Difference between Mahdi and messenger

The term "messenger" used while referring to the coming of the blessed
Mahdi is not meant in the sense of "prophet." As revealed inthe verse
"… [Muhammad is] the Messenger of Allah and the Final Seal of the
Prophets" (Surat al-Ahzab, 40) our Prophet Muhammad (saas) is the
final prophet sent by Allah to mankind.
The term "messenger" used in reference to the blessed Mahdi, who we
are told will appear in the End Times, is employed in the sense
of"communicator of the word," as revealed in the Qur'an. In the
Qur'an,each and every Muslim isheld responsible for performing this
duty of communicating Allah's word. In this sense, therefore, every
Muslim is a messenger of Allah. Like all Muslims, the blessed Mahdi is
in the position of a communicator carrying out that duty. He calls
onpeople to display excellent moral virtues, admonishes with the
Qur'an, and tells them things about the Qur'an of which they are
unaware. He is a means by which Islamic moral values will come to
prevail on Earth and will assume the spiritual leadership of all
Muslims.
However, the role of messenger to be assumed by the blessed Mahdi is
not one bestowed by way of revelation. His is not the role of
messenger revealed by Divine revelation, but of communication of the
word of Allah. It is in anycase impossible for anyone to claim that he
is a revelation-based messenger in the Qur'anic sense unless it
isrevealed by Allah. Since it will not be so revealed, and since no
other Divine Book will be sent down after the Qur'an, such a thing is
completely out of the question.
But every Muslim is a messenger in the sense of being a communicator
of the word. The word "messenger," meaning "an envoy who preachesthe
faith of Allah," can also be used to refer to the blessed Mahdi in
thatsense. Like all Muslims, the blessed Mahdi is a messenger of Allah
charged with preaching the message of the Qur'an. He is one who tells
people of Allah and the Qur'an. In that sense,the blessed Mahdi may be
referred to as a messenger, in the same way as all other Muslims.

The Mahdi and his helpers

Our Prophet (saas) has told us that the Mahdi will serve for the
benefitof Islam and Muslims andwill carry out many important
activities. According to the information provided in the hadiths, the
Mahdi, who resembles our Prophet (saas) in terms of his moral values,
will engage in sincere effortsfor people's salvation in this world and
in the Hereafter, and by means of him there will be comfort, peace and
abundance in the world.It is also reported that he will have a small
number of helpers in this honorable and superior duty. The information
provided regarding the Mahdi's helpers in the hadiths and in the
expressions ofIslamic scholars are the signs that will enable him to
be recognized.
The 1400s (Hijri) in which we are living is a time when the portents
of the end times reported in the hadiths of our Prophet (saas) and in
the works of Islamic scholars are becoming true one by one. We are
informed that great and historic events will take place in this
period. Allah has chosen blessed people toconduce to those
developments. The superior moral values and honorable struggle of the
Mahdi, is described detailed in thehadiths. Another thing we are
informed about is the Mahdi's helpers and their various features. One
of the moststriking features is their numbers. According to the
hadiths, the numbersof his helpers, who will be active on a global
scale, will remain the same and won't change during their
transmission. This is a miraculous state of affairs created by Allah
in His wisdom. The numbers of the Mahdi's helpers are going to be the
cause of his recognition.
When the Mahdi AppearsHis Helpers Will Be Few
As revealed by our Prophet (saas) in the hadiths, the number of the
people who support him when he first appears will be very few as a
requirement of the law of Allah revealed in the Qur'an. This has
beensame in all the communities of believerswho lived throughout the
history. The Qur'an also contains information about the fewness of
sincere believers around the prophets.
For example, only few young people constituting the community in which
the Prophet Musa (as) lived, believed in him:
"No one believed in Musa except for a few of his people out of fear
that Pharaoh, and the elders, would persecute them. Pharaoh was high
and mighty in the land. He was one of the profligate." (Surah Yunus:
83)
The same thing is valid for the helpers in the period when Prophet
'Isa (as) first appeared. Itis understood that noone has believed in
him except few Disciples The Disciples believed in Prophet (as) is
revealed as follows in the Qur'an:
"You who believe! Be helpers of Allah as 'Isa son of Maryam said to
the Disciples, 'Who will be my helpers to Allah?' The Disciples said,
'We will be the helpers of Allah.' One faction of the tribe of Israel
believed and the other disbelieved. So We supported those who believed
against their enemy and they became victorious." (Surah As-Saf: 14)
The Qur'an also tells us that the Companions of the Cave were very few
in number:
"They will say, 'There were three of them, their dog being the
fourth.' They will say, 'There were five of them, their dog being the
sixth,' guessing at the Unseen. And they will say, 'There were seven
of them, their dog being the eighth.' Say: 'My Lord knows best their
number. Those who know about them are very few.' So do not enter into
any argumentconcerning them, exceptin relation to what is clearly
known. And do not seek the opinion of any of them regarding them."
