Shaykh ʿAbd Allah an-Najmī: There are numerous narrations from the salaf concerning how to deal with the innovators and warn against them. The salaf agreed and were united upon this in every time and place, and this consensus has been conveyed by many of the people of knowledge. I will now state some examples:
The following report concerns Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Ḥanbal ؒ (d. 241 AH / 855 CE) and appointments to public office. It is reproduced as a historical report:
قال أبو مزاحم موسى بن عبيد الله بن يحيى بن خاقان: قال لي عمي أبو علي عبد الرحمن بن يحيى بن خاقان: أمر المتوكل بمسألة أحمد بن حنبل عمن يتقلد القضاء؟ فسألته. قال أبو مزاحم: فسألت عمي أن يخرج إلي جوابه، فوجه إلي بنسخة فكتبتها، ثم عدت إلى عمي فأقر لي بصحة ما بعث به. وهذا نسخته: بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم، نسخة الرقعة التي عرضتها على أحمد بن محمد بن حنبل بعد أن سألته عما فيها فأجابني عن ذلك بما قد كتبته، وأمر ابنه عبد الله أن يوقع بأسفلها بأمره، ما سألته أن يوقع فيها. سألت أحمد بن حنبل عن أحمد بن رباح، فقال فيه: إنه جهمي معروف بذلك، وإنه إن قلد شيئا من أمور المسلمين كان فيه ضرر على المسلمين لما هو عليه من مذهبه وبدعته. وسألته عن ابن الخلنجي، فقال فيه أيضا مثل ما قال في أحمد بن رباح، وذكر أنه جهمي معروف بذلك، وأنه كان من شرهم وأعظمهم ضررا على الناس، وسألته عن شعيب بن سهل فقال فيه: جهمي معروف بذلك. وسألته عن عبيد الله بن أحمد فقال: جهمي معروف بذلك، وسألته عن المعروف بأبي شعيب فقال فيه: إنه جهمي معروف بذلك. وسألته عن محمد بن منصور قاضي الأهواز، فقال فيه: إنه كان مع أبي دؤاد وفي ناحيته وأعماله، إلا أنه كان من أمثلهم، ولا أعرف رأيه، وسألته عن ابن علي بن الجعد فقال: كان معروفا عند الناس بأنه جهمي مشهور بذلك، ثم بلغني عنه الآن أنه رجع عن ذلك. وسألته عن الفتح بن سهل صاحب مظالم محمد بن عبد الله ببغداد، فقال: جهمي معروف بذلك، من أصحاب بشر المريسي، وليس ينبغي أن يقلد مثله شيئا من أمور المسلمين لما في ذلك من الضرر. وسألته عن ابن الثلجي، فقال: مبتدع صاحب هوى. وسألته عن إبراهيم بن عتاب فقال: لا أعرفه، إلا أنه كان من أصحاب بشر المريسي، فينبغي أن يحذر ولا يقرب، ولا يقلد شيئا من أمور الناس. وفي الجملة: إن أهل البدع والأهواء لا ينبغي أن يستعان بهم في شيء من أمور المسلمين، فإن في ذلك أعظم الضرر على الدين، مع ما عليه رأي أمير المؤمنين أطال الله بقاءه من التمسك بالسنة والمخالفة لأهل البدع.
“Abū Muzāḥim Mūsā ibn ʿUbayd Allah ibn Yaḥyā ibn Khāqān said: ‘My uncle, Abū ʿAlī ʿAbd ar-Raḥmān ibn Yaḥyā ibn Khāqān, said to me: “Al-Mutawakkil ordered that Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal be asked who should be entrusted with the judiciary, so I asked him.”’ Abū Muzāḥim said: ‘I asked my uncle to send me his answer. He sent me a copy, which I wrote down. I returned to my uncle, who confirmed the correctness of what he had sent. This is its text:
In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy. This is a copy of the note I presented to Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Ḥanbal after asking him about its contents. He answered me with what I have written. He instructed his son ʿAbd Allah to sign at the bottom on his orders; I had not asked him to sign it.
I asked Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal about Aḥmad ibn Rabāḥ. He said: “He is known to be a Jahmī. If he is entrusted with any of the Muslims’ affairs, he will harm them because of his doctrine and innovation.”
I asked him about Ibn al-Khalanjī. He said the same as he had said about Aḥmad ibn Rabāḥ, mentioning that he was a known Jahmī and among the worst and most harmful of them to the people.
I asked him about Shuʿayb ibn Sahl. He said: “He is known to be a Jahmī.”
I asked him about ʿUbayd Allah ibn Aḥmad. He said: “He is known to be a Jahmī.”
I asked him about the man known as Abū Shuʿayb. He said: “He is known to be a Jahmī.”
I asked him about Muḥammad ibn Manṣūr, the judge of al-Ahwāz. He said: “He was with Ibn Abī Duʾād, on his side and involved in his work, although he was among the best of them. I do not know his position.”
I asked him about ʿAlī ibn al-Jaʿd. He said: “He was known among the people as a Jahmī and was famous for it. Then it reached me that he had renounced that.”
I asked him about Al-Fatḥ ibn Sahl, who held the grievances office under Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allah in Baghdad. He said: “He is a known Jahmī, one of the associates of Bishr al-Marīsī. Someone like him should not be entrusted with any of the Muslims’ affairs because of the harm this entails.”
I asked him about Ibn ath-Thaljī. He said: “He is an innovator and a person of desires.”
I asked him about Ibrāhīm ibn ʿAttāb. He said: “I do not know him, except that he was one of the associates of Bishr al-Marīsī. He should therefore be treated with caution, not brought close, and not entrusted with any of the people’s affairs.”
In general, the aid of the people of innovation and desires should not be sought in any of the Muslims’ affairs, because this causes the greatest harm to the religion. This accords with the Commander of the Believers’ position of adhering to the Sunnah and opposing the people of innovation. May Allah prolong his life.’” (Manāqib al-Imām Aḥmad, pp. 251–252 in the consulted electronic text.)
The Arabic text in Manāqib al-Imām Aḥmad prints “Abū Duʾād” and “the son of ʿAlī ibn al-Jaʿd” in two places. The parallel account in Siyar Aʿlām an-Nubalāʾ reads “Ibn Abī Duʾād” and “ʿAlī ibn al-Jaʿd”, matching the identities given in the original English article. These variants are recorded here rather than silently altering the consulted Arabic text.
References
Abū al-Faraj ʿAbd ar-Raḥmān ibn ʿAlī Ibn al-Jawzī ؒ (d. 597 AH / 1201 CE), Manāqib al-Imām Aḥmad, pp. 251–252 in the electronic text.
Shams ad-Dīn Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad adh-Dhahabī ؒ (d. 748 AH / 1348 CE), Siyar Aʿlām an-Nubalāʾ, 11:297–298, parallel abbreviated report. .
Shaykh ʿAbd Allah an-Najmī, Warning Those of Little Sense Against Attacking the Scholars of Eminence, the source named in the original article.
