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All praise is due to Allāh, Lord of the worlds. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon his Messenger, his family, his Companions and all who truly follow him.
Hadeeth no 5. The Guidance of the Early Generations: They are the Salaf and Their Followers are the Salafis.
ʿImrān Ibn Husayn (I) narrated that Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said:
خَيْرُكُمْ قَرْنِي ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ قَالَ عِمْرَانُ لاَ أَدْرِي أَذَكَرَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم بَعْدُ قَرْنَيْنِ أَوْ ثَلاَثَةً. قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم إِنَّ بَعْدَكُمْ قَوْمًا يَخُونُونَ وَلاَ يُؤْتَمَنُونَ وَيَشْهَدُونَ وَلاَ يُسْتَشْهَدُونَ وَيَنْذِرُونَ وَلاَ يَفُونَ وَيَظْهَرُ فِيهِمُ السِّمَنُ
“The best of you is my generation, then those coming after them, and then those coming after them.”
ʿImran said: ‘I do not know whether the Prophet (ﷺ) mentioned two or three generations after his generation.’ The Prophet (ﷺ) added,
“There will come after you people who will be dishonest and will not be trustworthy and will give testimony without being asked to give it, and will make vows but will not fulfil them, and obesity will appear among them.”
This hadeeth confirms the saying of Allah (the Most High):
كُنتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ تَأْمُرُونَ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ ٱلْمُنكَرِ وَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ ۗ
“You are the best nation raised for mankind. You enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and believe in Allāh.” (Āli ʿImrān: 110)
This verse addresses the Sahābah primarily and then those who follow them in these qualities. For this reason, ʿAbdullāh Ibn Masʿūd (Allah be pleased with him) stated:
“Allah looked into the hearts of the servants and found the best heart of all the servants to be the heart of Muhammad (ﷺ), so He chose him for Himself and sent him with the Message. Then He looked into the hearts of the servants after the heart of Muhammad and found the hearts of his Companions to be the best of the hearts of his servants, so He made them ministers of His Prophet, fighting for His religion. So, whatever the Muslims (i.e., the Sahābah) see to be good, then with Allah, it is good—and whatever they see to be evil, then with Allah, it is evil.”
Explanation:
Download HERE. Discussion includes:
Obligation of following the Salaf.
Calling oneself Salafi: Ibn Bāz, Fawzān, Ibn Taymiyyah, etc.
Avoiding the following of opinions: Awzā’ee, Ibn Uthaimeen, Salih Aal Shaikh.
Al-Albani on the amazing saying of Imam Malik that “should be written in gold” about the recitification of the Ummah and avoiding innovations.
