O servants of Allah! O Muslims! Indeed, the greatest commandment of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) is to fear Allah (taqwa of Allah). The Most High Allah says:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنتُم مُّسْلِمُونَ
O believers! Be mindful of Allah in the way He deserves,1 and do not die except in a state of full submission to Him. (Qur’an, Surah Al-Imran, 3:102)
Whoever fears Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) will be with them. Whoever fears Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) will take them under His protection and make them among His close ones. If Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) makes you one of His close ones and is with you, then what is difficult will become easy, what is far will become near, and fears will turn into peace and security. Whoever has Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) with them will be relieved of sadness, sorrow, worries, and burdens. If Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) is with you, whom should you fear? If Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) protects you, why would you need to rely on anyone else?
O Muslims! Material civilization, along with its discoveries and inventions, generally moves from what is worse to what is better. That is, in the realm of material civilization, what follows is usually better than what preceded, the latter is often an improvement over the former. However, an entirely different law applies when it comes to people’s religion. In every community (ummah) that follows the true religion (creed), the first believers are always better than those who follow later; the earlier generations are superior to the later ones, and the predecessors are better than the successors.
Why is there such a distinction between material civilization and religion? Because material civilization starts by crawling on all fours and gradually stands on its feet. But as for the religion of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), it is born firmly standing on its feet. Material civilization involves the accumulation of various forms of knowledge and experiences. In contrast, religion is what is revealed by Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), a perfect gift from Him, His divine revelation (teachings).
Have you ever observed a flowing stream? A stream begins as a spring, clear and pure at its source. But the farther it flows towards its mouth, the more impurities mix with the water, making it increasingly murky. Similarly, there is a difference between the early generations of those who follow the true creed (true religion) and the later generations. Thus, the best among the Jews were their prophets and the companions of their prophets, their early scribes and scholars. The best among the Christian community (ummah) were ‘Isa (peace be upon him) and his apostles. The best among the Muslims were Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and his companions (Sahabah), followed by those who came after them, and then those who came after them. With the passing of each generation of predecessors, a portion of knowledge, understanding, virtue, and excellence was lost. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) warned about this shortly before his departure from this world. He said to his companions:
فَإِنَّهُ مَنْ يَعِشْ مِنْكُمْ بَعْدِي فَسَيَرَى اخْتِلَافًا كَثِيرًا، فَعَلَيْكُمْ بِسُنَّتِي وَسُنَّةِ الْخُلَفَاءِ الرَّاشِدِينَ الْمَهْدِيِّينَ مِن بَعدي، تَمَسَّكُوا بِهَا وَعَضُّوا عَلَيْهَا بِالنَّوَاجِذِ، وَإِيَّاكُمْ وَمُحْدَثَاتِ الْأُمُورِ، فَإِنَّ كُلَّ مُحْدَثَةٍ بِدْعَةٌ، وَكُلَّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلَالَةٌ
I enjoin you to fear Allah, and to hear and obey even if it be an Abyssinian slave, for those of you who live after me will see great disagreement. You must then follow my sunnah and that of the rightly-guided caliphs. Hold to it and stick fast to it. Avoid novelties, for every novelty is an innovation, and every innovation is an error. (Abu Dawood (4607), At-Tirmidhi (2676), Ibn Majah (44), and Ahmad (17144))
If you want to know how close people are to their religion, observe how closely they adhere to the way of the predecessors of this community (ummah), that is, the righteous predecessors (as-Salaf as-Salih). The closer people are to the righteous predecessors, the more correct their path. The more they neglect the path of the righteous predecessors, the more misguided they become. And if any group curses the predecessors or curses the companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), there is no good in such a group at all! That is why Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “If you see someone speaking ill of any of the companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), question their Islam.”
