314 — Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Abbas informed us: Abu al-Fadl Shuayb ibn Muhammad ibn al-Rajiyan narrated to us: Ali ibn Harb al-Mawsili narrated to us in Samarra in the year 257 AH, saying: I heard Shuayb ibn Harb say:
“I said to Abu Abd Allah Sufyan ibn Sa‘id al-Thawri: ‘Relate to me a report from the Sunnah through which Allah may benefit me, so that when I stand before Allah and He asks me about it, I may say: “My Lord, Sufyan al-Thawri related this report to me, and I took it from him; thus I shall be saved while You are held accountable.”’
“He said to me, ‘Where did you get this?’
“I replied, ‘My Lord, Sufyan al-Thawri related this report to me, and I took it from him; thus I shall be saved while You are held accountable.’
“He said: ‘O Shuayb, that is a most emphatic assurance indeed! Write:
“In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful. The Quran is the speech of Allah; it is not created. It originated from Him and to Him it shall return. Whoever says otherwise is a disbeliever. Faith consists of statement, action, and intention. It increases and decreases: it increases through obedience and decreases ⦗171⦘ through disobedience. No statement is valid without action, and neither statement nor action is valid without intention; nor are statement, action, and intention valid except in conformity with the Sunnah.”
Shuayb said: “I then asked him, ‘O Abu Abd Allah, what is conformity with the Sunnah?’ He replied: ‘Giving precedence to the two shaykhs, Abu Bakr and Umar, may Allah be pleased with them. O Shuayb, what you have written will not benefit you until you give Uthman and Ali precedence over all those who came after them. O Shuayb ibn Harb, what I have written for you will not benefit you until you refrain from declaring anyone to be among the people of Paradise or Hell, except for the ten—all of them from Quraysh—whom the Messenger of Allah testified to be in Paradise. O Shuayb ibn Harb, what I have written for you will not benefit you until you regard wiping over the leather socks, without removing them, as more correct than washing your feet. O Shuayb ibn Harb, what I have written for you will not benefit you until you consider reciting “In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful” quietly in prayer to be preferable to reciting it aloud. O Shuayb ibn Harb, what I have written for you will not benefit you until you believe in the divine decree, its good and its evil, its sweetness and its bitterness; all of it is from Allah.’ ⦗172⦘
“‘O Shuayb ibn Harb, by Allah, the Qadariyyah—the deniers of divine decree—have said neither what Allah has said, nor what the angels said, nor what the prophets said, nor what the people of Paradise said, nor what the people of Hell said, nor what their brother Iblis, may Allah curse him, said.
“Allah says:
‘Have you seen the one who has taken his own desire as his god? Allah has led him astray despite his knowledge, sealed his hearing and his heart, and placed a covering over his sight. Who, then, can guide him after Allah? Will you not then take heed?’ [Quran 45:23]
“And He, Most High, says:
‘You do not will unless Allah wills.’
“The angels said:
‘Glory be to You! We have no knowledge except what You have taught us. Indeed, You alone are the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.’ [Quran 2:32]
“Moses, peace be upon him, said:
‘This is only Your trial: through it You lead astray whom You will and guide whom You will.’ [Quran 7:155]
“Noah, peace be upon him, said:
‘My advice will not benefit you, however much I wish to advise you, if Allah wills to lead you astray. He is your Lord, and to Him you will be returned.’ [Quran 11:34]
“Shuayb, peace be upon him, said:
‘It is not for us to return to it unless Allah, our Lord, should will. Our Lord encompasses all things in His knowledge.’ [Quran 7:89]
⦗173⦘ “The people of Paradise will say:
‘All praise belongs to Allah, who guided us to this. We would never have been guided had Allah not guided us.’ [Quran 7:43]
“And the people of Hell will say:
‘Our wretchedness overcame us, and we were a people astray.’ [Quran 23:106]
“And their brother Iblis, may Allah curse him, will say:
‘My Lord, because You have put me astray...’ [Quran 15:39]
“‘O Shuayb, what you have written will not benefit you until you hold that prayer is to be performed behind every righteous or sinful person, that jihad continues until the Day of Resurrection, and that one must remain patient under the banner of the ruler, whether he is unjust or just.’
Shuayb said: “I asked Sufyan, ‘O Abu Abd Allah, does this apply to every prayer?’ He said: ‘No; rather, it applies to the Friday prayer and the two Eid prayers. Pray behind whomever you find leading them. As for the rest, you have a choice: pray only behind one whom you trust and know to be among the people of the Sunnah and the main body of Muslims. O Shuayb ibn Harb, when you stand before Allah and He asks you about this report, say: “My Lord, Sufyan ibn Sa‘id al-Thawri related this report to me,” then leave me to my Lord.’”