They are denouncing him for applying the Sunnah and saying that it divides the Muslims.

The imam of our mosque said in a Friday khutbah that we should not be
strict in following the Sunnah ofthe Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) because the Sunnah divides Muslims and we must be
united. He quoted as evidence the fact that a Bedouin came to the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and
said: O Messenger of Allaah, tell me of an action which, if I do it, I
will enter Paradise. He said: Worship Allaah and do not associate
anything with Him, establish the prescribed prayers, pay the
obligatory zakaah and fast Ramadaan." He said: By the One in Whose
hand is my soul, Ishall never do anything more or less than that. When
he turned to leave, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: "Whoever would like to look upon a man who is one of the
people of Paradise, let him look upon this man."
Is this correct? Please note that we are followers of the Sunnah, and
he calls the one whofollows the Sunnah an extremist.
Please advise us, may Allaah bless you.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
Your imam has said something that is wrongand false. What he should
have done was fear Allaah his Lord and refrain from speaking words
that involved sin.
The Prophetic Sunnah is the guidance of the Prophet(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) and his wordsand deeds. How can the
Sunnah be dividing the Muslims?! What can unite them if the
Sunnahdivides them?
If this imam was sincere he would have said that the Sunnah is what
unites people, and brings them together.
Imam Abu'l-Muzaffar al-Sam'aani (may Allaah have mercy on him)
said:The reason why ahl al-hadeeth were united is that they learned
theirreligion from the Qur'aan and Sunnah andsound reports, which
united them and brought them together, whereas the followers
ofinnovation learned theirreligion by means of reasoning, which
divided them and made them differ.Al-Intisaar li Ahl al-Hadeeth(p.
47),
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
The cause of unity and harmony is accepting the religion as a whole
and following all of it, which is worshipping Allaah alone with no
partner or associate, as He enjoined, both inwardly and outwardly.The
cause of division is failing to do some of that which is enjoined upon
a person, and transgression among different groups.
The result of unity is mercy from Allaah, His pleasure and blessings,
happiness in this world and in the Hereafter andbrightness of the
face, whereas the result of division is the punishment and curse
ofAllaah, darkness of the face and the disavowal of the Messenger.
Majmoo' al-Fataawa(1/17).
He (may Allaah have mercy on him) also said:
Accepting sound reports from the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) brings harmony, as was narrated from Maalik (may Allaah
have mercy on him) who said: When knowledge decreases harshness will
prevail and when there is little knowledge of hadeeth then whims and
desires will prevail.
Dar' al-Ta'aarud (1/149)
How can the follower of the Sunnah be called an extremist when the
Muslim is enjoined to follow it and take the guidance of the
Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) as his example?
What would this imam say about the deeds of the Sahaabah (may Allaah
bepleased with them) when they followed the Sunnah of their
Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) so closely? What
would he say about this event?
It was narrated that Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with
him) said: Whilst the Messenger of Allaah(peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) wasleading his companions in prayer, he took off
hissandals and placed themto his left. When the people saw that, they
took off their sandals too. When the Messenger of Allaah(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) finished the prayer he said: What
made you take off your sandals? They said: We saw you take off your
sandals so we took ours off too. The Messenger of Allaah(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: Jibreel(peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) came to me and told me that there was some dirt on
them. and he said: When one of you comes to the mosque, let him look
and if he sees any dirt (impurity) on his shoes, let him wipe it off
and pray in them."
Narrated by Abu Dawood (650); classed assaheeh by al-Albaani.
These companions of theProphet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) took off their shoes whilst praying simply because they saw their
Prophet(peace andblessings of Allaah be upon him) take off his shoes.
So what if it was aSunnah narrated from him or it was something that
he taught?
