Thread by @Imam_Barbahari

[THREAD]

A Man is on the Religion of His Friend and how the Salaf Understood this Hadith:

Abu Qilaabah said, "May Allaah fight the poet [an expression of amazement in Arabic] who said: Do not ask about a man, but ask about his companion. For every person guides himself by his

companion. This poetry is by Adee bin Zaid, and al-Asma’ee said about it, "I have never seen a line of poetry which resembles the Sunnah more than this saying of Adee bin Zaid." Al-Ibaanah (2/439)

Abu Hurairah - radiallaahu anhu - said, the Messenger of Allaah said, "A person is upon the deen of his friend, so let each one of you look at whom he befriends." Saheeh. Refer to Silsilah as-Saheehah of al-Albaani (no.927)

Ibn Mas’ood - radiallaahu anhu - said, "Indeed a person walks alongside and accompanies the one whom he loves and who is like him." Al-Ibaanah (2/476)

Abu ad-Dardaa - radiallaahu anhu - said, "It is from the fiqh (understanding of a person) that he [chooses] those whom he walks with, whom he enters upon (visits) and whom he sits with." Al-Ibaanah (2/477)

Yahyaa bin Katheer said, "Sulaimaan bin Daawood – alaihis salaam – said: Do no pass a judgement over anyone with anything until you see whom he befriends." Al-Ibaanah (2/464)

Moosaa bin Uqbah the Syrian approached Baghdad and this was mentioned to Imaam Ahmad. So it was said, "Look at whose residence he goes to and with whom he resides and finds shelter." Al-Ibaanah (2/480)

Imaam Al-Awzaa’ee said, "Whoever hides his innovation from us will not be able to hide his companionship from us." Al-Ibaanah (2/476)

Al-A’mash said, "They (the Salaf) did not used to ask anything more about a person after having asked about three affairs: Who he walks with, who he enters upon (i.e. visits) and who he associates with amongst the people." Al-Ibaanah (2/478)

Abdullaah bin Mas’ood – radiallaahu anhu - said, "Make consideration of the (regions of the) Earth by the names given to them and make consideration of a person by his companion." Al-Ibaanah (2/479)

Muhammad bin Ubaid al-Ghulaabee said, "The Ahl ul-Ahwaa (People of Desires) hide everything except their intimate friendship and companionship." Al-Ibaanah (2/482)

Mu’aadh bin Mu’aadh said to Yahyaa bin Sa’eed, "O Abu Sa’eed! A person may hide his viewpoint from us, but he will not be able to hide that in his son, or his friend or in the one whom he sits with." Al-Ibaanah (2/437)

Ibn ‘Awn said, "Those who sit with the People of Innovation are more severe upon us than the People of Innovation themselves." Al-Ibaanah (2/273)

Yahyaa bin Sa’eed al-Qattaan said, "When Sufyaan ath-Thawree came to Basrah he began to look into the affair of ar-Rabee’ bin Subaih and the people’s estimation of him. He asked them, ‘What is his madhhab?’, and they said, ‘His madhhab is but the Sunnah’. He then asked, ‘Who is

his companionship?’ and they replied, ‘The people of Qadr’ so he replied, ‘In that case he is a Qadari’." Al-Ibaanah (2/453)

Ibn Battah (after quoting this) said, "Allaah’s mercy be upon Sufyaan ath-Thawree. He has indeed spoken with wisdom and he spoke the truth. He spoke with knowledge that is in agreement with the Book and the Sunnah and what is necessitated by wisdom and what the people of sure

insight know. Allaah the Exalted said, "O you who believe! Take not as (your) Bitânah (advisors, consultants, protectors, helpers, friends, etc.) those other than you (outside your religion or upon other than the right way) since they will not fail to do their best to corrupt you

. They desire to harm you severely." (Aali Imraan 3:118)."

[TN] The above athar of Yahyaa bin Sa’eed al-Qattaan shows that the manhaj of the followers give evidence of the manhaj of the one that they are following.

