Shaykh Saalih
al-Fawzaan said:
“Nowadays,
there are those who caution against the way of the salaf (righteous
predecessors) and warn against referring to their sayings, claiming that theirs
was a period that had passed. So he warns against what the salaf were
upon and encourages innovation in the religion. The religion is divinely
restricted and it is (based on) following and not innovating and inventing
(matters into the religion).
Invention is
only permissible in manufacturing and worldly benefits. As for the religion,
there should be no innovating in it after the demise of the Messenger of Allaah
(sallallaahu alayhi wasallam). This is because legislation ended with his death
(sallallaahu alayhi wasallam). So there is nothing upon us but to follow and
not to introduce anything from ourselves, saying: “This is what is suitable for
this time.” Imaam Maalik (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “Nothing will
rectify the last part of this Ummah except that which rectified its first
part.”
That which
rectified its first part is the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of the Messenger
of Allaah (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam). So the last (generation) of the Ummah
cannot be rectified except by the Qur’aan and the Sunnah and following the
guidance of the righteous predecessors.”
Source: A Gift
to the Reader in Annotation of Sharh As-Sunnah, vol. 1, p. 71-72 by Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan
