Principle Misunderstandings
“And upon God is the direction of the way, and among them are those deviating. And if He willed, He would have guided you all.” The Qur'an 16:9
In The Name of God, The Vastly Merciful, The Merciful
وَعَلَى ٱللَّهِ قَصْدُ ٱلسَّبِيلِ وَمِنْهَا جَآئِرٌ وَلَوْ شَآءَ لَهَدَىٰكُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ
“And upon God is the direction of the way, and among them are those deviating. And if He willed, He would have guided you all.”
The Qur'an 16:9
مَّا فَرَّطْنَا فِى ٱلْكِتَٰبِ مِن شَىْءٍ ثُمَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يُحْشَرُونَ
“We have not neglected in The Book a thing. Then to their Lord they will be gathered.”
The Qur'an 6:38
After reading in the previous post The Clear Proofs from The Qur’an and The Sunnah (The Way of His Messenger), that we are to follow what God has sent down and not follow besides Him allies, that everything has been made clear in The Qur’an and The Sunnah, to not seek after what God was silent about - it becomes clear that many people today have taken principles that oppose these.
What follows is a clarification of some principle misunderstandings.
The Majority
From the people are those who will say, "But the majority hold so and such."
Following the majority is refuted clearly in God’s Saying,
وَإِن تُطِعْ أَكْثَرَ مَن فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ يُضِلُّوكَ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ إِن يَتَّبِعُونَ إِلَّا ٱلظَّنَّ وَإِنْ هُمْ إِلَّا يَخْرُصُونَ
“And if you obey most of those in the earth, they will mislead you from God's Path. They do not follow except conjecture and they do not except lie.”
The Qur'an 6:116
Qiyās (Analogy)
From them are those who will say, "God prohibited something, in His Book or in The Way of His Messenger, and was silent concerning another thing, but it resembles it somewhat, so I hold it is likewise prohibited."
This is incorrect due to The Saying of God, The Exalted,
وَلَا تَقُولُوا۟ لِمَا تَصِفُ أَلْسِنَتُكُمُ ٱلْكَذِبَ هَٰذَا حَلَٰلٌ وَهَٰذَا حَرَامٌ لِّتَفْتَرُوا۟ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ ٱلْكَذِبَ إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَفْتَرُونَ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ ٱلْكَذِبَ لَا يُفْلِحُونَ
“And do not say about what your tongues assert of untruth, 'This is lawful and this is unlawful,' to invent falsehood upon God. Indeed, those who invent falsehood upon God will not succeed.”
The Qur'an 16:116
And His Saying,
وَلَا تَقْفُ مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِ عِلْمٌ إِنَّ ٱلسَّمْعَ وَٱلْبَصَرَ وَٱلْفُؤَادَ كُلُّ أُو۟لَٰئِكَ كَانَ عَنْهُ مَسْـُٔولًا
“And do not follow/pursue what you do not have knowledge of. Indeed, the hearing, the sight and the heart - each of those about which is questioned.”
The Qur'an, Surah Al-Isrā’
And His Saying,
وَمَا كَانَ رَبُّكَ نَسِيًّا
“And never is your Lord forgetful.”
The Qur'an 19:64
The Lawful and The Unlawful have been made clear in The Qur’an and The Sunnah. The one who knows the proofs, he acts and speaks with them and the one who doesn’t withholds until they know.
An example, is that The Messenger of God, ﷺ, prohibited us from shaving a part of the head and leaving a part. One such narration is when he is narrated to have said,
احْلِقُوهُ كُلَّهُ أَوِ اتْرُكُوهُ كُلَّهُ
“Shave all of it or leave alone all of it.”
Reported by An-Nasā’ī (5048), Abu Dawood (4195) and Considered Authentic by Al-Albānī
So what has been prohibited is clear, shaving a part and leaving a part. As for cutting one’s hair of different lengths, The Prophet, ﷺ, would have been fully able to have said this also (if God willed) and yet the narrations commonly mentioned in the affair are concerning shaving a part and leaving a part.
If someone avoided cutting a part of their hair so short that he would resemble one who has done what it’s narrated that The Messenger, ﷺ, prohibited (shaving some of their hair and leaving others), acting upon what has been narrated from The Prophet, ﷺ, also, that he said,
مَنْ تَشَبَّهَ بِقَوْمٍ فَهُوَ مِنْهُمْ
“Whoever resembles a people is from them.”
