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The Foundation of Understanding
“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
In The Name of God, The Vastly Merciful, The Merciful
Al-lа̄h (God), The Most High, said,
وَمَا خَلَقْتُ ٱلْجِنَّ وَٱلْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ
“And I did not create the jinn and the humans except to worship Me.”
And He, The Exalted, said,
وَعَلَى ٱللَّهِ قَصْدُ ٱلسَّبِيلِ
“And upon God is the direction of the way.”
And He said,
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.”
God, The Perfect and Exalted, created us to worship Him and has commanded us to follow what He has sent down and to not follow besides Him allies.
And He said,
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.”
And He 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.”
God has made clear to the people what has been sent down to them in His Book and The Way of His Prophet, ﷺ.
And He said, Free is He from imperfections,
إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا ٱلذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُۥ لَحَٰفِظُونَ
“Indeed We, We sent down The Remembrance and indeed, We are Its Guardian.”
And He is The Guardian of The Remembrance, in which He has explained for them every matter of their religion.
Understanding The Revelation
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.”
إِنَّآ أَنزَلْنَٰهُ قُرْءَٰنًا عَرَبِيًّا لَّعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ
“Indeed, We have sent it down as an Arabic Qur'an that you might understand.”
So in the understanding of what God has sent down to us, where there is a text from The Qur’an and The Sunnah explaining its meaning, then that is what is understood. If there is no text, then it is understood how the Companions of God’s Messenger would have understood it in the Arabic Language at the time of revelation.
The Lawful and The Unlawful
It is narrated that The Messenger of God, ﷺ, 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 has been made clear and The Unlawlful has likewise been made clear, and between them are matters that many of the people do not know, whilst some do know of them.
So if we are one of those who do not know in a particular matter, then we take caution to not fall into the unlawful of them - until we come to know the lawful and unlawful of them.
And it is narrated that The Messenger of God, ﷺ, said,
إنَّ اللهَ تَعَالى فَرَضَ فَرَائِضَ فَلاَ تُضَيِّعُوهَا، وَحَدَّ حُدُودًا فَلاَ تَعْتَدُوهَا، وَحَرَّمَ أَشْيَاءَ فَلاَ تَنْتَهِكُوهَا، وَسَكَتَ عَنْ أَشْيَاءَ رَحْمَةً لَكُمْ غَيْرَ نِسْيَانٍ فَلاَ تَبْحَثُوا عَنْها
“God, The Exalted, has obligated religious duties, so do not neglect them. And He has set boundaries, so do not transgress them. And He has prohibited some things, so do not violate them. And He was silent about some things, out of compassion for you, not forgetfulness, so do not seek after them.”
Reported by Al-Darqutnī, Considered Hasan by Al-Nawawī
So if after looking for a text in a particular matter, we cannot find the mention of something, then it is permissible and we are not to seek after it.