"Indeed in their stories there is a lesson for men of understanding." (Surah Yusuf:111)
Introduction
Character of
the Messenger of Allah
Companions
of the Prophet (peace be upon him)
Islam under
Attack
Protection
of Deen
Relevance of
the Salaf-e-Saliheen in the 21st century.
Adherence to
Islam
Conveying
the Message of Islam
Speaking
ill of the Pious Predecessors
Muslims Today
see also: Biography of the Prophet
Muhammad
Introduction
It is quite easy to come across
the term “salaf-e-saliheen” or pious predecessors when the history and
golden age of Islam is discussed or when the lives of the great luminaries
of this ummah are discussed. However, the extent to which these terms are
understood is very limited. This short article is an attempt to explain
who the pious predecessors were and their contribution to the progress
and propagation of Islam, without delving into any terminology or unnecessary
differences of opinion, simply shedding light on a few important aspects
regarding this topic and at the same time, making the reader aware of the
relevance of the “salaf-e-saliheen” to the Muslims of today.
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Character
of the Messenger of Allah
It cannot be hidden from anyone who
has been given understanding or applies himself to thinking that the Messenger
of Allah
was endowed with the most excellent qualities and virtues beyond number.
Any attempt to do justice to his status would fail miserably, though tongues
may dry out and pens dry in trying to praise him. Thus, when the Messenger
of Allah
was made the most perfect example and bestowed with perfection of character
and attributes, it was natural that the hearts of people were captivated
by his noble person and that in the midst of the prevailing injustice and
ignorance, they accepted him as their guide, following him and abiding
by his noble teachings.
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These chosen people were taken out
of the darkness of polytheism and idol-worship and shown the light of Islam,
whose hearts were united after centuries of fighting and bloodshed and
who were made the leaders of the Muslim Ummah are referred to as the Sahabah,
the illustrious companions of the Messenger of Allah .
It was they who were chosen by Allah from amongst mankind to answer the
call of the Prophet of Allah ,
those who selflessly sacrificed everything in their possession for the
sake of Islam. This was the blessed group who bore the great responsibility
of spreading the message of Islam and who encountered every difficulty
and suffering, but never betrayed this mission, those who displayed utmost
patience and steadfastness upon difficulties...until Allah the almighty
granted Islam victory and strength and the torch of Islam began to burn
with all its brightness.
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However, from the very birth of Islam,
the true religion of Allah was confronted with numerous fatal attacks,
devised by the enemies of Islam to totally wipe out its teachings and its
followers. Misguided interpretations of the Qur'an and Sunnah, innovated
practices and invasions by the enemies of Islam flourishing without any
confrontation would have resulted in Islam becoming just another name and
ideology mentioned in the books of history, had it nod been for the Companions
of the Messenger of Allah .
In the same way, those who followed the blessed age of the Companions encountered
these constant attacks upon Islam, but they, keeping in spirit with their
predecessors, relentlessly fought the forces of baatil (falsehood) and
preserved the Deen. It is these people who are referred to as the Salaf-e-Saliheen
(pious predecessors).
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Allah Ta’alah chose the Salaf-e-Saliheen
for the preservation of Islam. In every field of Islam, the Salaf-e-Saliheen
distinguished the pure untouched teachings of Islam from any foreign unislamic
concepts and thus, over the course of 1400 years, Islam remained in its
original form. Whether it be the steadfastness of the Companions on the
plain of Badr or the great heroism shown on the mountains of Uhud, be it
the severe torture endured by Imam Abu Hanifah
(rahimahullah) and Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal (rahimahullah)
or the long journeys Imam Bukhari (rahimahullah)
undertook in his thirst for knowledge, be it Shaykhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyah's
(rahimahullah) defiance of the tyrannical Tartar forces or Imam Ghazali's
(rahimahullah) challenging the corrupt philosophical ideologies of his
time; in every age and in every field, our pious predecessors fulfilled
the responsibility of preserving Islam and Allah the Almighty has spoken
the truth:
"O ye who believe! If ye help
(the cause) of Allah, He will help you, and plant your feet firmly."
