Is it obligatory to call oneself a Salafi? [An excellent summary by brother Abu Yusha Bilal Ahmed, May Allah reward him] The obligation on the Muslim is to ascribe to the correct methodology. The methodology of the first three generations. This is what Ibn Taymiyyah said in his Majmoo al Fataawa. It is an obligation to be Salafi, ie strive on the methods of the first three generations. As for using the label then there are issues surrounding it: 1. It is not an obligation (Al-Fawzaan) 2. If by it one becomes partisan or sectarian, looking down upon others and arrogant then it is better to not use the term. Ibn Uthaymeen called the Salafis a sect too because sometimes the ones using the label do so in an unislamic and illegitimately divisive way. 3. A person can be salafi but call himself something else, at the same time a person can call himself a salafi but not adopt the manners, character, methods of the Salaf, so his saying he is one doesnt make him one, rather his actions determine his Salafiyyah (Bin Baz) 4. Being Salafi supercedes calling oneself salafi. The necessity is to Be Salafi (Bakr Abu Zayd) 5. Any label used which has its basis in the religion can be used under false calls of partisanship like with the incident where the Muhaajir said oh muhaajiroon come against the Ansaari who said oh ansaar come! (al Munajjid) 6. It can be obligatory to use the term in order to dispell confusion and give clear dawah to the way of the companions as many people can say im Sunni and im from ahlus sunnah (Al Albaani) 7. It may sometimes, be a requirement to not say it if it will lead to stereotyping or misconceptions. Like in the case of Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhaabs Kitaab at Tawheed. There were so many misconceptions rampant about wahhabis that as soon as they saw the authors name they would cast the book aside. So they changed the author name to Sulayman at Tamimi [a valid name of Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab] and the people read his book objectively and without bias and it was accepted by them. 8. You cannot blame someone for not using the term or using the term. If someone uses it and strives by it, thats fine and if they dont use it thats also fine. It is their choice. However one should also avoid arguing on its obligation or impermissibility since its not an issue of haraam and halaal, or an issue which requires correction or criticism. 9. Separating based calling oneself labels is both dangerous and reckless. While this is not mandated by any of the scholars. Rather what they called to was to understand the person as an individual, know his views, his principles, his ideals and his ambitions. Once this is established then we should look to see if he is Salafi in its applicative sense. 10. If we choose to use the label Salafi, either in our names, or for our masjids, or for our dawah then we must always remember that, just as with the label Muslim we are under constant observation: both by Allaah and by the people. We must strive to be knowledgable, practising the religion, wise, well mannered and representative truly of the way of the salaf... this by no means is a claim to perfection but it is merely a sincere and righteous attempt at emulating them and being upon what they were upon in word and deed.
Posted on: Fri, 25 Apr 2014 06:19:57 +0000
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