Reported by Abu Dawūd (4031) Considered Authentic by Al-Albāni, Chains of Narration Discussed in Al-Irwa’ (1269)
Then this is good. Likewise, if they avoided a particular haircut that is specific to the Disbelievers or the Sinners to avoid resembling those whom it is prohibited to be from, acting upon the same hadith, then this is also good.
However, declaring something impermissible without text is prohibited and is inventing a lie upon God as we have seen.
This does not mean however, as some affected with desires may claim, that the name of everything prohibited must have been mentioned specifically for something to be considered Lawful or Unlawful.
There are things that have been prohibited generally and things that have been prohibited specifically.
So the meat of animals with talons and fanged teeth is narrated to have been prohibited by way of The Messenger, ﷺ, for example, whether the names of the individual animals have been mentioned in The Revelation or not.
However, saying that, “Well, a nail is somewhat like a talon, so I hold that that is likewise impermissible.” This is prohibited and it is inventing a lie upon God.
Conjecture
So here we see that in The Revelation, The Lawful and The Unlawful have been made clear, whether that thing has been mentioned generally or specifically.
So likewise, from the affairs of today that didn’t exist in the time of The Prophet, ﷺ, the lawful of them and the unlawful of them have likewise been made clear in The Revelation, whether they have been named specifically or not, as God, The Exalted, said,
وَعَلَى ٱللَّهِ قَصْدُ ٱلسَّبِيلِ
“And upon God is the direction of the way.”
And His Saying, The Exalted,
وَأَنزَلْنَآ إِلَيْكَ ٱلذِّكْرَ لِتُبَيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ مَا نُزِّلَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ
“And We have sent down to you (Muhammad) The Remembrance that you make clear to the people what was sent down to them and that they might give thought.”
And as is narrated from The Prophet, ﷺ, that he said,
إنَّ الحَلاَلَ بَيِّنٌ وَإِنَّ الْحَرَامَ بَيِّنٌ، وَبَيْنَهُما أُمُورٌ مُشْتَبِهَاتٌ لاَ يَعْلَمُهُنَّ كَثِيرٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ، فَمَنِ اتَّقَى الشُّبُهَاتِ فَقَدِ اسْتَبْرَأَ لِدِينِهِ وعِرْضِهِ، ومَنْ وَقَعَ فِي الشُّبُهَاتِ وَقَعَ فِي الْحَرَامِ
“Indeed The Lawful is clear and indeed The Unlawful is clear and between the two are ambiguous matters which many people do not know. So whoever took caution regarding the ambiguous matters has absolved himself regarding his religion and his honour. And whoever fell into the doubtful matters has fallen into the unlawful.”
Reported and Considered Authentic by Al-Bukhārī and Muslim
So The Lawful and The Unlawful are clear and between them are matters that many of the people do not know, though they have likewise been made clear in The Qur’an and The Sunnah and some of the people do know them.
So smoking tobacco, for example, and vaccination - these have both been clearly prohibited in Islam by The Saying of God, The Exalted,
وَلَا تُلْقُوا۟ بِأَيْدِيكُمْ إِلَى ٱلتَّهْلُكَةِ
“…and do not throw with your hands into destruction.”
The Qur’an 2:195
And His Saying,
وَلَا تَقْتُلُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَكُمْ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ بِكُمْ رَحِيمًا
“And do not kill yourselves. Indeed, God is ever to you Merciful.”
The Qur’an 4:29
So when the servant reaches an affair, they return to their knowledge of what God sent down seeking to act upon it. If they know the text they act upon it.
If, however, they don’t have knowledge in a particular affair and they do have to act, then they strive to do what they think is best. If they later learn God’s Judgement in the affair then they take it and from then on they act upon it.
However, it is not said that certain affairs of The Religion are “conjecture-based”, or that people have knowledge of The Revelation which is “conjectural”. Rather, everything Lawful and Unlawful has been made clear in The Qur’an and The Sunnah. The one who knows it knows it, and the one who doesn’t and has to act, then they strive to do what is best (make their Ijtihad).
