Rufaqa' Corporation

Rufaqa' Corporation is wholly owned by Muslims based in Malaysia but having branches in a few number of countries.

Rufaqa' Corporation is a business entity, thus it is not involved or have any ties with any political parties. It will be more worthwhile for Rufaqa to strengthen it's companies and what more it would prove to be more profitable too.

In this democratic society of ours, even though freedom of speech is guaranteed but for everything there's always a limit.

If I were to make a goat as an example, being an animal it see fit to roam everywhere, eating everything edible, be it in the forest or in some farmer's vegetable garden. But free if it may seem to be but not as totally free as you and I may think for if it rains, the goat isn't free to roam around anymore.

To get straight to the point, it seems that whatever ideas or beliefs that one may hold that will disrupt the harmony of the society, then those ideas and beliefs shouldn't be blatantly put forward.

Al-`Uthaymin

by Shaykh GF Haddad

Muhammad Salih al-`Uthaymin, Ibn Baz's long-time Second Fiddle and his rightful heir and successor in strange and unusual rulings.

He made the following statements in his Fatawa:

1- "No human being seeks a means through something except he believes that it possesses effectiveness towards the end he desires."1 He made this statement in order to enable himself to declare those who make tawassul, apostate.

2- "We must not call the Messenger of Allah Habîbullâh ("the Beloved of Allah") but only Khalîlullâh ("the Intimate Friend of Allah").

3- "Can the vision of Allah Most High in the hereafter be other than in a direction?"2

4- "We should not ask the Prophet to ask forgiveness for us because the deeds of a human being end the moment he dies and he cannot even ask forgiveness for himself."
Shaykh Mamduh called this statement "impudent" and "a blunder" and refuted it in Raf` al-Minara (p. 81-86).

Like the rest of his sect, `Uthaymin is an anthropomorphist who asserts "two eyes" for the Most High and Exalted in his commentary on Ibn Taymiyya's al-Wasitiyya, whereas none of the Salaf went beyond asserting "the eye" and "the eyes" without adding "two" into the letter of the Qur'an and the hadith,
and Ibn Hazm remarked, "To say that He has two eyes is null and void and part of the belief of anthropomorphists."

In his commentary on Ibn Taymiyya's `Aqida Wasitiyya, `Uthaymin commits tamthîl - making up similes - by comparing Allah Most High to the sun, stating that "Allah is in the heaven in person (bi dhâtihi) but despite this He draws near to the servant during the latter's prayer, just as the sun is in the heaven, while its rays reach creatures on earth."
This unprecedented innovation was examined at length elsewhere.3

`Uthaymin echoed the claim of Ibn Taymiyya and Ibn `Abd al-Wahhab that Imam al-Busayri's (d. 694) verse masterpiece in praise of the Prophet titled Qasidat al-Burda "contains passages that constitute shirk."4
Wahhabis have leveled the same crass accusation against Imam al-Jazuli's (d. 870) Dala'il al-Khayrat and have succeeded in banning both books from entering Saudi Arabia. Not only none of the Imams of Ahl al-Sunna ever condemned Qasidat al-Burda for "containing passages that constitute shirk," but it was obligatory reading and part of the syllabus taught by Ibn Hajar as well as both his students, al-Suyuti and al-Sakhawi.5

He also states of the sayings of Allah Most High {Wait they for naught else than that Allah should come unto them in the shadows of the clouds with the angels?} (2:210) and {Your Lord shall arrive with angels, rank on rank} (89:22): "To explain these verses as a reference to the coming or arrival of the order of Allah is unsound because it contravenes the literal meaning (zâhir al-lafz) of the verse and the Consensus of the Salaf, and there is no proof for it."
Dr. Ahmad Hijazi al-Saqqa said: "Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-`Uthaymin says in his explanation of Ibn Taymiyya's `Aqida Wasitiyya (Cairo: Maktabat al-`Ilm ed. p. 23) that 'the coming' is not explained as 'the coming of the order,' rather it is explained as a coming which befits the majesty of Allah without anthropomorphic imagery nor suggestion of modality (min ghayri tashbîh wa la takyîf). That is, he is establishing that there is a body that moves by coming and by returning (ay annahu yuthbitu jisman yataharraku bi al-majî'i wa al-rujû`), however, he does not declare corporeality explicitly (la yusarrihu bi al-jismiyya). And this is the 'Salafi' school."6

