Follow One ﷺ Only

Bismi Llāhi r-Raḥmāni r-Raḥīm: ‘إِنَّ الدِّينَ عِندَ اللَّهِ الْإِسْلَامُ’, ‘Inna d-Dīna inda Allāhi l-Islām’, ‘Indeed, the religion in the sight of Allah is Islam.’ (Qur’ān 03:19).

Bismi Llāhi r-Raḥmāni r-Raḥīm: ‘قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ’, ‘Qul in kuntum tuhibbuna Llāha fāttabi‘ūnī yuhbibkumu Llāh wa-yaghfir lakum dhunūbakum’, ‘Say, [O Muhammad], “If you should love Allah , then follow me, [so] Allah will love you and forgive you your sins.”’ (Qur’ān 03:31). Ṣadaqa Llāhu l-‘Aẓīm.

Religion is Islām. The religion that Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla has sent to humanity is the religion of Islām. And this is in following our Holy ‎Prophet ﷺ. Following the way shown by our Holy Prophet ﷺ is by obeying the order of Allāh ﷻ. To stray from it is rebellion against Allāh ﷻ and opposition to Allāh ﷻ.

Shukr to Allāh ﷻ, Muslims follow the way of our Holy Prophet ﷺ. How does one follow? He does all that he ﷺ showed, what he ﷺ did and worshipped from prayers, fasts, zakāt, ḥajj. To do them just as our Holy Prophet ﷺ has shown. And how does that happen? Just as the ṣaḥābah showed us. After the ṣaḥābah comes the imāms, imāms of madhhab. Then of course, there are the ṭarīqah mashāyikh.

Following their way is obligatory for us; it is wājib. Those who do not follow it will go astray and out of the way according to their own minds. Because there were 124 thousand ṣaḥābah. You can follow any of them. But they have no way left anymore. Because after the passing of each one, after their death, their way ended. The ways that are opened are clear.

In terms of madhhab, we must follow the way shown. Going outside of madhhab confuses a person and leads him astray. When do madhhabs end? When the “مُجْتَهِد مُطْلَق”, “Absolute Mujtahid”, Mahdi ‘alayhi s-salām comes. Then, he will make all madhhabs and ṭarīqahs one, because he is Al-Warith l-Muhammadi ﷺ, The Inheritor of Muhammad ﷺ. He is the one our Holy ‎Prophet ﷺ gave good tidings about. There cannot be other than that then. And before that, there is no lifting of those. Because people confuse them. Mixing them up cannot be.

Therefore, this way is clear. You have to do as shown. Some people with good intentions say, “It’s hard. We follow all of them.” We can’t even follow one of them. How will you know them all and do them?

For this, this is our way of ṭarīqah. It is open. It is clear. It is according to sharī’ah. It cannot be outside of sharī’ah. If you say you will prayer and do something mixed up, that prayer will not be accepted. Nothing will be accepted if you do not follow sharī’ah. Therefore, people in ṭarīqah must follow sharī’ah. And they must fulfill the orders of sharī’ah as much as they can. If they can’t do or they have shortcomings then they must ask Allāh ﷻ for forgiveness.

Don’t say you follow this way but there is no ṭarīqah and no madhhab. No harm comes from them. They benefit. What harms is the lack of madhhab, going out of madhhab, not accepting madhhab. This is what will harm you. Islām will never be harmed. If harm will come, it will come to the person who does not conform to Islām according to his own mind, according to his own ego and desires. He is who will be harmed.

Now a lot of people come out and talk here and there. And people get confused. That’s why, you should pay attention. Listen to the real mashāyikh and scholars. You must follow what the mashāyikh say. They are, shukr to Allāh ﷻ, people who follow sharī’ah and ṭarīqah. May Allāh ﷻ not let us be confused. We live in the end of times, the fitnahs are many. May Allāh ﷻ protect us all. Wa min Allah at-Tawfiq.

Al-Fatiha.

• Mawlana Sheikh Muhammad Adil ar-Rabbani 

27 February 2025/ 28 Sha’ban 1446

Fajr Prayer – Akbaba Dergah, Istanbul