Do the Ahbas, based on the teachings of Abdullah al-Harari, share the same creed as us Sunnis, or are there fundamental differences that define them outside of Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah?
Our dear brother,
Ahbaş Community, which basically adopts the ilm-i kalam method and develops views against many sects with this method, struggles with a belligerent method on the issues of Sufism and theology .
In addition to their views that are in accordance with the Sunni, there are also views that do not comply with it by exaggerating it .
In this context, it can be seen that they exhibit behaviors parallel to some of the methods and views of the Murji’e, Cebrie, Mu’tazila and Shia sects.
Abdullah Habeshi had views that were contrary to the Sunni, such as calling some companions sinners and bagi , and calling believers who were sinners or infidels infidels .
For this reason, Muslims who will read Ahbaş’s works must first learn about the Sunni belief.
After this brief information, as for the details:
In Lebanon, the Akhbash Community ( جماعة الأحباش ) is a takfiri and exclusivist, but non-violent group.
Lebanon is a country that hosts different movements with its extremely colorful appearance in terms of ethnicity and religion. Among these, al-Jamaatu’l-Islamiyye, Hareketu’t-Tawhîd al-Islamî, Isbat al-Ansâr, et-Tekfîr ve’l-Hijre, Hamas and Islamic Jihad, Shiite (pro-Syrian Amal, pro-Iran Hezbollah), Druze. Along with Islamic or Islamic-based formations such as Nusayri, there are also many groups based on different ethnic, religious and sectarian backgrounds such as Christian origin, Maronite / Catholic, Greek / Catholic, Orthodox and Orthodox / Armenian.
The Ahbaş Community , operating in Lebanon and led by Abdullah al-Habeshi of Abyssinian origin, is one of such movements. Although Ahbaş Community is of Sunnite origin, it has an eclectic theology consisting of Sunni, Sufi and Shiite thoughts. Ahbaş Community has an anti-Salafi/jihadi and reformist structure.
In addition, this community, which is basically anti-violence, stands out with its moderate and tolerant side of Islam, advocating pluralism. It is a community that opposes Wahhabism today and develops a discourse opposing them.
Ahbaş Community especially took a stance against all political Islamist organizations and communities. Regardless of the methodological differences between them, he opposed all groups that accepted violence as a method in the Islamic awakening, such as the Muslim Brotherhood, et-Takfir wa’l-Hijra, Tanzim al-Jihad and al-Jamaa al-Islamiyye, operating in Islamic Countries. (one)
The full name of Abdullah el-Habeşî, who is originally from Ethiopia, is Sheikh Abdurrahman Abdullah b. Muhammad b. Yusuf İbn Abdullah el-Harerî es-Şeybî el-Abderî. Abdullah el-Habeşî was born in 1910 in Herar, Ethiopia. Abdullah al-Habashî started his education in his hometown Herer and made scientific travels to different provinces of Abyssinia and Somalia. It is also said that he memorized the Quran at the age of seven and memorized books on various religious sciences.
When Abdullah al-Habeshi’s teachings were perceived as a threat by the Abyssinian King Haile Selassie, he was exiled outside the border in 1947. That’s why he comes to Hijaz. Information is included that he traveled to Jerusalem in 1948 and from there to different provinces of Beirut, Hims, Hama, Aleppo and Bilad-i Damascus. He meets with the leaders of the Qadiri and Rufais in Damascus. (2)
At the end of his long travels, Abdullah el-Habeşî first came to Beirut in 1950 and settled here. However, the process of establishment and institutionalization of the Ahbaş Community began in the 1970s. Its religious and political activity in Lebanon began to be seen after 1980.
Abdullah el-Habeşî has written many works in different fields. Information about his life and works is given at the beginning of his books. According to this information, forty-one works attributed to him are named in the fields of the Quran and its sciences, the science of Tawhid, the science of Hadith, the science of Fiqh and the Arabic Language .
