Spread Tawheed & Sunnah on the Internet - Mufti Shaykh Salih Al-Fawzan

A Concise Compilation

Compiled by
 Ali Hussain Dhuniya

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بِسۡمِ اللهِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِيۡمِ

In the Name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

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Allah bestows Iman(Aqidah ) upon whom He loves only. Abdullāh Ibn Mas’ūd (رضي الله عنه) said: “Verily, Allah gives wealth to whom He loves and whom He does not loves—but He does not bestow Īmān except upon whom He loves…”

The term “Aqidah' (creed) and the term 'tawheed' have a single meaning. So, whether it is called `Aqidah (creed or belief) or whether it is called tawheed or whether it is called eemaan (true faith), then the meaning is one, even though the names differ.” “Words like largest, greatest, highest, biggest, and tallest have similar single meanings, even though the words differ. For example: ‘Mount Everest is the highest/tallest/biggest mountain in the world.’”

“Iman/Aqidah/Tawheed is particularly important as we live in a time in which the trends of deviation have become numerous: trends of heresy, trends of Sufism (mysticism) and monasticism, the trends of grave worshipping and idolatry, and the trends of Bid'ah, which contradict the Prophetic guidance; these are grave and perilous trends.

As long as a Muslim is not equipped with the correct doctrine(belief) based upon the Qur’an and Sunnah and the teachings of the pious predecessors(Salaf), it is very likely that he would be swept away by these deviant trends.

This is what necessitates that full attention be paid to teaching the correct doctrine from its sources to the sons and daughters of Islam.”- [by Allamah Shaykh Salih Al Fawzan from his book Aqidat-ut-Tawhid-The-Creed-of-Monotheism]

Today, with social media and the internet, anyone can use online platforms to spread shirk, kufr, bid‘ah, and other types of misguidance among the Ummah of the last and final prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). That’s why it is our responsibility—at the very least—to share the words of the senior scholars faithfully, without adding our own opinions, especially on the issues like shirk, kufr, bid‘ah, and tawheed, which are part of Fiqh al-Akbar (the greatest understanding of the deen)

And no one can deny that the internet is filled with misguidance. There are countless voices and channels that openly attack the foundations(Usool) of Islam—our Imān (faith), ‘Aqidah (creed), and Tawheed (singling out Allah alone in worship). False ideologies, distorted beliefs, and doubts are being widely spread—often by those who don’t pay attention to the nullifiers of Islam like major shirk, kufr and bidah, which are Fiqh-ul-Akbar. Laymen Muslims assume that preachers (Imams) are knowledgeable or highly learned without knowing whether they truly understand the nullifiers of Islam or without recognising the networks and ideologies they(misguided imams) are connected to.

This makes it even more important for us to respond by amplifying the speech of trustworthy scholars and sticking firmly to the authentic teachings of the Qur’an and Sunnah as understood by the Salaf.

We ask Allah for protection from misguidance and to keep us firm upon the truth until we meet Allah. Ameen.c

One of the questioners asked Al-Allamah Shaykh Salih Al-Fawzan about using social media & the internet to spread Tawheed.

Questioner:

The questioner says, our esteemed Shaykh, (the use of) the social media and the internet has become widespread. We wish from you an advice for the students of knowledge and callers, regarding the beneficial use of these media in propagating Tawḥeed.

Shaykh Ṣāliḥ Fawzān al-Fawzān said:

Na’am(Yes). These media have good and bad, it is upon you to benefit from it’s goodness: and that is to spread within it the call to Allaah and the explanation of Tawḥeed. The correct explanation which the Messenger of Allaah ﷺ came with.

It is upon you to spread these on the social media.

It is an opportunity for you.

Seize it.

And do not leave it for the wicked ones and the callers to misguidance.

Make it inconvenient for them. Because when they see the truth, they will start to broadcast, “inkaffuu” (i.e they tell Ahlus Sunnah to give up their clarifications).

