Sayings of the Imaams regarding following the Sunnah and ignoring their views contradictory to it124
Allaah, Mighty and Sublime, says:
“Follow (O men!) the revelation given to you from your Lord, and follow not, as friends and protectors, other than Him. Little is it you remember of admonition.”
Imaam Abu Haneefah (rahimahullaahu ta’aala)
The first of them is Abu Haneefah Nu’maan ibn Thaabit, whose companions have narrated from him various sayings and diverse warnings, all of them leading to one thing: The obligation to accept the Hadeeth, and to give up following the opinions of the imaams which contradict it:
- “When a hadeeth is found to be saheeh, then that is my madhhaab.”
- “It is not permitted for anyone to accept our views if they do not know from where we got them.”3
In one narration, “It is prohibited for someone who does not know any evidence to give verdicts on the basis of my words.”
Another narration adds, “…for we are morals: We say one thing one day, and take it back the next day.“
In another narration, “Woe to you, O Ya’qoob! Do not write down everything you hear from me, for it happens that I hold one opinion today and reject it tomorrow, or hold one opinion tomorrow and reject it the day after tomorrow.”
2. “When I say something contradicting the Book of Allaah, the Exalted, or what is narrated from the Messenger (salallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam), then ignore my saying.”
Imaam Maalik ibn Anas (rahimahullaahu ta’aala)
As for Imaam Maalik ibn Anas, he said:
- “Truly I am only a mortal: I make mistakes (sometimes) and I am correct (sometimes). Therefore, look into my opinions: All that agrees with the Book and the Sunnah, accept it; and all that does not agree with the Book and the Sunnah, ignore it.”
2. “Everyone after the Prophet (salallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) will have his sayings accepted and rejected – not so the Prophet (salallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam).
3. Ibn Wahb said: “I heard Maalik being asked about cleaning between the toes during ablution. He said, “The people do not have to do that.’ I did not approach him until the crowd had lessened, when I said to him, ‘We know of a sunnah about that.’ He said, ‘What is that?’ I said, ‘Layth ibn Sa’d, Ibn Lahee’ah and ‘Amr ibn al-Haarith narrated to us from Yazeed ibn ‘Amr al-Ma’aafiree from Abu ‘Abdur-Rahmaan al-Hubulee from Mustawarid ibn Shaddaad al-Qurashee who said, ‘I saw the Messenger of Allaah (salallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) rubbing between his toes with his little finger.’ He said, ‘This hadeeth is sound; I had not heard of it at all until now.’ Afterwards, I heard him being asked about the same thing, on which he ordered cleaning between the toes.”
Imaam Ash-Shaafi’ee (rahimahullaah)
As for Imaam as Shaafi’ee, the quotations from him are most numerous and beautiful, and his followers were the best in sticking to them:
1. “The sunnahs of the Messenger of Allaah (salallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) reach, as well as escape from, every one of us. So whenever I voice my opinion, or formulate a principle, where something contrary to my view exists on the authority of the Messenger of Allaah (salallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam), then the correct view is what the Messenger of Allaah (salallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) has said, and it is my view.”
(more…)