`Uthaymin's statement above mostly shows typical concealment of the actual Consensus of the Salaf and the proofs of the Sharî`a.
It is authentically narrated from the Tâbi`în Abu al-`Aliya (d. 90) and al-Rabi` (d. 139) that they said of the first verse: "It means the angels come in the clouds"7 as confirmed by al-Bayhaqi.8 The grammarian al-Akhfash (d. 210) said that {that Allah should come} (2:210) is not understood literally concerning Allah, but means that His order (amr) should come.9
Imam Ahmad likewise interpreted {that Allah should come} (2:210) to mean that His order (amr) should come, in the light of His saying: {Await they aught save that the angels should come unto them or thy Lord's command should come to pass?} (16:33).10
He further interpreted {Your Lord shall arrive} (89:22) to mean His reward (thawâb) should come.11
The grammarian al-Zajjaj (d. ~310) said: "
It means the promised reckoning and punishment shall come to them in the form of a cloud, as in His saying: {Allah visited them fromwhere they did not expect} (59:2), that is: by abasing them."12
The above reports suffice to refute the shameless lie of a supposed consensus of the Salaf whereby they did not interpret the coming of Allah Most High as His order.

In his `Aqidat al-Muslim ("The Muslim's Belief") `Uthaymin states: "The establishment of Allah on the throne means that He is sitting in person on His throne."13
In this simple line he has
(a) violated the Salaf's rule of bilâ kayf - "not saying how" - that applies to the verses pertaining to the Divine Attributes and Attributes of Acts;
(b) attributed an act that is precluded, prohibited, and close to shirk to apply to the Transcendent Creator of the worlds, namely, "sitting";
(c) made use of an innovated phrase which the pious Sunni Salaf never used, namely, "in person" (bidhâtih);
(d) applied that innovated phrase to the Deity Most High whereas any attribute pertaining to Allah is by, Consensus, ordained and non-inferable (tawqîfî);
(e) generally promoted the doctrine of anthropomorphism, which is not Islamic but comes straight out of the abrogated Books.
Al-Shahrastani said: "Pure, unmitigated anthropomorphism was found among the Jews - not all of them, but only their literate people of learning, for they found in the Torah many expressions that suggested it."14 Al-Shahrastani also related that Ibn Karram said: "Allah is firmly seated on the throne and He is with His very Essence (dhâtan) on its upper side."

>> More on Shaykh Gibril's site

AL-ALBANI

by Shaykh GF Haddad

Nasir al-Albani is the arch-innovator of the Wahhabis and "Salafis" in our time. A watch repairman by trade, al-Albani is a self-taught claimant to hadith scholarship who has no known teacher in any of the Islamic sciences and has admitted not to have memorized the Book of Allah nor any book of hadith, fiqh, `aqîda, usûl, or grammar. He achieved fame by attacking the great scholars of Ahl al-Sunna and reviling the science of fiqh with especial malice towards the school of his father who was a Hanafi jurist. A rabid reviler of the Friends of Allah and the Sufis, he was expelled from Syria then Saudi Arabia and lived in Amman, Jordan under house arrest until his death in 1999. He remains the qibla of the people of Innovation, self-styled re-formers of Islam, and other "Salafi" and Wahhabi sympathizers, and the preferred author of book merchants and many uneducated Muslims. Most of the contemporary Sunni scholars warned of his heresy and many of them wrote articles or full-length works against him!

Among Albani's innovations in the Religion:

1- In his book Adab al-Zafaf he prohibits women from wearing gold jewelry - rings, bracelets, and chains - despite the Consensus of the Ulema permitting it.

2- He claims that 2.5% zakât is not due on money obtained from commerce, i.e. the main activity whereby money circulates among Muslims.

3- He absolutely prohibits fasting on Saturdays.

4- He prohibits retreat (i`tikaf) in any but the Three Mosques.

5- He claims that it is lawful to eat in Ramadan before Maghrib as defined by the Law, and similarly after the true dawn.

6- He compares Hanafi fiqh to the Gospel.

7- He calls people to imitate him rather than the Imams of the Salaf such as the founders of the Four Schools, and his followers invalidate the hadiths that contradict his views.

8- He prohibits the make-up performance of prayers missed intentionally.

9- He claims that it is permissible for menstruating women and those in a state of major defilement (junub) to recite, touch, and carry the Qur'an.

10- He claims over and over that among the innovations in religion existent in Madina is the persistence of the Prophet's grave in the mosque.

11- He claims that whoever travels intending to visit the Prophet or to ask him for his intercession is a misguided innovator.

12- He claims that whoever carries dhikr-beads in his hand to remember Allah Most High is misguided and innovating.

13- He invented a location to Allah Most High above the Throne which he named al-makân al-`adamî - "the non-existent place."

14- He claims in Tamam al-Minna that masturbation does not annul one's fast.

