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Signs of the People of Bid'ah & Some of Their Groups

Author: Shaykh Muhammad bin Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen, رَحِمَهُ الله


Ibn Qudaamah al-Maqdisee says in his book Lum'ah al-I'tiqaad:

[93] And whoever attributes to himself or is characterized with other than Islaam and the Sunnah, then he is a person of bid'ah, such as the Raafidhah, the Jahmiyyah, the Khawaarij, the Qadariyyah, the Murjiah, the Mu'tazilah, the Karaamiyyah, the Kalaabiyyah and those similar to these. These are the misguided sects, the groups of bid'ah. May Allaah protect us from them.


 

Ibn Uthaymeen says in his explanation of this book, pg. 161:


Signs of the People of Bid'ah and Some of Their Groups


The People of Bid'ah have clear signs. From them are:

  1. They describe themselves with other than Islaam and the Sunnah depending upon what bid'ahs they speak of whether in statement, action, or Aqeedah.

  2. They stubbornly and arrogantly adhere to their opinions and they do not return to the truth even if it is clarified to them.

  3. They hate the Imaams of Islaam and the religion.


Abandoning the People of Bid'ah is Waajib due to Allaah's statement: And from their groups, there are:


1. The Raafidhiyyah: They are those who go to extremes regarding the family of the Prophet (SallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) and they declare the other companions to be disbelievers and accuse them of evil and wicked things. They are various sects within themselves. From them are the extremists who claim that Alee is a god and others from them commit less than that.


Their bid'ah first appeared during the leadership of Alee ibn Abee Taalib when Abdullaah ibn Saba said to him, "You are god!" So Alee (RadhiyAllaahu anhu) ordered them to be burned so their leader, Abdullaah ibn Saba, fled.


Their Madhhab regarding the attributes of Allaah differs. Among them are those who make Tashbeeh*, those who make Ta'teel**, and those who are moderate. They are called Raafidhah (Rejecters) because they rejected Zayd ibn Alee ibn Al-Husayn ibn Alee ibn Abee Taalib when they asked him about Abu Bakr and Umar (RadhiyAllaahu anhumaa). So he made Duaa for them both for the mercy of Allaah. So they rejected him and abandoned him. They named themselves Shee'ah (Supporters) because they claim to uphold and support the family of the Prophet (SallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) and they call for their precedence and declare them to have more right to the leadership.


2. The Jahmiyyah: An ascription to Jahm ibn Safwaan who was killed by Saalim (or Salam) ibn Ahwaz in the Hijrah year 121. Their Madhhab regarding the attributes of Allaah is Ta'teel** and negation. With regards to predestination, they believe people are completely forced to do their action having no choice in the matter at all (Jabariyyah). Regarding Eemaan, they believe in Irjaa, meaning that Eemaan is solely the acknowledgement of the heart and that statements and actions are not part of Eemaan. So someone who commits a major sin, in their estimation, is a complete believer. So they are the People of Ta'teel, Jabariyyah, and Murjiah and they are many sects within themselves.


3. The Khawaarij: They are the ones who went out to kill Alee ibn Abee Taalib for the purpose of arbitration and ruling.

Their Madhhab is disassociation from Uthmaan and Alee and rebellion and revolution against the Imaam if he acts in contrary to the Sunnah in any matter. They also declare the one who commits a major sin to be a disbeliever who will reside forever in the Fire. They are also many different sects within themselves.


4. The Qadariyyah: They are the ones who negate predestination totally regarding the actions of the servant. They say that the servant has comeplete will and power over his own actions with no relationship between them and the will and power of Allaah. The first one