[corolaelwis]

Whenever I meet someone eager to teach me the right way of doing things or someone I feel
is obsessed with thinking their way of doing things is the right way I follow some similar steps I use in marketing products that have technical details I don't understand.

I say right away I have limitations , saves me from trying to defend myself .

I say to them I know your doing this for a higher cause ( Allah / teaching the right ' brand ' of Islam as they like to see it ) . Ask them if they are willing to devote some time and effort at my convenient time and place for this 'noble' objective they have . In reality most deviant sects
argue for their 'Nafs' no doubt influenced by the Shaytan.

I usually flatter them to submission . Surprising flattery works well with people who think
they are the only ones with knowledge on anything .

Usually they forget our previous conversation . If they are persistent I would give them a specific time and place with a brother who is much more learned then me on these issues . Usually the Imam of the mosque .

I sit back and enjoy the argument .

[SteantyjetMaw]

NOTE: This is not a salafi bashing thread
It does seem that the sisters are maybe not very learned but whatever they have learned they are trying to pass on as they genuinely feel it is the correct way and the only way to pray...i don't think they are just attacking me because im following a madhab etc...i think they don't actually understand the whole differences thing
I don't want to get into debates with people especially if i and they are not very knowledgeable as talking without knowledge only creates fitnah...so what would be the best way in dealing with these situations without causing offence or being rude...

Assalamu 'alaykum,

This is not restricted to a Salafi. You will find even hardcore Madhhab followers, go to others and say they are wrong [and this is their lack of knowledge to recognize the other schools or other valid opinions].

If you don't want to seem rude nor debate, then you don't need to tell them what evidences there are and so forth.

You may politely say to them:

''Assalamu 'alaykum dear sister[s], I appreciate your concern in informing me these issues. However, I believe these issues that you raised are valid but I follow another valid opinion. I am sorry, I do not have the time to go into evidences and so forth.

May Allah bless you for informing me about these issues as we all need reminders from time to time.

Wassalam.''

If you say it politely and then they are still annoyed at you, then it is not your fault and you don't need to keep thinking about them. If they do it tommorow again, give the same reply.

Slowly, they will leave you alone. Don't worry what others think of you in matters of deen where you are following someone qualified. Hold onto your principles with dignity.

Remember, whether they are Salafi or not, you must deal with how you want others to deal with you.

If you go into getting all the evidences and debating with them, often it is futile and damages your own imaan.

Wassalam.

[lidersontop]

ya the hanafis...particularly the older generation from indo/pak genuinely don't know what madhabs are either...they are just told a specific way to pray so they assume everything contrary to that is wrong...they'd probably accuse a maliki of being shia etc

but both do it out of ignorance mainly i think as they don't know that valid opinions exist which are contrary to what they follow...i guess the best thing to do is just say jazakAllah khair but i follow a different opinion which is also valid according to certain scholars and refuse to get into further debate

i dont know if im being paranoid though but i feel like a bit of hostility once i say im hanafi

[SteantyjetMaw]

Don't say you follow a madhhab or you are a hanafi or so.

If you say another valid opinion, then you may not invite a debate as much as you would if you say you follow a school of thought.

[Mifsnavassy]

My mum and I would meet people who would tell us the same thing. This was back when I didn't know what a salafi was.

In any case my mum would just politely tell them that we were Hanafi and that we followed that opinion and they were free to read salaah as they wished. You just have to be polite with then in my opinion. If they are good people themselves, they won't bug you (the lady who would tell us eventually began chatting with my mum). If they are are haughty, then no matter what you say they will keep bugging you. If that's the case it's best just to ignore.

[HsSp82U8]

The solution is simple, Learn the topics discussed amongst the Sisters (like the differences of women and men praying) etc and many other issues as you have mentioned, know it inside out and when confronted politely answer them.

Many of the Hanafi brothers have done this, i face many Hanafi opposition and had to learn some of the material to answer them, it becomes really easy once you start. Trust me, YOU have to be equipped! This is also lacking from the Sisters side as a whole in the UK as correctly stated by Uncle Colonel!

Imam / Mufti so and so said such don't work any more with these people.

Wallahu A'lam.

[elects]

If they are mentioning things like a difference between men and women praying, then presenting them with their own scholars (Salih al-Fawzaan) who believe in that will be effective, or going down into sujood knees first (ibn Uthaymeen), or the rest.

Many Salafis are really just Shawkanite-style people who would be shocked to know of the positions they deride being espoused by scholars whom they consider to be reference points. For example, in al-Fawzaan's al-Mulakhlas al-Fiqhi, it espouses the position of hands under the navel as one of the Sunnah positions.

[Kayacterype]

If they are mentioning things like a difference between men and women praying, then presenting them with their own scholars (Salih al-Fawzaan) who believe in that will be effective, or going down into sujood knees first (ibn Uthaymeen), or the rest.

Many Salafis are really just Shawkanite-style people who would be shocked to know of the positions they deride being espoused by scholars whom they consider to be reference points. For example, in al-Fawzaan's al-Mulakhlas al-Fiqhi, it espouses the position of hands under the navel as one of the Sunnah positions.

I've always been delighted and have appreciated your posts; I thought you were "Salafi" but it seems you are simply non-Salafi Hanbali, right?

Pardon the meddling and you obviously are not obliged to reply; it was just a small "surprise" of mine!

