01. Among these groups are those who alter and change the meaning of the statement “La ilaah illa Allaah” from meaning the general comprehensive subservience to Allaah, the Most High, and the required negation and turning away from everything which is worshiped other than Him, to: simply meaning affirming his Lordship as the Creator and Sustainer….
…Thus they disregard and neglect both “Tawheed al-Uluheeyah” or the affirmation that Allaah alone is to be worshiped and obeyed, and “Tawheed al-Asma’a wa Sifaat” or the affirmation of understanding Allaah’s names and attributes just as Allaah and His Messenger conveyed and explained them.
The above points are taken from the work:
The source was an appendix to the small work “The Methodology of the People of the Sunnah and Adherence to the Jama’ah in Calling to Allaah.” by ‘Abdullah Ibn Muhammad Ibn Saaleh al-Ma’taar (Published by Dar Ibn Jawzee, Cairo 1425) with an introduction by the esteemed guiding scholar Sheikh Saaleh Ibn Fauzaan al-Fauzaan, may Allaah preserve him.
The following in the translated original introduction to the appendix:
“As is well-known, a matter is not understood except by comprehending that which opposes it. And in light of the fact of what we have presented of some of the characteristics of those who follow the first three generations of Muslims, the Salafees, then it is of some importance that we indicate some of the characteristics of those who oppose them in order to warn against these characteristics. Just as the well-known saying: through their opposites, matters become clear and understood.
Certainly Hudhaifah ibn al-Yamaan, may Allaah be pleased with him, would ask the Messenger of Allaah, may the praise and salutations of Allaah be upon him, about evil situations fearing that he would fall into them. For this reason we present in what follows some of the characteristics of the misguided groups upon which they have developed a methodology of calling and inviting to the religion which opposes the methodology of those who follow the first three generations. Generally they had neglected establishing the correct Islamic beliefs and calling to them and basing one’s allegiance to others upon those beliefs. While at the same time these groups and movements have concentrated on issues of ruling and political power, or current societal affairs and situations.
In doing so they have become significant agents working for the spread of innovations and aligning themselves with the people of innovation and placing them in positions of leadership. It has become one of their important priorities to gather and join together significant numbers of people including within those whom they have assembled people who differ significantly, from people of various Sufeeyah paths, people of the sect of the Raafidhah, and those who worship at graves, all together.
So it is clear that among them are those who have become those who love for other than the sake of Allaah, and become those who direct that love towards others despite that they are not the people truly worshiping Allaah alone. From within these groups and movements there are those who attack the scholars who adhere to the way of the Salaf, accusing them of being those who only curry favor from the rulers, and accusing the scholars of being those who only have a ritualistic or simplistic understanding of the religion.
They claim these scholars have been deceived regarding the affair of the Muslim rulers, and they accuse them of having a lack of understanding of the current situation of the Muslims, and a failure to properly grasp the overall situations regarding nations and countries. They claim that the scholars are ignorant of the plans of the enemies of Islaam and the secularists. For this reason they do not refer to them, nor take any important rulings related to the Muslim nation from them but only refer to them for rulings regarding matters such as ritual purification, women’s menses, by claiming that these Salafee scholars do not understand the larger affairs which are going on around them. And we seek refuge in Allaah from this tremendous slander and false accusation.
At the same time they themselves instigate and provoke the governments against those who call to the way of the Salaf, the first three generations, and chose to engage in economic strikes and political demonstrations, making unlawful actions permissible under the claim of seeking an overall better condition for the Muslims. Yet they chose to remain silent about those wrongdoings found within their own parties and groups as well as those errors found in the statements of their leaders, while accusing the people who call to the worship of Allaah alone as a priority, of being severe and harsh. From those within these groups, parties, and movements are those who criticize the early books of knowledge by labeling them as “weak” and “feeble”. Yet they themselves are those who worship their intellects, their invented concepts, and their personal desires.
What follows are summarized characteristics related to one of more of these modern day groups, parties, and movements that call themselves “Islamic”: