English Translation of the Tamil Lecture of Ash-Shaykh Abu Abdur Rahman Yahya Silmy As Saylani As Salafi (May Allah Preserve Him)

الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على من لا نبي بعده أما بعد

I desire to deliver these post-Jumu'ah classes as an ongoing lecture series. Touching upon the Tamil-speaking world, there are two poisons. One is a poison operating under the name of 'Tawheed Jamaat'. The other is a poison operating under the name of 'Sunnath Wal Jamaath'. All those who identify as Tawheed Jamaat are modern-day Mu'tazilites, misguided devils of this Ummah, enemies of the Sahaba (Companions), rejecters of the Qur'an, and deniers of Hadith—we have witnessed this openly in the Tamil world by Allah's clear manifestation.

A Trial for the Ummah & Misuse of the Quran

Now, it is essential for me to clearly clarify to the Ummah who this group calling itself 'Sunnath Wal Jamaath' truly is. Before I enter into this topic, one crucial point must be thoroughly understood:

“those who claim to be 'Sunnath Wal Jamaath' are not Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jama'ah”

That must be understood clearly first. Whoever considers himself part of this regional 'Sunnath Wal Jamaath' possesses no connection whatsoever to any principle (Usul), history, creed (Aqeedah), or methodology (Manhaj) of true Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jama'ah.

The Core Principles (Usul) of Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jama'ah

Because for all the scholars who represent true Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jama'ah—from the Sahaba of that era down to today and for all time—their foundations are proven across all verses of the Holy Qur'an.

Their foundations are proven across all authentic Prophetic traditions (Ahadith al-Nabawiyyah). Furthermore, anything that cannot be proven as authentic (Sahih) can never serve as evidence.

Al-Ijma' (Consensus) is defined as that upon which the Prophet and the Sahaba were united—holding as proof that which the Prophet and the Sahaba collectively agreed upon is the unanimous consensus of all scholars of Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jama'ah. And Al-Qiyas (Analogical Reasoning) refers strictly to sound analogical reasoning (Al-Qiyas al-Sahih), excluding false analogical reasoning (Qiyas al-Batil). This is the explicit methodology of the scholars of Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jama'ah, from the Sahaba, the Tabi'un, the Taba Tabi'un, and their followers down to the Four Imams—Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam Malik, Imam Shafi'i, Imam Ahmad—and others among the Imams of the Six Compilations (Kutub al-Sittah): Al-Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, Al-Tirmidhi, Al-Nasa'i, Ibn Majah, and all other Imams of Hadith combined.

Who then are those who call themselves 'Sunnath Wal Jamaath'?

If you look at their (Aqidah)doctrine, it is the creed of Imam Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari and the creed of Imam Abu Mansur al-Maturidi. This is not the creed of the noble Sahaba. Nor is it the creed of the Tabi'un. Nor is it the creed of the Taba Tabi'un. Nor is it the creed of the Four Imams: Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam Malik, Imam Shafi'i, and Imam Ahmad. Likewise, it is not the creed of the Imams of the Six Compilations: Imam Al-Bukhari, Imam Muslim, Imam Abu Dawud, Imam Al-Tirmidhi, Imam Al-Nasa'i, and Imam Ibn Majah. Rather, their creed is Ash'ari or Maturidi."

Historical Position on Madhhabs and Blind Imitation (Taqlid)

Furthermore, when deriving Islamic jurisprudence (Fiqh), you will inevitably find them mandating blind imitation (Taqlid) of one of the four Madhhabs. This practice did not exist among the Sahaba. It did not exist among the Tabi'un. It did not exist among the Taba Tabi'un. It did not exist among the followers of the Taba Tabi'un. It was not present with Imam Malik, nor with Imam Abu Hanifa, nor with Imam Shafi'i, nor with Imam Ahmad. It was not present among the senior students (Talamidh) of those Four Imams, nor among the generations of scholars (Tabaqat al-Ulama) who studied under them. It did not exist with Imam Al-Bukhari, Imam Muslim, or Imam Al-Tirmidhi.

All these Imams—Imam Abu Dawud, Imam Al-Nasa'i, Imam Ibn Majah—never made blind adherence to any single Madhhab, a religious obligation upon themselves. Rather, growing up in their respective regions and families during their eras, they studied the foundational Madhhab step-by-step as they matured, but ultimately conducted themselves strictly in accordance with textual evidence (Daleel). They never considered blind imitation to be religion; on the contrary, prohibiting blind imitation was the foundational principle (Usul) of these classical Imams.

Classical Examples of Scholars Transitioning from Regional Taqlid(Blind-folowing) to Direct Evidence

Here are illustrative examples: Imam Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani (may Allah have mercy upon him)—people call him an Imam of the Shafi'i Madhhab. In his childhood, because his family belonged to the Shafi'i school, they educated and raised him within Shafi'i jurisprudence. However, after maturing into a master scholar of Hadith, history testifies that he abandoned blind imitation of the Madhhab and became a distinguished Imam who adhered directly to proofs from the Qur'an, Sunnah, and the methodology of the Sahaba.

Likewise, Imam Ibn 'Abd al-Barr al-Andalusi (may Allah have mercy upon him). Yes, in his youth in Andalus, where his region and family followed the Maliki school, he grew up studying Maliki jurisprudence. But once he mastered Islamic knowledge, gained clarity in the Qur'an and Sunnah, and personally implemented direct adherence to scripture and the principle of

مَا أَنَا عَلَيْهِ وَأَصْحَابِي

'That which I and my Companions are upon'

(Jamiʿ at-Tirmidhi)

He became a highly capable Imam who set aside blind imitation. History bears witness that with direct evidence from the Qur'an and Sunnah, combined with the understanding of the Sahaba, he stood in Andalus as a great champion of Ahlus Sunnah within the Islamic Ummah.

Likewise, Imam Ibn Taymiyyah al-Harrani (may Allah have mercy upon him). Yes, although he was born into a Hanbali family and grew up studying Hanbali Fiqh, after thoroughly analyzing the Qur'an and Sunnah and apprehending the proofs, history records—as everyone well knows—that he was a courageous scholar of Sunnah who followed Ahlul Hadith wal-Athar, Ahlus Sunnah wal Jama'ah, the Qur'an, the Sunnah, and the path of the Sahaba.

Documentary Proofs from Classical Bibliographical Literature

We can present countless historical examples of this nature, whether Imam Ibn al-Qayyim, Imam Ibn Abi al-'Izz al-Hanafi, Imam Abu Ja'far al-Tahawi, or Imam al-Zayla'i al-Hanafi. Whether Imam Ibn Kathir al-Shafi'i or Imam Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali—we find that Imam al-Dhahabi (may Allah have mercy upon him) documented the biographies of over ten thousand such scholars in his monumental work Siyar 'Alam al-Nubala' (Biographies of Noble Figures).

Similarly, Imam al-Khalil in his work Al-Irshad and Imam Ibn 'Abd al-Hadi in Tabaqat al-Muhaddithin recorded that the authentic path of the scholars of Ahlus Sunnah is adherence to the Qur'an and Sunnah upon that which the Prophet and his Companions were upon, consensus (Al-Ijma'), and sound analogical reasoning (Al-Qiyas al-Sahih). These are the true scholars of Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jama'ah.

Critique of South Asian blind-following Methodologies

How many valid proofs have they rejected? How many authentic Ahadith have they rejected? They rejected the consensus (Ijma') followed by the Sahaba and fabricated their own localized consensuses. Carrying false analogical reasoning (Qiyas al-Batil), we observe the ranks of 'Sunnath Wal Jamaath' using Qiyas to reject Hadith and using Qiyas to act contrary to the Qur'an.

Regarding Creed (Aqeedah): they are Ash'aris or Maturidis—a position refuted by scholars of Ahlus Sunnah across every era.

Institutional Misguidance and Refutation of the ACJU Statement

Brothers, one of the greatest poisons infecting the Tamil world and the broader South Asian region is this poison operating under the banner of 'Sunnath Wal Jamaath'. When questioned in the name of Qur'an and Sunnah, they claim: 'Our sources of authority are Qur'an, Sunnah, Ijma', and Qiyas.' Yet they do not follow the Qur'an, nor do they implement the Sunnah, nor do they adopt the consensus of Ahlus Sunnah, nor do they exercise sound reasoning in Qiyas. Instead, they extract only what agrees with their Madhhab from the Qur'an while rejecting whatever contradicts it—acting precisely as Allah questioned in the Qur'an:

….أَفَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِبَعْضِ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ وَتَكْفُرُونَ بِبَعْضٍۢ…

….Then do you believe in a part of the Scripture and reject the rest?...

