Can We Warn People about Certain Salafi Scholars?

Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch

Question

I’m a member of an Islamic student organization. Things are going well, and we’re being cautious about sharing fatwas. I’m struggling with Salafism. I understand why it’s not allowed in this group and why people don’t support it.

But now people share things like “this Shaykh isn’t trustworthy” or “Remove this because this Ustadh is a Salafist”. I’ve been taught that if you’re not a scholar, you shouldn’t say this. Your limit is to warn someone about certain statements or fatwas. I’m not a fan of this approach. Other scholars who aren’t Salafist make questionable statements and nothing is said about it. I want to approach this appropriately and would like your view.

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.

It is understandable that people would want to warn others about scholars they feel are not representing the authentic tradition of Islam.

However, I agree that one must uphold the Prophetic guidance in both their intention and the articulation of their warning.

Clarity Even for a Non-Scholar

It is not necessary that one be a scholar to be able to discern between authentic and fringe scholarship.

A key principle that can prepare one to recognize red flags and places of caution is the following Prophetic narration (hadith):

“Follow the vast majority. Whoever, veers off, veers off towards the Fire.” [Ibn Majah]

The Vast Majority

The vast majority of Muslims follow:

• One of the four schools of thought in regard to legal verdicts (fiqh): the Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi‘i, and Hanbali schools;
• One of the three main articulations of Islamic beliefs: that of Imam Abu al-Hasan al-Ash‘ari, Abu Mansur al-Maturidi, and Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal; and
• Most follow – formally or informally – one of the great spiritual paths that trace their teachings back to the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace): The Qadiriyya, the Shadhiliya, the Ba‘Alawiyya, and many more.

The Salafi Movement

Unlike the above schools of thought in legal matters or matters of belief, the Salafi movement is a minority movement. Its followers are a small fraction of the Muslim community, even though they have gained popularity.

It is a very puritanical movement that claims to circumvent the scholarly tradition and take its knowledge directly from the Quran and the Sunna of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace).

This approach in itself is against the practice of the vast majority of scholars for up to seven centuries prior to the onset of this ideology.

There are many issues where the scholars of the Salafi movement have taken stances that were previously unanimously agreed upon amongst the scholars of all the schools.

Red Flags

Along with the above principle, there are certain red flags that fringe groups and extreme movements portray.

• Extreme ideologies;
• Us vs. them mentality;
• Blanket statements of the misguidance of other Believers;
• Declaring Muslims to be disbelievers or heretics;
• Declaring it permissible to kill non-combatants, non-Muslims, or even Muslims;
• Indiscriminate killing of people, especially innocent people, women, children, or elders. All of this is against the Prophet’s teachings (may Allah bless him and give him peace).

Note that these extreme ideologies and practices if unchecked lead to the formation of groups like the Kharijites whom the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and give him peace) warned his companions about or – in our time – ISIS.

Groups like this are the natural conclusion to such exclusionary approaches that are absolutely antithetical to the way, practice, and character of the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and give him peace) in his dealings with Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

Summary

If someone is a self-proclaimed Salafi scholar or follower, or they have Salafi tendencies, it is advisable not to take one’s knowledge of the religion from them. This does not mean, however, that they are inherently bad or malicious people. It does not mean that they are not righteous and pious. It is likely that they are very righteous people.

While upholding and giving them the due respect any and every Muslim deserves, one should seek out a teacher who represents the vast majority and has an authentic chain of transmission from his (or her) teachers back to the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace).

Additionally, one should seek out such a scholar who embodies the beauty and mercy representative of the Prophetic way.

Related:

• How Islam Works: What is Religion, and How It Is Preserved, Transmitted, and Interpreted. [Course]
• Study Guide for Seekers of Knowledge

Hope this helps
Allah knows best
[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch teaches Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he completed four years at the Darul Uloom Seminary in New York, where he studied Arabic and the traditional sciences.

He then traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he studied for three years in Dar al-Mustafa under some of the most outstanding scholars of our time, including Habib Umar Bin Hafiz, Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf, and Shaykh Umar al-Khatib.

In Tarim, Shaykh Yusuf completed the memorization of the Quran and studied beliefs, legal methodology, hadith methodology, Quranic exegesis, Islamic history, and several texts on spirituality. He joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.