Being A Series on the Manhaj of Salafee Da'wah Adapted from Shaykh Saeed Raslaan's Da'aaim Minhaaj an-Nubuwwah.
By: Aboo Aamir Ishaaq b. AbdirRaheem – may Allaah forgive him and his dead parents.
Bismillaah-ir-Rahmaan-ir-Raheem
There are many reports from the Salaf regarding following the path of the Prophet – sallallahu alahyi wa sallam – and not swerving:
Abdullaah b. Mas’ood (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: ‘Follow [the path of Sunnah], do not innovate, you have all been sufficed.’
He also (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: ‘We would emulate [the Prophet], we would not act before him; we would follow, we would not innovate. We shall never go astray so far we hold unto the Prophetic reports.’
Ubayy b. Ka’b (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: ‘Upon you is the Path and Sunnah, there is no slave upon the path and Sunnah who will remember Allaah such that his eyes shed tears out of fear of Allaah and have himself touched by the fire. Indeed, being within the means in the Sunnah and goodness is better than an exercise in contravention of the path and Sunnah.’
‘Uthmaan b. Haadir (may Allaah bestow mercy on him) said: ‘I entered upon Abdullaah b. Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) and I said: ‘Give me a word of courage.’ He (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: ‘Upon you is the steadfastness; follow, do not innovate; follow the first legacy, do not innovate.’’
Muhammad b. Seereen (may Allaah bestow mercy on him) said: ‘The Companions used to say: ‘When a man is upon the path of Athar, then he is upon the right course.’
Sufyaan ath-Thauree (may Allaah bestow mercy on him) said: ‘It is normal that a man should not scratch his head except with a Athar.’
Abu al-Aaliyah (may Allaah bestow mercy on him) said: ‘Upon you is the First Matter before they [those who came later] became divided.’
Al-Auzaa’ee (may Allaah bestow mercy on him) said: ‘be patient upon the Sunnah, stay where the people [the Salaf] stayed, say what they said, refrain yourself from what they refrained themselves, follow the path of your Righteous Salaf, sufficient for you is what was sufficient for them.’
He (may Allaah bestow mercy on him) also said: ‘Upon you is the Athar of the Salaf even if the people reject you, be wary of the thoughts of men even if they beautified them for you. The matter will become clear when it is time and you will be upon the right course.’
Al-Imaam Ahmad (may Allaah bestow mercy on him) said: ‘The foundations of Sunnah with us is holding to what the Companions of the Messenger of Allaah were upon, emulating them and forsaking heresies.’
Ad-Daaim: pp.47-48
