From Sh Fawzaan's hafizahullaah explanation of Sharh-us-Sunnah:
(lesson 6 - audio/text)

His saying, “It was not left up to the intellects of men and their opinions.” 

The Religion is not what men deem to be good or what they hold as their opinion, because this is not the Religion of Allaah. This is the Religion of the people, which they have newly invented. As for the Religion of Allaah the Mighty and Majestic, then it is what He legislated.  As for that which the men hold as their opinion, based upon their own opinions, this is not the Religion of Allaah the Perfect and Most High.  Rather it is just a religion of whoever holds that opinion. So nothing can be ascribed to Allaah from the Religion except that which He legislated upon the tongue of His Messenger sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam. And as for what others besides Him legislated, then it cannot be ascribed to Allaah, rather it can only be ascribed to whoever legislated it, and Allaah is free of it.  He the Most High said:

أَمْ لَهُمْ شُرَكَاء شَرَعُوا لَهُم مِّنَ الدِّينِ مَا لَمْ يَأْذَن بِهِ اللَّهُ 

Do they have partners who legislate for them religion which Allaah has not permitted (Sooratush-Shooraa (42), aayah 21)


His saying, “And its knowledge is with Allaah and His Messenger sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam.” The affairs of the Religion are towqeefiyyah (depend upon text); there must be proofs from Allaah and His Messenger with regard to the affairs of the Religion. The matter is restricted to what occurs in the Book and the Sunnah from the affairs of the Religion. And newly introduced matters and innovations are abandoned, that which Allaah has not sent down any proof for - even if their people hold them to be religion, and they draw closer to Allaah through them, then we turn no attention to these things and we do not believe in them, because the Religion of Allaah is what He legislated and His Messenger.


Because the Religion is based upon knowledge which came from Allaah and His Messenger. And do not follow the desires of the people and the opinions of the people and what they declare to be good and what they follow each other upon, and it has no basis in the Book of Allaah or the Sunnah of His Messenger sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam. Just as he `alayhis-salaatu was-salaam said:


“Whoever introduces into this affair of ours that which is not from it, it is rejected.”


And in one narration:


“Whoever does an action which our affair is not in accordance with, it is rejected”[1]


So the person who wishes that his action be righteous and be beneficial, then he should adhere to two matters:


The first matter: is that he makes his Religion pure for Allaah and free from shirk.


And the second matter: ittibaa` following the Sunnah of Allaah’s Messenger sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam, free of innovations and newly introduced affairs.


A person will indeed find many things which contradict what is correct in the `aqeedah, matters which contradict what is correct in matters of worship, many of them; (because) the people have desires, and have their own aspirations, and they have  their own opinions and they have their own ways (which  they follow). So we do not follow the people, rather we present whatever the people are upon to the Book and the Sunnah. So whatever conforms with the Book and the Sunnah then it is the Truth, and whatever contradicts these two then it is false and futile.

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[1] The checking of this has preceded on page 66. (Hadeeth of Aa`ishah radiyAllaahu`anhaa reported by Muslim and in the Saheeh of al-Bukhaaree)

[Translated by Abu Talhah rahimahullaah]

From Sh Fawzaan's explanation of Sharh-us-Sunnah:

‘and he has innovated’- Innovation is whatever is from the matters of worship or from matters of creed and beliefs or from sayings and it does not have a proof from the Book and the Sunnah (that is an innovation).  He sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam said,“Whoever does an action which our affair is not in accordance with, it is rejected.”[1]

And in a narration, “Whoever introduces into this affair of ours that which is not from it then it is rejected.”[2]

And he said, “And beware of newly introduced matters for every newly introduced matter is a bid`ah (an innovation) and every innovation is misguidance”[3]. 

So innovation is whatever has been introduced into the religion and it is not from it.  And how can it be known that it is not from it? 