Seeking A Consensus (‘Ijma)
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ أَطِيعُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا۟ ٱلرَّسُولَ وَأُو۟لِى ٱلْأَمْرِ مِنكُمْ فَإِن تَنَٰزَعْتُمْ فِى شَىْءٍ فَرُدُّوهُ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ وَٱلرَّسُولِ إِن كُنتُمْ تُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْءَاخِرِ ذَٰلِكَ خَيْرٌ وَأَحْسَنُ تَأْوِيلًا
“O you who have believed, obey God and obey The Messenger and those in authority over you. And if you disagree among yourselves in anything then refer it back to God and The Messenger if you truly believe in God and The Last Day. That is better and the most excellent outcome.
The Qur’an 4:59
And it is narrated that The Messenger, ﷺ, said,
"My ‘Ummah (Nation) will not unite upon error."
Reported and Considered Authentic by Al-Hakim
So it is clear that this Nation will not unite except upon the truth.
However, to take a foundation of one’s religion that one has to seek after, believe in and act upon affairs which the nation were agreed upon is an innovation.
If we were required to seek out and take as religion matters which the Nation of Muhammad, ﷺ, was agreed upon - God would have made this clear to us in The Revelation.
However, what has been made clear is,
ٱتَّبِعُوا۟ مَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكُم مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا۟ مِن دُونِهِۦٓ أَوْلِيَآءَ قَلِيلًا مَّا تَذَكَّرُونَ
“Follow what has been sent down to you from your Lord and do not follow besides Him allies. Little do you remember.”
The Qur’an 7:3
And what is made clear in His Saying also,
مَّا فَرَّطْنَا فِى ٱلْكِتَٰبِ مِن شَىْءٍ ثُمَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يُحْشَرُونَ
“We have not neglected in The Book a thing. Then to their Lord they will be gathered.”
The Qur'an 6:38
So we are to follow what God sent down and to not follow besides Him allies and God has not neglected anything in The Book.
And this is the way of the Companions of The Messenger of God, who would seek knowledge of The Qur’an and The Way of God’s Messenger, before and after the passing of God’s Messenger, ﷺ.
It is clear that we are to follow The Revelation, in which God has made His Religion clear to the people.
And know that God would not command us with something that we are unable to do.
It is narrated that Al-Bukhari estimated that at the passing of The Messenger of God, ﷺ, there had been over 100,000 companions (those who met him and believed in what he was sent with).
So for a consensus to be established, it would have to have been narrated from a companion from the very early part of The Messengership of Muhammad, ﷺ, when the number of believers was few, that it was known that they all gathered upon a certain thing.
However, at that time The Messenger, ﷺ, was still among them, so the companions gathering upon something with The Messenger, ﷺ, not refuting it - this would be considered correct and from The Revelation due to the tacit approval of God’s Messenger, ﷺ.
Therefore, for people to come along and claim a consensus upon something after the passing of God’s Messenger is futile, impossible - and more importantly - it is in opposition to what they are commanded with.
ٱتَّبِعُوا۟ مَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكُم مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا۟ مِن دُونِهِۦٓ أَوْلِيَآءَ قَلِيلًا مَّا تَذَكَّرُونَ
“Follow what has been sent down to you from your Lord and do not follow besides Him allies. Little do you remember.”
The Qur’an 7:3
To claim that the whole Ummah gathered upon something, without an authentic report from a companion, is a lie likewise, due to the number of and widespread nature of the Ummah after the passing of God’s Messenger, ﷺ.
Opinion
As we have seen, The Religion has been made clear in The Qur’an and The Sunnah, as God said,
وَأَنزَلْنَآ إِلَيْكَ ٱلذِّكْرَ لِتُبَيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ مَا نُزِّلَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ
“And We have sent down to you (Muhammad) The Remembrance that you make clear to the people what was sent down to them and that they might give thought.”
The Qur’an 16:44
And God, Free is He from imperfections, said,
وَمَا كَانَ لِمُؤْمِنٍ وَلَا مُؤْمِنَةٍ إِذَا قَضَى ٱللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُۥٓ أَمْرًا أَن يَكُونَ لَهُمُ ٱلْخِيَرَةُ مِنْ أَمْرِهِمْ وَمَن يَعْصِ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُۥ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلَٰلًا مُّبِينًا
“It is not for a believing man or a believing woman, when God and His Messenger have decreed a matter, that they should have any choice in their affair. And whoever disobeys God and His Messenger has certainly strayed into clear error.”
