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One cannot truly understand and apply the Qur`an and Sunnah unless he follows the understanding and application of the Salaf.

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Allaah said (what means): And whoever contradicts and opposes the Messenger (Muhammad, (salallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam)) after the right path has been shown clearly to him, and follows other than the believers' way. We shall keep him in the path he has chosen, and burn him in Hell - what an evil destination. (An-Nisa, ayah 115) Shaykh Al-Albanee (rahimahullaah) pointed out that Allaah says (what means) and follows other than the believers' way. Al-Albanee elaborated: "Our Lord did not stop short in this ayah. And if He would have, the ayah would still be correct and true. He [Allaah] did not say: "And whoever opposes the Messenger after the right path has been shown clearly to him, We shall keep him in the path he has chosen, and burn him in Hell - what an evil destination." Instead, due to His infinite Wisdom, He included: And He follows a way other than the way of the believers. And this is what we are focusing on. I hope that this ayah becomes firmly grounded in your minds and in your hearts, and I hope that you don't forget it, because it is the truth. And through it, you will be saved from deviating, drifting away to the right or to the left, and you will be saved - even in one aspect or some issue - from falling into one of the sects that are not saved, or one of the deviant sects."

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It is upon us to follow the Salaf. Allaah says (what means): And the first to embrace Islam of the Muhaajiroon and the Ansaar and also those who followed them exactly (in Faith). Allaah is well-pleased with them as they are well-pleased with Him. He has prepared for them Gardens under which rivers flow (Paradise), to dwell therein forever. That is the supreme success. (At-Tawbah, ayah 100) The shaikh then explained that in this noble ayah, Allaah mentions the three categories of people from this Ummah who will be saved. Firstly, the Muhaajiroon (those who migrated from Makkah to Al-Madinah), and the shaikh then said we missed this. That's the favor of Allaah that He gives to whom He wills. This is a level that we (living today) cannot attain.     Secondly, the Ansaar (the citizens of Al-Madinah who helped and gave aid to the Muhaajiroon), and the shaikh then said we missed this also. That's the favor of Allaah that He gives to whom He wills. This is a level that we (living today) cannot attain. [The shaikh called our attention to the fact that these first two groups - the Muhaajiroon and the Ansaar - are the sahaabah of the Messenger of Allaah (salallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam).]     The mercy of Allaah came with a third group whom will attain Allaah's Pleasure, and be pleased with Allaah.   Lastly, Itiba' bi Ihsaan (those who followed them [the sahaabah] exactly in faith). The shaikh explained that this means: those who followed the sahaabah with precision, with Ihsaan in 'aqeedah (which includes Manhaj), 'ibaadat (worship), and Akhlaq, Sulooq (character). If he follows the sahaabah in 'aqeedah, but not in 'ibaadah, then this is not Ihsaan. So what is an-natijaah (the result, outcome)? Allaah will be pleased with them, and they will be pleased with Allaah. [These are the first two promises of Allaah in this ayah.] The shaikh then cried to Allaah, "We are pleased with you, ya Rabb." Do we only want that Allaah is pleased with us? No, rather that also we will be pleased with Allaah. Meaning what? The shaikh said that the Messenger of Allaah said that Allaah will give them and give them and give them until they are pleased with Him. Until, they say: yakfee, ya Rabb (this is sufficient, Oh Lord). The third promise is: He has prepared for them Gardens under which rivers flow (Paradise)... Fourth Promise: to dwell therein forever... Fifth Promise: That is the supreme success. So there are five promises in this ayah, o slave of Allaah - each one more beautiful than the other. The companions, without a doubt, are befitting for and deserving of this. Definitely. Specifically. As for us, we come under them due to our following them. So be one who follows them, o slave of Allaah. Enter into this third category, o slave of Allaah. And beware of missing out on the third category, thus entering you into the fourth category of the ones who will be destroyed and will perish. So beware of missing out on the third category - thus falling into the fourth category - lest you be destroyed. This is Salafiyah. This is Salafiyah. Following. No opinions. There is no ijtihaad. There's no newly invented matters. Look at all the sahaabah - 'Abdullaah ibn Mas'ood, 'Abdullaah ibn 'Abbaas, 'Abdullaah ibn 'Umar, Abu Hurairah, Anas - all of the sahaabah. What did they say to the tabi'een (their successors)? Ya ahuya tabi'oon, itabbee'u. (Oh successors, follow!) Follow only; that's it. The religion is already complete, so now it is upon you to simply follow. We follow (the sahaaah) in what? ...In the religion - all of it... In 'Aqeedah - this is number one. Be with the sahaabah in 'aqeedah. 100%. Secondly, in acts of worship. Be like the sahaabah in acts of worship... Number three, in character, our interactions, our promises, our covenants, our agreements, 100%. This is how the sahaabah were, radiallaahu 'anhum. Easy or difficult?...   If there is tawfeeq from Allaah, (it will be) very easy. How does the success come? Sidq (truthfulness). Be truthful in your following. And from what the scholars have mentioned, is this itiba' (following) easy? No! Why? Because Allaah created us, and each one has 'aql (intellect). Like we hear (deviants such as the Khawaarij) saying, "they are men and we are men." [A statement of truth by which people of bid'ah intend falsehood, attempting to equate and make equal them and the companions - opposing the revelation from Allaah in this matter - and denying the obligation of following the sahaabah and deceiving others into not following the sahaabah.] This [statement] is a calamity. They [deviants such as the Khawaarij] say, "their religion is for them at that time, and our religion for us today, it needs a renewal." The religion in these affairs, does it accept being renewed? No! No! No! No! No!...Until after tomorrow. Imam Malik (rahimahullaah) said: quote: Malam yakun yawma idhin deenan la yakuuna al yawma deena (Whatever was not in the religion then cannot be part of the religion today). It is not possible - not in the 'aqeedah, not in worship, not in character. The religion is [as Allaah says (what means):] This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favor upon you, and have chosen for you Islaam as your religion. (Al-Ma`idah, ayah 3) That's it. The religion is complete. You cannot add even one letter, you cannot increase anything. So that was Imam Malik (rahimahullaah) explaining Salafiyah with one word (statement). quote: Malam yakun yawma idhin Deenan la yakuuna al yawma Deena (Whatever was not in the religion then cannot be part of the religion today). That's how they [the Salaf] were: a few words, a lot of actions. Today, we speak, a lot of talk, talk, talk, and few actions. Salafiyah is: a little bit of talk, a lot of action. The religion is the religion of the Prophet (salallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) and his companions. Even one dot, one letter will not be accepted in increase. The increase will corrupt it. One deletion is going to corrupt it. Any change, any alteration will corrupt it. Anything new will corrupt it. What is the proof? The Prophet (salallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said: Hold firmly to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the Rightly-Guided Caliphs after me. Hold onto it with your molar teeth. And beware of newly invented affairs, since every newly invented affair is an innovation, and every innovation is misguidance and every innovation is in the Fire.   Anything that is newly invented, stay away from it; leave it off, since every newly invented affair is an innovation, and every innovation is misguidance and every innovation is in the Fire. The Prophet (salallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said: Whoever innovates into this affair of ours that which is not from it - [the shaikh interjected: even if it is something small] - it will be rejected. This is Salafiyah, o servant of Allaah. For this reason, any creed (belief), any act of worship, if the companions were upon that, then we take it...