15- He published "corrected" editions of the two Sahihs of al-Bukhari and Muslim, which he deceitfully called "Abridgments" (mukhtasar) in violation of the integrity of these motherbooks.

16- He published newly-styled editions of the Four Sunan, al-Bukhari's al-Adab al-Mufrad, al-Mundhiri's al-Targhib wa al-Tarhib, and al-Suyuti's al-Jami` al-Saghir, each of which he split into two works, respectively prefixed Sahih and Da`if in violation of the integrity of these motherbooks.

17- He said: "Many of those who interpret figuratively [the Divine Attributes] are not heretics (zanâdiqa), but they say what heretics say," and "figurative interpretation is the very same as nullification (al-ta'wîl `ayn al-ta`tîl)."

18- He suggests that al-Bukhari is a disbeliever for interpreting the Divine Face as dominion or sovereignty (mulk) in the verse { Everything will perish save His countenance } (28:88) in the book of Tafsir in his Sahih: "Except His wajh means except His mulk, and it is also said: Except whatever was for the sake of His countenance." Albani blurts out: "No true believer would say such a thing" and "We should consider al-Bukhari innocent of that statement."

19- In imitation of the Mu`tazila, tawassul (seeking means), istighâtha (asking for help), and tashaffu` (seeking intercession) through the Prophet or one of the Awliyâ' he declared prohibited acts in Islam (harâm) tantamount to idolatry (shirk) in his booklet al-Tawassul as did his friends Bin Baz and those who obey them such as al-Qahtani in al-Wala' wa al-Bara' and others, in flat rejection of the numerous sound and explicit narrations to that effect, such as al-Bukhari's narration of the Prophet from Ibn `Umar - Allah be well-pleased with him -: "Truly the sun shall draw so near on the Day of Resurrection that sweat shall reach to the mid-ear, whereupon they shall ask (istaghâthû) help from Adam - upon him peace -, then from Musa - upon him peace - , then from Muhammad who will intercede (fa yashfa`u)... and that day Allah shall raise him to an Exalted Station, so that all those who are standing [including the unbelievers] shall glorify him (yahmaduhu ahlu al-jam`i kulluhum)."

20- He denies that the name of the Angel of death is `Azrâ'îl and claims such a name has no basis other than Israelite reports, although `Iyad reports the Consensus on the Umma on it in al-Shifa'.

21- Like the rest of Wahhabi and "Salafi" innovators he declares Ash`aris, Maturidis, and Sufis to be outside the fold of Ahl al-Sunna and even outside the fold of Islam, although Allah Most High and His Prophet praised them! Upon revelation of the verse { Allah shall bring a people whom He loves and who love Him } (5:54), the Prophet pointed to Abu Musa al-Ash`ari - Allah be well-pleased with him - and said: "They are that man's People."
Al-Qushayri, Ibn `Asakir, al-Bayhaqi, Ibn al-Subki, and others said that the followers of Abu al-Hasan al-Ash`ari - i.e. Ash`aris who were mostly Sufis - are included among Abu Musa's People for in every place that a people are affiliated to a Prophet, what is meant is the followers of that Prophet. As for Maturidis, they are referred to in the narration of the Prophet from Bishr al-Khath`ami or al-Ghanawi with a sound (sahîh) chain according to al-Hakim, al-Dhahabi, al-Suyuti, and al-Haythami: "Truly you shall conquer Constantinople and truly what a wonderful leader will her leader be [Mehmet Fatih Sultan - Allah be well-pleased with him -], and truly what a wonderful army will that army be!" Both the leader and his army were classic Hanafi Maturidis and it is known that Mehmet Fatih loved and respected Sufis, practiced tawassul, and followed a Shaykh. Moreover, enmity against Ash`aris, Maturidis, and Sufis, is nifâq and enmity against the Umma of Islam as most of the Ulema of Islam are thus described.

22- In at least five of his books he calls for the demolition of the Green Dome of the Prophet's Mosque in al-Madina al-Munawwara and for taking the Prophet's grave outside the Mosque.

23- He states: "I have found no evidence for the Prophet's hearing of the salaam of those who greet him at his grave" and "I do not know from where Ibn Taymiyya took his claim that he hears the salaam from someone near." This and the previous item are among his greater enormities and bear the unmistakable signature of innovation and deviation.

24- He considers it an innovation to visit relatives, neighbors, or friends on the day of `Eid and prohibits it.

25- He gave the fatwa that Muslims should exit Palestine en masse and leave it to the Jews as it is part the Abode of War (dâr al-harb).