(Surat Al-Kahf: 22)
In another verse we are told that the number of people following
Prophet Nuh (as) was also few:
"…But those who believed with him were only few." (Surah Hud: 40)
It is also reported in the Qur'an that very few people believed in
Prophet Lut (as). When the People of Lut (as) were struck by a great
disaster, apart from his non-believing wife, Allahrescued only the
believer members of Prophet Lut's (as) family:
"…We are going to rescue him and his family–except for his wife. She
will be one of those who stay behind. When Our Messengers came to Lut,
he was distressed on their account, feeling incapable of protecting
them. They said, 'Do not fear and do not grieve. We are going to
rescue you and your family–except for your wife; shewill be one of
those whostay behind." (Surat Al-'Ankabut: 32-33)
The Number of the Mahdi's Helpers Will be Around 300
A specific number is cited in the hadiths for the number of people who
will follow the Mahdi:
These 313 are devout believers by night and heroes by day.
(Al-Uqayli,An-Najmu's-saqib fi Bayan Anna'l Mahdi min Awladi Ali b.
Abu Talib Ale't-Tamam ve'l Qamal)
They consist of a group, including women, of 314people. They will
overcome all tyrants. Their hearts are like iron, and they are lions
by day and devout believers by night. Neither those before norafter
them can match them in self-sacrifice. (Al-Uqayli, An-Najmu's-saqib fi
Bayan Anna'l Mahdi min Awladi Ali b. Abu Talib Ale't-Tamam ve'l Qamal)
Three hundred and fourteen people, among them women, will appear
before the Mahdi. (Al-Uqayli, An-Najmu's-saqib fi Bayan Anna'l Mahdi
min Awladi Ali b. Abu Talib Ale't-Tamam ve'l Qamal)
It is striking that the number of people believing in this
valuableperson who serves for the religion and calls people to believe
in Allah, are few. There is no doubt that this is a miraculous state
of affairs. The Mahdi, who will prevail the moral values of the
Qur'an, willhave only 313-314 helpers, when even the smallest
religious communities today have thousands of members, is one of the
main distinguishing features of the Mahdi and his community.
Bediüzzaman Said Nursi also recalled in his writings that although
their numbers will be few every member of the community of the Mahdi
would be spiritually very powerful:
It was related from Muhammed b. Hanefi that: Their numbers will be
those of the people of Badr (313). In the same way that those before
them cannot match them, neither can those who come after. Their number
is as many as those who crossed theriver with Talut. (Fera Idu
Fevaidi'l Fiqr Fi'l Imam al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar)
The force and spiritual army this duty depends on is some students in
full possession of titles ofloyalty and solidarity. Nomatter how few
they may be, they are as powerful and valuable as a literal army.
(Emirdag Addendum, p. 259)
Angels Will Also Assist theMahdi
Allah will support him with three thousand angels. (Ibn Hajar
al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi Alamat al-Mahdi al- Muntadhar)
Jibril will be before them, and Mikail behind.
... .( Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi Alamat al-Mahdi
al- Muntadhar)
It is reported in the hadith that Jibril and Mikail will be among
theMahdi's helpers. According to this information, by Allah's will,
angels are also going to help the Mahdi.
The angels' help to true believers is reported in various verses of
the Qur'an. Our Lord also supported our Prophet (saas) and his
companions with angels.Some verses on the subject are as follows:
"And when your Lord revealed to the angels, 'I am with you so make
those who believe firm…" (Surat Al-Anfal: 12)
"And when you said to the believers, 'Is it not enough for you that
your Lord reinforced youwith three thousand angels, sent down?'"
(Surah Al 'Imran: 124)
Every Believer Living in the End Times Is Very Valuable
Another noteworthy subject in the hadiths of our Prophet (saas) is
thatevery believer in the endtimes will be very valuable. In the end
times, when atheism is widespread all over the world and when moral
degeneration is proceeding at a great pace, believers, and especially
the Mahdi, willencounter great difficulties and social pressure. This
is reported in one of the hadiths as follows:
Such a time will come that he who is patient before the religion will
be like one holding a glowing ember. (Fera Idu Fevaidi'l Fiqr Fi'l
Imam al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar)
To serve with this worthy person who is patient in the face of such
pressure, people need to compete with one another to be his helpmates
in great excitement and enthusiasm. However, during the end times,
truth and falsehood will change place in practice.The people who have
left the moral values of the Qur'an and the moraldegeneration's
enormous dimension may prevent people from following such an honorable
believer and joining his community.
The Mahdi's Helpers in Various Islamic Sources
They are young
The standard-bearer of the Mahdi will be a young person, fair colored,
with light beard." (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi
Alamat al-Mahdi al- Muntadhar, p. 51)
His (the Mahdi's) standard-bearer will be a young person belonging to
the line of Temimi from the East. ((Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl
al-Mukhtasar fi Alamat al-Mahdi al- Muntadhar, p. 26)
They are non-Arabs
The Mahdi's helpers will not be Arabs, but will be from other
nations." (Portents of Doomsday, p.187)
They possess knowledge
"These ministers will be wise in all matters." (M. Arabi) (Hayrettin
Gumusel, The Awaited Mahdi, p. 37, Kopru Publishing)
They will be supported spiritually
Know that when the Mahdi appears all those with great knowledge and
fear of Allah and thepeople in general will rejoice. They will be
divine, in other words spiritually supported man of the Mahdi. They
will preserve his call, assist him, and reunite him to the victory.
They will assume all heavy burdens belonging to the nation. They will
support the Mahdi beyond the duty entrusted to him by Allah." (M.
Arabi) (Hayrettin Gumusel, The Awaited Mahdi, p. 37, Kopru Publishing)
They will have a protector who is not oneof their kind. This has never
opposed Allah. He will be one of the purest and most honest
ministers." (M. Arabi) (Hayrettin Gumusel, The Awaited Mahdi, p. 37,
Kopru Publishing)
It is related from Muawiya b. Qurra that:
A group from his community will be helped until the Resurrection day.
(Ramuz al-Ahadith, 472)
They have superior moral values
It is certain they are banners of the true path.(Ramuz al-Ahadith, 1/135)
They are people of Islam who fear no condemnation from any critics nor
any malicious tales on the path of Allah. (Sunan Ibn Majah,10-259)
It is related from the blessed Ali that:
"…they are people who truly know Allah, and they will be the Mahdi's
helpers in the end times." (Abu Naim Al Qufi)
By Allah's will they are not going to be defeated
One of the distinct qualities of these ministers is that they
willnever be defeated." (M. Arabi) (Hayrettin Gumusel, The Awaited
Mahdi, p. 37, Kopru Publishing)
According to Nuaym, related from Abu Jaffar:
Allah will grant success to the army of the Mahdiand his helpers..."
(Fera Idu Fevaidi'l Fiqr Fi'l Imam al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar)
They are the most trustworthy among people
The Mahdi will remain hidden until the time comes, he will appear at
the promised time. Those whom he trusts, his viziers are the most
trustworthy. (M. Arabi) (Hayrettin Gumusel, The Awaited Mahdi, p. 37,
Kopru Publishing)
His (the Mahdi's) commanders are the most auspicious of people." (Ibn
Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi Alamat al-Mahdi al-
Muntadhar, p. 49)
They feel no sorrow for those who leave, nor joyfor those who join them
It is related from Muawiya b. Qurra that:
Neither will the desertion of those who abandon them will do them no
harm. (Ramuz al-Ahadith, 472)
It is related from Muhammad bin Hanafi that:
…As the clouds gather around the skies, so Allah will gather a
community around him. He reconciles their hearts. They do not grieve
for the martyred nor rejoice for who join them. Their number will be
as many as the Peopleof Badr (313). In the same way that those before
them can not equal them, neither can those who come after and their
number is as many as those who crossed the river with Talut (Book of
sayings on the portents of the Mahdi of the End Times-57)
Allah has concealed them
Allah has appointed a group to them as viziers.Allah has concealed
these individuals. (Hayrettin Gumusel, The Awaited Mahdi, M. Arabi p.
36, Kopru Publishing)
Allah creates a community for the Mahdi. They are concealed by Allah.