Question whether this person is even a Muslim. This is why, if you look at the books of the early Imams, they are filled with advice to adhere to the path of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and to cling to the Qur’an and Sunnah as understood by the righteous predecessors (as-Salaf as-Salih). The righteous predecessors (as-Salaf as-Salih) are a guarantee of correct guidance. They are a safeguard against misguidance. The path of the predecessors (Salaf) is the most accurate and trustworthy. They understood the Revelations from Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) — the Qur’an and Sunnah — better than anyone else. They followed them more closely than anyone else. They were true and authentic Muslims in the fullest sense of the word. And Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) confirms this in the Qur’an. Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) says:
وَالسَّابِقُونَ الْأَوَّلُونَ مِنَ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ وَالْأَنصَارِ وَالَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوهُم بِإِحْسَانٍ رَّضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُمْ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي تَحْتَهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا أَبَدًا ذَلِكَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ
As for the foremost—the first of the Emigrants1 and the Helpers2—and those who follow them in goodness, Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him. And He has prepared for them Gardens under which rivers flow, to stay there for ever and ever. That is the ultimate triumph. (Qur’an, Surah At-Tawbah, 9:100)
Imran ibn Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
خَيْرُ النَّاسِ قَرْنِي ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ
“The Prophet (ﷺ) said, ‘The best of you (people) are my generation, and the second best will be those who will follow them, and then those who will follow the second generation.” (Al-Bukhari (6695))
O Muslim, listen! This is very important! Only those who board the ship of the predecessors will be saved. Board this ship yourself, stay on its deck until the very end, until you reach your destination port, which is your death. No matter how enticing other ships may seem, O Muslim, be a follower of the righteous predecessors (as-Salaf as-Salih) — a Salafi. This is not a movement, party, or sect, nor is it any divisive group. It is a term that essentially denotes the original, ancient Islam in its entirety.
Salafiyyah is the early Islam (al-Islam al-‘Atiq), the Islam known to Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali. It is the same path for which Khalid and Sa’d fought. It is the path on which Hamzah and Mus‘ab were martyred. It is the path upheld by Ibn Mas‘ud, Ibn ‘Abbas, and other companions. It is the path walked by Hasan al-Basri, Ibrahim an-Nakha‘i, and ash-Sha‘bi. This is the path of Abu Hanifa, Malik, ash-Shafi‘i, and Ahmad. It is the path followed by Al-Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawood, and At-Tirmidhi.
The biographies of all these individuals and many others are well-documented, their traditions preserved, and their books safeguarded. Indeed, blessed and fortunate is the one who adheres to what the predecessors were upon and avoids any innovations introduced into the religion later. By Allah, how easy and secure it is to follow the predecessors, and how heavy and empty it is to follow various innovations. May Allah, the Most High, protect us and you from misguidance.
Some might say: “Why do we need these terms? Isn’t the name ‘Muslim’ that Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) gave us sufficient?” Yes, Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) called us Muslims (Muslimoon), and we are proud of this name. But note that during the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), there were no movements or parties; there was only one party — the Party of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). Everyone who called themselves Muslims (Muslimoon) followed one path and one set of principles — they followed the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
This unity continued during the times of Abu Bakr, Umar, and Uthman. However, later, some groups emerged claiming to be Muslims but deviating from the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) informed us about this and said in a hadith:
” لَيَأْتِيَنَّ عَلَى أُمَّتِي مَا أَتَى عَلَى بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ حَذْوَ النَّعْلِ بِالنَّعْلِ، حَتَّى إِنْ كَانَ مِنْهُمْ مَنْ أَتَى أمَّه علانيةً كان من أُمَّتِي مَنْ يَصْنَعُ ذَلِكَ، وَإِنَّ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ تفرَّقوا على اثنين وَسَبْعِينَ مِلَّةً، وَتَفْتَرِقُ أُمَّتِي عَلَى ثَلَاثٍ وَسَبْعِينَ مِلَّةً
“What befell the children of Isra’il will befall my Ummah, step by step, such that if there was one who had intercourse with his mother in the open, then there would be someone from my Ummah who would do that. Indeed the children of Isra’il split into seventy-two sects, and my Ummah will split into seventy-three sects.
كُلُّهُمْ فِي النَّارِ إِلَّا مِلَّةً وَاحِدَةً
All of them are in the Fire Except one sect.”