Abdullah el-Habeşî , the founder of the Ahbaş Community, died in Beirut on September 2, 2008, at the age of ninety-eight. Members from Jamiyyetu’l-Mesâri’l-Hayriyyeti’l-İslâmiyye branches in different cities of Lebanon and participants from different parts of Lebanon attended the funeral prayer performed by Husam Karakira, the president of Jamiyyetu’l-Mesâri’l-Hayriyyeti’l-İslâmiyye. happens.(3)
The most important issues that Habeshi attach importance to are the understanding of faith and takfir. It is seen that Habeshi and his group accused some people, especially those known as the leaders of Salafi and jihadi organizations and communities, of heresy and declared takfir. Especially Ibn Taymiyya, Muhammad b. Abdilvehhab, Abdulaziz b. Abdullah b. He accuses Salafis and Salafi pioneers such as Bâzz, Muslim Brotherhood and especially Islamic Community leaders such as Sayyid Qutb, Mawdudî, Albânî, Yûsuf al-Qaradavî, Fethi Yeken and groups such as Hizbu’t-Tahrir with heresy, and condemns the people and groups in question to the extent of takfir. makes accusations.
In response to such ideas of Abdullah al-Habeshi and his group, many rejections were written, their basic ideas were criticized and they were also accused of perversion. (4)
Abdulaziz b., one of the Wahhabi / Salafi leaders. Abdullah b. Baz gave a fatwa stating that the Akhbash were a perverted group, that people should be kept away from their beliefs, and that Abdullah al-Habashi himself was a pervert and misguided person. Thereupon, the Ahbaş group did not refrain from expressing their views with similar expressions, stating that their opponents were heretics and their ideas were false. (5)
Ibn Taymiyyah is one of the people who were strongly opposed by Abdullah al-Habashî and his group, the Ahbas, and whose ideas they rejected. So much so that Abdullah el-Habeşî has a separate book in which he criticizes the ideas of Ibn Taymiyya. (6)
It is also stated that he denigrated Ibn Taymiyyah with unpleasant adjectives in his other books. (7)
The most important criticisms made by Habeshi about Ibn Taymiyyah are as follows:
According to Ibn Taymiyya, intercession is forbidden for prophets and righteous people after their death, as well as during their lives. Especially intercession near their graves is haram. Likewise, Ibn Taymiyyah, Hz. He says that even visiting the grave of the Prophet for the purpose of intercession is haram. Habeshi criticizes Ibn Taymiyya regarding these issues.
Abdullah el-Habeşî basically accepts tawassul / wasila and istighhasah. He criticizes Ibn Taymiyyah and his followers, especially the Wahhabis, very seriously, and Muhammad Ibn Abdulwahhab states that he took his thoughts on issues related to tawassul from Ibn Taymiyyah.(8)
Abdullah el-Habeşî also states that Sayyid Qutb deviated from the Ahl al-Sunnah because he declared takfir of the rulers who did not rule according to sharia. He also accuses Sayyid Qutb of blasphemy because he made takfir of the sheep shepherds who followed the rulers who made decisions contrary to Sharia, and the whole people, including the muezzins in the mosques, in the same manner. In the same case, he also claims that the Ikhwan al-Muslimin community, which describes itself as a Muslim community and denounces its opponents in the same way, does not deserve this naming and that they are far from the name of Islam.
These harsh criticisms and accusations made by Habeşî regarding both Ibn Taymiyyah, the Brotherhood of Muslim Brotherhood and Sayyid Qutb caused reactions from many groups; Refusals were written by their opponents, their basic ideas were criticized, and they themselves were accused of perversion in the same way. (9)
Companions’ Understanding
Al-Habeshi’s view that the order of virtue and caliphate of the first four caliphs should be according to the current order is in accordance with the classical understanding of the companions of the Ahl al-Sunnah. (10)
However, Hz. Ali and Hz. In the struggle between Muawiyah and Hz. He claims that Muawiyah and those who fought with him were sinners and sinners.(11)
In this context, el-Habeşî, Hz. He tries to prove in his own way that those who did not obey Ali could be called baghi and sinners because they fought with Ashab-i Cemal, Ashab-i Siffin and Ashab-i Nahravan and because they rebelled by not obeying the imam. (12)
As a result, Ahbaş Community is a takfiri and exclusionist community, but it is not pro-violent. The target of the Ahbaş Community is generally takfiri structures and they declare takfir of them. This shows that, to a large extent, those who made takfir were always made unbelievers.