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The sources of the religion Al-Islām is built upon two primary sources, and that is the Qurān and the Sunnah. Everything which does not have its foundation in any of these two, then it is misguidance and rejected for the one who believes in it. But can anyone understand the Qurān and the Sunnah as he wishes or desires? The answer is no. Allāh – the Exalted – chose to reveal His religion upon a people who – by the permission of Allāh – were capable of comprehending it, following it and protecting it. Allāh – the Exalted – testified to the righteousness of those generations several places in His Book. From this testimony are His – the Exalted – words:

“And whoever contradicts (or opposes) the Messenger after the right path has been shown clearly to him, and follows other than the believers' way. We shall keep him on the path he has chosen, and burn him in Hell - what an evil destination.” (An-Nisā 4:115)

“And the first forerunners (in īmān) among the Muhājirīn and the Ansār and those who followed them in goodness. Allāh is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him, and He has prepared for them gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever. That is the great attainment.” (At-Tawbah 9:100)

And the Messenger of Allāh (sallAllāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said:

“The best people are those of my generation, then those who come after them, then those who come after them.” (Sahīh Al-Bukhārī and Sahīh Muslim)

The generation of the Messenger of Allāh (sallAllāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) is the Sahābah (radiAllāhu ‘anhum) who lived with and saw the Messenger of Allāh (sallAllāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam). They understood the Qurān and the Sunnah best, because they lived during its revelation, they experienced the scenarios which it spoke of and they are those who were closest to the Messenger of Allāh (sallAllāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam), asking him questions, hearing his speech and seeing his deeds. The generation after them is the tābi’ūn (the followers) who are those who learned from the Sahābah (radiAllāhu ‘anhum). Thus their status in the religion is based upon them learning from the Sahābah who learned from the Messenger of Allāh (sallAllāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam). The generations after them is the tābi’ at-tābi’īn (the followers of the followers) who are those who learned from the followers of the Sahābah (radiAllāhu ‘anhum). Thus their status in the religion is based upon them learning from the tābi’ūn, who learned from the Sahābah who learned from the Messenger of Allāh (sallAllāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam). These are the three generations whom the Messenger of Allāh (sallAllāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) has described as the best of generations from this Ummah, and they are our Salaf (predecessors). So whoever wants to follow that which Allāh is pleased with and love, he must follow these three generations in their religion, whose sources are directly from the Qurān and Sunnah. Because there will never be any people after them who are better.

Anas Ibn Mālik (radiAllāhu ‘anhu) said:

“Have patience. Because verily there will not come a time upon you, except that (the time) after it is worse than it. Until you meet you Lord. I heard that from your Prophet (sallAllāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam).” (Sahīh Al-Bukhārī)

And ‘Abdullāh ibn Mas’ūd (radiAllāhu ‘anhu) said:

“There is no year except that the year after it is worse than it. I am not speaking about one year which has more rain than another, nor a year which is more fertile than another, nor a leader which is better than another leader. Rather (I am speaking about) the disappearance of the best people among you and your scholars, and then a people will emerge who measure the affairs according to their own opinion (and not the Qurān and Sunnah), and then Islām will be destroyed and broken.” (Al-Bida’ by Ibn Al-Waddāh)

So the people of truth are those who say:

“We follow and believe in the Qurān and the Sunnah, according to the understanding of the Salaf.”

And this is not merely a statement with them. Rather there is not a verse in the Book of Allāh, or a hadīth from the Messenger of Allāh (sallAllāhu alayhi wa sallam), or any belief which is held in the religion, except that they investigate and ask:

Is this how the Salaf have understood and acted upon this verse? Is this how the Salaf have understood and acted upon this hadīth? Is this how the Salaf have believed in this issue?

With this they uphold the boundaries of Islām by not letting any form of misguidance nor innovation enter upon them in their religion. And with this they are truthful in their claim of following the Qurān and Sunnah in accordance with the understanding of the Salaf. And with this they can profess to be followers of and believers in Tawhīd and Sunnah in reality, and not just as an empty claim with no substance to it.

Abū Bakr Al-Ājurrī (d. 320h) gathered the meaning of what have been mentioned in this section when he mentioned:

“And Ibn ‘Abdul-Hamīd also narrated to us and said: Zuhayr ibn Muhammad narrated to us and said: Sulaymān ibn Harb narrated to us and said: Hammād ibn Zayd narrated to us, from ‘Āsim Al-Ahwal who said: Abū Al-‘Āliyah said: ‘Learn Al-Islām, and then when you have learned it then don’t turn away from it. And it is upon you to follow the Straight Path, and verily is it Al-Islām. And do not deviate from it right or left. And it is upon you to follow the Sunnah of your Prophet (sallAllāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and that which his Companions are upon. Because verily did they read the Qurān fifteen years before they did what they did. And be aware of these desires (i.e. innovations) which cause enmity and hatred among the people.’ He said: ‘So I narrated it (i.e. these words) to Al-Hasan, so he said: ‘He has spoken the truth and given a good advice.’ And I narrated it to Hafsah bint Sīrīn, so she said: ‘O my son, have you narrated this to Muhammad (ibn Sīrīn)?’ So I said: ‘No.’ So she said: ‘Then narrate it to him.’’ And Muhammad ibn Al-Hasan said: ‘The sign of the one whom Allāh wants good for is: Traversing this Path: The Book of Allāh, the Sunan of the Messenger of Allāh (sallAllāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam), the Sunan (i.e. narrations) from his Companions (radiAllāhu ‘anhu) and those who followed them in goodness, and that which the aimmah (leaders) of the Muslims in all countries were upon, until the end of what there was of scholars. Such as Al-Awzā’ī, Sufyān Ath-Thawrī, Mālik ibn Anas, Ash-Shāfi’ī, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Al-Qāsim ibn Salām, and whoever were upon the same path as them. And avoiding every madhhab (way, path, opinion) which these scholars have criticized.’‛ (Ash-Sharī’ah by Al-Ājurrī 1/301)

And Abū ‘Amr Al-Awzā’ī (d. 157h) said:

“And I advise you to one thing, which verily will remove the doubt from you, and by holding on to it you will achieve the Straight Path, if Allāh – the Exalted – wills: You look into what the Companions of the Messenger of Allāh (sallAllāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) were upon in this issue. Then if they differed in it, then take whatever agrees with you from their sayings. In that case you will be at ease in the issue. And if they agreed in the issue upon one opinion, and no-one among them deviated from it, then to where is the madhhab that opposes them? Because verily the destruction lies is disagreeing with them. Because they have verily never agreed upon one issue, and then the guidance (i.e. truth) has been in something else than it. And verily did Allāh – ‘azza wa jalla – praise those who followed their example, when He said: ‚And those who followed them in goodness.‛ (At-Tawbah 9:100). And be aware of everyone who interprets the Qurān to something else than what they were upon.‛ (Al-Ibānah Al-Kubrā by Ibn Battah 2/254)

And Al-Awzā’ī (d. 157h) also said:

“It is obligatory upon you (to follow) the āthār (narrations) of those who came before, even if the people would reject you. And be aware of the opinions of men, even if they beautify their words for you.‛ (Ash-Sharī’ah by Al-Ājurrī)

And Abū Sa’īd Ad-Dārimī (d. 280h) said:

“Allāh – the Exalted – praised the tābi’ūn in His Book, when He said: ‚And the first forerunners (in īmān) among the Muhājirīn and the Ansār and those who followed them in goodness. Allāh is pleased with them.‛ So He testified to their following of the Sahābah, and them deserving the Pleasure of Allāh – the Exalted – due to their following of the Companions of Muhammad (sallAll��hu ‘alayhi wa sallam). And the word is united among all the Muslims that they were called ‘At-Tābi’ūn’ and they continue to narrate from them with the chains of narration, just as they narrated from the Sahābah. And they use them as an argument in the affairs of their religion, and they consider their opinion more binding than the opinion of those who came after them, due to the name which they deserved from Allāh – the Exalted – and from the Jamā’ah of the Muslims, who called them the followers of the Companions of Muhammad (sallAllāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam).‛ (An-Naqd by Ad-Dārimī)

And Abū Al-Qāsim Al-Lālakāī (d. 418h) said:

“I use as evidence for the madhāhib (pl. madhhab) of Ahlus-Sunnah that which is mentioned in the Book of Allāh – the Exalted – regarding it, and that which is narrated from the Messenger of Allāh (sallAllāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam). So if I find something in both of them, then I mention it all. And if I find something in only one of them without the other, then I mention that. And if I don’t find anything regarding it except from the Sahābah (radiAllāhu ‘anhum); those whom Allāh and His Messenger has ordered to take as an example, and to follow their words, and to seek light from their lights, due to them testifying the revelation and their knowledge regarding the meaning of the interpretations, then I use that as evidence. But if there is no narration regarding it from a companion, then from those who followed them in goodness; those in whose words there is a cure and guidance. And worshipping Allāh with their opinion is nearness to Allāh and closeness (to Him). So if we see that they agreed upon something then we stick to it. And whoever’s opinion they criticized, or they refuted his bid’ah (innovation) or they declared takfīr upon him, then we will judge with that and believe in it. And there continue to be, from the Messenger of Allāh (sallAllāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) until this day of ours, a people who protect this way and take it as their religion. And verily is the person destroyed who turns away from this path, due to his ignorance regarding the path of following (the narratins).‛ (Usūl I’tiqād Ahlus-Sunnah by Al-Lālakāī 1/27)

So these are the words from Allāh the Exalted, His Messenger (sallAllāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam), the Sahābah (radiAllāhu ‘anhum) and the scholars of Islām which all points to, that the religion is what has come in the Qurān and the Sunnah, according to the understanding of the Salaf. And that is a path of submitting to and following the evidences and narrations.

May Allāh make us from them. Āmīn.

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