If it does not have a daleel, a proof, then it is not from the Religion, because Allaah the Majestic and Most High says:

This day have I completed your Religion for you[4]

(Sooratul-Maa~idah (5), aayah 3)

So the Religion is complete, and all praise is for Allaah; it does not accept any additions. So it is just upon us to come to know of the Religion which Allaah the Mighty and Majestic completed, and to cling to it and that we abandon whatever is besides it from additions and from things which people deem to be good introductions and from supplements and from other than that, because these things only take people farther away from Allaah the Majestic and Most High.  And there will follow a clarification that:  No people introduce an innovation except that its like (a like amount of it) will be taken away from the Sunnah.[5]

So this is the correct and straight path, adhering to the Jamaa`ah, adhering to the Sunnah and abandoning innovations.

His saying, ‘And every innovation is misguidance’ – so there is no such thing as bid`ah hasanah, ‘good innovation’, as some people say.  Rather all innovations are misguidance by the textual statement of the hadeeth of the Messenger sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam when he said, “For every newly invented matter is an innovation (bid`ah) and every innovation is misguidance.”[6]  So innovations in the Religion, there is nothing good from them at all, rather all of them are misguidance and this is the speech of the Messenger sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam who did not speak from desires.

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[1] Reported by Muslim in his Saheeh (1718) and reported by al-Bukhaaree in disconnected form in his Saheeh from a hadeeth of Aa`ishahradiyAllaahu `anhaa.

[2] Reported by al-Bukhaaree in his Saheeh (hadeeth 2550) and by Muslim in his Saheeh (hadeeth 1718) from (a hadeeth of) Aa`ishah radiyAllaahu `anhaa.

 [3] This is part of a hadeeth of al-`Irbaad ibn Saariyah radiyAllaahu `anhu, and its checking has preceded. (The checking of this hadeeth is reported by Imaam Ahmad and Aboo Daawood and at-Tirmithee and Ibn Maajah and it was declared authentic by Shaykh al-Albaanee).

 [4] Translator’s side point:  This aayah came down on the day of `Arafah on the 10th year of the Hijrah.

(There is) a famous saying from Imaam Maalik:  So whatever was not Religion on that day it will never be Religion today.

[5] Hassaan ibn `Atiyyah (from the taabi`een) rahimahullaah said,  “A people never introduce an innovation in their Religion except that Allaah takes away from their Sunnah its like and then He does not return it to them right until the Day of Resurrection.”  Reported by ad-Daarimee and Aboo Nu`aym in al-Hilyah and al-Laalikaa~ee in (his book) Sharh Usool I`tiqaad Ahlis-Sunnah wal-Jamaa`ah.

Translator’s side point:  With regards to this taabi`ee, Hassaan ibn Atiyyah, Shaykh al-Albaanee said in his notes to al-Mishkaat:  He was a great and noble taab`iee who died in the year 130. Shaykh al-Albaanee said with regard to this report from him:  Its chain of narration is saheeh and its like is also reported as a saying of Aboo Hurayrah radiyAllaahu `anhu reported by Abul-`Abbaas ibn al-Assam in his hadeeth.

[6] This occurs in a number of ahaadeeth, from them the hadeeth of al-`Irbaad ibn Saariyah which has just preceded, also a hadeeth of Jaabir reported by an-Nasaa~ee as hadeeth 1578 and also by Ibn Khuzaymah in his Saheeh; and the basis of this hadeeth occurs in Saheeh Muslim ashadeeth no 768.

[Translated by Abu Talhah rahimahullaah]

(listen to the whole lesson here)
(read the whole transcript here)

From Sh Fawzaan's explanation of Sharh-us-Sunnah:

So from the Sunnah is adhering to the Jamaa`ah – meaning adhering to the united body, of the Muslims, and what is meant by the Jamaa`ah here is the united body of the Muslims who are upon the Truth[1].

As for the jamaa`aat, the groups which are not upon the Truth, then these are not called the true Jamaa`ah.  Every Jamaa`ah which gathers upon misguidance or upon a methodology contrary to Islaam or upon a way contrary to Islaam, then it is not called the trueJamaa`ah that which is required and praiseworthy. 

So the Jamaa`ah, the united body, which is meant here, they are the people of the Truth and this does not necessitate that they must be numerous, rather even if it is a single person upon the Truth then he will be called the Jamaa`ah, the united body.  So theJamaa`ah is those who are upon the Truth, whether its people are few or whether they are many, so you adhere to whoever is upon the Truth and you do not contradict the Jamaa`ah which is upon the Truth, rather you should be with them upon the Truth. So whoever splits from the Jamaa`ah, the united body, then explanation of this will follow.


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[1] Translator’s side point:  This is something which is authentically reported as the statement of the noble Companion `Abdullaah ibn Mas`oodradiyAllaahu `anhu that he explained with this same meaning what is meant by ‘Jamaa`ah’.  Shaykh al-Albaanee rahimahullaah mentioned in his notes to Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh, Volume 1, page 61, the statement of `Abdullaah ibn Mas`ood radiyAllaahu `anhu in that regard, that he said, “The Jamaa`ah is whatever conforms to the Truth even you are alone.”  Shaykh al-Albaanee said this is reported by Ibn Asaakir in his Taareekh Dimashq, volume 13, page 322 part number 2, with an authentic, a saheeh chain from him.

[translated by Abu Talhah rahimahullaah]

(listen to the whole lesson here)
(listen to the whole transcript here)

From the Explanation of Sharh-us-Sunnah by Sh Fawzaan hafizahullaah:

His saying ‘so we ask Him for success in attaining that which He loves and is pleased with’ - a person should ask Allaah for firmness even though he knows the truth and acts upon it and holds it as his belief, then still he should not feel secure that he will not deviate or be put to trial, such that trials and tribulations come to him and overcome him so that he strays away from the path of Allaah, and therefore, he sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam said:

يَا مُقَلِّبَ القُلُوبِ ثَبِّتْ قَلْبِي عَلَى دِيْنِكَ


Ya Muqallib al-quloob thabbit qalbee `alaa deenik
O Turner of the hearts, make my heart firm upon your religion 


And al-Khaleel (His especially beloved one - the Prophet Ibraaheem, the one described as the father of the Prophets) alayhis-salaatu wassalaam said in his supplication:

And keep me and my sons far removed from worshipping the idols.  O my Lord they have caused the misguidance of many of the people.
(Soorah Ibraaheem (14), aayahs 35 and 36)

He feared for himself and likewise the stronger a person’s eemaan in Allaah is then the more he will fear and not feel secure with regards to trials and tribulations and he will not commend himself (declare himself pure, good, fine and so forth) rather he will always and continually ask Allaah for firmness and for a fine conclusion to his life and he will fear having an evil conclusion and he will fear trials and tribulations and he will fear deviation and misguidance and the callers to evil.


[translated by Abu Talhah rahimahullaah]

(listen to the whole lesson here)
(read the whole transcript here)

From Sharh Usool-ith-Thalaathah by Sh Fawzaan:

بِالأَدِلَّةِ   

With the proofs.7

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[7]:

His saying, “With the proofs”: not due to taqleed (blind following), but rather with the proofs from the Qur’aan and from the Sunnah – this is knowledge.

Ibn ul-Qayyim said in Al-Kaafiyat-ush-Shaafiyah:

Knowledge is Allaah said, His Prophet said,
     The Companions said – they are the possessors of knowledge and awareness

Knowledge is not that you foolishly raise up a disagreement
     Between the Messenger and the opinion of so-and-so.

This is what is knowledge, knowledge is the knowledge contained in the Book and the Sunnah. As for the sayings of the’ulemaa (the scholars), then they only explain and clarify the speech of Allaah and the speech of the Messenger sallallaahu’alaihiwasallam, and some of them may contain a mistake, and the proofs are not the speech of the ’ulemaa, rather the proofs are the aayahs of the Qur’aan and the Prophetic ahadeeth. As for the speech of scholars, then it explains and clarifies that, except it is not a proof in itself.

[Translated by Abu Talhah rahimahullaah]

(listen to the whole lesson here)
(read the whole transcript here)