Question :
The scholars of Ahl-us-Sunnah teach the books of Al Imam An Nawawi and Al Hafidh Ibn Hajr and they have mistakes and innovations in Aqeedah. And at the same time they warn against some books of Innovators who have same mistakes in Aqeedah. What is the difference between them ?
Answer :
Al Hafidh Ibn Hajr Rahimahullah, he is the seal of the Huffadh (Al Hafidh is a term is used to describe a person who memorizes lots of hadeeth). And An-Nawai rahimahullah is a big scholar from the scholars of Islam. And the scholars of Ahl-us-Sunnah clarfiy the mistakes that they fell into. And they wrote books to clarify these mistakes. And there are foot-notes from Al Imam Ibn Baz that clarifies the mistakes of Al Hafidh Ibn Hajr. And also there are articles written by group of students of knowledge to clarify the mistakes of these scholars.
And as for Al Hafidh Ibn Hajr he is big scholar and also An-Nawawi. They both are from Al-Ashairah or they felt into beliefs of Al-Ashairah. And their falling into this Aqeedah is not because they adopted it but because the community they lived has made effect upon them.
And there was a person named Mahmood Al Haddad, who used to say to burn the Fath Al Bari (written by Ibn Hajr) and books of Al Imam An-Nawawi. And when Al Imam Muqbil Al Wadiee heard that, he said that the person (Al Haddad) deserves to be burnt with Fire, but it is not permissible to punish with Fire except for the Allah who created the Fire.
So Al Hafidh Ibn Hajr and Al Imam An-Nawawi from our scholars except that they felt into mistakes which were clarified by the scholars. And what made them to err was the community around them and not that they adopted the ideology and were effected by their teachers and scholars which has great effect on them.
And there is no comparison between books of these scholars (Ibn Hajr and An-Nawawi) and books of deviated people like Sayed Qutb and some other deviated people and innovators that these books are empty from knowledge except very little. As for the books Ibn Hajr like Fath Al Bari, which regarded to be encyclopedia of knowledge and also books of An-Nawawi.
And there is no comparison between these people (Ibn Hajr and An Nawawi) and other people.
Answered by : Shaykh Abu Ishaq Al Qaisee Hafidahullah