When asked:
مَنْ هِيَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ؟
“And which is it, O Messenger of Allah?”
He said:
مَا أَنَا عَلَيْهِ وَأَصْحَابِي
“What I am upon and my Companions.”(At-Tirmidhi (2641), At-Tabarani (14646), and Al-Hakim (444)) Observe here that a warning of Hellfire is mentioned for all groups that do not follow the path of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and his companions. However, this does not mean that all these groups are disbelievers or that they have left Islam entirely. They remain Muslims but are misguided Muslims. They are threatened with punishment in Hell but will not remain there eternally due to their belief in Tawheed and the faith (Iman) they possess.
These groups, though they do not adhere to true Islam, still belong to the fold of Islam and are called Muslims. How, then, can these groups be distinguished from those who remain on the path of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)? For this reason, the followers of the Sunnah, the group that adheres to the way of the companions, have been referred to by different names.
They are called the Followers of the Sunnah (Ahl as-Sunnah) in contrast to the Followers of Innovations (Ahl al-Bid’ah). They are called the United Community (Al-Jama’ah), which remains united around the Qur’an and Sunnah without allowing for religious division. They are referred to as the Saved Sect (Al-Firqah An-Najiyah). They are called the Victorious Group (At-Ta’ifah Al-Mansurah). They are known as the Followers of Hadith (Ahl al-Hadith). They are also called the Followers of Traditions, meaning the Qur’an, Sunnah, and what was transmitted from the companions (Ahl al-Athar). They are known as the Followers of the Predecessors (Salafiyyun or Atba’ as-Salaf).
Every Muslim is obliged to be part of this group! It is not a party or a movement. It is Islam itself. If you seek salvation, you must belong to this group. Do you belong to it or not? Check yourself! To evaluate, there are essential criteria. Let us briefly mention them so that each of us can see whether they adhere to this or only claim the name.
The first quality: They call to Tawheed — worshiping Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) alone without associating partners with Him and rejecting all forms of polytheism. They fight against shirk (associating partners with Allah) in all its manifestations. Worshiping Allah alone and rejecting false gods is the cornerstone of their call. The most important aspect of their message is Tawheed because it is for this purpose that Allah created us.
Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) says:
وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ
I did not create jinn and humans except to worship Me. (Qur’an, Surah Adh-Dhariyat, 51:56)
Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) sent all the prophets with only one main purpose – for people to worship Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) and no one else.
Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) says:
وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ مِن رَّسُولٍ إِلَّا نُوحِي إِلَيْهِ أَنَّهُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنَا فَاعْبُدُونِ
We never sent a messenger before you ˹O Prophet˺ without revealing to him: “There is no god ˹worthy of worship˺ except Me, so worship Me ˹alone˺.” (Qur’an, Surah Al-Anbiya, 21:25)
And they pay great attention to other aspects of this belief system (Aqeedah) – it is Tawheed, the oneness of Allah, as the Lord and Creator, and the belief in the names and attributes (Al-Asma’ wa as-Sifat) of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). That is, Aqeedah is the core focus for the followers of the righteous predecessors.
Second quality: Unquestionable obedience to the Qur’an and Sunnah and acting upon them according to the command of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). He says:
وَمَا كَانَ لِمُؤْمِنٍ وَلَا مُؤْمِنَةٍ إِذَا قَضَى اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَمْرًا أَن يَكُونَ لَهُمُ الْخِيَرَةُ مِنْ أَمْرِهِمْ
It is not for a believing man or woman—when Allah and His Messenger decree a matter—to have any other choice in that matter. (Qur’an, Surah Al-Ahzab, 33:36)
They unquestioningly submit to the texts of the Shariah, regardless of whether it aligns with their personal desires, preferences, or habits, whether they understand the wisdom behind the command or not. They simply follow and implement it. They never oppose the texts of the Qur’an and Sunnah with their own opinions, nor do they say: “I think this,” or give the opinion of anyone, no matter who they are.