Secondly:
Criticizing the followers of the Sunnah of the Prophet(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) and accusing them of being
extremistsor fanatics is offensive and is slander. Allaah hasissued a
warning to the one who does that, let alone the fact that it is an
imitation of the mushrikeen who did thisbefore him.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And those who annoy believing men and women undeservedly, they bear
(on themselves) the crime of slander and plain sin"
[al-Ahzaab 33:58]
"Verily, (during the worldly life) those who committed crimes used to
laugh at those who believed.
30. And, whenever they passed by them, used to wink one to another (in mockery).
31. And when they returned to their own people, they would return jesting;
32. And when they saw them, they said: 'Verily, these have indeed gone astray'"
[al-Mutaffifeen 83:29-32]
Shaykh al-'Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
"And when they saw them" means, when the sinners saw the believers, they said:
"Verily, these have indeed gone astray" i.e.,gone astray from the
right path, and they are backward and narrow-minded and extreme, and
other such labels. Those people have their successors in our own
times. Some people say of good people that theyare regressive and
backward, and they say of the one who is religiously committed that he
is extremist and narrow-minded. Even worse than all of that, they said
of the Messengers that they were sorcerers or madmen. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):"Likewise, no Messenger came to
thosebefore them but they said: 'A sorcerer or a madman!'"
[al-Dhaariyaat 51:52]. The heirs of the Messengers, who are
thescholars and those who are religiously committed encounter the same
from the enemies of the Messengers as the Messengers encountered, of
offensive labels and mockery, and so on. Among these accusationsthat
the followers of innovation and those who deny the attributes of
Allaah gave to those of the early generation who affirmed His
attributes was that they thought of Allaah as a physical being, and
other such negative accusations which put people off from the
rightway.
Liqaa'aat al-Baab il-Maftooh(no. 30).
Thirdly:
The kind of strictness in religious adherence which is to be
criticized is that which regards mustahabb things as obligatory and
makrooh things as haraam. The Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) warned against going to extremes in religion, andhe also
warned against undue strictness. Extremism and strictness does not
mean applying the Sunnah, rather it means changing its rulings and
being too strict with regard to commands and prohibitions when that is
not the case.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said – commenting on the hadeeth, "Do not
be too strict with yourselves, for some people were strict on
themselves and Allaah was strict on them, and we see the remnants of
that in theirhermitages and monasteries." - :
Here the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade
being strict in religion by going beyond what isprescribed. Strictness
may sometimes means taking what is not obligatory or mustahabband
making it obligatoryor mustahabb with regard to acts of worship, and
sometimes it may mean taking something that is not haraam or makrooh
and making it haraam or makrooh with regard to things that are good.
The reason for that is that Allaah was very strict on those among the
Christians who were too strict on themselves, until it ended up in the
innovation of monasticism.
Thus it may be noted that the Prophet dislikedsuch things that the
Christians did, such as innovation of monasticism, even though many
devoted Muslims have fallen into the same trap on the basis of their
interpretation for which they may be excused, or they fell into this
trap with no justification.
It may also be noted thatbeing too strict with oneself in the
beginningmay lead to further strictness imposed by Allaah, either
through laws or through His decree. As for laws, this is what the
Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) feared during his
own time, of an increase in obligations or prohibitions such as
thatwhich he feared when they gathered to pay Taraweeh with him, and
when they asked about things that had not beenforbidden, and such as
the fact that when a person vows to do an actof worship it becomes
obligatory for him to do it even though he is forbidden to make
vows,and similarly expiations which become obligatory for specific
reasons.
As for the divine decree, we have often seen and heard that those who
goto extremes in some issues, will be caused to suffer in ways that
lead to things becoming more strict on him with regard to what is
obligatory and what is haraam, such as many ofthose who are affected
with waswaas about purification. When they do more than is prescribed,
they will endup suffering from things that lead to something that may
cause more hardship and harm to them.
Iqtida' al-Siraat al-Mustaqeem(103, 104).
