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Beliefs of the Ahbaash (Habashi) sect

Question

Please inform us about the sect of the Ahbaash so that we can avoid their evils.

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and Messenger.

The Ahbaash is a sect that is ascribed to a man from Al-Habashah (Abyssinia or Ethiopia) called ‘Abdullaah who was born in Harar in Al-Habasha. He arrived in Lebanon in 1950 and formed a group in which he spread his beliefs and way of thinking. His ideas grew rapidly and became considerably well-known in Lebanon and later in other parts of the world like America, Canada, Australia and other countries. This man moved from Syria to Lebanon to call people to his beliefs.

This sect spreads the doctrine of the Jahmiyyah who deny the names and attributes of Allaah The Almighty, as well as the doctrine of the Jabriyyah concerning destiny. It also calls to some Sufi and Baatini (esoteric) beliefs, curses many of the Companions and accuses many Muslim scholars of disbelief.

They negate all the Attributes which Allaah The Almighty has described Himself with and only approve what their narrow minds can perceive. They believe that the Oneness of Allaah is limited to the oneness of Lordship which pertains to the actions of Allaah. But it is well-known that even the Arab polytheists acknowledged this kind of Oneness. Allaah The Almighty Says (what means):

. {And if you asked them who created them, they would surely say,"Allaah." So how are they deluded?} [Quran 43:87]

. {If you asked them, "Who created the heavens and earth and subjected the sun and the moon?" they would surely say, "Allaah." Then how are they deluded?} [Quran 29:61]

However, acknowledging the Lordship of Allaah The Almighty is only valid when it is accompanied by the Oneness of worship which means performing and confining worship to Allaah The Almighty alone.

The Ahbaash is the group that is the most distant from the Oneness of worship: they legalized supplicating the dead, asking for their help and making vows to them. They also legalized seeking blessings from stones, in addition to observing many other polytheistic rituals. Moreover, they practice many innovations in religion that are contradictory to the Sunnah of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam . They blaspheme many of the Companions and vilify Mother of the believers ‘Aa’ishah  may  Allaah  be  pleased  with  her accuse the scribe of the Quran, Mu‘aawiyah  may  Allaah  be  pleased  with  him of debauchery and think that all the Companions who took part in the fight against ‘Ali  may  Allaah  be  pleased  with  him are callers to Hell.

Moreover, this sect vilified and accused many scholars of disbelief such as Ibn Khuzaimah, Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn Al-Qayyim and Ath-Thahabi, as well as some contemporary scholars like Ibn Baaz, Al-Albaani, Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, Sayyid Saabiq and Sayyid Qutb  may  Allaah  have  mercy  upon  them all. Therefore, Muslims have to beware of this sect and warn others about it.

Allaah Knows best.

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