The Noble Shaykh ‘Ubayd al-Jābirī (may Allāh preserve him) stated:

The path is two paths:

1. The First: The Straight Path. This is what Allāh sent down in His Book and what the authentic Sunnah came along with (based upon the actions, speech, and approvals of) the Prophet sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam. This is the clarification of the upright religion which is truly from Allāh. [Note: There is only ONE straight path; there are no subcategories]. 

2. The Second: Crooked paths which are not straight; they are of different categories.

2a. (The First:) One of them is the path of innovation and newly invented matters (in the religion). Indeed (such a path) is not from the religion of Allāh. Imām Mālik (may Allāh have mercy upon him) stated regarding this type of path: “Whoever introduces to this nation something that its predecessors were not upon, then he has claimed that the Messenger of Allāh sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam betrayed the message (that was given to him conveying i.e. Al-Islām). That’s because Allāh says:

الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ
This day I have completed your religion for you. (Soorah Al-Mā’ida: 3)

Therefore whatever wasn’t the religion on that day it is not the religion today.”

2b. The Second: The path of the hypocrites who have the hypocrisy of belief, just as ’Ubayy Ibn ‘Abdillāh Ibn Salūl – may Allāh disgrace him – and his group (used to have).

2c. The Third: The Path of the Malāḥadah.

2c(i). From those who ascribe to Islam. Indeed they distort the verses of the revelation whose meanings are clear per the Arabic language, which is what the Qur’ān has come down with. (They distort) these verses to befit their evil desires. For example, take the explanation of the Rāfiḍah for Allāh’s statement:

إِنَّ اللَّـهَ يَأْمُرُكُمْ أَن تَذْبَحُوا بَقَرَةً
‘Verily Allāh commands you that you slaughter a cow.’ (Soorah Al-Baqara: 67)

They (the Rāfiḍah) say (the cow is) ‘Aishah. May the curse of Allāh be upon them! One of the misguided new groups of Da’wah associate with them (The Rāfiḍah) as brothers. (The new and misguided group) deals with them in goodness, mixes, and intermingles with them (the Rāfiḍah) as if they have not come with any misguidance or innovation.

2c(ii). Likewise from the matters of Ilḥād: The call to the unification of religions and that all the religions lead to the pleasure of Allāh and His Love.

2c(iii). The last category of Ilḥād (I will mention): The Ilḥād of the disbelievers from the likes of the Jews and Christians. From the Ilḥād of the Jews is their statement:

نَحْنُ أَبْنَاءُ اللَّـهِ وَأَحِبَّاؤُهُ
We are the children of Allāh and His beloved ones. (Al-Mā’ida: 18)

As well as their statement:

عُزَيْرٌ ابْنُ اللَّـهِ
‘Uzayr is the son of Allāh. (At-Tawba: 30)

From the Ilḥād of the Christians is their taking the Messiah and his mother as two gods (to be worshiped) besides Allāh, in addition to their statement, “The Messiah is the son of Allāh.” They also partake in the same statement as the Jews:

نَحْنُ أَبْنَاءُ اللَّـهِ وَأَحِبَّاؤُهُ
We are the children of Allāh and His beloved ones. (Al-Mā’ida: 18)

2c(iv). The categories of Ilḥād and its different images are many and the situation (here at this sitting) is not enough to go into the details of them all.

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Source: Imdaad. Sāḍiq al-Amānī bi Sharḥ Muqaddimah Ibn Abī Zayd al-Qayrawānī, pg. 118-120

Translated by Abu Yusuf Khaleefah
3rd of Ṣafar, 1437 AH (11/16/2015)
Masjid Nur Allah, Queens, NY

Original Arabic

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

قال العلامة الشيخ عبيد الجابري حفظه الله

الصراط صراطان: الأول: صراط مستقيم: وهذا هو ما أنزل الله في كتابه, وجاءت به السنة الصحيحة عن النبيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم. هذا هو بيان الدين القويم المستقيم الذي هو من عند الله حقّاً

الثاني: صراط أعوج غير مستقيم وهذا أقسام: أحدها صراط البدع والمحدثات: فإنها ليست من دين الله, ولهذا قال الإمام مالك رحمه الله

(من أحدث في هذه الأمة شيئاً لم يكن عليه سلفها فقد زعم أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم خان الرسالة لأن الله يقول:
الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ (المائدة:3) فما لم يكن يومئذ ديناً فلا يكون اليوم ديناً)

الثاني: صراط المنافقين نفاقاً اعتقادياً: وهو إظهار الإسلام وإبطال الكفر كما كان من أُبَيّ بن عبد الله ابن سلول -أخزاه الله- وعصابته

الثالث: صراط الملاحدة ممن ينتسبون إلى الإسلام: فإنهم يحرفون آيات التنزيل عما دلت عليه صراحة وفق اللغة العربية التي نزل بها القرآن إلى ما يريدون من الهوى, ومن ذلكم تفسير الرافضة قول الله تعالى: إِنَّ اللهَ يَأْمُرُكُمْ أَنْ تَذْبَحُوا بَقَرَةً (البقرة:67) قالوا: عائشة. لعنة الله عليهم!!  وإحدى الجماعات الدعوية الحديثة الضالة المضلة تؤاخيهم وتصافيهم وتمازجهم وتخالطهم, وكأنهم لم يأتوا بضلال ولا بدعة

وكذلك من الإلحاد: الدعوة إلى وحدة الأديان وأن جميع الأديان موصلة إلى مرضاة الله عزّ وجلّ ومحبته

وآخر أنواع الإلحاد: إلحاد الكفار من اليهود والنصارى, ومن إلحاد اليهود قولهم: “نَحْنُ أَبْنَاءُ اللهِ وَأَحِبَّاءُهُ” (المائدة:18)
وقولهم: عُزَيرٌ ابْنُ اللهِ (التوبة:30) ومن إلحاد النصارى اتخاذهم المسيح وأمه إلهين من دون الله وقولهم: المسيح ابن الله, ومشاركتهم اليهود في قولهم: “نَحْنُ أَبْنَاءُ اللهِ وَأَحِبَّاءُهُ” (المائدة:18)؛ وأنواع الإلحاد وصوره كثيرة, ولا يتسع المقام لبسطها

إمداد صادق الأماني بشرح مقدمة ابن أبي زيد القيرواني: ص.118-120