Errors in Manhaj Occur Due to Underlying Errors in Aqidah

The Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen replied to a question regarding aqidah (creed) and manhaj (methodology) and whether the Salaf used to distinguish between them:

Manhaj – may Allaah bless you – is built upon the aqidah, so whoever’s aqidah is sound, then his manhaj will be sound without doubt, because the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam), when he mentioned the splittign of the Ummah into seventy-three sects, all of them in the Fire except for one, they (the Companions) said, “Which one is it O Messenger of Allaah?”, and he replied:

Whoever is upon the like of I and my Companions are upon.

So his saying, “Whoever is upon the like of I and my Companions are upon“, meaning in aqidah and in manhaj and in action, and in everything. And it is not possible for this (i.e. aqidah) and this (i.e. manhaj) to be divergent.

So for example, the Ikhwanis and Tablighis and Islahis and other than them, if their manhaj does not oppose the Sharee’ah, then there is no problem in it, and if it opposes the Sharee’ah, then it necessarily arises from (opposition in the) aqidah, because every action has an intention, and when a person takes a manhaj that opposes the manhaj of the Messenger (alayhis salaatu was salaam), and his rightly-guided Caliphs, then its meaning is that his aqidah is not sound. Otherwise, when the aqidah is sound, the manhaj too will be sound.

Source: Cassette: Liqaa al-Baab al-Maftooh (no. 128), also see here.
Shaykh Naasir ud-Deen al-Albaanee (rahimahullaah) was asked:

Some of the youth differentiate between the aqidah of the Salaf and the manhaj of the Salaf so you see some of them upon the aqidah of the Salaf yet they allow themselves to work with some of the methodologies that exist today, even though there maybe what opposes the manhaj of the Salaf within them in terms of practice. So is there a binding link between the aqidah and manhaj of the Salaf in the practical implementation of the Salafi manhaj.

He replied:

That which I believe and worship Allaah with is that there are both generalities (in similarity) and specific (aspects) between the Salafi manhaj and aqidah. Aqidah is more specific than manhaj as all of you know. Aqidah has a link with what is called – in the view of many of the Jurists – the “knowledge of tawhid“, and this is the chief and fundamental aspect of Islaam. However, manhaj is more vast than aqidah or tawhid. As for those who claim that the differentiation that has come in this question (between aqidah and manhaj), then they desire by this to make it permissible for themselves to adopt ways and means in their daw’ah to Islaam which the Salaf us-Salih were not upon. To say this in a different way, they consider that they have the liberty to adopt whatever ways and means they think will help them to convey (and actualise) Islaam, and you are aware of the examples of this type or these types of means.For example, open demonstrations and rallies in order to force the rulers to turn their attention to what the society complains about and similar matters. So we say that what has come in the Book and the Sunnah and what the Salaf us-Salih were upon with respect to objectives, goals and ways and means are sufficient for the Ummah. However, the reason which leads some of the people to permit themselves to adopt these ways and means, in fact it is correct for me to say that they permit themselves to blindly-follow the disbelievers in the ways that they have adopted in order to actualise what they call either democracy or social justice and other such words which have no reality to them. So they – I mean these Muslims – permit themselves to blindly follow the disbelievers in these ways and means.

We say, our Lord, the Mighty and Majestic has made removed us from having any need, by our Shari’ah, of this separation which has been explained (i.e. between aqidah and manhaj) and that we should be needy of the disbelievers and that we should take from their ways and means, which might be good for them, (but) only because they have no Shari’ah by which they guide themselves. It is for this reason that we say that manhaj is more vast than aqidah and tawhid, hence it is necessary to adhere to what the Salaf us-Salih were upon with respect to both these affairs; the one that is vast (manhaj) first and foremost and the one that is more narrow (tawhid), meaning aqidah.

Source: al-Asaalah Magazine, Volume 22.
Source : http://www.manhaj.com/manhaj/print.cfm?xyzse
Related Articles:

• Shaykh Ubayd al-Jaabiree on Differentiating Between Aqidah and Manhaj http://www.manhaj.com/manhaj/?otddj
• Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan on Differentiating Between Aqidah and Manhaj http://www.manhaj.com/manhaj/?vnbnh
• Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen: Errors in Manhaj Occur Due to Underlying Errors in Aqidah http://www.manhaj.com/manhaj/?xyzse
• The Permanent Committee on Differentiating Between Aqidah and Manhaj http://www.manhaj.com/manhaj/?hzsbd
• Shaykh al-Albaanee on Differentiating Between Aqidah and Manhaj http://www.manhaj.com/manhaj/?lvzvm