Nay, We fling (send down) the truth (this Qur’an) against the falsehood (disbelief), so it destroys it, and behold, it (falsehood) is vanished. [Quran Surah al-Anbiyyaa:18]

Utilise it.

End of speech

 [Source ar-risaalah publication - Nigeria https://arrisaalahpubs.com/benefit-from-social-media-by-shaykh-saalih-fawzaan-al-fawzaan/ ]

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And the verse:

“Guide us to the straight path — the path of those whom You have favored…”
 [Surah Al-Fātiḥah 1:6–7]

According to the Tafsīr of Al-Hilālī and Muhsin Khān, the verse refers to those righteous individuals whom Allah has guided and upon whom He has bestowed His favor — including the Prophets, the Ṣiddīqūn, the Martyrs, and the Righteous.

So our righteous Salaf, such as:

• Abū Bakr, Umar, Uthmān, Alī, Ā’ishah, Fāṭimah, al-Ḥusayn, Ibn Masʿūd, Abū Hurayrah etc may Allah have mercy on all of them,
  and those who followed them like:
  
• Muḥammad Ibn Sīrīn, Imām al-Awzāʿī, Sufyan At-Thawari, ʿAbdullāh Ibn al-Mubārak, the four Imāms (Abū Ḥanīfah, Mālik, ash-Shāfiʿī, Aḥmad), Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn al-Qayyim, Ibn Ḥajar, ibn Katheer, Muḥammad at-Ṭaḥāwī, Muḥammad Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb, al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī, Imām al-Albānī, Imām Muqbil, Imām Rabīʿ Ibn Hādī al-Madkhalī, Imām Ibn Bāz, Shaykh Ṣaifullāh Mubārakpūrī, and others may Allah have mercy on them all — these are the ones who fit into this verse as examples of guidance. Regarding the virtues of scholars, the prophet said, they are inheritors of the prophets and prophets leave knowledge not dinar or dirhama,so whoever takes it has taken enormous share.
  

These individuals are Wasīlah (means of approach) to the truth — meaning, Wasīlah here refers to their conveyance of the message, not as intermediaries in worship.

The Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ and his senior companions — such as Abū Bakr, ʿUmar, ʿUthmān, and ʿAlī — are Wasīlah in delivering the message, not in worship. So, they are Wasīlah in daʿwah and guidance, not Wasīlah in worship — as clearly seen in the Qur’an and Ḥadīth.

Allah said to the Prophet ﷺ:

“O Messenger! Convey what has been revealed to you from your Lord.”
 [Surah Al-Mā’idah 5:67]

And the companions bore witness to this in the final sermon:

“Have I not conveyed the message?” They said: Yes! The Prophet ﷺ said: 'O Allah! Bear witness.’”
 (Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim)

In another verse, Allah says:

“Indeed, [O Muḥammad], you guide not whom you like, but Allah guides whom He wills.”
 [Surah Al-Qaṣaṣ 28:56]

While in another verse, Allah says:

“And indeed, [O Muḥammad], you guide to a straight path.”
 [Surah ash-Shūrā 42:52]

This shows that there are two types of guidance (al-Hidāyah):

1. Hidāyah al-Irshād: Guidance through teaching, preaching, directing — done by the Prophet ﷺ and righteous scholars.
   
2. Hidāyah at-Tawfīq: Guidance of opening the heart and granting acceptance — this is only from Allah.
   

This explanation(two types of guidance) is supported by the Tafsīr of Al-Hilālī and Muhsin Khān, who clarified these two types in their translation and commentary.

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Distancing yourself from Ahlul-Bidah even if they have knowledge | Shaykh Sālih Al-Fawzān

If a student of knowledge utters innovation and calls to it, and he is one with Fiqh and (knowledge of) Hadeeth; does his speech of innovation necessitate an invalidation of his knowledge and his (knowledge) of hadeeth, and not to (benefit from) him unrestrictedly?