26- He advocates in his Salat al-Nabi , the formula "Peace and blessings upon the Prophet" instead of "upon you, O Prophet" in the tashahhud in contradiction of the Four Sunni Schools, on the basis of a hadith of Ibn Mas`ud whereby the Companions used the indirect-speech formula after the passing of the Prophet . But the Prophet himself instructed them to pray exactly as he prayed saying: "Peace and blessings upon you, O Prophet" without telling them to change it after his death, nor did the major Companions (whose Sunna we were ordered to imitate together with that of the Prophet ), such as Abu Bakr and `Umar, teach the Companions and Successors otherwise!

27- He prohibits praying more than 11 rak`as in Tarawih prayers on the grounds that the Prophet never did and in blatant rejection of his explicit command to follow the Sunna of the well-guided Caliphs after him.

28- He declares that adding more to 11 supererogatory rak`as in the late night prayer (tahajjud) is an innovation rather than an act of obedience on the grounds that the Prophet "never ever prayed one hundred rak`as in his whole lifetime" although the Ulema agree that there is no prescribed limit to something which the Prophet commanded without specifically quantifying it, and he said in three authentic narrations: "Know that the best of your good deeds is prayer," "Prayer is a light," and "The night prayer is in cycles of two [rak`as] and when one of you fears the rising of the dawn, let him pray a single one." It is also established in many authentic narrations collected by Imam `Abd al-Hayy al-Lacknawi in the second part of his Iqamat al-Hujja `ala anna al-Ikthar min al-Ta`abbudi Laysa bi Bid`a that the Companions and Salaf prayed hundreds if not thousands of rak`as in every twenty-four hours!

29- He considers it an innovation to pray four rak`as between the two adhâns of Jumu`a and before Salat, although it is authentically narrated that "the Prophet prayed four rak`as before Jumu`a and four rak`as after it."

30- He declares it prohibited (harâm) and an innovation to lengthen the beard over a fistful's length although there is no proof for such a claim in the whole Law and none of the Ulema ever said it before him.

31- He gives free rein to his propensity to insult and vilify the Ulema of the past as well as his contemporaries. As a result it is difficult to wade through his writings without being affected by the nefarious spirit that permeates them. For example, he considers previous editors and commentators of al-Bukhari's al-Adab al-Mufrad ("Book of Manners"!) "sinful," "unbearably ignorant," and even "liars" and "thieves." Of one he says: "There are so many weak hadiths [in his choice]... that it is an unislamic practice"; of another: "It is ignorance which must not be tolerated"; of another: "Forgery and open lie... His edition is stolen [from a previous one]." Such examples actually fill a book compiled by Shaykh Hasan `Ali al-Saqqaf and titled Qamus Shata'im al-Albani wa Alfazihi al-Munkara al-Lati Yatluquha `ala `Ulama' al-Umma ("Dictionary of al-Albani's Insults and the Heinous Words He Uses Against the Scholars of the Muslim Community").

32- He revived Ibn Hazm's anti-madhhabî claim that differences can never be a mercy in any case but are always a curse on the basis of the verse { If it had been from other than Allah they would have found therein much discrepancy } (4:82). Imam al-Nawawi long since refuted this view in his commentary on Sahih Muslim where he said: "If something is a mercy, it is not necessary for its opposite to be the opposite of mercy. No-one makes this binding and no-one even says this, except an ignoramus or one who affects ignorance." Similarly, al-Munawi said in Fayd al-Qadir: "This is a contrivance that showed up on the part of some of those who have sickness in their heart."

33- He expresses hatred for those who read Imam al-Busiri's masterpiece, Qasidat al-Burda, and calls them cretins (mahâbîl), i.e. millions of Muslims past and present including the likes of Imams Ibn Hajar al-`Asqalani, al-Sakhawi, and al-Suyuti who all included it as required reading in the Islamic curriculum.

34- He perpetuates lies if they detract from Ash`aris, such as his remark that Imam Sayf al-Din al-Amidi did not pray, although Dr. Hasan al-Shafi`i in his massive biography entitled al-Amidi wa Ara'uhu al-Kalamiyya showed that the story that al-Amidi did not pray was a forgery put into circulation during the campaign waged by Imam Ibn al-Salah against him for teaching logic and philosophy in Damascus.

35- He perpetuates the false claim first made by Munir Agha the founder of the Egyptian Salafiyya Press, that Imam Abu Muhammad al-Juwayni - the father of Imam al-Haramayn - "repented" from Ash`ari doctrine and supposedly authored a tract titled Risala fi Ithbat al-Istiwâ' wa al-Fawqiyya ("Epistle on the Assertion of Establishment and Aboveness"). This spurious attribution continues to be promoted without verification - for obvious reasons - by modern-day "Salafis" who adduce it to forward the claim that al-Juwayni embraced anthropomorphist concepts. The Risala in question is not mentioned in any of the bibliographical and biographical sources nor does al-Dhahabi cite it in his encyclopedia of anthropomorphist views entitled al-`Uluw. More conclusively, it is written in modern argumentative style and reflects typically contemporary anthropomorphist obsessions.

