al-Radd ala al-Rifai wa al-Buti fi kidhbihima ala Ahl al-Sunna wa dawatihima ila al-bida wa al-dalal

al-Radd ala al-Rifai wa al-Buti fi kidhbihima ala Ahl al-Sunna wa dawatihima ila al-bida wa al-dalal (The Refutation of al-Rifa'i and al-Buti Concerning Their Falsehoods Against the People of the Sunnah and Their Call to Innovations and Misguidance) is a polemical theological treatise written by the Saudi scholar Abd al-Muhsin al-Abbad (b. 1353 AH / 1934 CE) to counter criticisms leveled against Salafi scholars al-Tahdhir min Tazim al-A…+1. The book was published in 1421 AH (2000 CE) by Dar Ibn al-Athir in Riyadh al-Tahdhir min Tazim al-A…+1.

Background and Purpose

The work was composed in response to a pamphlet written by Yusuf Hashim al-Rifa'i of Kuwait, framed as advice addressed to the scholars of Najd (Nasiha li-Ulama Najd), which was accompanied by an extensive introductory preface authored by Dr. Muhammad Sa'id Ramadan al-Buti of Syria al-Tahdhir min Tazim al-A…+1. In their writings, al-Rifa'i and al-Buti criticized Salafi scholars on several doctrinal and legal matters, including their stance on legal schools of thought (madhahib), their position on seeking blessings from historical physical sites, and accusations of excommunication (takfir) al-Radd ala al-Rifai wa a…+1. Al-Abbad authored the book to refute these claims, arguing that although the tract was nominally addressed to the scholars of Najd, its criticisms targeted all adherents of the Quran, the Sunnah, and the way of the early Muslim community (al-salaf) al-Radd ala al-Rifai wa a….

Content and Arguments

Al-Abbad structures his rebuttal around a systematic examination of the claims raised by al-Rifa'i and endorsed by al-Buti:

• Adherence to Legal Schools: In response to al-Rifa'i's claim that contemporary Najdi scholars had abandoned the Hanbali school of jurisprudence, al-Abbad clarifies that these scholars continued to study and teach classical Hanbali manuals—citing Abd al-Aziz ibn Baz's teaching of al-Rawd al-murbi and Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymin's commentary on Zad al-mustaqni al-Radd ala al-Rifai wa a…+1. He emphasizes that they abandoned partisan bigotry (ta'assub) rather than the school itself, prioritizing direct textual evidence whenever an authentic proof contradicted a juristic opinion, in accordance with the principles articulated across all four Sunni legal schools al-Radd ala al-Rifai wa a…+1.
• Spatial Relics and Seeking Blessings: The book refutes al-Buti's claim of an early scholarly consensus across the first three generations regarding seeking blessings (tabarruk) from places associated with the Prophet ﷺ—such as his birthplace, the well of Aris, or the place where his camel knelt in Quba al-Tahdhir min Tazim al-A…+1. Al-Abbad highlights that no such practice is established from the Companions, citing the report where the Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab ordered the cutting down of the tree of the Pledge of Ridwan at al-Hudaybiyya and warned against venerating the physical traces of prophets al-Radd ala al-Rifai wa a….
• Refutation of Broad Excommunication: Al-Abbad rejects the accusation that Salafi scholars declare the general body of Muslims, including Ash'aris or Maturidis, to be disbelievers, designating this claim as an unfounded slander al-Radd ala al-Rifai wa a….

In his conclusion, al-Abbad states that his work addresses key portions of the pamphlet as representative examples of its broader errors, concluding with a supplication for guidance toward the truth al-Radd ala al-Rifai wa a….