[Surah Al-Baqarah 2:85].

This is the exact methodology of the South Asian faction claiming the title 'Sunnath Wal Jamaath'.

Whether in Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, or among Muslims in regions like China and Japan, this is the pattern of the faction that bestows upon itself the label 'Sunnath Wal Jamaath'. This can never be the straight path.

Indeed, the ACJU (All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama in Sri Lanka) explicitly declared on its official website:

'We operate on the path of Sunnath Wal Jamaath in creed according to the methodology of Imam Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari and Imam Abu Mansur al-Maturidi.'

Without shame or embarrassment, they carry these two misguidances while wearing the name 'Sunnath Wal Jamaath'.

Brothers in Islam, you must clearly understand that the people who say this do not comprehend Ahlus Sunnah, do not understand the foundational principles (Usul) of Ahlus Sunnah, and do not practice or represent the path of Ahlus Sunnah.

Regional Institutions and their Methodological Practices

It must be clearly recorded at this juncture: whether in higher madrasas or Islamic universities across South Asia, everything taught under Islamic studies as the 'creed of Sunnath Wal Jamaath' represents the misguided devils of this Ummah. All those Jamiahs and madrasas fail to deem themselves qualified to follow the Qur'an directly. They do not commit to following the Sunnah, they do not implement the consensus of the Salaf (Ijma' al-Salaf), nor do they apply sound Qiyas (Al-Qiyas al-Sahih). Instead, we widespreadly observe among these institutions the practice of blindly imitating a specific Madhhab, engaging in scholastic/philosophical theology (Kalam), rejecting authentic Hadith through false Qiyas, and relying upon weak (Da'if) and fabricated (Mawdu') narrations.

Refutation of Rejecting Solitary Narrations (Ahadith al-Ahad) in Creed

If the Muslim Ummah does not distance itself from this, it stands not only in the Tamil world but across all of South Asia as one of the greatest ideological poisons—this misguided faction of 'Sunnath Wal Jamaath'. Beyond the poison of Tawheed Jamaat in the Tamil region, this secondary poison has corrupted the Muslim masses. Distorting the Qur'an, Sunnah, Ijma', and Qiyas, they made adhering strictly to what lies inside their specific Madhhab their exclusive path. As evidence, they relied on countless weak and fabricated narrations that have no basis in the authentic Prophetic Sunnah.

Abandoning the consensus of the Salaf, each group constructed a custom consensus for itself and established sectarian Madhhabs.

Furthermore, carrying false Qiyas, how many authentic Ahadith did they reject?!

How many principles and creeds followed by Ahlul Hadith, the Sahaba, the Tabi'un, and those who followed them in goodness did they reject?!

A primary example to highlight is their declaration: 'We do not accept Ahadith al-Ahad (solitary narrations) as binding proof in matters of Creed (Aqeedah).' The explicit stance of this 'Sunnath Wal Jamaath' is: 'We do not accept Ahadith al-Ahad in Aqeedah.'

An Hadith al-Ahad refers to a narration transmitted through a singular chain—e.g., from one Companion to one Tabi'i, and from that Tabi'i to one Taba Tabi'i. This is what 'Sunnath Wal Jamaath' refuses to accept as valid proof in matters of belief.

Historical Evidence for the Binding Authority of Ahadith al-Ahad (The Qibla Incident)

This must be understood with complete clarity: from the era of the Prophet, the Sahaba, the Tabi'un, and the Taba Tabi'un, whenever a narration was authentic (Sahih)—whether it was Ahad (solitary) or Mutawatir (mass-transmitted)—acting upon it (Al-'Amalu bihi) was unanimously deemed obligatory (Wajib) upon all Muslims.

The primary historical proof of this: while the Muslim Ummah—the Sahaba who were the direct disciples of the Prophet—were actively engaged in performing prayer facing Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem), a single Companion (Ahad min al-Sahabah) arrived and declared that divine revelation had descended upon the Prophet shifting the Qibla from Jerusalem to Mecca.

Based solely on that single individual's report, the entire congregation turned their orientation in the middle of their bowing position (Ruku') from Jerusalem toward the Ka'bah. This is the primary proof. During the time of the Sahaba, even if a report came from a single Companion, because it was authentic proof, they did not hesitate to act upon it, nor did they require a secondary inquiry; acting upon authentic solitary transmission was part of their fundamental religious principles and knowledge (Usul al-Din wa al-'Ilm).