(Prophecies of the Mahdi. p. 129)
They will be true to theirword
They will act in the vanguard like leaders… In the same way that
leading believers kept their word to Allah, so they will confirm their
words. (M. Arabi) (Hayrettin Gumusel, The Awaited Mahdi, p. 37, Kopru
Publishing)
In his commentary, Ibn Marduya relates a hadithfrom Ibn Abbas: He stated that:
The Companions of the Cave will be the Mahdi's helpmates." (Al-Muttaqi
al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir al-Zaman)
In his commentary on the Qur'an, Imam Abu Ishaq Salam states that:
When the Mahdi appears he will go to theCompanions of the Cave and
greet them, and Allah will resurrect them and they will take their
places at the Mahdi's side. Afterwards, they will return to the place
where they lie and not rise again until the day of Resurrection.
(Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir al-Zaman)
Imam Suyuti states:
The slumber of the Ashab al-Kahf is a grant them by Allah. Because
they will be the Mahdi's helpers and will have the honor of being
included in the community of Muhammed (saas). (Hadiths from the
commentary by Jalaladdin Suyuti, Portents of the Mahdi of the End
Times, p. 59)
The Mahdi's Helpers in Various Islamic Sources
As revealed by our Prophet (saas) 1400 years ago, the Mahdi, one of
the chosen servants of Allah, by the will of Allah, will prevail the
moral values of the Qur'an to all over the world. He will fulfill that
duty as written in his destiny, even if he has todo it alone. It is a
mercy and blessing from Almighty Allah to be supported by helpers
during the period of his transmission. Our Lord's support for His
emissaries is revealed in the Qur'an as follows:
"If you do not help him, Allah did help him..." (Surah At-Tawba: 40)
The Ashab al-Kahf Will Join the Mahdi's Helpers
According to the blessed Huzayfa:
The Prophet (saas) stated: "My community will not be raised beforethe
Mahdi appears. Allah will support him with three thousand angels… The
Ashab al-Kahf will bewith him and be his helpers."
They Will Pray by Night and Work by Day
Abu Nuaym related from Abu Jaffar:
"Upon this call, 313 people, as many as the People of Badr, who were
not previously allied together will immediately appear, andworship by
night and actas lions by day (Fera Idu Fevaidi'l Fiqr Fi'l Imam
al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar)
CONCLUSION
The Mahdi will be a holy individual, whose moral values, physical
features,activities, services and effect on the world weredescribed by
our Prophet (saas) 1400 years ago, and which are written in his own
destiny. Those features cannot be imitated, nor acquired by effort,
so, bythe will of Allah, the Mahdi's work cannot be prevented or
rejected byany kind of pretext. By Allah's will The Mahdi will serve,
together with Prophet 'Isa who will return back to Earth for the
second time in the end times to prevail the moral values of the Qur'an
to all over the world as reported by ourProphet (saas). This is a
destiny determined by Allah. The domination of the moral values of
Islamis described in the Qur'an as follows:
It is He Who sent His Messenger with guidance and the Religion of
Truth to exaltit over every other religion, though the idolaters hate
it. (Surat As-Saff: 9)

The difference in the wordings of the Muslims in good will wishes like 'Good Morning', 'Good appetite', 'Bless you', 'Get well soon'.

There are some patterns of speech which becamea custom in every
society. This is a commonlanguage all people speak. Like saying
"GoodMorning" when they get up in the morning or when they meet in the
evening saying "good evening", when they areabout to go to bed at
night saying "good night, sleep tight", whenthey are eating
saying"good appetite", when one is ill saying "get wellsoon", when one
is doing something saying" more power to you", when one sneezes saying
"bless you"…
Almost everyone gets adapted to these patterns he sees in the society
ever since his childhood. However when one is saying these words, he
should not forget that Allah is the Only Power that would enable all
these good wishes.
And that is where the difference of a Muslim is seen. A Muslim behaves
consciously in every stephe takes, in every word he says, in every
thoughtin his mind. He never forgets that every incident he has ever
experienced all his life has happened by the Wish of our Lord. It is
only the Almighty Allah Who will enable a person to have a good day or
a good night, Who will cure him and make him healthy, Who will give
him peace and comfort in his sleep, Who will make the food he eats
delicious and beneficial or Who will ease and finalize the work he
does.
