Sorry for the length, but I found it very useful and very relavent to the GS enviornment… Read on…
Asking for “Evidences” is a Clear Daleel of Your Ignorance:
In the name of Allah. All praise is for Him, our Lord and Protector, and may
peace and mercy be upon the His final prophet.
The following comments are not intended to offend anyone, so please don’t
take them offensively. We love all our brothers, who love Allah and His messenger
(mercy of Allah and peace be upon him), and are working sincerely for this
deen, no matter which orientation they take. If the following words are seen to
be a little harsh on some, it was in view of the serious nature of the times
we live in that we felt it was time to get to the point.
The following brief comment arose as a result of my being asked the legal
ruling on a certain issue. The questioner also wanted to know the “evidences” for
the ruling. I realized that they intended to compare the “evidences” from
different people they asked and come to their own conclusion as to which opinion
was “strongest”.
I felt that presenting the “evidence” from the Hanafi legal school on this
issue to such a layperson was inappropriate. I will try and explain why.
I mentioned the ruling from the Hanafi legal school, and said:
Such a fatwa, if it comes from one of the four legal schools of ahlis-sunnah
wal-jamaa’ah, is the result of the study, research, and ijtihad of hundreds of
the greatest scholars of this ummah, who contributed to, and revised the
legal rulings of each school. They were masters of the Islamic disciplines, many
of whom memorized over one hundred thousand hadiths of the beloved Prophet
(mercy of Allah and peace be upon him).
Many scholars of the Hanafi legal school reached this respected rank known as
‘Guardian (Hafidh) of the Hadith’.
In addition to this they were people of the highest levels of piety and fear
of Allah, which is absolutely confirmed from their biographies.
Therefore we gladly accept the verdicts they gave without having to question
them for their “evidences”, and we do not turn to those who do not submit to
the authority of these great scholars of this ummah, and want to examine the
“evidence” for every ruling, despite the fact most of them have not even had a
basic training in the Islamic sciences, or even studied any of the authentic
books of hadith with a teacher etc.
For such a layperson to ask for “evidence” is ridiculous.
It’s like someone who hasn’t even studied GCSE science arguing about the
theory of relativity with a professor of physics. Or like someone who has not even
the basic knowledge of biology or chemistry arguing with a leading physician
about which medicine is better for a particular disease.
Such a person would be a laughing stock! Do you think a professor would even
pay any attention to him?
He wouldn’t even waste his time engaging him in a discussion.
Such a person, if he really wishes to give his opinions on theoretical
physics, should first go and study his GCSEs for two years, then do his A-levels for
two years, then get his degree (3 years), then his masters (1-2 years), then
a PhD (3-5 years).Then he will be in a position to begin a discussion with the
professor!
Similar, or worse, is the Muslim who hasn’t even studied a basic curriculum
in Islamic Law, and yet steps forward to challenge the greatest scholars of
Law, of the salaf and khalaf of this ummah! He does not even have the basic tools
to understand or evaluate an “evidence”.
Do you think giving opinions on Islamic Law is easier than giving opinions in
theoretical physics?
The very fact that you ask for “evidence” is itself a clear daleel of your
ignorance of what the process of ijtihad involves..
Do you think getting an “evidence” is as simple as being told a verse of
Qur’an or a single hadith?
Your job as a layperson or a beginner in the sacred knowledge is not to ask
for the legal rulings on an issue along with “evidences”. Rather, your job is
just to ask for the legal rulings alone, from one of the four accepted legal
schools, and to know that the rulings are based on a deep knowledge and study of
the sources.
If you really are interested in the “evidences” please step forward to study
the sacred knowledge. You are most welcome! Just to get to a basic level will
take at least 5-8 years of serious study. That’s just a basic graduate; you
haven’t even begun to specialize yet!
Trust me, the “evidences” are there for each of the legal schools. The
encyclopaedic reference works which discuss detailed evidences for the rulings of
the Hanafi legal school are numerous and well-known, written by great masters of
Hadith and Jurisprudence. Please feel free to consult them any time you wish
to see the “evidence” for a legal ruling.
But an untrained person, such as yourself, reading such works will not be
able to make sense of them, like a GCSE science student trying to read advanced
research papers in quantum physics, or cutting-edge medical research. He’ll end
up more confused than anything else.
It is time to be humble. If you are a GCSE student, you need to study the
basics, and accept what your teachers tell you for now. In many years time, if
you are an intelligent student, and put in lots of hard work, you may be in a
position to discuss complicated theories and form your own opinions.
Contd…