My "Story" on Sources of Learning

[Note: This blog has been edited quite a lot since its first publishing 12 hours ago to iron out mistakes]

The Infinitely Merciful (ar-Rahmaan) stated in His Clear Book:

"And thus We have tried some of them through others that the disbelievers might say, 'Is it these whom Allah has favored among us?' Is not Allah most knowing of those who are grateful?" [al-An'aam(6):53]

and similarly with another wisdom : "...And We have made some of you as trial for others - will you have patience? And ever is your Lord, Seeing." [Furqan(25):20]

As promised in the last blog, insha'Allah I would try to share with you my intentions in choice and arrangement of citations from the last blog.

I start my 21 points with the most obvious moving on to perhaps the more subtle ones - its the way the argument builds:

1. Knowledge is any claim supported by a truth or fact - something that does not have truth-based evidence is an assumption at best and a falsification at worst.

And if you obey the majority of those upon the earth, they will mislead you from the way of Allah . They follow not except assumption, and they are not but falsifying. [al-An'aam(6):116]

…Say, "Do you have any knowledge that you can produce for us? You follow not except assumption, and you are not but falsifying" [al-An'aam(6):148].

2. Following assumptions has not been praised by the Wise Qur'an. Following something just because the majority are doing it is also not considered praiseworthy (where does that put democracy?).

3. Religion (including teaching it) has to be based on knowledge, which means truth-based evidences including the witnessed and what is reported by reliable witnesses (e.g. Allah and His Messenger); as much as possible. Here, I add some additional verses:

Say, "This is my way; I invite to Allah with insight, I and those who follow me..." [Yusuf(12):108]

And do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge. Indeed, the hearing, the sight and the heart - about all those [one] will be questioned. [17:36]

4. Anyone who guides you with truth is more worthier of being followed than one who is not guided unless someone else provides him with guidance.

5. Two very important supporting verses I neglected to include (and perhaps the list was already overwhelming earlier):

• And among those We created is a community which guides by truth and thereby establishes justice. [7:181]
• And the word of your Lord has been fulfilled in truth and in justice...[6:115]

6. Based on #5 in addition to truth, justice is required. A person may give you the truth, but is he giving you the whole truth? Is he giving more weight to certain evidences and less weight to others?

7. It is impractical to expect you will get the whole truth from one person, group, sect, school of thought, set of scholars; at this time [al-Mu`minoon(23):53] But the people divided their religion among them into sects - each faction, in what it has, rejoicing.

8. It was the way of the People of the Book to say: "Don't trust anyone except those who follow your religion." [3:73] Allah tested the Jews especially by providing them access to His Word from a source which they looked down upon (recall my opening verses).

9. In stark contrast to the People of the Book, the way of the Messenger (O Allah! pray for this noble guide and grant him peace) would not prevent the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) from listening to the tafseer of the People of the Book. In fact he encouraged them to pass the knowledge on. Such was the concern for not loosing something that may have truth contained in it.

10. So when something is potentially a source of knowledge; it is an Islamic source of learning: but don't affirm it and don't deny it - but learn it so as not to throw the baby out with the bath water.

11. Some quote the salaf saying that we should avoid the innovators: this is when the innovators are in a minority and listening to them has the chance of lending credibility - cf. ibn Taymiyah fatwa on when to boycott a people. Also, there are callers to innovation with whom a different treatment is required so as not to encourage their da'wah - but still you can't deny a truth from them when it comes to you.

12. We should expect that where knowledge is involved, Allah will test us for biases by providing us with unlikely sources: are we sincere in seeking the truth for the truths sake and so that justice is established?

13. Shoaib (peace be upon him) was given an eloquent argument when his people turned the question around to ask him (paraphrasing) who are you to tell us off? This is from 11:88-89:

• "I am upon clear evidence".
• I only intend for better society as much as I can - I do not intend to or desire to go against what I'm asking you to do. "...I only intend reform as much as I am able. And my success is not but through Allah..."
• Besides: you should be more worried about the implications about what I'm telling you being true or false - don't let the fact that I'm telling them to you get in the way (fair inferrences?). “And O my people, let not [your] dissension from me cause you to be struck by that similar to what struck the people of Noah or the people of Hud..."