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, commenting
on the hadeeth of the Messenger(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him): "O people, beware of going to extremes in religious matters for
those who came before you were doomed because of going to extremes in
religious matters." Narrated by al-Nasaa'i (3059) and Ibn Maajah
(3029); classed as saheehby al-Albaani inSaheeh al-Nasaa'i:
In this hadeeth the Messenger(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) warned his ummah against going toextremes and proved that going
to extremes isa cause of doom, because it is contrary to sharee'ah,
and because it led to the downfall of previous nations. So it may be
understood fromthis that going to extremes is haraam for two reasons:
1 –He(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) warned against it,
and a warning is a prohibition and more.
2 –It is the cause of nations' downfall as those who came before us
were destroyed, and whatever is the cause of doom is haraam.
With regard to worship, people may go to one of two extremes or be
moderate. Some are negligent, some exaggerate and some are moderate.
The proper way (as prescribed by Islam) is the middle way betweengoing
to extremes and being negligent. Being moderate and not inclining
towards either extreme is what is required. It is not permissible to
exaggerate and go to extremes in religious matters, or to be
carelessand not pay any heed. Rather we should tread a middle path
between both.
Majmoo' Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen(9/367, 368).
Fourthly:
The hadeeth which your imam quoted as evidence was narrated by
al-Bukhaari (1333) and Muslim (14), and there is no dispute as to its
soundness, but he hasmisunderstood it. If he had studied its
narrations and what the scholars said, he would not have quoted it as
evidence in this manner.According to a report narrated by al-Bukhaari,
it says, "and taught him the laws of Islam." This wording includes all
other obligatory duties, and things that are recommended.
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
The words "he was asking about Islam" mean, about the laws of Islam.
It may be understood that he asked about the realties of Islam. He did
not mention the Shahaadah to him because he knew that he already knew
it, or he knew that he was asking about practical laws, or he
mentioned it but the narrator did not transmit it because it is so
well known. And he did not mention Hajj either because it had notbeen
enjoined yet or because the narrator had shortened the report. This
second view is supported by the report narrated by the compiler –
i.e., al-Bukhaari – concerning fasting via Ismaa'eel ibn Ja'far from
Abu Suhayl in this hadeeth. He said: The Messenger of Allaah(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) toldhim of the laws of Islam, and he
included all obligatory and recommended deeds in that.
"And the Messenger of Allaah(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) mentioned zakaah" – in the report of Ismaa'eel ibn Ja'far it
says: He told me of what Allaah had enjoined upon me of zakaah. He
said: The Messenger of Allaah(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) told him of the laws of Islam. This report shows that there were
things in the story that were told in brief form, such as explaining
the minimum thresholds for paying zakaah, which are not explained in
these two reports, and neither are the names of the prayers. It seems
that the reason for that is that these things were well known among
them, or that the purpose of the story wasto show that the one who
adheres to the obligatory duties will be saved even if he does not do
naafil actions.
With regard to him succeeding when he does not fall short in that,
this is clear, but how can he succeed if he does not add anything to
it? Al-Nawawi answered by saying that the hadeeth confirms that he
will succeed because he has done what he is required to do, and there
is nothing to suggest that if he does more than that he will not be
successful, because if he succeeds by doing what is obligatory, he is
more likely to succeed if he does recommended actions as well as
obligatory deeds.
Fath al-Baari(1/108)
We hope that the imam will think about the phrase "and he taught him
the laws of Islam", and we hope that he willthink about the last words
that we have quoted from al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar, in which he approved of
the words of Imam al-Nawawi, thatsuccess is more likely for the one
who does the obligatory duties and adds to them the recommended deeds.
Fifthly:
We advise you to adhereto the commands of Allaah, may He be exalted,
and His Messenger(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and we
also advise you to adhere to the Sunnah and kept doing mustahabb
deeds,without going to extremes or exaggerating, and teach that to
people with wisdom and good methods. It is not permissible for you to
put people off by being too strict in matters that are broad in scope,
or bymaking mustahabb things obligatory, or by going to extremes in
denouncing people, especially the elite such as the imam of the mosque
or the mufti or one who holds a similar status in people's eyes.
