Unity Over Partisanship

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فَمَا كَانَ السَّلَفُ يَحُطُّونَ عَلَى سَالِكِهِ وَيُبَدِّعُونَهُ

So the pious predecessors did not criticize the one who followed it and accuse him of innovation.

وَبَيْنَهُمْ اِخْتِلَافٌ شَدِيدٌ فِي مَسَائِلَ مُزْمِنَةٍ

And among them was severe disagreement in long-standing issues.

تَرْكُهَا مِنْ حُسْنِ إِسْلَامِ العَبْدِ

Abandoning them is from the goodness of a servant's Islam.

فَإِنَّهُ يُورِثُ أَمْرَاضًا فِي القُلُوبِ

For indeed it causes diseases in the hearts.

وَمَنْ لَمْ يُصَدِّقْنِي يُجَرِّبْ

And whoever does not believe me, let him try.

فَإِنَّ الْأُصُولِيَّةُ بَيْنَهُمُ السَّيْفُ

For indeed, theology is the sword between them.

يَكْفُرُ هَذَا هَذَا وَيُضَلِّلُ هَذَا هَذَا

This one declares this one an unbeliever, and this one declares this one misguided.

فَ الأُصُولِيُّ الوَاقِفُ مَعَ الظَّوَاهِرِ وَالْآثَارِ عِندَ خُصُومِهِ يَجْعَلُونَهُ مُجَسِّمًا وَحَشَوِيًّا وَمُبْتَدِعًا

So the fundamentalist who stands with the apparent meanings and narrations, his opponents deem him an anthropomorphist, a Hashwi, and an innovator.

وَالأُصُولِيُّ الَّذِي طَرَدَ التَّأْوِيلَ عِنْدَ الآخَرِينَ جَهْمِيًّا وَمُعْتَزِلِيًّا وَضَالًّا

And the theologian who pursues interpretation is considered by others as a Jahmi, a Mu'tazili, and misguided.

وَالأُصُولِيُّ الَّذِي أَثْبَتَ بَعْضَ الصِّفَاتِ وَنَفَى بَعْضَهَا وَتَأَوَّلَ فِي أَمَاكِنَ يَقُولُونَ مُتَنَاقِضًا

And the theologian who affirms some attributes and negates others and interprets in some places, they call him contradictory.

وَالسَّلَامَةُ وَالْعَافِيَةُ أَوْلَى بِكَ

And safety and well-being are more appropriate for you.

فَإِنْ بَرَعْتَ فِي الأُصُولِ وَتَوَابِعِهَا مِنَ المَنْطِقِ وَالحِكْمَةِ وَالفَلْسَفَةِ وَآرَاءِ الأَوَائِلِ وَمُجَازَاتِ العُقُولِ

So if you excel in the fundamentals and their appendages of logic, wisdom, philosophy, and the views of the ancients and the metaphors of minds,

وَاعْتَصَمْتَ مَعَ ذَلِكَ بِالْكِتَابِ وَالسُّنَّةِ وَأُصُولِ السَّلَفِ

And you cling with that to the Book and the Sunnah and the principles of the pious predecessors,

وَلَفَقْتَ بَيْنَ العَقْلِ وَالنَّقْلِ

And you reconcile between reason and revelation,

فَمَا أَظُنُّكَ فِي ذَلِكَ تَبْلُغُ رُتْبَةَ ابْنِ تَيْمِيَّةَ وَلَا وَاللهِ تَقْرَبُهَا

So I do not think you in that will reach the rank of Ibn Taymiyyah, nor by God will you come close to it,

وَقَدْ رَأَيْتُ مَا آلَ أَمْرُهُ إِلَيْهِ مِنَ الحَطِّ عَلَيْهِ وَالهَجْرِ وَالتَّضْلِيلِ وَالتَّكْفِيرِ وَالتَّكْذِيبِ بِحَقٍّ وَبِبَاطِلٍ

And I have seen what his affair came to of criticism against him, abandonment, accusations of misguidance and disbelief, and denial, both rightly and wrongly,

فَقَدْ كَانَ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَدْخُلَ فِي هَذِهِ الصِّنَاعَةِ مُنَوِّرًا مُضِيئًا عَلَى مَحْيَاهُ سِيمَا السَّلَفِ

So indeed, before he entered into this field, he was enlightened and radiant, upon his face the mark of the pious predecessors,

ثُمَّ صَارَ مُظْلِمًا مَكْسُوفًا

Then he became darkened and eclipsed.

عَلَيْهِ قُتْمَةٌ عِنْدَ خَلَائِقٍ مِنَ النَّاسِ

Upon him was a dark stain in the view of some people.

وَدَجَّالًا أَفَّاكًا كَافِرًا عِنْدَ أَعْدَائِهِ

And a deceitful, lying disbeliever in the view of his enemies.

وَمُبْتَدِعًا فَاضِلًا مُحَقِّقًا بَارِعًا عِنْدَ طَوَائِفَ مِنْ عُقَلَاءِ الفُضَلَاءِ

And an innovator, a virtuous, established, and proficient one in the view of groups from among the wise and the noble.

وَحَامِلُ رَايَةِ الإِسْلَامِ وَحَامِي حَوْزَةِ الدِّينِ وَمُحْيِي السُّنَّةِ عِنْدَ عَوَامِّ أَصْحَابِهِ

And the bearer of the banner of Islam, the protector of the domain of the faith, and the reviver of the Sunnah in the view of the common people among his followers.

هُوَ مَا أَقُولُ لَكَ

This is what I say to you.