If we are not careful, it will divulge into the Battle of the Sadduces versus Pharises of Bani Israel - both of which became mostly misguided sects at the advent of Isa.
To My Salafi Brothers, understand that you are not the Salaf and that your modern understanding is based on a string of shuyook that largely began after Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab with theological Influences from Shaykh Ul-Islam Ibn Taimmiya (Raheemahullahu Ta'Ala). Like the rest of the Ummah, you are doing taqlid of scholars who are knowledgeable but whose understanding deviates in one or two places from that of other scholars of Ahlus Sunnah - especially when it comes to elements of Tawheed.
My Salafi Brothers, you have to understand that whether you like it or not, the vast majority of the Ulama of the past were Ashari in Aqeedah and practiced tassawuf for the purposes of achieving ihsan (which is wajib upon the Muslim). There is no amount of historical revision that will change this and attempting to argue otherwise by claiming that Ash'aris are deviant and that Sufis are all one deviat group is to either be ignorant of the evidence or to willingly overlook the reality of the Ummah as to the soundness that exists in the Ashari and Sufi Approach.
My advice is that you stop slandering the people of Tassawuf and the people of the Aqeeda Ash'ari, because if they end up being the friends of Allah SWT, then Allah will declare war on you and you will live your life in a sort of constraint.
To My Sufi Brothers - Yes, I understand that many of the Salafis are extreme in their approach but you must also understand that the religion is based on both batin and the Zahir. The outward of the religion cannot be thrown out and disregarded because of an obsession with the batin. Moreover, the batin of the religion is inaccessible and invalid without the Sunnah of Allah SWT. I believe that most of you are upon guidance but that there are a few members among you who, because of their extremism and their ignorance, allow themselves to wallow in practices of innovation that have no basis in the zahir or batin of the religion.
Also know, my Sufi brothers, that the Salafis - for the most part - do not hate the religion of Islam or Muslims. There are truly wonderful brothers among them. Even their ulama, who disagree with you on some points, cannot be said to lack knowledge or good intent. My father, every summer, used to eat at Ibn Baz's house because everyday Bin Baz would put out bowls of food for people so that they could eat from it. What would have promoted him to do this if it was not the love of Allah SWT and desiring his pleasure. What could have allowed the likes of Uthaymeen to write books about subjects that are fine in their nature without extreme amounts of knowledge? Even where he disagrees with you, it was not because of a lack of knowledge but because - by the Will of Allah - they took a different conceptual framework.
My advice to both of you on all sides is to wash your heart of hatred for your brothers, to chase sound knowledge to implement sound practices. Where you disagree, present your evidences and - if you still disagree - then do not excommunicate each other. My advice in this regard is stronger with my Salafi brothers because they tend to go on the offensive, often times with ad homenims , slander, and extreme harshness. But my Sufi brothers can also go on the extreme to deny the humanity and Islam of the Salafis. Both of these are incorrect and I hope that, as the enemies of Islam continue to plot day and night, that we can finally leave this bickering day and night so that we can be prepared for whatever the next fitnah is.
Wal Hukmu Lillahil Aliyul Kabeer
To My Salafi Brothers, understand that you are not the Salaf and that your modern understanding is based on a string of shuyook that largely began after Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab with theological Influences from Shaykh Ul-Islam Ibn Taimmiya (Raheemahullahu Ta'Ala). Like the rest of the Ummah, you are doing taqlid of scholars who are knowledgeable but whose understanding deviates in one or two places from that of other scholars of Ahlus Sunnah - especially when it comes to elements of Tawheed.
My Salafi Brothers, you have to understand that whether you like it or not, the vast majority of the Ulama of the past were Ashari in Aqeedah and practiced tassawuf for the purposes of achieving ihsan (which is wajib upon the Muslim). There is no amount of historical revision that will change this and attempting to argue otherwise by claiming that Ash'aris are deviant and that Sufis are all one deviat group is to either be ignorant of the evidence or to willingly overlook the reality of the Ummah as to the soundness that exists in the Ashari and Sufi Approach.
My advice is that you stop slandering the people of Tassawuf and the people of the Aqeeda Ash'ari, because if they end up being the friends of Allah SWT, then Allah will declare war on you and you will live your life in a sort of constraint.
To My Sufi Brothers - Yes, I understand that many of the Salafis are extreme in their approach but you must also understand that the religion is based on both batin and the Zahir. The outward of the religion cannot be thrown out and disregarded because of an obsession with the batin. Moreover, the batin of the religion is inaccessible and invalid without the Sunnah of Allah SWT. I believe that most of you are upon guidance but that there are a few members among you who, because of their extremism and their ignorance, allow themselves to wallow in practices of innovation that have no basis in the zahir or batin of the religion.
Also know, my Sufi brothers, that the Salafis - for the most part - do not hate the religion of Islam or Muslims. There are truly wonderful brothers among them. Even their ulama, who disagree with you on some points, cannot be said to lack knowledge or good intent. My father, every summer, used to eat at Ibn Baz's house because everyday Bin Baz would put out bowls of food for people so that they could eat from it. What would have promoted him to do this if it was not the love of Allah SWT and desiring his pleasure. What could have allowed the likes of Uthaymeen to write books about subjects that are fine in their nature without extreme amounts of knowledge? Even where he disagrees with you, it was not because of a lack of knowledge but because - by the Will of Allah - they took a different conceptual framework.
My advice to both of you on all sides is to wash your heart of hatred for your brothers, to chase sound knowledge to implement sound practices. Where you disagree, present your evidences and - if you still disagree - then do not excommunicate each other. My advice in this regard is stronger with my Salafi brothers because they tend to go on the offensive, often times with ad homenims , slander, and extreme harshness. But my Sufi brothers can also go on the extreme to deny the humanity and Islam of the Salafis. Both of these are incorrect and I hope that, as the enemies of Islam continue to plot day and night, that we can finally leave this bickering day and night so that we can be prepared for whatever the next fitnah is.
Wal Hukmu Lillahil Aliyul Kabeer
