[1] Unambiguous principles about Tabdee

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Question: Is there a difference between the ruling against a person that he is indeed from Ahlul Ahwa Wal Bid’ah and the ruling against him that indeed he is a Mubtadi? And does the ruling against a person that indeed he is not Salafi or that indeed he is a hizbi necessarily mean that he is a Mubtadi? Please I ask for clarification of the Mas’alah.

Response: Firstly, you should know that Ahlus-Sunnah are people of ورع (cautious piety), they  neither make takfīr, tafsīq, nor tabdīʿ except (against) the one who truly deserves that based on proof from the Qur’an and Sunnah, and the understanding of the (pious) predecessors of this Ummah.

Secondly, you should know that the people of desires and misguidance are (categorised into) those who are followed and followers. Those followed are the ones who formulate the various  principles of bidʿah and call people to their bidah and misguidance. They will carry the burden of their own sins as well as the sins of those whom they lead astray without knowledge, as is clearly stated in the Qur’an and the Sunnah.

As for the followers of the ones who are followed among the people of desires, they are two categories in most cases:

(a) Those who possess knowledge, but their intentions are evil, thus, they yield to Satan, vain desires and to the soul that commands evil; follow the people of misguidance and turn away from the callers to guidance, (who call to the the guidance) with which Allah sent His Messenger, Muhammad ﷺ.

(b) Those whose share of knowledge is small, so the people of desires ensnare them to be from their party, convince them that what they are calling them to is manifest truth and that what their opponents were upon is falsehood. And they unleash a spate of Shubuhaat upon them to confound truth with falsehood for them and immerse them into misguidance.

If this is understood, then as for those who are followed (the leaders)—the ones who formulate the principles of Bidah and call the people to their Bidah and misguidance, then, indeed, they are described based on the bidah they have innovated and to which they call people, and no honour is accorded to them in this regard.

And with regards to the followers of the people of desires, as I mentioned to you, they are – in most cases – two categories. Therefore, they are to be called to the Sunnah, to adhere to it  firmly and abandon the bidah through which they have been deceived by those who concocted (those principles). If they respond to the call of truth, in both knowledge and practice, and reject what the people of vain desires and bidah call them to, then that is what is sought after and the praiseworthy goal. If they reject the advice of sincere advisors, exchange guidance for misguidance, give precedence to Bidah over the Sunnah, then they deserve to be described as Mubtadiʿah and no honour is accorded to them (in this matter) after the truth has been established with its proofs and clarification (given) in opposition to the falsehood among the newly invented matters (i.e. beliefs, acts of worship, or methodology) about which the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, declared to be misguidance, and whose adherents he issued the threat about entry into fire, as he (the Messenger) – peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him, said:

“It is obligated to you to adhere to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the Rightly Guided Caliphs after me. Cling to it firmly and bite onto it with your molar teeth. Beware of newly introduced matters (in the religion), for every newly introduced matter is a Bidah, every bidah is misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Fire.”

Source: Al-Ajwibah al-Athariyyah pages 17-18