Refutation upon the followers of bid'ah and deviation
Question:
What do you say concerning the statement of the speaker: Indeed, the refutations upon the people of innovations and deviation were not the habitual practice of the Salaf, and that it is not befitting to spread the books of refutations, except amongst the students of knowledge and that they should not be spread amongst other than them?
Answer:
The refutations upon the people of innovation are from Jihad in the path of Allah. They are from safeguarding the Shari’ah from having other than it attached to it. So writing the books, publishing them and spreading them is the truth and it is a call to the truth and Jihad in the path of Allah. So whoever claims that publishing and spreading the books that contain refutation upon the innovators is an innovated affair, then he is upon error, because Allah the Sublime and Exalted said, “O Prophet! Strive hard against the hypocrites and be harsh with them.” [at-Tawbah (9):73]
And Jihad can occur by the hand, or it can be with the tongue, or it can be with the wealth. So from Jihad with the tongue is defending and safeguarding this Shari’ah from everything that has been fabricated into it from doubts and falsities. And from that as well is warning against the innovations and calling to the truth.
Due to this, Imam Ahmad (d.241H) and other than him authored books warning against the innovators. So Imam Ahmad wrote the treatise, ar-Radd ’alaz-Zanadiqah within which, he clarified their doubts. And he answered every doubt. And al-Bukhari (d.256H) – rahimahullaah (may Allah have mercy on him) – wrote his book, Khalq Af’aalul-’Ibaad. And other than them from amongst the Imams of Islam wrote books in refutation of the innovators and invalidated their falsities and established the proofs against them. Likewise, Shaykhul-Islam [Ibn Taymiyyah (d.728H)] wrote in refutation upon the Raafidah in his famous book, Minhaajus-Sunnatin-Nabawiyyah fee Naqd Kalaamish-Shi’ah wal-Qadariyyah. And he clarified what they were upon from falsehood and misguidance.