And Shaikh ul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728H) - may Allaah have mercy upon him - said: "And such as the People of Innovation among the people of the [innovated] sayings that oppose the Book and the Sunnah or the acts of worship opposing the Book and the Sunnah - for exposing their condition and warning the Ummah about them is obligatory by unanimous agreement of the Muslims - until it was said to Imaam Ahmad bin Hanbal: "Is it more loved to you that a man fasts, prays and peforms tawaaf or that he speaks about the People of Innovation [i.e. exposes them and warns about them]?" He replied: "When he stands, prays and performs tawaaf that is for himself but when he talks about the People of Innovation then that is for the Muslims and this is more excellent." So he explained that the benefit of this is for the Muslims in general - for [the protection of] their religion - and it is a form or jihaad in the Path of Allaah because the purification of the Path of Allaah, His Deen, His Minhaaj (methodology) and His Sharee'ah, repelling the oppressors and having enmity towards them is obligatory with kifaayah (i.e. there must be some amongst the Muslims who do this otherwise all of them are sinful for neglecting this duty). And if it had not been for the one whom Allaah had made to undertake this duty of repelling the harms of these people the Deen would have been corrupted and destroyed. And this corruption is greater than the corruption resulting from the domination of the enemies - amongst the people - who fight against the Muslims (i.e. Disbelievers) - and this is because these people (the disbelievers) when they dominate and conquer the Muslims, do not corrupt the hearts or whatever faith is contained within them except as a consequence, after time. As for these (the People of Innovation) then they corrupt the hearts right from the very beginning (i.e. since they corrupt the Deen itself)."[6]

And Zaa'idah bin Qudaamah said: " I said to Mansoor bin al-Mu'tamir: When I am fasting can I revile the Ruler? He said: No. I then said: Then can I revile the People of Desires (i.e. Innovators)? He said: Yes."[7]

Al Hasan al-Basree (d. 110H) said: "There are three - in the backbiting of whom there is no inviolability - one of them being a person of innovation who is immersed in his innovation, propagating it."[8]

The Reply to the Neo-Jahmite

It will become clear - by the permission of Allaah - that the Jahmiyyah - as they have always been, and in whatever way they disguise themselves - are either ignorant or pretending to be ignorant of the Arabic language, seeking to deny what Allaah, the Most High, and His Messenger (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) affirmed with regard to His Attributes, and wickedly inventing lies against those whom Allaah has favoured with knowledge - attributing their own Jahmee beliefs to them and seeking to refute the truth with falsehood in order to misguide the common folk, vilify the Salaf and the People of Knowledge and to raise high the banner of innovation:

And Allaah will certainly perfect His light even though the Disbelievers may detest it [Soorah Saff 61:8]

The person in question - about whose being a Jahmee there is no doubt - it is clear that he is merely transmitting what others with these wicked beliefs have said, such as Muhammad Alee Saaboonee, Abdullaah al-Habashi, Muhammad Sa'eed Ramadaan al-Bootee and others at the present time. Many works have been written in refutation of these deviant beliefs from the earliest times until the present day. This Jahmee seeks - by giving false and baseless examples - to justify the madhhab of ta'weel and tafweedh with respect to the Attributes of Allaah and then to describe them as being the way of the Salaf in understanding the Attributes - examples whose futility and falsehood is evident to those whom Allaah has favoured with the path of Ahl us-Sunnah, the Ashaabul-Hadeeth, the Salaf us-Saalih.

What this Jahmee has propounded is nothing new - but only a regurgitation of the Ahl ul-Bid'ah of old - those accusing the Salaf of being anthropomorphists on account of their acceptance of, and faith in the narrations of the Messenger (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam), as they have came, without rejecting them or distorting them. The accusation of anthropomorphism against the Salaf is an ancient legacy, and the Scholars of the Salaf refuted it and spoke about it in the earliest of times.

Imaam Abu Haatim ar-Raazee (d. 277H) said: "A sign of the Jahmiyyah is that they call the Ahl us-Sunnah 'Mushabbihah' (Anthropomorphists)."[9]