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The foundations of the Sunnah with us are: Holding fast to what the Companions of Allaah's Messenger (salallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) were upon.

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The Messenger (salallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said: Binding upon you is my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the Rightly Guided Caliphs after me - hold onto it with your molar teeth. And holding on to whatever the Companions were upon is holding on to the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of the Messenger and to his Seerah (i.e. his biography) and to his Rightly Guided Successors, from the noble Companions. The Prophet (salallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) described the sect of salvation in the hadeeth of the splitting of the Ummah: This Ummah will divide into seventy-three sects, all of them will be in the Hellfire except for one. He was asked: "Who are they (the Saved Sect)?" He said: They are those who are upon that which I and my Companions are upon. So if we know this, then it is upon the seeker of knowledge that he read the biography and life of the Prophet and likewise about the lives of his Companions and how they were, for indeed the innovations occurred after the time of the Messenger (salallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam), and the Companions opposed all innovations. And the first of the innovations to befall the Ummah was the innovation of the Khawaarij. Then there was the bid'ah of ar-Rafd (i.e. the Shee'ah), then came the bid'ah of al-I'tizaal, and there also occurred the bid'ah of Al-Qadr.   So all of this was taking place in that time, yet the Companions withheld and never entered into innovations; rather they forbade them and opposed them as occurs in the hadeeth of 'Abdullaah ibn 'Umar (radhi Allaahu 'anhumaa) in Saheeh Muslim when he was informed of the bid'ah of the Qadariyyah so he said to those who conveyed that to him: quote: If you meet them, then inform that I am indeed free of them and that they are free of me. Then he narrated the hadeeth from his father in which Jibreel came to the Prophet (salallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) to ask him about the Religion. And likewise 'Ali ibn Abee Taalib (radiallaahu 'anhu) who took a position against the Khawaarij and sent his cousin 'Abdullaah ibn Abbaas (radiallaahu 'anhumma) to them, and he debated with them after which four thousand returned to the truth (repented) and the rest remained. So 'Ali fought them on the day of Nahrawaan. So we see the Companions of Allaah's Messenger withheld from bid'ah which became apparent in their times - and they took positions of enmity towards bid'ah. And that which clarifies their hatred of the people of bid'ah is the narration of Abu Umaamah al-Baahilee (radiallaahu 'anhu) that is reported by Abu Dawood (rahimahullaah) in Kitaab as-Sunnah - that when Abu Umaamah saw the severed heads of the leaders of the Khawaarij erected upon stakes, he stated that they are: quote: The dogs of the Hellfire, and the most evil of the creation.