[soipguibbom]

Another solution is to do it NY style and tell people to mind their own business.

Person: "Why don't you put your hands down first when you go to sujud?"
You: "Why don't you mind your own business?"
Person: Backs off.

[elects]

I've always been delighted and have appreciated your posts; I thought you were "Salafi" but it seems you are simply non-Salafi Hanbali, right?

Pardon the meddling and you obviously are not obliged to reply; it was just a small "surprise" of mine!

I believe in respecting mad'habs as legitimate means to practice shari'ah for whomever chooses or does not choose to follow one and that the layman has no business deriving fiqh rulings on his lonesome, but I adhere to the aqeedah of Ibn Taymiyyah as I believe it represents the summation of Imam Ahmad's aqeedah.

I do not have any truck with the Murji'ah of the era who will make every possible excuse for political secularists and I have no truck with modernists either.

Whatever this summation of factors makes me, is what I am.

Similarly, I do not discount Salih al-Fawzaan's scholarship in many areas; a lot of people who prefer madhabs would be pleasantly surprised by his Mulakhlas as it is very straight Hanbali for the most part except with his own tarjih in areas that often coincides with Ibn Taymiyyah's tarjih. My statement 'their own scholars' should be understood in the light of the fact that many Shawkanite-Salafis take him as a reference point selectively (ignoring all his statements about secularism and many points of fiqh) and as such quoting from him would be very good to undermine their positions.

[sarasmid]

Another solution is to do it NY style and tell people to mind their own business.

Person: "Why don't you put your hands down first when you go to sujud?"
You: "Why don't you mind your own business?"
Person: Backs off.

But everyone is not fortunate to live in the big apple.

[Kayacterype]

I believe in respecting mad'habs as legitimate means to practice shari'ah for whomever chooses or does not choose to follow one and that the layman has no business deriving fiqh rulings on his lonesome, but I adhere to the aqeedah of Ibn Taymiyyah as I believe it represents the summation of Imam Ahmad's aqeedah.

I do not have any truck with the Murji'ah of the era who will make every possible excuse for political secularists and I have no truck with modernists either.

Whatever this summation of factors makes me, is what I am.

Similarly, I do not discount Salih al-Fawzaan's scholarship in many areas; a lot of people who prefer madhabs would be pleasantly surprised by his Mulakhlas as it is very straight Hanbali for the most part except with his own tarjih in areas that often coincides with Ibn Taymiyyah's tarjih. My statement 'their own scholars' should be understood in the light of the fact that many Shawkanite-Salafis take him as a reference point selectively (ignoring all his statements about secularism and many points of fiqh) and as such quoting from him would be very good to undermine their positions.

brother for outlining your stances.

The bolded part of your message is the gist of all my appreciation for your posts; keep the good work up masha'Allah..

[n2Oddw8P]

One thing we should not overlook, is that sometimes people may approach us to correct something, while we may truly be in the wrong.

If one is well versed in a certain topic, and is absolutely sure that what he/she is doing is the method of his/her madhhab, that's good.

But we should not dispel everything that is questioned of us by saying, "you know what, there is a difference of opinion and i follow this opinion and it's also one of the correct opinions", while in reality we think we are following a correct opinion while as we are not at all.

Point being, we should not chant the slogan of "please respect difference of opinion" so much that we broom invalid rulings under the carpet and think it's all good.

Wallaahu A'lam.

[vernotixas]

Kutta likes barking!! So action born out of a kutta syndrome is expacted.

[anatmob]

...

Many Salafis are really just Shawkanite-style people who would be shocked to know of the positions they deride being espoused by scholars whom they consider to be reference points. For example, in al-Fawzaan's al-Mulakhlas al-Fiqhi, it espouses the position of hands under the navel as one of the Sunnah positions.

Any other prominent examples or instances that come to mind?

[kranskregyan]

Kutta likes barking!! So action born out of a kutta syndrome is expacted.

why is it that every time salafis are mentioned or hinted at, you seem to abandon all dignity and start "barking?"

[HotboTgameR]

The solution is simple, Learn the topics discussed amongst the Sisters (like the differences of women and men praying) etc and many other issues as you have mentioned, know it inside out and when confronted politely answer them.

Many of the Hanafi brothers have done this, i face many Hanafi opposition and had to learn some of the material to answer them, it becomes really easy once you start. Trust me, YOU have to be equipped! This is also lacking from the Sisters side as a whole in the UK as correctly stated by Uncle Colonel!

Imam / Mufti so and so said such don't work any more with these people.

Wallahu A'lam.

Dear Brother,

People are not interested in solutions they are interested in discussions and doing the samething again and again and again in every Masjid acorss the world. its called reinventing this:

[Daleman1984]

Brother Abufatimah....do you have any links to salafi scholars speaking about validity of different opinions?

I don't know if the sisters in question are madkhali as i don't know them on a personal level..they just attend the same masjid

wa alaykum salaam sister may Allah bless you

see if this one is any good inshAllah:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_A7weZCKds

Depends if they are madkhali or not as madkhalis hate yasir qadhi

[lidersontop]

wa alaykum salaam sister may Allah bless you

see if this one is any good inshAllah:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_A7weZCKds

Depends if they are madkhali or not as madkhalis hate yasir qadhi

its not just madkhalis..the pro-jihaad salafis dont like him either