As requested, here is one of the refutations by Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan on Aaidh al-Qarni.
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هل ضلت الأمة بعد القرن الأول
Did the Ummah become Misguided after the First Generation?!
تضايق الشيخ عائض القرني من كثرة الكتب التي ألفت في علوم الشريعة واعتبرها تورما وانتفاخا ودعا إلى ما عليه القرن الأول من الصحابة الذين ليست عندهم هذه الكتب حيث نشر في جريدة الشرق الأوسط العدد رقم 274 وتاريخ 3 /9 /2012م مقالا يبث فيه شكواه وتألمه من كثرت كتب العلم
Shaykh Aaidh al-Qarni has become disturbed from the great number of books which were written in the [different] sciences of the religion. And he considered them as something inflating and expanding [over its limits] and he called to adhere to what the first generation of the Sahaabahs were upon of those who didn’t possess the likes of these books, as found in what was published in the newspaper titled ‘as-Sharq al-Awsat al-Adad’ number 274 and on the date 3/9/2012, an article wherein he was publicizing his complaint and his irritation about the number of books of knowledge there are [now].
وأٌقول:
النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم لم يخص الفضل بالقرن الأول، بل قال: “خيركم قرني ثم الذين يلونهم ثم الذين يلونهم”، قال الراوي: لا أدري ذكر بعد قرنه قرنين أو ثلاثة فدل على أن الفضل ليس محصورا في القرن الأول، بل الفضل ممتد في هذه الأمة إلى أن تقوم الساعة كما قال صلى الله عليه وسلم: “لا تزال طائفة من أمتي على الحق ظاهرين لا يضرهم من خذلهم ولا من خالفهم حتى يأتي أمر الله تبارك وتعالى”.
I say, the Prophet sallahu alayhi was-salaam did not specify only the first generation. Rather, he said, ‘The best of you is my generation, then those who come after them, [and] then those who come after them’ the narrator added, ‘I do not remember whether he mentioned two or three generations after his generation [the Prophet sallahu alayhi was-salaam’s]’, which indicates that the virtue [mentioned in this hadeeth] is not restricted to the first generation. But rather, the virtue is extended throughout this Ummah up until the hour is established. [This is] similar to what he, sallahu alayi was-salaam, said, ‘There will not cease to constantly be a group from my Ummah steadfast on the truth. They will not be harmed [in any way] by those who abandon them, nor by those who oppose them. This will remain their condition until the order of Allah [amrullah] arrives’.
هذا الكلام في إلغاء لعهد الأئمة الأربعة وتلاميذهم وكتبهم وهم الإمام أبو حنيفة والإمام مالك والإمام الشافعي، والإمام أحمد رحمهم الله وما نشروه من العلم وما ردوا به على الخصوم، بل هذا الكلام فيه رد لجهود بقية الأئمة الذين جاؤوا من بعدهم كالإمام شيخ الإسلام بن تيمية وابن القيم وابن حجر وابن كثير وغيرهم من الأئمة والإمام محمد بن عبدالوهاب وتلاميذه من أئمة الدعوة بل هو إلغاء لكتب أهل السنة كلها.
This speech [i.e. of Shaykh Aaidh] necessitates disregarding the era of the four great imams, and along with their students and their books; – they are al-Imaam Abu Haneefah, al-Imaam Maalik, al-Imaam Shaafie and al-Imaam Ahmad, rahimahumullah, – along with what they have spread of knowledge and as well as what they have put forward of refutations upon those in opposition. In fact, this speech [i.e. of Shaykh Aaidh] necessitates a rejection of the efforts of the rest of the imams from those who came after them such as the Imaams, Shakhul Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn Qayyim, Ibn Hajar and Ibn Katheer and other than them from the Imaams. And al-Imaam Muhammad bin AbdulWahaab is from the Imaams of the dawah. Rather [this speech of Shaykh Aaidh] disregards all of the books of Ahlus Sunnah.
