Answer to an Enemy of Islam

This is a refutation of the lies and slanders which the lâ-madhhabî Rashîd Rıdâ of Egypt, who appeared in the disguise of a religious man and wrote against the scholars of Islam in his book Muhâwarât.

Disbelievers, that is, non-Muslims, imitate their parents and teachers and do not follow the rules, i.e., the commands and prohibitions of Islam because of the wrong beliefs they hold. But Muslims hold fast to these rules. Likewise, the lâ-madhhabî, because of the wrong beliefs they have acquired by following their parents and teachers, do not adapt themselves to one of the four madhhabs, which are the explanations of these rules. But the true Muslims, who are called Ahl as-Sunna, owing to their correct îmân which they have acquired from the knowledge coming from the Sahâbat al-kirâm (radiy-Allâhu ’anhum) and the îmâms of madhhabs, adhere to one of the four madhhabs. Muslims of Ahl as-Sunna have attained the imitation (taqlîd) which is right. We thought of exposing to our pure, young brothers the lies and slanders in the book Muhâwarât, which was prepared very insidiously to distract Muslims from the imitation which is right and to drift them into the imitation which is wrong, by answering each of them from the books of the scholars of Ahl as-Sunna, thus performing a humble service to protect Muslims from being led to endless perdition. Thus the book Answer to an Enemy of Islam came about. We regard our sincere intention in preparing this book and this insignificant service to Muslim brothers as a means for the forgiveness of our sins and as our only stock for our debt of gratitude for the infinite blessings of Allâhu ta’âlâ.