Third quality: They adhere to the unanimous opinions of the companions. That is, if the companions (Sahabah) had a unanimous opinion (Ijma’) on a particular issue, the followers of the righteous predecessors do not deviate from it. They show great respect for the words of the companions and follow them, unless they contradict the hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him), especially the words of the four righteous caliphs (may Allah be pleased with them).
Why do we follow the companions in their understanding? Because they knew better than anyone else what Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) meant when He revealed the verses, and what the Prophet (peace be upon him) meant when he spoke his hadiths.
Fourth quality: The followers of the righteous predecessors (As-Salaf As-Salih) do not compromise or make concessions in matters of Tawheed and Aqeedah. They do not accept differences in issues related to Aqeedah and Tawheed. When the polytheists (Mushrikun) told the Prophet (peace be upon him): “Let’s compromise a little in religion, abandon your principle, and we will also compromise, and we’ll meet halfway,” Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) says:
وَدُّوا لَوْ تُدْهِنُ فَيُدْهِنُونَ
They wish you would compromise so they would yield ˹to you˺. (Qur’an, Surah Al-Qalam, 68:9)
The followers of the righteous predecessors (Salaf as-Salih) do not compromise in these matters. Due to their uncompromising stance, misguided groups often dislike them, accuse them of various faults to turn people away from them, persecute them, rally against them, and wage an information war against them, just as the polytheists and hypocrites (Munafiqun) did against the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his companions.
Fifth quality: Ahlu Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah, the followers of the righteous predecessors (Salaf as-Salih), fight against innovations (bid’ahs) and disassociate themselves from the followers of innovations to the extent that their misguidance contradicts the truth. Whether these innovations concern Aqeedah, actions, the methodology of calling to the faith (Manhaj), or other areas. When Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) was told: “There are people in Basra who deny predestination (Qadr),” he said: “If you meet them, tell them that I have no connection with them, and they have no connection with me.”
Sixth quality: The followers of the righteous predecessors (Salaf as-Salih) love the companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Despite the time gap between them and the companions, they love them as though they knew them personally. They love the companions (Sahabah) and those who follow their path until the Day of Judgment more than their own relatives. Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) says: A man asked the Prophet (ﷺ) about the Hour (i.e. Day of Judgment) saying,
مَتَى السَّاعَةُ ؟“When will the Hour be?”
The Prophet (ﷺ) said,
وَمَاذَا أَعْدَدْتَ لَهَا؟
“What have you prepared for it?”
So you’re asking when it will happen, but what have you prepared for the Day of Judgment?
He said:
The man said,
لاَ شَيْءَ، إِلَّا أَنِّي أُحِبُّ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ
“Nothing, except that I love Allah and His Apostle.”
The Prophet (ﷺ) said,
أَنْتَ مَعَ مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ
“You will be with those whom you love.”
An Anas said:
فَمَا فَرِحْنَا بِشَيْءٍ، فَرَحَنَا بِقَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «أَنْتَ مَعَ مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ» قَالَ أَنَسٌ: فَأَنَا أُحِبُّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَأَبَا بَكْرٍ، وَعُمَرَ، وَأَرْجُو أَنْ أَكُونَ مَعَهُمْ بِحُبِّي إِيَّاهُمْ، وَإِنْ لَمْ أَعْمَلْ بِمِثْلِ أَعْمَالِهِمْ
We had never been so glad as we were on hearing that saying of the Prophet (i.e., “You will be with those whom you love.”) Therefore, I love the Prophet, Abu Bakr and `Umar, and I hope that I will be with them because of my love for them though my deeds are not similar to theirs. (Al-Bukhari (3688), Muslim (2639))
Anas said that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
آيَةُ الإِيمَانِ حُبُّ الأَنْصَارِ وَآيَةُ النِّفَاقِ بُغْضُ الأَنْصَارِ
“Love for the Ansar is a sign of faith and hatred for the Ansar is a sign of hypocrisy.” (Al-Bukhari (17))
We testify that we love Abu Bakr, we love ‘Umar, we love ‘Uthman, we love ‘Ali—all the companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and all those who followed them. We hope to meet Allah (Exalted and Glorified) with this love in our hearts.