Today, this 'Sunnath Wal Jamaath'(as they claim) rejects this core principle. When this 'Sunnath Wal Jamaath' faction rejects Ahad narrations, the historical shift of the Qibla from Jerusalem to the Ka'bah becomes an action lacking proof according to their own logic! Since they deem it an act lacking proof, today their very prayer under their own Usul stands logically undermined.

Categorization as Ahl al-Ahwa' wa al-Bida' and Conclusion

Brothers, we state this with firm conviction. As declared by numerous scholars of Ahlus Sunnah, we address all Ahl al-Ahwa' wa al-Bida' (people of desires and innovation). Today, within that summary categorization, this regional 'Sunnath Wal Jamaath' is included. 'Sunnath Wal Jamaath' is a branch belonging to Ahl al-Ahwa' wa al-Bida'. It is a coalition comprising Chishtis, Tariqa orders, Sufis, and rigid blind-followers (Muqallidun).

We address all of them: they possess no valid textual evidence to establish or prove their doctrines—neither from the Qur'an, nor from Hadith, nor from the methodology of the Sahaba, nor from the consensus of the Sahaba (Ijma' al-Salaf), nor through sound analogical reasoning (Al-Qiyas al-Sahih).

Rather, to maintain these doctrines and misguidances, they distort select verses of the Qur'an, give them personal conjectural interpretations, rely on unauthentic narrations, make unauthorized alterations in Allah's religion, and act as sectarians—just as Allah declared in the Qur'an:

…كُلُّ حِزْبٍۭ بِمَا لَدَيْهِمْ فَرِحُونَ…

'Each faction rejoicing in what it has.'

[Surah Al-Mu'minun 23:53 / Surah Ar-Rum 30:32].

Their path is practicing religion as split factions. This is regional 'Sunnath Wal Jamaath'. This is not the Islamic path. This is not the path shown by the Messenger of Allah peace and blessings be upon him, nor is it the path shown by the Qur'an. How did Allah command in the Qur'an?

وَٱعْتَصِمُوا۟ بِحَبْلِ ٱللَّهِ جَمِيعًۭا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا۟ ….

'And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided…'

[Surah Ali 'Imran 3:103].

They are themselves witness to their own sectarianism. Realizing this, I address my South Asian people, particularly the Tamil-speaking world: just as Tawheed Jamaat corrupted Tawheed (Monotheism) through its poison, destroyed the spirit of Tawheed, and confused Allah's Oneness in people's hearts under the banner of 'Tawheed Jamaat'; in the exact same manner, 'Sunnath Wal Jamaath' destroyed the Sunnah. Injecting endless weak (Da'if) and fabricated (Mawdu') narrations, and claiming practices never established by the Messenger of Allah as their 'Sunnah' and 'path', their poisons are widespread in misleading the public.

Recognizing this truth, we pray that the Lord of the Worlds grants us the privilege to live as true Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jama'ah—establishing the Holy Qur'an as our authority across all its verses, accepting every authentic Hadith of the Prophet (Bi-ma Sahha 'Alaihi), accepting the consensus of the Salaf (the Sahaba, Tabi'un, and the Ummah's early Ijma'), and accepting sound Qiyas (Al-Qiyas al-Sahih). May Allah grant us the privilege to live firmly established in truth, with the creed of the Salaf (Aqeedat al-Salaf) as our belief, the methodology of the Salaf (Manhaj al-Salaf) as our methodology, and the jurisprudence of the Salaf (Fiqh al-Salaf) as our jurisprudence. Ameen, O Lord of the Worlds!

This is a brief summary of the advice I place before you regarding 'Sunnath Wal Jamaath'(as they claim themselves in this region)

This is what I have to present. If I am correct, it is from Allah; and if I have erred, it is from myself and Satan. And Allah knows best."

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Published Under the Guidance of Ash-Shaykh Yahya Silmy (May Allah Preserve Him)

For more clarification and authentic knowledge of Ahlus sunnah/Ahlul hadees wal athar/Salaf, kindly contact:

Ustadh. Abdus Samad - +91 91599 69481

Ustadh. Meeran Ghani - +91 90472 79622

Ash-Shaykh Yahya Silmy - +94722 251277

Exposing

Exposing Two Ideological Poisons corrupting Islam in South Asian countries