Apart from this it is our Lord Whom a Muslim loves with the most
profound and intense love, with the highest devotion and Whom he is
most loyal to. He mightforget many people he loves, many incidents or
many objects from time time. But his love for Allah is so strong that
he lives in the awareness ofthe existence, power, love, friendship,
compassion and justice of our Lord in every minute, every single
second of his 24 hours. There is not even a single moment that the
existence and dominion of Allah is not in his mind.
And for Muslim to commemorate Allah, mentioning and exaltingAllah is a
very big act of worship. It is at the sametime one of the
blessingsthat a Muslim's soul findsmost pleasure in. For that reason
he would want to commemorate Allah, to exalt His Name, to praise Him
by mentioning His greatness in every possibility he gets. A Muslim
wants to mention his love for Allah, his devotion, his submission in
every turn of phrase in the form of a prayer.
Consequently, a Muslim's way of daily talking is very different from
other people just like all his demeanors and attitudes are. A Muslim
puts the fact that it is Allah Who will create that act, into words in
every speech he makes. In every good will expression, he verbalizesthe
fact that he wishes those blessings from Allah. For instance instead
of using phrases like "Good Morning","Good Night", "Good Evening",
"Sleep tight","Good Appetite", "Get well soon", "More powerto you",
"Bless you", he mentions the Name of our Almighty Lord Who will be
creating all these wishes by saying "May Allah give you a nice day",
"May Allah give you a nice night", "May Allah give you a good
evening," "May Allah give you a nice sleep","May Allah bless you a
good appetite", "May Allah cure your illness,""May Allah ease your
work", "May Allah bless you a long life".
Apart from this, when someone says his good wishes with the
remembrance of Allah's name, he again responds by showing the same
awareness in faith. For instance when someone says"May Allah give you
a nice day", he doesn't respond by only saying"to you too". He
commemorates and exalts Allah's Name and praises our Lord. He responds
by saying "MayAllah give you a nice daytoo". Or in responding toa
Muslim who says "May Allah give you good night", he does not respond
only by saying"To you too" –Allah is beyond that- He responds by
saying "MayAllah give you a good night too". He would notuse such a
wording without mentioning Allah's name even if he was thinking about
Allahin that moment. He doesn't find it becoming to the love, devotion
friendship he feels for Allah to assume even a slightest defect in his
wordings.
This stems from the good morality of the Muslim. In his consciencehe
cannot bring himself to talk about an incidenthe knows that Allah will
create, without mentioning His name. No matter what the wording the
other person uses is, his response will definitely be by mentioning
Allah'sname and by exalting our Lord.
... and certainly the remembrance of Allah is the greatest, and Allah
knows what you do. (Surat Al-Ankabut: 45)
To Allah belong the Most Beautiful Names, so call on Him by them and
abandon those who desecrate His Names. They will be repaid for what
they did. (Surat Al-A'raf: 180)

Deobandis

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- Deobandis are one of thegroups of Muslims. This group is
connected to and named after the University of Deoband – Dar al-Uloom
– in India . Itis an intellectual school of thought that is deeply
rooted, and everyone who graduated from thatuniversity was
influencedby its academic characteristics, so that they became known
as Deobandis.
The University of Deoband was founded by a group of Indian scholars
after the British had put a stopto the Islamic revolution in India in
1857 CE. Its establishment was a strong reaction against western
advancement and its materialistic civilization in the Indian
Subcontinent, aimed at saving the Muslims from the dangers of these
circumstances, especially when Delhi , the capital, had been destroyed
following the revolution and the British had takenfull control of it.
The scholars feared that their religion might be assimilated, so
Shaykh Imdaadullaah al-Muhaajiral-Makki and his student Shaykh
Muhammad Qaasim al-Nanatuwi, and their companions, drew up a plan to
protect Islamand its teachings. They thought that the solutionwas to
establish religiousschools and Islamic centers, thus
al-Madrasahal-Islamiyyah al-Arabiyyah was established in Deoband as a
center for Islam and Sharee'ah in India at the time of British rule.
The most prominent figures of this school :
1- Muhammad Qaasim
2- Rasheed Ahmad al-Kankoohi
3- Husayn Ahmad al-Madani
4- Muhammad Anwaar Shah al-Kashmiri
5- Abu'l-Hasan al-Nadvi
6- Al-Muhaddith Habeeb al-Rahmaan al-A'zami
Thoughts and beliefs of this school :
With regard to basic tenets of belief, they follow the methodology of
Abu Mansoor al-Maatreedi.