Shaykh Sālih bin Fawzān Al-Fawzān:

Yes, he is not to be trusted; the one who is an Innovator is neither to be trusted nor his knowledge, nor (to have) a lackadaisical (stance) towards him. That is because if you (have) a lackadaisical (stance) towards him, the student will be influenced by his Shaikh-he will be influenced by his teacher. Therefore, it is obligatory to be distanced from the people of innovation, and the Salaf (pious predecessors) used to forbid (others) from sitting with the innovators, visiting and going to them; so that their evil is not spread to the one who sits with them and mixes with them. نعم source: Distancing yourself from Ahlul-Bidah even if they have knowledge | Shaykh Sālih Al-Fawzān

Allamah Shaykh Salih Al-Fawzan said: “Don’t get deceived by Ahlebidah worship and character”.

• Don’t be impressed by outward displays of worship—many innovators use eloquence and impressive rituals to deceive.
  
• Bow your heads to the Qur’an and Sunnah, not to performance or charm.
  End source: I can’t recall it now, once I found it, I will paste it here

🔥 Consequences of Ahlul-Bidʿah in the Hereafter and This Life

🚫 1. Deprived from the Prophet’s Intercession and the Hawdh (Fountain)

The Prophet ﷺ said:

“A group of my followers will come to me at the Hawdh (Fountain), but they will be driven away from it, and I will say, ‘O Lord! My followers!’ It will be said, ‘You do not know what they innovated after you.’”
 (Sahih al-Bukhari 6584)

This shows that innovators (Ahlul-Bidʿah) will be rejected from the Prophet’s intercession due to their deviation from his Sunnah.

❌ 2. Allah Prevents the Innovator from Repenting

The Prophet ﷺ said:

“Indeed Allah has closed the door of repentance upon every person of innovation.”
 (Silsilat al-Ahaadeeth as-Saheehah, no. 1620, Shaykh al-Albani graded it sahih)

Scholars explain this means: the innovator believes he is upon truth, so he rarely repents, unlike a sinner who knows his action is wrong.

😈 3. Shayṭān (Iblīs) Loves Innovation More Than Sin

Imām Sufyān al-Thawrī (رحمه الله) said:

“Innovation is more beloved to Iblīs than sin, because a sin may be repented from—but innovation is not repented from.”
(Majmoo’-ul-Fataawaa (11/472))

That’s why Some of the Salaf said: I prefer that all of them be against me—except the last Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ—on the Day of Judgment. - Mention by Ustaad Shamshi

💡 Summary:

• Innovators will be pushed away from the Prophet ﷺ on the Day of Judgment.
  
• Repentance is closed for the one who persists in innovation unless Allah wills.
  
• Iblīs loves innovation more than open sin because the innovator often thinks he’s obeying Allah, and so does not repent.
  

📌 These consequences show the grave danger of religious innovation and why the Salaf were harsh in warning against it.

The Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ said:

"Every innovation is misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Fire."
 — Narrated in Muslim (867) and elsewhere

This powerful warning was often repeated by the Prophet ﷺ in public gatherings, especially in the Friday Khutbah and other important occasions. What’s important to note is that when he made this declaration, there were no apparent innovations (bidʿah) yet present among his companions. That means this warning was a prophetic safeguard, showing the severe danger of religious innovation in Islam even before it appeared.

By stating “every misguidance is in the Fire,” the Prophet ﷺ was not just giving general advice—it was a serious warning to avoid anything added to the religion that he himself did not teach.

🔹 This shows:

• Bidʿah is a path to Hellfire even if the person intends good.
  
• Repeating it in the Khutbah emphasizes its central importance in Islam.
  
• He ﷺ prepared his followers early to stay firm upon the Sunnah and reject innovations, no matter how “good” or “spiritual” they may seem.
  

In short: the absence of bidʿah in his time makes the warning even more serious, as it was given in anticipation of future deviations, stressing that Islam is complete and doesn't need additions.

Why the People of Sunnah Refute Innovators More Than Non-Muslims - Shaykh Salih Aal-Shaykh

Shaykh Ṣāliḥ ibn ʿAbd al-Azīz Al-Shaykh

Importance given to the Sunnah and refuting the innovators is a something well known - as you all aware, amongst the Imāms of Islam. Their lives were spent in rebuking the people of innovation. They did not busy themselves in refuting the disbelievers from the Jews and Christians. So if you were to look into the speech of Imām Aḥmad, Sufyān, Ḥamād ibn Zayd, Ḥamād ibn Salama, Nuʿaym bin Ḥamād, also al-ʿAwza’ī, Isḥāq, ʿAlī ibn al-Madinī or others from the Imāms of Islam, you will find that the majority of their speech and jihad revolved around rebuking the people of innovation and criticising the foundations of the innovators, regardless of the fact the refuted ones were Muslims.

The Imāms did not busy themselves in rebuking the Jews or Christians, nor the rest of the non-Muslims, and away from refuting the Jews and the Christians. This is because the Muslims are the most vulnerable to the evils of the innovators, and are not safe from them in contrast to the evils of the non-Muslims from Jews and Christians since their evil is well-known and apparent as Allah has made it clear in his Book. However, the evils of the people of innovation is great and due to this, it is not befitting to say that the People of Sunnah are preoccupied in refuting the Muslims away from refuting the Jews and the Christians - as said by some intellectuals from the Muʿtazilah and other than them; that the People of Sunnah are preoccupied with refuting Muslims and have abandoned refuting the disbelievers - the Jews, Christians, and the rest of people of disbelief. As previously mentioned, the reason for this lies in the reality that the evil of innovation is greater. This is due to the fact that the innovators enter upon the Muslims in the name of Islam. As for the disbelievers, such as the Jews and the Christians, their misguidance is clear to the people.

So the guidance of the Imāms of Islam was known in relation to refuting the people of the innovation and desires, and it was not known from them to exert great efforts in refuting the Jews and Christians. This does not mean that the believers from the People of Sunnah should not busy themselves with refuting the Jews and the Christians. Rather, it is said that from the distinguishing characteristics of the Imāms of the Sunnah, is their rebuttal of the people of innovation and the enemies of Islam is an obligation, whether their origin is of disbelief or of the people of innovation. It should not be said to the one who is busy with refuting the innovators, “Why have you left refuting the Jews and the Christians for the people of innovation?” rather, we say that this is the guidance of the early Imāms. Hence, every one refutes in accordance to their field. From us are those who refute the Jews and the Christians and from us are those who refute the innovators, and collectively we all protect the sanctity of Islam by refuting the deceptions of the deceivers, the innovations of the innovators, the polytheism of the polytheists, and the misguidance of the disbelievers whether it be from the Jews and the Christians or other than them. End of Speech source: Why the People of Sunnah Refute Innovators More Than Non-Muslims - Shaykh Salih Aal-Shaykh - YouTube

Do Refutations of Ahlul Biddah Harden the Heart? | Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan

❓ Questioner:

“O Shaykh, may Allah make you successful.
Does refuting the people of falsehood harden the hearts? Because there are some who turn us away from the statements of the people of knowledge who refute the people of falsehood.”

🗣 Shaykh Ṣāliḥ ibn Fawzān al-Fawzān:

“Not refuting them is what hardens the hearts, because their doubts enter the hearts and then harden them.

To refute them with the truth is what softens the hearts and brings them back to the truth.

So do not pay attention to their ideologies and false statements—those who want people to turn to falsehood and doubts—and find no one to oppose or refute them.

They call this freedom of speech and difference of opinion. They say: ‘This is just one opinion, and that is another opinion.’

The religion, according to such people, has become a set of opinions.

But the religion has no opinions—the religion is revelation from Allah.

Allah did not leave us to our opinions and intellect. Rather, He commanded us to follow the Book and the Sunnah.” End of Speech source: Do Refutations of Ahlul Biddah Harden the Heart? | Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan - YouTube