Manhaj al-Dawa wal-Hisba bayna Ahl al-Sunna wa Ahl al-Bida

Manhaj al-Dawa wal-Hisba bayna Ahl al-Sunna wa Ahl al-Bida (The Methodology of Propagation and Moral Oversight between the People of the Sunna and the People of Innovation) is a legal treatise and fatwa by the Saudi jurist and Council of Senior Scholars member Salih bin Ghasun (d. 1419 AH / 1998 CE) Manhaj al-Dawa wal-Hisba …+1. The text outlines the orthodox principles governing Islamic propagation (da‘wa) and enjoining good and forbidding wrong (hisba), contrasting the approach of the early Muslims with modern forms of political agitation, protests, and violent activism Manhaj al-Dawa wal-Hisba …+1.

Context and Questions Addressed

The treatise was formulated as a detailed response to queries regarding contemporary methods adopted by certain preachers who incorporated public demonstrations (al-muzaharat), protest marches (al-masirat), and political assassinations (al-ightiyalat) into the categories of legitimate religious advocacy, censuring wrongdoing, or Islamic jihad Manhaj al-Dawa wal-Hisba …. The author was asked to clarify whether these practices are sanctioned means (wasa'il shar‘iyya) or reprehensible innovations and prohibited instruments, as well as how Muslims should deal with those who promote them Manhaj al-Dawa wal-Hisba ….

Core Arguments and Principles

Ibn Ghasun affirms that enjoining good, forbidding evil, and religious outreach are foundational to Islam, but emphasizes that Islamic scripture strictly conditions their execution on wisdom, gentle counsel, and patience Manhaj al-Dawa wal-Hisba …. He cites Quranic injunctions commanding preachers to invite to God's path with wisdom and fair admonition ( ادْعُ إِلَى سَبِيلِ رَبِّكَ بِالْحِكْمَةِ وَالْمَوْعِظَةِ الْحَسَنَةِ وَجَادِلْهُمْ بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ ) and directing Moses and Aaron to speak gently even to Pharaoh ( فَقُولَا لَهُ قَوْلًا لَيِّنًا لَعَلَّهُ يَتَذَكَّرُ أَوْ يَخْشَى ), alongside Surat al-‘Asr's command to counsel one another with truth and patience Manhaj al-Dawa wal-Hisba ….

In the text, Ibn Ghasun draws a sharp distinction between two opposing methodologies:

• The Methodology of the Companions and Early Generations: Rooted in wisdom, gentle instruction, endurance of hardship, seeking divine reward, and maintaining constructive engagement and unity among Muslims Manhaj al-Dawa wal-Hisba …+1.
• The Methodology of the Kharijites and Sectarian Innovators: Characterized by violence, public disruption, discord, armed opposition, bloodshed, and the declaration of fellow Muslims as disbelievers (takfir) under the banner of correcting wrongs Manhaj al-Dawa wal-Hisba …+1. Ibn Ghasun links modern violent tactics to the historical rebels who fought the Caliph Ali ibn Abi Talib under the pretext of reform while serving as a source of corruption and fragmentation Manhaj al-Dawa wal-Hisba ….

He rules that street protests, assassinations, and public unrest are newly invented, reprehensible practices that fracture the unity of the community Manhaj al-Dawa wal-Hisba …. He advises that individuals propagating these methods should be avoided, held in suspicion, and kept at a distance Manhaj al-Dawa wal-Hisba …. Ibn Ghasun further criticizes the unrealistic demand that rulers, scholars, or societies be completely free of error, noting that infallibility belongs solely to the Prophet ﷺ and that demanding perfection reflects the mindset of deviant sects such as the Kharijites, Rafidites, and Mu‘tazilites Manhaj al-Dawa wal-Hisba ….

Publication

The text was published in the second issue of the periodical Safinat al-Najat (January 1997) and was subsequently incorporated into broader collections of contemporary juridical rulings addressing modern political and legal crises Manhaj al-Dawa wal-Hisba …+1.