What Is Meant by the Salafi Manhaj, What Is the Difference Between It, Aqeedah and Fiqh, and How Is It Applied in Practice?

Second: What Is the Difference Between Aqeedah and Manhaj? This is the fundamental point in the question. The word Aqeedah is derived from the concept of binding the heart, meaning that which a person firmly believes and has faith in.

Examples of matters of Aqeedah include believing that Allah is above His Throne, affirming His Names and Attributes without distortion, denial, asking how, or likening them to the creation; believing that the Quran is the Speech of Allah and is uncreated; believing in Qadar; believing that Iman consists of speech and action and increases and decreases; and believing in the punishment of the grave, resurrection, the Scale, the Sirat, Paradise, and the Hellfire. As for Manhaj, it is the path followed by the Muslim in receiving this Aqeedah and the rest of the religion, understanding it, acting upon it, calling to it, and dealing with that which opposes it. The difference can therefore be simplified in a brief expression: Aqeedah: What do you believe? Manhaj: Upon what path do you receive, understand, practice, and call to the religion? However, this distinction is an educational and terminological one. It does not mean that Aqeedah and Manhaj are separated from one another. Aqeedah is a fundamental part of Manhaj, and a correct Manhaj cannot be established upon a corrupt Aqeedah.

Third: Does Manhaj Only Mean One’s Position Toward the Ruler? No. This is an incorrect reduction of the meaning of Manhaj. The methodology of Ahlus-Sunnah in dealing with the rulers is one chapter of Manhaj. Likewise, Manhaj also includes the method of dealing with innovations, trials, those who differ, calling to Allah, enjoining good and forbidding evil, seeking knowledge, using evidence, adhering to the Jamaah, and other matters. Examples of the Salafi Manhaj include: Giving precedence to the Quran and Sunnah over the opinions of men. Understanding the texts according to the understanding of the Companions and the Salaf. Adhering to the Sunnah and being cautious of innovations and their people. Uniting upon the truth and being cautious of division. Calling to Allah with knowledge and wisdom. Refuting errors and those who differ with knowledge and justice. Adhering to the Jamaah of the Muslims in what is right and following the Sunnah in dealing with the rulers. Not following desires and partisan affiliations that oppose the Quran and Sunnah.

Fourth: If the Fiqh Madhhabs Follow the Quran and Sunnah, Why Do We Need the Word “Manhaj”? Because a Fiqh Madhhab and Manhaj are not the same thing. The four Madhhabs, the Hanafi, Maliki, Shafii, and Hanbali schools, are schools of Fiqh that primarily concern deriving practical Shariah rulings, such as those relating to purification, prayer, Zakat, transactions, and marriage. As for the Salafi Manhaj, it does not mean a fifth Fiqh Madhhab. Therefore, a person may be Hanbali in Fiqh while being Salafi in Aqeedah and Manhaj. Likewise, a person may be Shafii, Maliki, or Hanafi. Indeed, Shaykh Ibn Baz رحمه الله counted Abu Hanifah, Malik, ash-Shafii, Ahmad, and others among the Imams of Islam who followed the way of the Messenger ﷺ, mentioning them in the context of explaining Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamaah.

Fifth: Practical Examples That Clarify the Difference If we were to ask a man: Where is Allah? What is your position concerning the Attributes of Allah? His answer primarily falls under Aqeedah. The Manhaj of Ahlus-Sunnah is to affirm what Allah has affirmed for Himself without distortion, denial, asking how, or likening Him to the creation. But if we were to ask him: If a new statement appears in the religion, how do you judge it? Here the issue of Manhaj becomes apparent: Does he weigh that statement according to the Quran and Sunnah and the understanding of the Companions, or does he follow a person, a group, or his emotions? If a disagreement occurs among the Muslims, Manhaj requires referring the dispute back to the Quran and Sunnah.

If an innovation appears, Manhaj means following the Sunnah and not giving preference to personal approval or emotions over it, due to the statement of the Prophet ﷺ: “Whoever introduces into this matter of ours that which is not from it, it will be rejected.” Agreed upon. And if someone who differs falls into error, then part of Manhaj is that his error be refuted with knowledge, wisdom, and justice, not with oppression and insults. Ibn Baz رحمه الله stated, when discussing those who oppose the path of the Companions, that objection should be made “with wisdom, knowledge, and clarification.” All of these are issues of Manhaj. They are not restricted to a single area of politics or governance. Sixth: Is Worship Included in Manhaj? Yes, without doubt. The Salafi Manhaj in worship means that the Muslim worships Allah according to what the Prophet ﷺ legislated, rather than according to personal preference or innovation.

For example, the fundamental obligation of prayer is part of the religion. The rulings concerning its conditions, pillars, and nullifiers are studied under Fiqh. Believing that prayer is obligatory relates to Iman and Aqeedah. As for the general method of worship, following the Sunnah and abandoning innovation—this is from Manhaj. Therefore, there is nothing unusual if one hears Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen رحمه الله connecting “Manhaj” with worship, because worship is included within Manhaj. However, it is not correct to attribute a specific wording or intended meaning to him based on an unidentified clip without referring back to the clip itself. Seventh: The Relationship Between Aqeedah, Manhaj, and Fiqh They can be summarized as follows: Aqeedah: What the Muslim believes and holds firmly in his heart. Fiqh: Knowledge of practical Shariah rulings: What is obligatory? What is prohibited? What is valid and invalid? Manhaj: The general method followed by the Muslim in receiving, understanding, and applying the religion, calling to it, and dealing with those who differ, innovations, trials, and the rest of the affairs of the religion. Therefore, a Salafi Muslim does not say: “My Aqeedah is one thing and my Manhaj is something completely unrelated to it.” Rather, correct Aqeedah is the foundation of correct Manhaj, while correct Manhaj protects one’s Aqeedah and regulates one’s actions and conduct. The earlier scholars used broader expressions and sometimes used terms such as Sunnah, way, path, and Madhhab. Therefore, the word “Manhaj” itself should not be turned into a slogan by which people are tested merely on the basis of the term. What matters is the reality of following the truth. Conclusion: The Salafi Manhaj is the path followed by the Prophet ﷺ, his Companions, and those who followed them in goodness in receiving, understanding, practicing, and calling to the religion, in Aqeedah, worship, conduct, dealings, and in one’s approach toward innovations, trials, those who differ, rulers, and other matters. Manhaj is therefore not entirely synonymous with Aqeedah, nor is it separate from it. Aqeedah is a fundamental part of Manhaj. Nor does Manhaj merely mean “loyalty to the ruler.” This is a reduction of a broad concept to a single issue. Likewise, a Fiqh Madhhab does not contradict the Salafi Manhaj. A Muslim may be Hanafi, Maliki, Shafii, or Hanbali in Fiqh while following the Manhaj of the Salaf in Aqeedah, in how he receives the religion, and in following the Sunnah. The most comprehensive expression regarding this is the statement of Shaykh Ibn Baz رحمه الله in describing Ahlus-Sunnah: “They are those who followed the Manhaj of the Messenger ﷺ and followed his Shariah in speech, action, and belief.” Thus, Salafiyyah in its reality is following, not a new group, and Manhaj is a path for practicing the entire religion, not merely a political subject.