The Qur’an 33:36
As for following the opinions of others, then there is The Saying of God, The Exalted,
اتَّخَذُوا أَحْبَارَهُمْ وَرُهْبَانَهُمْ أَرْبَابًا مِّن دُونِ اللَّهِ وَالْمَسِيحَ ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ وَمَا أُمِرُوا إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُوا إِلَٰهًا وَاحِدًا ۖ لَّا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۚ سُبْحَانَهُ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ
“They took their learned ones and their monks lords besides God, and The Messiah son of Mary (they also took as a lord). And they were not commanded except to worship One God, there is no god except Him. Free is He from what they associate.”
And it is narrated that The Messenger of God, ﷺ, said about this Verse,
أَمَا إِنَّهُمْ لَمْ يَكُونُوا يَعْبُدُونَهُمْ وَلَكِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا إِذَا أَحَلُّوا لَهُمْ شَيْئًا اسْتَحَلُّوهُ وَإِذَا حَرَّمُوا عَلَيْهِمْ شَيْئًا حَرَّمُوهُ
“Indeed, they did not worship them. Rather, when they made something permissible for them they would make it permissible and when they would make something impermissible for them they would make it impermissible.”
Reported by Al-Tirmidhi (3095) and Considered Hasan by Al-Albani
And the like is narrated from the Companions Hudhayfah and ibn ‘Abbas that they said about The Saying of God,
اتَّخَذُوا أَحْبَارَهُمْ وَرُهْبَانَهُمْ أَرْبَابًا مِّن دُونِ اللَّهِ
“They took their learned ones and their monks lords besides God,…”
“Indeed, they followed them in what they made halal (permissible) and haram (impermissible).”
Reported by Al-Tabari (14/212)
We have to have the correct understanding of the position and our relationship with the Knowledgeable and not take them as lords besides God.
It is narrated that The Messenger of God, ﷺ, said,
ان العلماء هم ورثة الانبياء ان الانبياء لم يورثوا دينارا ولا درهما وانما ورثوا العلم فمن اخذه اخذ بحظ وافر
“Indeed, the Knowledgeable, they are the inheritors of the Prophets. Indeed, The Prophets do not leave gold coins or silver coins as inheritance, they only leave knowledge as inheritance. So whoever takes it has taken an abundant portion.”
Reported by Ibn Majah and Considered Authentic by Al-Albani
So the Knowledgeable are the inheritors of The Prophets, and we go to them to take from that inheritance which The Prophets left. We do not go to them to learn their opinions, etc.
Speaking About God Without Knowledge
God, The Exalted, said,
قُلْ إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ رَبِّىَ ٱلْفَوَٰحِشَ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَمَا بَطَنَ وَٱلْإِثْمَ وَٱلْبَغْىَ بِغَيْرِ ٱلْحَقِّ وَأَن تُشْرِكُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ مَا لَمْ يُنَزِّلْ بِهِۦ سُلْطَٰنًا وَأَن تَقُولُوا۟ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ
Say, "My Lord has only forbidden immoralities - what is apparent of them and what is concealed - and sin, and oppression without right, and that you associate with God what He has not sent down authority for, and that you say upon God what you do not know."
And He said,
وَلَا تَقْفُ مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِۦ عِلْمٌ إِنَّ ٱلسَّمْعَ وَٱلْبَصَرَ وَٱلْفُؤَادَ كُلُّ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ كَانَ عَنْهُ مَسْـُٔولًا
“And do not pursue what you do not have knowledge of. Indeed, the hearing, the sight and the heart, each of those about which will be questioned.”
We’ve seen abundantly that God has prohibited us from speaking about him without knowledge.
However, you will find that there are those who will say, in their explanation of The Qur’an and The Sunnah, that, for example, “God prohibited this due to such and such.” However, they have not brought a text from The Qur’an or The Sunnah as proof.
God’s Wisdom for His Actions is a matter of the Unseen, about which He, Exalted, said,
عَٰلِمُ ٱلْغَيْبِ فَلَا يُظْهِرُ عَلَىٰ غَيْبِهِۦٓ أَحَدًا
“Knower of The Unseen, and He does not disclose His unseen to anyone.”
إِلَّا مَنِ ٱرْتَضَىٰ مِن رَّسُولٍ فَإِنَّهُۥ يَسْلُكُ مِنۢ بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِۦ رَصَدًا
“Except whom He has approved of Messengers, and indeed, He sends before and behind him watching guards.”