They follow the school of Imaam Abu Haneefah with regard to
jurisprudence and minor issues.
They follow the Sufi Tareeqah of the Naqshbandiyyah, Chishtiyyah,
Qaadiriyyah and Saharwardiyyah with regard to spiritual development.
The thoughts and principles of the Deobandi school may be summed up as follows:
1. Preserving the teachings of Islam and itsstrength and rituals.
2. Spreading Islam and resisting destructive schools of thought
and missionary activity.
3. Spreading Islamic culture and resisting the invading British culture.
4. Paying attention to spreading the Arabic language because it is
the means of benefiting from the sources of Islamic Sharee'ah.
5. Combining reason and emotion, and knowledge and spirituality.
Because the Deobandis follow the Maatreedi School with regard to
belief, we have to define what al-Maatreediyyah is:
This is a philosophical (kalaami) group which is named after Abu
Mansoor al-Maatreedi. It is based on using rationaland philosophical
proof and evidence in disputes with opponents from among the
Mu'tazilah, Jahamiyyah and others toestablish the truths of religion
and Islamic belief. With regard to sources, the Maatreediyyah divide
thebases of religion into twocategories depending on the source:
1. Divine or rational: these are matters which are established
independently by reason and the reports follow that. This includes
issues of Tawheed (Islamic monotheism) and the Divine attributes.
2. Legislative matters or transmitted reports, These are matters
which reason states may or maynot exist, but there is no way to prove
rationally that they exist, such as Prophethood, the torment of the
grave andissues of the Hereafter. It should be noted that some of them
regarded Prophethood as coming under the heading of rational issues.
It is obvious that this is contradictory to the methodology of
Ahlus-Sunnah Wal-Jamaa'ah, because the Quran, Sunnah and consensus
ofthe Sahaabah (the Companions of the Prophet ) are the sources of
guidance in their view. This is in addition to their Bid'ah
(innovation) of dividing the sources of religion into rational matters
vs. transmitted reports, which was based on the false notion of the
philosophers who assumed that the religious texts contradict reason,
so they tried to mediate between reason and the transmitted reports.
This led them to force reason into fields where it has no place, so
they came up with false rulings which contradicted Sharee'ah, and that
led them to say that they did not know what the texts mean and that
only Allaah knows their meaning, or to misinterpret them altogether.
In the view ofAhlus-Sunnah Wal-Jamaa'ah (the true Islamic
methodology), onthe other hand, there is no contradiction between
sound reason and the sound transmitted reports.
Attitude of Ahl al-Sunnah towards the Maatreediyyah
It was narrated from the Prophet that this nation would split into
seventy-three sects, all of which would be in the Fire apart from one.
The Prophet explained that the saved group is the Jamaa'ah, which is
the group that follows the same path as the Messenger Sallallaahu
alayhi wa sallam and his Companions.
Undoubtedly, Ahlus-Sunnah Wal-Jamaa'ah, who adhere to the Quranand
Sunnah in terms of both knowledge and actions, are the saved group,
and this description applies to them, i.e., they adhere to that which
the MessengerSallallaahu alayhi wa sallam and his Companions adhered
to in terms of knowledge and actions.
It is not sufficient for an individual or group merely to claim to
belongto the Sunnah whilst going against the methodology of the
righteous predecessors, namely the Sahaabah and Taabi'een (companions'
successors).Rather it is essential to adhere to their methodology in
knowledge, action, approach and spiritual development.
The Maatreediyyah is oneof the groups whose opinions include true and
false views, and some things that go against the Sunnah. It is known
that these groups vary with regard to the truth, how near or far they
are; the closer they are to the Sunnah, the closer they are to the
truth and the right way. Among them are some who went against the
Sunnah with regard to basic principles, and some who went against the
Sunnah with regard to more subtle issues. There are some who refuted
other groups who are farther away from the Sunnah, so they are to be
praised with regard to their refutationof falsehood and what they have
said of truth, but they have overstepped the mark in so far as they
have rejected part of the truth and gone along with some falsehood. So
they have refuted a serious Bid'ah by means of a lesser Bid'ah, and
refutedfalsehood with a lesser form of falsehood. This is the case
with most of the philosophers (Ahl Al-kalaam) who claim to belong to
Ahlus-Sunnah Wal-Jamaa'ah.