هذه المؤلفات التي تضايق منها الشيخ عائض ما هي إلا تبسيط لعلم القرون المفضلة وإظهار لما هم عليه من العلم والعمل ليقتدي بهم من جاء بعدهم.
These books which Shaykh Aiadh al-Qarnee has become disturbed by is nothing except a presentation of the knowledge of the three best generations and a clarification for what they were upon of knowledge and action in order that those who come after them can take them as good examples.
هذه المؤلفات فيها رد على من خالف منهج السلف وحاد عن الصراط المستقيم فهي نور يضيء الطريق للسالكين وفيها حفظ لهذا الدين.
الصحابة رضي الله عنهم لم تظهر في عهدهم الفرق الضالة ظهورها في القرون المتأخرة مما حدى بالعلماء للتأليف في الرد عليها وإيضاح ما عليه سلف الأمة وأما نهي النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم عن الكتابة في عهده فلئلا يختلط بالقرآن ما ليس منه وبعده زال هذا المحذور، وأجمعت الأمة على مشروعية الكتابة والتأليف لحفظ العلم.
These books [i.e. of Ahlus Sunnah] comprise of refutations of those who oppose the methodology of the Salaf and [those who] have opposed the straight path. Therefore, in them [i.e. these books] is a light which brightens the path for those treading it and in them [i.e. these books] is a protection for this religion. [For verily] in the time of the Sahaabas, may Allah be pleased with them, it wasn’t apparent [the presence of] deviated sects; they became apparent in the later generations which lead the Ulemaa to author books in refuting them and to clarify what the Salaf of this Ummah were upon. And as for the prohibition of the Prophet, sallahu alayhi was-salaam, from writing in his time, then it was in order that nothing from other than the Quran be mixed with it, and afterwards this fear went away. Then the Ummah came to a consensus upon the permissibility of writing and authoring as a means to preserve the religion.
ليت استنكار الشيخ عائض انصب على كتب أهل الضلال والحزبيين الذين شغلوا الناس بالدعايات الضالة.
كتب أهل السنة في مختلف الفنون مفخرة ورصيد علمي ثمين تفتخر به الأمة، وهو تصديق لقوله تعالى: (هُوَ الَّذِي أَرْسَلَ رَسُولَهُ بِالْهُدَى وَدِينِ الْحَقِّ لِيُظْهِرَهُ عَلَى الدِّينِ كُلِّهِ)، ولقوله تعالى: (إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ).
وختامًا أعود فأقول ليت الشيخ عائض يعيد النظر فيما يكتب فالرجوع إلى الحق فضيلة، ولا ينكر كتب أهل السنة إلا الصوفية والحزبيون لأنها تعارض ما هم عليه. وأربأ بالشيخ عائض أن يكون منهم.
بقلم صالح بن فوزان الفوزان
عضو هيئة كبار العلماء
And [alas!]] if only the censure of Shaykh Aaidh al-Qarnee was directed towards the books of the people of misguidance and hizbiyyah of those who have busied the people with false advertisement. The books of Ahlus-Sunnah in several of the sciences is something to vaunt about and is a precious fortune of knowledge which the Ummah upholds, and it is something attesting to the statement of Allah:
(It is He Who has sent His Messenger with Guidance and the Religion of Truth, that he may proclaim it over all religion)
And is attesting to His statement:
(Verily We: It is We Who have sent down the Dhikr [i.e. the Quran] and surely, We will guard it [from corruption]).
And to conclude, I repeat by saying only if Shaykh Aaidh were to consider recanting from his publications, for returning back to the truth is something virtuous and since no one denies the books of Ahlus-Sunnah except the people of Sufism and the people of hizbiyyah. The reason for this is that it contradicts with what they are upon. And I vigilantly warn Shaykh Aaidh to become from them [i.e. the deviants].
Written by the pen:
Saalih bin Fawzaan al-Fawzaan
A Member of the Major Scholars Committee.
Translated by
AbdulFattaah bin Uthman
Abu Fajr
