And such as the People of Innovation among the people of the [innovated] sayings that oppose the Book and the Sunnah or the acts of worship opposing the Book and the Sunnah, for exposing their condition and warning the Ummah about them is obligatory by unanimous agreement of the Muslims.

Until it was said to Imām Aḥmad bin Ḥanbal: “Is it more loved to you that a man fasts, prays and peforms ṭawaf or that he speaks about the People of Innovation [i.e. exposes them and warns about them]?” He replied: “When he stands, prays and performs ṭawāf that is for himself but when he talks about the People of Innovation then that is for the Muslims and this is more excellent.”

So he explained that the benefit of this is for the Muslims in general, for [the protection of] their religion, and it is a form or jihād in the Path of Allāh because the purification of the Path of Allāh, His Dīn, His Minhāj (methodology) and His Sharrīʿah, repelling the oppressors and having enmity towards them is a collective obligation. ^[2]

If it had not been for the one whom Allāh had made to undertake this duty of repelling the harms of these people the Dīn would have been corrupted and destroyed. And this corruption is greater than the corruption resulting from the domination of the enemies, amongst the people who fight against the Muslims. This is because these people (the disbelievers) when they dominate and conquer the Muslims, they do not corrupt the hearts or whatever faith is contained within them except as a consequence, after time. As for these [the People of Innovation] then they corrupt the hearts right from the very beginning (i.e. since they corrupt the Dīn itself).