“Allāh will not accept from a person anything of the
Sunnah whilst he abandons some of it…” Sharhus-
Sunnah of Al-Barbahārī (d. 329H)
abukhadeejah.com/allah-will-not-accept-from-a-person-anything-of-the-sunnah-whilst-he-abandons-some-of-it-
sharhus-sunnah-of-al-barbahari-d-329h
Abu Khadeejah Abdul-Wahid 21 September 2017
Imām Al-Barbahārī (d. 329H) stated: “Likewise, Allāh will not accept from a person
anything of the Sunnah whilst he abandons some of it, and whoever rejects anything
from the Sunnah has rejected all of it, so upon you is to accept [it all]. And leave off
contending and disputing, for that is not from the Religion at all. And your era
especially is a time of evil, so fear Allah, and be dutiful.”
Shaikh Sālih Al-Fawzān stated, “Just as it is not correct to believe in some of the Quran and
to abandon some of it, even if it is one verse or one letter, then likewise with the Sunnah:
One’s belief in it is not correct except if he believes in all of it. He is not to reject anything that
is authentic from the Messenger (salallāhu ‘alaihi wassallam) because from that which is
included in the meaning of the testimony “Muhammad is the Messenger of Allāh” is that you
are to act upon his Sunnah, to obey him and to leave that which he prohibited you from. That
is included in the meaning of the testimony “Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.” So if he
testifies that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, but he does not believe in what he came
with, and with what he spoke with from ahādeeth (narrations) – or that a person rejects
certain ahādeeth though they are authentic because those narrations do not agree with his
desires or they do not agree with his manhaj, then such a person is an unbeliever in the
Messenger (salallāhu ‘alaihi wassallam). He from those about whom Allāh said: “Every time
there came to them a Messenger with what their souls did not desire, they would
disbelieve in some of the Messengers and they would kill some of them.” (Al-Mā’idah
5:70) So it is necessary that you believe in all of the Sunnah, that which agrees with your
desires and that with opposes your desires, that which agrees with your manhaj and that
which opposes your manhaj. And it obligatory that you build your manhaj upon the Book and
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Sunnah. Do not build it upon desires, or upon the saying of such-and-such, or upon the rules
of the party (hizb) or such-and-such a group (jamā’ah). Do not build your manhaj upon that,
rather build it upon the Book and the Sunnah and the Manhaj of the Righteous Salaf.
“And whoever rejects anything from the Sunnah..” For example the Mu’tazilah and the
scholars of theological rhetoric who do not believe in the Āhād narrations (those narrations
that are not mutawātirah, i.e. not reported by multiple narrators in every level of the chains of
narration). They say that the Āhād narrations do not denote sure knowledge, so they do not
accept them in matters of creed or belief (‘aqeedah). These sects come with principles and
rules of logic and theological rhetoric saying claiming that: “Logic and theological rhetoric
denote certain knowledge because they are intellectual proofs. As for the speech of the
Messenger, if it is reported through āhād narrations, then it does not denote certain
knowledge.” So hadeeth do not denote certainty in their view, even if the hadeeth is reported
by Bukhārī and Muslim. This is misguidance, and Allāh’s refuge is sought. Whatever is
authentically reported from the Messenger, then it denotes sure-knowledge, and denotes
certainty. That is because it is the speech of the one, “who does not speak from his
desires. It is not except revelation sent down to him.” So these misguided ones
disbelieve in some of the revelation when they reject the āhād narrations in matters of creed
(‘aqeedah) and they do not accept them, and they reject something of the revelation that was
sent down. So that is a path of misguidance, and Allah’s refuge is sought.
“And whoever rejects anything from the Sunnah has indeed rejected all of it..” So he is
not benefitted from what he accepts from it until he accepts all of it. “So upon you is to
accept [it all]. And leave off al-mumāhalah and al-lajājah for that is not from the
Religion at all.” So al-mumāhalah is argumentation, and al-lajājah is to argue and contend
without any benefit, and to raise one’s voice in order to support his argument. That does not
benefit you at all. “That is not from the Religion at all..” Debating and arguing with
falsehood is not from the Religion of Allāh. Allah, the Most High, said: “None argues over
the verses of Allah except for those who disbelieve.” (Ghāfir: 4) They argue over the
verses: Are they from Allah or are they not from Allah? Is the Qur’an the Speech of Allah or
not? Was it Revelation sent down or is it created? All of this is argumentation and disputation
over the Book of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, and from futile and false debating.
“And your era especially is a time of evil, so fear Allah and be dutiful.” This was in the
time of the author, so what about the times that came after him? The fitnah is more severe.
In his time, despite the various tribulations, it was a time of scholars. But as time has gone
by, the scholars have become fewer and fewer, and evil has increased – so the dangers are
more severe at the end of time.”
It’hāf Al-Qārī bi Ta’liqāt ‘alā Sharhis-Sunnah lil-Imām Abī Muhammad Al-Hasan Ibn ‘Alī Ibn
Khalaf Al-Barbahārī (rahimahullāh) of Shaikh Sālih Al-Fawzān, vol. 2/105-17.
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