Abu Dawood as-Sijistaanee said, "I said to Abu Abdullaah Ahmad bin Hanbal: I see a man from Ahl us-Sunnah with a man from Ahl ul-Bid’ah. Shall I leave his speaking to him? He said, ‘No, inform him that the man that you saw him with is a person of innovation, so if he leaves

him, then speak to him, otherwise treat him the same as him, as Ibn Ma’sood said, ‘A man is like his companion’." Tabaqaat ul-Hanaabilah (1/160)

Utbah al-Ghulaam said, "Whoever is not with us, then he is against us". Al-Ibaanah (2/437)

Al-Fudayl ibn 'Iyaad (d. 187H) said, "Whoever sits with a person of innovation, then beware of him and whoever sits with a person of innovation has not been given wisdom. I love that there was a fort of iron between me and a person of innovation. That I eat with a Jew and a

Christian is more beloved to me than that I eat with a person of Innovation." 

Reported by al-Laalikaa'ee

Al-Layth ibn Sa'd (d. 175H) said, "If I saw a person of desires (i.e. innovations) walking upon the water I would not accept from him."So Imaam ash-Shaafi'ee then

said, "He (al-Layth) has fallen short. If I saw him walking in the air I would not accept from him." 

Reported by as-Suyooti in Al-Amr bil 'lttibaa wan-Nahee 'anil-lbtidaa. Refer to Chapter Eight: On the Prohibition of Sitting with the People of Innovation, Listening to them,

Arguing with them, To Abandon them and those who Associate with them

Imaam as-Saaboonee (d. 449H) said about Ahlus-Sunnah, "They follow the Salafus-Saalih the Imaams and the Scholars of the Muslims, and they cling to the firm deen that they clung to and to the clear truth. And they hate Ahul-Bid'ah (the People of Innovation) who innovate into the

Deen that which is not from it. They do not love them and they do not keep company with them. They do not listen to their sayings, nor sit with them, nor argue with them about the Deen, nor debate with them

Rather, they protect their ears from hearing their futility; things, which if they pass through the ears and settle in the hearts, will cause harm and cause doubts and wicked ideas to appear. And concerning this Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, sent down: And when you see people

engaged in vain discourse about Our Signs, then turn away from them unless they turn to a different theme." Soorah al-An'aam (6):68 

Risaalah fil-I'tiqaad Ahlis-Sunnah Ashaabil-Hadeeth, p. 100, of Imaam asSaaboonee.

Muhammad ibn an-Nadr al-Haarithee say: 

"Whoever listens to a person of innovation - and knows that he is a person of innovation - then protection is taken away from him, and he is left to himself." 

Sharh Usool I'tiqaad Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamaa'ah" - Volume No. 252

Aboo 'Uthmaan as-Saaboonee (d. 449AH) 
said, (And they (Ahlus Sunnah wal Jama'ah) avoid the People of Innovation and 
Misguidance, having enmity for the People of Desires and 
Ignorance. They hate the People of Innovation who introduce 
into the Deen that which is not from it.

They do not love them, they do not accompany them, they do not listen to their words, 
nor sit with them or argue or dispute with them regarding the 
Deen. And they protect their ears from listening to their 
falsehoods, which if they pass by the cars and settle in the 
hearts,

harm the hearts and bring corrupt ideas and 
whisperings upon them." 

Aqeedatus-Salaf wa Ashaabil-Hadeeth, p. 99.

Question:

My friend sits with ahlul-Bid’ah and he defends them. I have advised him. Should I boycott him until he restrains himself, and for how long?

Shaykh Luhaidan:

“It is not permitted for you to be friends with one who persistently sits & socialises with Ahlul-Bid’ah”

Ibn Shawdhab who said, ‘Verily from the favour of Allaah upon a youth is that he finds a righteous person of the Sunnah to teach him.” - Lalaka'ee 1/60

"The one who compliments Ahlul-Bid’ah and praises them, is he counted among them?”

“Yes. No doubt. The one who compliments them and praises them is a caller to them. He invites to them. This one is from their callers — and we ask Allah for well-being.” - Shaykh Ibn Baz

Al-Imām Abu Muhammad ‘Abdur-Rahmān Ibn Abī Hātim (died 327AH) said:

“I heard my father (i.e. Abu Hātim, died 227AH) and Abu Zur’ah (died 264AH) command with boycotting the people of deviation and innovation. They were both very stern in their view regarding this matter with the

utmost sternness. And they would forbid writing books based upon opinions without recourse to the narrations.

They forbade sitting with the People of Theological Rhetoric(Ahlul-Kalām) and from looking into the books of Ahlul-Kalām.

They would both say: ‘The person of theological rhetoric will never prosper.'”

Ref: The Creed of the Rāziyayn, p.11, Salafi Publications. 2016.