And He, Exalted, has informed us on many occasions His Wisdom for particular Actions, for example,
إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا مَا عَلَى ٱلْأَرْضِ زِينَةً لَّهَا لِنَبْلُوَهُمْ أَيُّهُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا
“Indeed, We have made what is on the earth adornment for it that We test them which of them is best in deed.”
And His Saying,
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ
“O you who have believed, fasting is written upon you as it was written upon those before you that you may become righteous.”
And His Saying,
هُوَ ٱلَّذِى جَعَلَ ٱلشَّمْسَ ضِيَآءً وَٱلْقَمَرَ نُورًا وَقَدَّرَهُۥ مَنَازِلَ لِتَعْلَمُوا۟ عَدَدَ ٱلسِّنِينَ وَٱلْحِسَابَ
“It is He who made the sun a shining thing and the moon a light and measured for it stages - that you know the number of years and the reckoning.”
And His Saying,
وَقُرْءَانًا فَرَقْنَٰهُ لِتَقْرَأَهُۥ عَلَى ٱلنَّاسِ عَلَىٰ مُكْثٍ وَنَزَّلْنَٰهُ تَنزِيلًا
“And a Qur'an, We have separated it, that you recite upon the people over a prolonged period. And We have sent it down a pronounced sending down.”
And many more besides these.
And, for example, it is narrated that The Prophet, ﷺ, said, after it reached him that a Sahabi (Companion) said that if he saw another man with his wife he would strike him with his sword, other than the flat side,
أتعجبون من غيرة سعد ، فوالله لأنا أغير من سعد ، والله أغير مني ، من أجل ذلك حرم الفواحش ما ظهر منها وما بطن
“Are you amazed at Sa'd's honourable jealousy? For by God, indeed, I am more honourably jealous than he, and God is more honourably jealous than me. For that reason God has prohibited lewdness/immoralities what are open from them and what are hidden.”
Reported and Considered Authentic by Al-Bukhari and Muslim
So whilst we can see clear harms that come about from committing lewdness/immoralities, the reason for God’s prohibiting of them has been narrated from The Prophet, ﷺ.
So when teaching the people The Qur’an and The Sunnah (Way of The Prophet), do not fall into speaking about God without knowledge. Narrate what has been narrated then remain silent. If you wish to praise Him for His protecting us by way of His Shar’iah (Legislation) then do so, or if you wish to speak about the harms that have become the people by way of committing what God has prohibited then do so; though don’t say, “God did this because of such and such,” without proof, speaking about your Creator without knowledge.
And God said,
لَا يُسْـَٔلُ عَمَّا يَفْعَلُ وَهُمْ يُسْـَٔلُونَ
“He is not questioned about what He does while they will be questioned.”
So it is not said also, that one can study The Purposes of The Legislation such that they are now able to declare things permissible and impermissible. Rather, what is permissible is what God declared permissible and what is impermissible is what He declared impermissible.
God said,
وَلَا يُشْرِكُ فِى حُكْمِهِۦٓ أَحَدًا
“And He does not share in His Hukm (decision or rule or judgement) anyone.”
And His Saying,
أَمْ لَهُمْ شُرَكَٰٓؤُا۟ شَرَعُوا۟ لَهُم مِّنَ ٱلدِّينِ مَا لَمْ يَأْذَنۢ بِهِ ٱللَّهُ وَلَوْلَا كَلِمَةُ ٱلْفَصْلِ لَقُضِىَ بَيْنَهُمْ وَإِنَّ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ
“Or have they partners who have legislated for them from the Religion that which God has not consented? And if not for the decisive word, it would have been concluded between them. And indeed, the wrongdoers, for them is a painful punishment.”
As for when someone does not know God’s Judgement in a particular matter and they are required to act, then they strive to come to what is correct, however, it is not said they have gained knowledge via this striving. Rather, they used their judgement when required and if after this they learn God’s Judgement they take it and act with it.
To Conclude
Al-lah, The Exalted and Free from imperfections, said,
وَمَآ أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْكَ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ إِلَّا لِتُبَيِّنَ لَهُمُ ٱلَّذِى ٱخْتَلَفُوا۟ فِيهِ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةً لِّقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ
“And We have not sent down upon you (Muhammad) The Book except for you to make clear to them that which they have differed in and as a guidance and a mercy for a people who believe.”