Listen to this comprehensive advice from a great scholar:
Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan (may Allaah preserve him) said:
You must adhere to the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allaah(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) and stick to it, and not pay any
attention to the criticism of those who criticize you or blame you for
that. If your parents criticize you for adhering to the Sunnah and
they want you to be heedless about that, then do not obey them with
regard to that, especially if these sunnahs are obligatory duties that
must be adhered to, and they arenot just mustahabb, so long as it does
not reach the level of being exaggeration. But if it means that you
are exaggerating, then that is not appropriate, rather you should be
balanced and moderate in applying the Sunnah and acting upon it,
without going to extremes or exaggerating, and without being careless
or heedless. This is what you should do. Whateverthe case, you will be
rewarded – in sha Allaah– and you must adhere to the Sunnah of the
Messenger of Allaah(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and try
to convince those who are criticizing you about that, especially your
parents. You shouldencourage them to follow the Sunnah and explain to
them the reward and goodness that there is in that. Perhaps they will
drop these objections, and maybe this deed will cause them to also
adhere to the Sunnah, and you will be the one who called them to
Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted. Undoubtedly the one who wants
to call peopleto Allaah is obliged to begin with his relatives and the
closest of peopleto him, and one's parents are among the closest of
people to a person.
Whatever the case, if your adherence to the Sunnah does not go to
extremes of exaggeration, then it is something praiseworthy, and you
must continue in it, and call your parents and others to it. And
Allaah knows best.
Al-Muntaqa min Fataawaal-Shaykh al-Fawzaan(2/301, 302)
Finally: Just as it is blameworthy exaggeration to make mustahabb
things like obligatory deeds or makrooh things like haraam deeds, or
to oblige ourselves to do things that Allaah has not made obligatory
upon us, it is also ignorance of the basic principles of sharee'ah to
ignore the important general principle which is that harmony and
loveamong Muslims are essential, and we must be united in adhering
toIslam and protect the honour of the Muslim from criticism and shame,
let alone aggression and harm. It is ignorance to neglect all of that
just because someone adheres to something that is mustahabb but others
do not see it as such, or to something that he does not adhere to, and
respond by transgressing against the Muslim's honour or rights because
he neglects something that others adhere to. It is by such means that
the accursed enemy attains his goal among the believers, and it is
even worse when it happens in a foreign land where others see us as
representatives of Islam.
Imam Muslim narrated inhisSaheeh(2812) that Jaabir ibn 'Abd-Allaah
(may Allaah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Prophet(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: "The Shaytaan has despaired of
being worshipped in the Arabian Peninsula, but he will sow seeds of
discord among them."
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
As for the description of prayer, one of its issues is the Basmalah
(saying Bismillaah…), and the people differ as to whether it is a
verse of the Qur'aan or not, and whether it is to be recited or
not.Both sideshave written books that show a great deal of ignorance
and wrongdoing, even though the issues is not that serious. Adhering
blindly to one's view in these and similar matters is one of the signs
of division and dissent which is forbidden for us. The reason for
discussing these controversial minor issues is to find out which view
is more sound, as these issues are among the least serious
controversial issues, but the shaytaan may play a role in creating
divisions among Muslims because of these minor issues.
Then he said: It is mustahabb for a man to try to reconcile people by
refraining from these mustahabb deeds, because the interests served by
reconciling people in Islam is greater than the interestserved by
doing such things. Similarly, the Prophet(peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) decided not to change the structure of the Ka'bah,
because leaving it as it was would reconcile people, and Ibn Mas'ood
criticized 'Uthmaan for offering prayers in full whilst travelling,
but he still prayed behind him when he offered the prayer in full, and
said: Dissent is evil.
Majmoo' al-Fataawa(22/405-407).
And Allaah knows best.