14. If Muslims are divided (beyond a difference of opinion), it is not based on correct Islamic evidence - it is based on jealousy, injustice, pride, and the like; how otherwise can the Messenger (may Allah pray for him and grant peace) say, "I left you upon the clear white. It's night is like its day. None leaves it except he is destroyed"? (Authenticated - famous and well-accepted across the schools - not in the Sahihayn but don't have time here to dig up the ref.) One pointer to injustice, pride, jealousy tends to be when one has not looked at the other's scholars arguments except the ones their own scholars cite, or the other's weakest proponent cites.

15. #16 does not mean stop gaining knowledge from one - it means also look in other places also to join the jigsaw. The people of the book were not abandoned even though the Messenger of Allah came with the final Message - so what about the innovators in our religion?

16. When is a difference of opinion is turning into a division: the verse literally says: "and settle whatever is between you." [8:1] (Cf. Tafsir of this verse) Aside: Me and my teacher in Manchester have a friendly "back-and-forth" on the issue of fixing of the maqasid-ush-shari'ah by later scholars at 5 (or was it 6?); this verse is one of my proofs to him that Muslim brotherhood is a maqsad of the shari'ah in and of itself (after protection of the religion and life)... and no it hasn't come between us!

17. In the absence of any other proof, [8:1] also makes it obligatory to settle all differences of opinion and is delivered in a very commanding tone: "Fear Allah!...." Add to this [49:10]. If someone says division (tafarqah) has been hated and differences (ikhtalaf) should not be stamped out then read this: [2:253] If Allah had willed, those [generations] succeeding them would not have fought each other after the clear proofs had come to them. But they differed (ikhtalafoo),...

18. Implication for knowledge-seeker: it's not going to happen by only listening to one side of the story.

19. [4:59] tells us that the default includes obeying "those in authority among you". All ASWJ schools seem to accept this includes the scholars who are the authority in religion. But if differences arise the command is to "return" differences of opinions to Qur'an and Sunnah - the scholars are not mentioned here as independent criteria. Other places [4:83] still indicate an arbitration role for "those in authority" on issues of peace and security. Of the Leaders in our Scholars, Imam Shafii, has used this verse to prove that if there is ijmaa' it is enough of a proof to be followed. A follow-on from that is: if there is no ijmaa' then it has to be proofs from Qur'an and Sunnah only. "This is good and the best actualisation (of your Iman in Allah and the Messenger)." (My interpretation).

20. Generally, so long as anybody passes on any hadith reliably - he doesn't have to be a faqih - he has a license to do that especially where people are more 'aqalmand' (urdu word) than him and his hadith should be accepted by scholars in deriving rulings.

21. The double-edged sword - the Shaytaan hadith: Read with care: (i) of course you accept the statement of Allah, or any truth, even if a Lying Shaytaan (note capital 'L') tells it to you (ii) you do not affirm - you do not deny its import (iii) Abu Hurayrah (RA) let him go knowing that it could be untrue (the way he mentioned his doubt about the story) - look how much he valued the possibility of learning the truth (iv) (the other side of this sword) you must expect his intentions in telling you this will be questionable - be on guard to intentions but don't deny learning: "He spoke the truth even though he is a major liar." [Note revision of stated source of the hadith in original blog.]

22. [A later addition] The verse 4:115 provides the evidence that if anyone follows a way that is "other than the way of the believers" in addition to being against the Messenger; then he is threatened with severe punishment. So a "source of learning" should not be followed in matters where they depart from the "way of the believers" as a whole, i.e. knowledge can not go against the ijmaa' of the Sahabah. This verse is the main evidence of Imam Shafii for ijmaa from the Qur'an.

Summary

• Be prepared to find the truth in the most unlikely of places - that's life;
• If there is a likelihood of truth to be in a source - that is a source of learning - but not a source of knowledge or conclusive fataawa(which is fact not assumptions);
• Don't be afraid of learning the Qur'an and Sunnah - if you can't issue fataawa, you can always educate a faqeeh.
• Justice with the truth is what leads to actionable knowledge and judgements.

If anything good has issued, it's from ar-Rahmaan; any errors, injustices and pride I was unable to hold back - that's me and my succombing to the whispers...

...don't just forgive me! Correct whats between you and me! Wassalamu alaikum.