36- He derides the fuqahâ' of the Umma for accepting - in their massive majority - the hadith of Mu`adh ibn Jabal on ijtihâd as authentic then rejects the definition of knowledge (`ilm) in Islam as pertaining to fiqh but claims that it pertains only to hadith, although the Ulema of the Salaf explicitly said that a hadith master without fiqh is a misguided innovator! And he defines the `âlim as "meaning, of course, the `Salafi' `âlim, not the `Khalafi [late Egyptian Shaykh] Ghazali'!" Al-Qurtubi said: "One of the knowers of Allah said: A certain group that has not yet come up in our time but shall show up at the end of time, will curse the scholars and insult the jurists."

>> Read the complete text on Shaykh Gibril's site

Muhammad Ilyas' Teacher

Eventhough he was the grandson of Shah Waliyullah Dehlawi, he have strayed from the path of Ahl al Sunnah wal Jamaah.

Among his beliefs were "Imkan al Kazib" whereby he states that it is possble for Allah SWT to say a lie!

You can download Shaykh Gibril's e-book outlining his deviant beliefs and the refutations by Ahl Al Sunnah wal Jamaah scholar here

Scholars of Falsehood

by Imam Al-Ghazali

What I mean by the learned men of the world or the scholars of falsehood is that his object of learning is to live in ease and comforts and to get honour and prestige from the people. They are slaves to evil habits. The devil is powerful over the majority among them and various kinds of sins misguide them. Almost every one among them is engrossed in the luxuries of this world and its comforts and enjoyments.
For this reason, the majority of them consider good as bad and bad as good. They duped the people to believe that there is no other science than that of fiqh (jurisprudence) or munazara (debates). The Prophet MHMD peace and blessings of Allah upon him) had called them as most wicked among the people. Beware then of being deceived by the ambiguities of these teachers of falsehood.
Their evil influence upon religion is greater than that of Satan, because through their aid does he arrive at removing religion from the hearts of men. The Prophet MHMD peace and blessings of Allah upon him) said, "At the end of time there will be ignorant worshippers and corrupt learned men." (Hakim).

You can identify them by many of their typical traits among them are:

One of their traits is that they create an environment of fanaticism for the truth and regard with contempt and scorn all non-conformists.
This they do for the lust of glory and fame. For prestige requires a following and nothing attracts a following better than bigotry, cursing and vilifying of opponents. They have adopted fanaticism as their rule of conduct and their method of approach. They call this intolerance, defence of religion and a protection for the Muslims, while in fact it results in nothing but destruction of all people and in the firm establishment of innovation in their minds.

One of their sign is that they involve themselves in polemics and wrangling to gain repute and prestige. They feign that they are striving after the principles of religion without making the slightest effort towards the science of religion.
The wicked learned man is like a rock that has fallen into the source of a stream. It neither absolves any water itself, nor permits it to flow out and reach the plants. The wicked learned man is also like pipes which come out of a garden full of stinking smell as it has got graves of dead men. Its outer part is cultivated but its inner part is full of dead men's bones. You need not fear the Devil but beware of men who have relieved the Devil of the task of tempting and misleading people. They have a reputation of an Alim among laymen as they could not distinguish true knowledge from that which is false. This is because of their unawareness of the acts of Sahaba.

You find their tongues sweeter than honey but their hearts are darker than night.

>> More on Shaykh Girbril's site

Fiqh al-Shafi`i or Fiqh al-Sunna?

Posted by Hamza Karamali, SunniPath Academy Teacher

In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful and Compassionate

The FAQ

In recent times, various Muslim circles have discussed whether we should follow the fiqh of one of the four Imams, such as the fiqh of Imam al-Shafi`i, the fiqh of Imam Abu Hanifa, etc., or whether we should follow the fiqh of the Sunna, or, better still, the fiqh of the Quran and Sunna. This dichotomy comes into high relief when a position documented in the fiqh of Imam al-Shafi`i, for example, is seemingly contradicted by the outward meaning of a hadith of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). Should we, in such cases, follow the fiqh of Imam al-Shafi`i, or should we be faithful to the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) and follow the sahih hadith?

The way that this question is phrased only allows for one answer. The problem, however, is that the question isn’t phrased correctly in the first place. To understand why, we need digress briefly into the field of Arabic Grammar.

>> More on SunniPath