of Allaah [The Mighty and Majestic] and act upon it. Ignorance is a deadly disease and knowledge is a weapon that will destroy you if you do not act upon it, and Allaah’s refuge is sought. [Marhaban Yaa Taalibal Ilm pages 268-270]

Imaam An-Nawawi [may Allaah have mercy upon him] stated regarding the statement, “They will bear witness without being asked to do so”, this can mean that they bear witness before being asked, or they bear witness based on falsehood, or they give witness without being from those who are worthy of it”. [Sharh Saheeh Muslim 12/17]

However, there is another Hadeeth in which the Prophet stated, “Should I not inform you about the best of witnesses, they are those who bear witness before being asked.’’ The scholars say that what is intended by this hadeeth is for example: someone has a witness to give on behalf of another person based on truth, but the person does not know about it, so he [i.e. the one who should give the witness] informs the person about it; or for example, a person has already passed away and another person knows what the deceased person has left behind as inheritance, so he bears witness to that and makes it known”. [Fat-hul Baari Sharh Saheeh al-Bukhaari 5/260]

And regarding the statement, “And fatness will appear among them” – Meaning, these people give importance to the means of fattening themselves – food, drink and over-abundance. So, their only concern is their bodies and fattening themselves. As for being fat without choice, then one cannot be blamed for that, just as a person cannot be blamed for being tall, short, black or white. [Majmoo Al-Fataawaa 10/1056 -By Imaam Muhammad Ibn Saaleh al-Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy upon him)]

Indeed, this man claims to be fighting extremism and deradicalizing extremists in the name of Islam, however, his statements and beliefs clearly demonstrates that he is hiding behind this battle against extremism to call to the path of the heretical philosophers. There is no doubt that the one upon such a path will harbour enmity towards the people who follow the sound Salafi Methodology. He jumped out from the frying pan into the fire – an enemy of Salafiyyah whilst he was affiliated with the Khaarijites- Radicals of Hizb at-Tahreer – and he still an enemy of Salafiyyah, whilst affiliated with philosophers. Ed Husain stated – whilst rebutting the Radicals, but also manifesting his hatred towards the people of Sunnah: “There are many such lessons of compassion, kindness and care in the life of the Prophet that are airbrushed by today’s fanatics. The bigotry of the Salafi jihadis can only be challenged and eventually uprooted by educating them on the Prophet of Islam described in the Qur’an “as a mercy to the worlds”. Many in the world today would be rightly asking “where is this mercy?” For what we see is beheadings, wars and suicide bombings in the name of religion. Sadly, we will continue to witness such evil unless we address the motivations of the Salafi jihadist killers. They kill in the name of religion; we cannot respond by citing the virtues of Darwin, secularism and materialism. The only language these radicals understand is that of religion. It is by mustering the best of religion that we defeat the worst of It”. [End of quote]

In the above statement, Ed Husain seeks to distort Salafiyyah by claiming that there is a group to be categorized as “Salafi Jihadists”. This is a mighty slander indeed, because the Salafi Methodology is free from the Bidah and satanic ideas of the Jihadists and all other proponents of Bidah, including Ed Husain and his associates. Read article by Shaikh Abu Khadeejah [may Allaah preserve him] titled “A response to Western academics who categorise Salafis into Quietists, Politicos and Jihadists – and why this is a false categorisation”: https://abukhadeejah.com/a-response-to-western-academics-who-categorise-salafis-into-quietists-politicos-and-jihadists-and-why-this-is-a-false-categorisation/

Also read article title “Salafi Shaikh Fawzaan on Jihad in our times and the guidelines of Jihad according to Islam” https://abukhadeejah.com/salafi-shaikh-fawzaan-on-jihaad-in-our-times-and-the-guidelines-of-jihaad-according-to-islam/

As for his preoccupation with philosophy, which Shaikhul Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah [may Allaah have mercy upon him] likened to “the flesh of a camel at the top of a mountain- neither easy to climb the mountain nor is the flesh good enough to justify climbing, nor is the path leading to it easy to follow” (1) it led him to promote the most misguided ones amongst the heretical philosophers such as Ibn Sina, Al-Farabi and their ilk.