(Surah Muhammad: 7)
Had they not steered the ship of
Islam through the storm of trials and tribulations over 1400 years, this
ship would have surely sunk.
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Relevance of the Salaf-e-Saliheen in the 21st century.
A question that may arise in the
minds of many is what the relevance of the lives of the Salaf-e-Saliheen
holds with the Muslims of today and how the achievements of the great luminaries
of this Ummah hold any significance for us. The simple answer to this is
that the duty of spreading and at the same time protecting Islam lies upon
the shoulders of the Muslims of today, just as this duty was binding upon
those before us, and the Salaf-e-Saliheen did not succeed in granting Islam
its strength and glory, except through two things, which are of no less
importance for the Muslims of today:
1) Adherence to Islam
2) Conveying the message of Islam
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The pious predecessors throughout
every age stood firm upon the teachings of the Qur'an and Sunnah and through
this steadfastness upon the religion, they were granted a manifest victory
over all the forces working against Islam. Without firmly abiding by the
Shari'ah, never could they have achieved what they did, nor would Allah
Ta'alah have made them the means of upholding His true religion.
"For Allah is free of all needs
from all creation." (Surah Ankabut: 6)
Iman (faith) and following the Qur'an
are requirements to be deserving of Allah's divine assistance and mercy
and any who turn away from Islam, then surely Allah is in no need of them.
"O ye who believe! If any from
among you turn back from his faith, soon will Allah produce a people whom
He will love as they will love Him." (Surah Maidah: 54)
Allah Ta'alah's help and victory
has always been with those who followed His way and this will remain so
until the Day of Judgement.
"We will, without doubt, help
Our Messengers and those who believe, (both) in this world's life and on
the Day when the Witnesses will stand forth." (Surah Ghafir: 51)
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Conveying the Message of Islam.
Studying the lives of the pious predecessors will show what sacrifices they made to ensure that the light of Islam was not extinguished and to what extents they went to propagate the message of Islam to mankind. The sacrifices our pious predecessors made paved the way for Islam until today and had they neglected this duty, the enemies of Islam would have obliterated its teachings and buried the name of Islam along with its followers.
Regarding them, the Prophet
said: "There will constantly be a group from my Ummah steadfast upon the
commandments of Allah. They will not be harmed in any way by those who
abandon their help, or by those who oppose them. This will remain their
condition until the final hour ordained by Allah arrives."
(Bukhari, Muslim)
The Prophet
also said: "This sacred knowledge will be borne by the reliable authorities
of each successive generation, who will preserve it from the interpolations
of those guilty of exaggeration, the plagiarism of the corrupt and the
false interpretations of the ignorant." (Bayhaqi)
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Speaking ill of the Pious Predecessors.
Today, it is not difficult nor does one have to go out of one's way to find people who harbour evil thoughts against the pious predecessors, making them a target of slander and spending all their time in criticising and searching for faults in their lives and character. It is of utmost importance to understand that it does not befit any person too speak ill of the pious predecessors, for verily, Allah has made them the means by which Islam has reached us. Thus, it is clear to realise that insulting and cursing them is to deny their achievements and sacrifices and to overlook their immense favour upon the Ummah. Any criticism directed towards them is an indirect criticism of the religion of Allah.
The right way to adopt is that which
Imam Tahawi rahimahullah, the great Hanafi jurist, has stated: "The learned
men of the first community and those who followed in their footsteps -
the people of virtue, the narrators of Ahadith, the jurists and analysts,
must only be spoken about in the best way. Anyone who speaks ill of them
is surely not on the right path."
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If we, as Muslims, today firmly abide
by the teachings of the Shari'ah, taking inspiration and guidance from
the teachings of the pious predecessors, and by expressing the same zeal
and fervour, treading the same path of sacrifice and devotion, insha-Allah,
Allah will grant Islam its former glory through our means and we will return
to being the "best nation amongst mankind" in the true sense. May Allah
grant us all the ability to follow in the footsteps of the pious predecessors.
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