The Pseudo-Hanbali movement is a devised, structured and planned attempt by the opposers of the creed and methodology of the Salaf to use the name of Imaam Ahmad, his fiqh, the Hanbali madhhab and its Scholars as a route to introduce ta'weel, ta'teel and tafweed to unsuspecting Muslims, to defend the Ash'aris and Maturidis, and to open up the door for those innovations in worship well-known with the Sufis. In short, these are Sufis, Ash'aris in reality, upon the madhhab of tafweed who have adopted the Hanbali madhhab in fiqh as a means of hijacking the Hanbali creed and diverting it to their own views, using selected, isolated statements of the Hanbali Scholars in a limited range of issues to push their overall agenda.

As this is an introductory article, we will simply provide brief and concise points which will be expanded upon in detail in other articles inshaa'Allaah.

Broad Aspects of the Fake Pseudo-Hanbalis

• The Fake Hanbalis have been nurtured upon the creed of the Ash'ariyyah and Maturidiyyah and particularly the madhhab of tafweed which was propagated by the likes of al-Juwaynee (d. 478H) due to their non-satisfaction with ta'weel as a means to explain away those revealed texts which implied (to them) that Allaah has incidental attributes (a'raad) and events, occurrences (hawaadith) which - in accordance with their rational proof of "hudooth ul-ajsaam" for proving the universe is created and has a creator - would have rendered Allaah a body (jism), like the created bodies (ajsaam).

• Following on from that, they utilize the Hanbali fiqh as a means to introduce such a creed to unsuspecting Muslims.

• The Fake Hanbalis make reference to the persons and works of the likes of Nuh Keller, Abdal-Hakim Murad, and others who are Ash'arites and Ahl ul-Kalaam. And this is from the most obvious of matters that exposes these people as fakes. Association with the Hanbali fiqh is just a means to distort the creed of Imaam Ahmad which is none other than that of the Righteous Salaf. And if you want to convince people of your fake-Hanbalism, at least have the brains not to mention the likes of these people (Keller, Murad) which gives your game away from the very beginning.

• Showing sympathy, defending, arguing for, and accommodating the Ash'arites with a view to introducing unsuspecting Muslims to their creed and arguing for its legitimacy and leaving the door open for "ta'weel" of the attributes to be considered as a legitimate methodology despite feigning to oppose it.

• Challenging the correct, orthodox understanding of "bid'ah" with the Salaf, by making use of certain issues (in the domain of fiqh rulings) in which there are differences of opinion (amongst the Hanbalis) in order to extend justification and legitimacy by way of this to forbidden forms of worship (which clearly enter into the domain of bid'ah and shirk).

• Arguing the case for the "Mawlid" which is celebrating the Prophet's birthday.

• Feigning agreement with Imaam Ahmad on the issue of the Qur'an whilst in reality attempting to make excuses for the Lafdhiyyah Jahmiyyah (who are the origin and source of the saying of the As'harites of "Kalaam Nafsee" and of the createdness of the Qur'an we have with us, in letter and word) and trying to cut off and prevent any detailed speech on this matter. Detailed clarification of the truth in this matter is from the manifest hallmarks of Imaam Ahmad bin Hanbal - and this is from the greatest of what exposes these Pseudo-Hanbalis as Ash'arite Mufawwidh Mutasawwifah feigning attachment to the creed of Imaam Ahmad.

• Feigning agreement with the Hanbalis in the issue of al-uluww whilst secretly abhorring the question "Where is Allaah?" and withholding from speaking with what the entirety of the Salaf and the early Kullaabi Ash'aris affirmed that Allaah Himself, with His Essence, is above the Throne, above the heavens, in opposition to the Jahmiyyah and Mu'tazilah. And claiming that raising this issue is only a fitnah (tribulation) and has no connection to creed!

• Feigning agreement with the Hanbalis on the issue of al-istiwaa whilst deliberately creating confusion my mixing the sayings of the Mu'tazilah, Ash'ariyyah and their ta'weels of this attribute, with the sayings of the Hanbalis - in order to deceive unsuspecting Muslims and to mix truth with falsehood.

• Their attachment to and concern with the books such as "Usool us-Sunnah" of Imaam Ahmad and "Lumu'at ul-I'tiqaad" of Ibn Qudaamah and others with a view to propagating the creed of tafweed ul-ma'naa (that the meanings of the attributes are not known in reality), and with a view to writing apologetics in these translations and printed works to defend and legitimize the way of the Ash'aris and Maturidis and explaining away subjects such as al-uluww, and al-istiwaa upon the way and style of the Ash'arites. So by way of example, they make use of statements in the book of Ibn Qudaamah which they think support their Ash'arite methodology of tafweed, when the reality is otherwise.

This is only a small list, there is much more, but from this alone one can clearly see that these people are in reality Ash'arite Mufawwidah Mutasawwifah using the fiqh of the Hanbali Madhhab as a veil to further the creed that they are upon, mixing much of the truth with much of falsehood, and pushing the claim that there are three legitimate schools of creed, what they call "the Hanbali Athari" school, the Ash'aris and the Maturidis. Inshaa'Allaah we shall be expanding upon these issues in specific articles, and taking some of the works, translations and polemical writings of these fake Neo-Hanbalis, and exposing what is within them of clear error and deception by Allaah's permission.