So, after disassociating himself from the path of the Hizb Tahreer radicals, Ed then promotes the heretical philosophers – jumping from the frying pan into the fire. Imaam Muhammad Ibn Saaleh Al-Uthaymeen [may Allaah have mercy upon him] said, “There is nothing- based on what I can see – that is more harmful to the Muslims in their creed than theological rhetoric and philosophical logic. Many of the senior scholars of philosophical rhetoric affirmed – at the end of their lives – that they wished to die upon the religion [i.e. the religion that is in conformity with what is found in the Qur’aan, authentic Sunnah and understanding of the pious predecessors] and return to their natural disposition [i.e. Islaam as revealed in the authentic texts]. Shaikhul Islam Ibn Taymiyyah said, ‘The ones it is feared for the most that they will fall into misguidance are those scholars of philosophical rhetoric at the intermediate level, because those who did not engage in it were safe from its evils; and those who engaged in it and reached a high level became acquainted with its corruption and falsity, and thus left it'”. (2)

Allaamah Rabee Bin Haadee Al-Madkhalee [may Allaah preserve him] said, “Shaikhul Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah [may Allaah have mercy upon him] stated that the people in their pursuit of knowledge and religion have two innovated paths and a path legislated in the Sharee’ah. The path of the Islamic legislation is to look at that which the Messenger brought, utilise it as evidence and act upon that which it necessitates, therefore, there has to be knowledge based on that which he came with and to act upon it, and only one of them is not enough. This path is built upon the sound intellectual proofs and the sound proofs that are based on absolute certainty [in conformity with the revelation], because indeed the Messenger clarified the sound intellectual proofs whose limits are determined by the (infallible) divine texts and the Messengers clarified the sound rational proofs which the people are in need of, just as Allaah put forth in the Qur’an every kind of similitude. This is the straight path which Allaah commanded His servants to ask Him to guide them to.

As for the two innovated paths, one of them is the path of the people of innovated theological speech and views, for indeed there is much falsehood in this. Many of its people become negligent in the deeds commanded by Allaah and His Messenger, so they remain upon corruption in knowledge and deeds. These people stray towards false Judaism.

The second is the path of people who employ ways of strengthening the soul, the people of the Soofi paths and innovated acts of worship. These ones stray towards false Christianity, because they say that if a person purifies his soul based on the manner in which they have stated, then the sciences of the religion will come to him in abundance without learning. The acts of worship of many amongst these people are innovated; rather they are in opposition to that which the Messenger came with and thus they remain upon corruption in their deeds and corruption due to deficiency in knowledge, since they do not know what the Messenger came with. These people often malign one another and every group speaks ill against the other, whilst each of them claims to be following the Messenger. However, what the Messenger came with is neither in agreement with what these ones say nor what those ones say. “Ibrahim (Abraham) was neither a Jew nor a Christian, but he was a true Muslim Hanifa (Islamic Monotheism – to worship none but Allah Alone) and he was not one who associated partners to Allaah in worship”. [Surah Aal Imraan. Aayah 67]

Neither Allaah’s Messenger nor his companions were upon the path of the people of Bidah amongst the proponents of Theological Rhetoric and Views, nor upon the path of the people of Bidah amongst the proponents of innovated worship and Soofiyyah; rather he was upon that which Allaah sent him with based on the Qur’aan and Sunnah. (3)

A former Tahreeri and a promoter of heretical philosophers utters rubbish regarding Salafiyyah! This is the reality of Ed Husain – a man upon conjecture and desires. Allaah [The Exlated] [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 Iman and the creed ordained by Allaah- The Lord of the entire existence, his affair is one of two: corrupt Knowledge or corrupt intent. Corrupt knowledge occurs as a result of following conjecture and corrupt 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 knowledge and upright intent. This is why Imaam Ibnul Qayyim said in Miftaah Daarus Sa’aadah that a person is in need of two things: sound knowledge by way of which he is 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 upright 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: [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 described his four khulafaa [Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthmaan and Ali] 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 yeilds obediently to it] is the opposite of the Daalun [the misguided one, especially in knowledge and creed]. (4)

To be continued InShaaAllaah

[Ref 1: Naseehat Ahl Eemaan Fee Radd Alaa Mantiq al Yunaan. page 157]

[Ref 2: Sharh Hilyati Taalibil Ilm page 28. paraphrased]

[Ref 3: Al-Mukhtaaraat Al-Bahiyyah Min Kutub Shaikhil Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah. 290-291. Slightly paraphrased]

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