Seventh Quality
The followers of the righteous predecessors (Salafus-Salih), Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah, are not fanatically attached to any particular place, nation, skin color, or race. Their attitude, love, and inclination toward a person depend solely on how close that person is to the truth. Our allegiance is only to Allah (Exalted and Glorified), His Messenger, and the believers. Salafiyyah has no geographical boundaries. It is a path that encompasses the entire world. Look at the scholars of Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah; they come from different places and represent various nations.
Eighth Quality
Salafiyyah is about knowledge (ilm) and action (amal). Their path is based on knowledge—this is a distinguishing feature. They love knowledge. The foundation of their call is true knowledge (ilm) of the Qur’an and Sunnah. They study, preserve, and disseminate the knowledge of the Qur’an and Sunnah. Look at the misguided groups: they often neglect knowledge and disregard the study of Shari’ah texts from the Qur’an and Sunnah. Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah have inherited this knowledge from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and they carry it forward. But they do not stop at knowledge (ilm); they implement it, and it is reflected in their actions and behavior.
Ninth Quality
Another important characteristic is that the call of Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah (Salafiyyah) is clear and comprehensible. There is no distortion, incomprehensible complexity, ambiguity, confusion, or obscurity, as is often the case with misguided groups.
Tenth Quality
Listen closely; this is very important! They do not divide the religion into parts. They take the religion in its entirety, not selectively, choosing what suits their preferences while leaving out other parts. This is because Allah (Exalted and Glorified) said:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا ادْخُلُوا فِي السِّلْمِ كَافَّةً
O believers! Enter into Islam wholeheartedly (Qur’an, Surah “The Cow,” 2:208)
“There should not be factions that extract only certain aspects of Islam that appeal to them while neglecting and discarding the rest. Look at many groups that take a part of the religion and then say, ‘Come to us; we are people of prayer.’ Others say, ‘Come to us; we are people of jihad.’ Others say, ‘Come to us; we are people of dawah (tabligh).’ Still others say, ‘Come to us; we are people of the caliphate.’ Thus, one of the main characteristics of misguided groups is that they call to only one aspect of the religion while ignoring the others.”
Eleventh Quality
Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah call for unity and warn against division. The Muslim community (Ummah) must not be fragmented! However, there is a key condition: we do not call for unity merely for the sake of coming together on unclear or compromised principles. Some say, “It doesn’t matter who you are—whether you insult Abu Bakr or Aisha, worship graves, or do other such things—let’s unite and overlook our differences. Let’s agree on what we have in common and forgive each other for the rest.” This is the wrong principle of the misguided!
Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah say: “Yes, we must unite, but all Muslims must unite around the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). We align ourselves with others and join a banner only based on this principle.”
Twelfth Quality
O servants of Allah, Salafiyyah, Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah, is the true path—it is the path of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and his companions (Sahabah). A very important characteristic of Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah is that Salafiyyah has no founder. Their only founder is the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), unlike misguided groups.
For example:
- The Jahmites follow Jahm ibn Safwan,
- The Ash’arites follow Abu al-Hasan al-Ash’ari,
- The Tabligh group follows Muhammad Ilyas al-Kandahlawi, etc.
Each group has a specific founder. But Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah have only one: the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
At the same time, Salafiyyah must not be turned into a form of partisanship or factionalism. It is not a party! Unfortunately, some people call themselves Salafis or Salafi groups and then look down on others, isolating themselves. This is incorrect. You should care for all Muslims and the entire Ummah, calling them to the truth and striving to save as many as possible. They are your Muslim brothers, and between you and them are the Qur’an and the Sunnah.
Do not divide people into “insiders” and “outsiders” based on personal circles or who interacts with you or not. No—your task is to save everyone around you.
May Allah (Exalted and Glorified) adorn all of us with the qualities listed above.