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The foundations of the Sunnah with us are: Holding fast to what the Companions of Allaah's Messenger (salallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) were upon. And taking them (i.e. the Companions of the Prophet) as an example to be followed.

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And the meaning here is that we follow the Companions of Allaah's Messenger (salallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam), and that we believe that they are the most excellent of the Ummah, and that they are the most beloved (of the Ummah) to Allaah and the closest to Him. Allaah, the Most High, stated: And whoever contradicts and opposes the Messenger (Muhammad) after the right path has been shown clearly to him, and follows other than the believers' way. We shall keep him in the path he has chosen, and burn him in Hell - what an evil destination. (An-Nisa, ayah 115) His saying (what means): ...and follows other than the believers' way The Sahaabah, they are uppermost of the Ummah in Emaan and most virtuous in station in the sight of Allaah. The Prophet (salallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) stated: Were one of you to spend in charity the like of Mount Uhud in gold, it would equal a handful or even half a handful of one of them (i.e. the Companions). [Reported by al-Bukhaaree, Book of Virtues of the Sahaabah; Chapter: The excellence of Abu Bakr as-Siddeeq after the Prophet (salallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam), 3/12 (3673)] So what is intended by the term 'believers' in this verse are the Companions of Allaah's Messenger (salallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam). As for the one who follows other than their path and takes other than them as examples to be followed, then he is far, far astray, and is in clear and manifest loss - and it is sufficient that Allaah renounces him, and leaves him in the path that he has chosen and roasts him in the Hellfire, and what an evil destination. Allaah's refuge is sought. So it is clear from this that it is obligatory upon every student of knowledge that he follows the path of 'believers', who are the Companions of Allaah's Messenger (salallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam), and it is necessary for him to be aware of this threat and pays attention to it. And we recall here the saying of one of the Ikhwaan (Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt): Indeed there belongs to al-Ikhwaan a lofty palace, Everything that is within it is good, Do not ask me who built it, Indeed it is al-Banna Hasan. [Aoodhubillaah!] Let us investigate, was that which Hasan al-Banna affirmed for his hizb (party) in agreement with that which the Companions of Allaah's Messenger were upon or contrary to it? We re-iterate, look into this principle from its pinnacle: what is it that Hasan al-Bannah affirmed and established in his da'wah and his manhaj (methodology)? Did he forbid the Major Shirk that was present in his country? The answer: No he did not. Did he rebuke bid'ah - and from its greatest types is the bid'ah of the Sufis, those who speak with wahdatul-wujood (i.e. that Allaah and His creation are one - aoodhubillaah)? Did he forbid those holding to these affairs? The answer again is 'no,' he did not. Indeed he praised and commended al-Mirghanee, the Sufi, the Sudanese who spoke with the corrupted belief of Wahdatul-Wujood. So in this manner, we see this manhaj and what it contains of innovations, and shirk and other affairs that should cause them to hang their heads in shame. Likewise is the case when we look towards the manhaj (methodology) of Jamaa'at at-Tableegh. Do we see them engaged in the call to Tawheed and acting upon that? The answer is no we do not. Rather they forbid the one who calls to Tawheed.   And the same can be said about the Jamaa'at as-Surooriyyah, which believes in rebelling against the Muslim rulers. So when we look upon these methodologies, do we see the 'Path of the Believers' or other than the path of the believers? So then we know that the intent behind the term 'believers' (in the verse) are the Companions of Allaah's Messenger (salallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) and those who proceed upon their manhaj, following their path, from the people of Hadeeth (as`haab al-hadeeth), the Imaams of guidance - by way of whom Allaah preserved the Sunnah of His Prophet (salallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam).