Re: Sad state of Muslims today
ZeeshanParvez, you have raised a very good topic. Holy Prophet PBUH has warned His ummah that there will come a time when muslim ummah will be resembling so much like previous people ( jews and christians ), as you rightly quoted the hadith. Unfortunately, we see that Muslims have infact became like previous people, despite prophet's warning. We see that majority of Muslims have made their scholars as God, and by that i dont mean that they worship them. What I mean is that they agree to anything they say and disagree to anything that they say without thinking themselves. *We see that today's Muslims claim to be on the right path because they say scholars that they like are on the same path. We see that today's Muslims would declare anyone kafir just because their scholars have told them they are kaafir. We see that majority of Muslims will not speak up against any of the scholar even if its apparent that they're wrong. It's like we have left our deen entirely on our scholars. Declaring halal anything that they say is halal, and declaring haram anything that they say is haram. *
*Not only that, you will see any scholar giving fatwa of killings and the followers just simply say labbaik without asking a single question. *
What's makes this hadith even more powerful is the fulfilment of the fact that Muslims also demand the same questions answered that jews ask even to this day. We all know that jews rejected the Messiah because He did not fulfill the literal conditions set in their scripture. Unfortunately, Muslims are going through the same phase.
The only way of getting out of this, is to remove the pride in Muslims that they are on the right path. Islam is indeed the true religion, but the beliefs that we have set according to our own likings must be reviewed. We must see all these issues with clear mind and pray to Allah to not lead us to astray. We should refrain from following the footsteps of Jews.
Yes, that is the entire problem. Allah (SWT) has given us the ability to reason and he has given us the Quran and way of His Messenger (PBUH). While scholars are an important of the Ummah since they have been called the inheritors of the Prophets, this does not mean that everything they say should be taken without understanding the reasoning behind their verdicts.
There is a big difference between Taqleed (blind following) and Itiba (following after seeing evidences). All four Imams of Ahulul Sunnah declared Taqleed haram. Itiba, on the other hand, is permissible. Unfortunately, in todays era there is so much stress on Talqeed that people take everything they are told without questioning anything. They are told that they do not have the intellect to understand matters which is not only degrading but a way, in my opinion, to force the masses into following whatever one says. Here I quote, in both Arabic and English translation with references, regarding what the great scholars of the past said about blind following.
Taqleed has been defined in Islamic jurisprudence as the blind faollowing of an opinion without having any knowledge of the evidence from which the opinion was derived. Here are some quotes regarding Taqleed by the four Imams.
قال ابن القيم في أعلام الموقعين : وقد نهى الأئمة الأربعة عن تقليدهم ، وذموا من أخذ أقوالهم بغير حجة. ( أعلام الموقعين 2 / 200 ) .
Ibn Al-Qayyim said: The four Imams forbade making Taqleed, the blind following, of them. And they censored he who took from their sayings without a Hujjah (proof).
وقال ابن حزم : وقد ذكرنا أن مالكا وأبا حنيفة والشافعي لم يقلدوا ، ولا أجازوا لأحد أن يقلدهم ، ولا أن يقلد غيرهم. ( الإحكام في أصول الأحكام 6 / 314 )
Ibn Hazam said: And we have mentioned that Maalik and Abu Hanifah and Shafi did not permit anyone to blindly follow them or blindly follow anyone else
1 - أبو حنيفة رحمه الله
Abu Hanifah said
- ( لا يحل لأحد أن يأخذ بقولنا ما لم يعلم من أين أخذناه ) . ( ابن عابدين في " حاشيته على البحر
الرائق " 6 / 293 ).
It is not permitted for anyone to take from our sayings (i.e our rulings in respect to Religion) as long as he does not know from where we took these rulings.
وفي رواية : ( حرام على من لم يعرف دليلي أن يفتي بكلامي )
It is Haram on him who does not recognize my evidence to pass a Fatwa based on my sayings.
زاد في رواية : ( فإننا بشر نقول القول اليوم ونرجع عنه غدا )
And in another narration he said: We are only human. We say a saying today and turn away from it tomorrow.
وفي أخرى : ( ويحك يا يعقوب ( هو أبو يوسف ) لا تكتب كل ما تسمع مني فإني قد أرى الرأي اليوم وأتركه غدا وأرى الرأي غدا وأتركه بعد غد ).
O Yaqoob (he is his student Abu Yusuf) Do not write everything you hear from me for verily I have an opinion today and I abandon it tomorrow and I have an opinion tomorrow and I abandon it the day after
- ( لا يحل لأحد أن يقول بقولنا حتى يعلم من أين قلناه ) ( أعلام الموقعين 2 / 200 ).
It is not permissible for anyone to say according to what we have said until he recognizes from where we said it.
- ( لا يحل لمن يفتي من كتبي أن يفتي حتى يعلم من أين قلت ) (الانتقاء ، ص 145 ).
It is not permissible for anyone to pass a religious verdict (Fatwa) from my book until he knows from where I said it.
2- مالك بن أنس رحمه الله
Imam Maalik said
**
* وأما الإمام مالك بن أنس رحمه الله فقد فقال :
- ( إنما أنا بشر أخطئ وأصيب فانظروا في رأيي فكل ما وافق الكتاب والسنة فخذوه وكل ما لم يوافق الكتاب والسنة فاتركوه ) . ( ابن عبد البر في الجامع 2 / 32 ).**
Verily I am only human I make mistakes and I come upon correct judgement. So look into my opinions and all of those opinions which are in accordance with the Book and the Sunnah then take them and those which are not in accordance with the Book and the Sunnah then abandon them.
( ليس أحد بعد النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم إلا ويؤخذ من قوله ويترك إلا النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ) . ( ابن عبد البر في الجامع 2 / 91 )
*قال ابن وهب : سمعت مالكا سئل عن تخليل أصابع الرجلين في الوضوء فقال : ليس ذلك على الناس . قال : فتركته حتى خف الناس فقلت له : عندنا في ذلك سنة فقال : وما هي قلت : حدثنا الليث بن سعد وابن لهيعة وعمرو بن الحارث عن يزيد بن عمرو المعافري عن أبي عبد الرحمن الحنبلي عن المستورد بن شداد القرشي قال : رأيت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يدلك بخنصره ما بين أصابع رجليه . فقال : إن هذا الحديث حسن وما سمعت به قط إلا الساعة ثم سمعته بعد ذلك يسأل فيأمر بتخليل الأصابع . ( مقدمة الجرح والتعديل لابن أبي حاتم ص 31 - 32 )
*
He was asked about passing the fingers between the toes of the feat and he said that it is not necessary. Then he was told that there is a Sunnah in regards to this matter and he asked what it is and the following Hadith was presented to him
I saw the Prophet(PBUH) rub that which is between the fingers of his feet by means of his little finger.
and he (Maalik) said I had never heard of this Hadith until now and it is Authentic and after that he would order with passing of fingers through the feet during Wudu.
Imam Shafi said
- ( أجمع المسلمون على أن من استبان له سنة عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم لم يحل له أن يدعها لقول أحد ) . ( الفلاني ص 68 ).
The Muslims have unanimously agreed that he to whom the Sunnah becomes evident on behalf of the Propet(PBUH) then it is not permissible for him to leave it for the saying of anyone else
- ( أنتم أعلم بالحديث والرجال مني فإذا كان الحديث الصحيح فأعلموني به أي شيء يكون : كوفيا أو بصريا أو شاميا حتى أذهب إليه إذا كان صحيحا ) ( الخطيب في الاحتجاج بالشافعي 8 / 1 ).
You are more knowledgeable than me in respect to Hadith and its chain of narrators so when a Hadith is Authentic then inform me of it whichever thing it may be Basari or Kufi or Shami so that I may go toward it when it be Authentic.
- ( كل مسألة صح فيها الخبر عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم عند أهل النقل بخلاف ما قلت فأنا راجع عنها في حياتي وبعد موتي ) . ( أبو نعيم في الحلية 9 / 107 ).
Every affair in respect to which there is an authentic Hadith from the Prophet (PBUH), it being authentic in the opinion of those who transmit Hadith, and is opposed to what I say then I have withdrawn from what I have said in my life and after my death.
- ( كل ما قلت فكان عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم خلاف قولي مما يصح فحديث النبي أولى فلا تقلدوني ) ( ابن عساكر بسند صحيح 15 / 9 / 2 ).
Everything that I say and there is from the Propet(PBUH) an authentic Hadith opposing it then the Hadith of the Prophet is better (so act according to it) and do not blindly follow me.
- *وروى ابن حزم بسنده عن المازني ، عن الشافعي أنه نهى الناس عن تقليده وتقليد غيره ( *
Shafi forbade people from making Taqleed of him or anyone else.
الإحكام في أصول الأحكام 6 / 174 ) .
- ونقل السيوطي عن الإمام أبي شامة أنه قال : نهى إمامنا الشافعي عن تقليده وتقليد غيره ( الرد على من أخلد إلى الأرض ، ص 141 ).
It has that transmitted that our Imam forbade blind following, Taqlid, of him or of anyone else.
4 - أحمد بن حنبل رحمه الله
Ahmed bin Hanbal
* قال رحمه الله :
- ( لا تقلدني ولا تقلد مالكا ولا الشافعي ولا الأوزاعي ولا الثوري وخذ من حيث أخذوا ) . (
ابن القيم في إعلام الموقعين 2 / 302 ).
Do not make Taqlid of me or Maalik or Au-Zaa'e or Al-Thauri and instead take your knowledge from where you take it.
**
وفي رواية : ( لا تقلد دينك أحدا من هؤلاء ما جاء عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وأصحابه فخذ به ثم التابعين بعد الرجل فيه مخير ).
وقال مرة : ( الاتباع أن يتبع الرجل ما جاء عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وعن أصحابه ثم هو من بعد التابعين مخير ) . ( أبو داود في مسائل **
Do not make your religion the blind following of someone from among these. A man should follow what has been transmitted from the Prophet (PBUH) and the Companions.
**
الإمام أحمد ص 276 - 277 ).
- ( رأي الأوزاعي ورأي مالك ورأي أبي حنيفة كله رأي وهو عندي سواء وإنما الحجة في الآثار ) ( ابن عبد البر في الجامع 2 / 149 ).**
The opinion of Abu Hanifah and Maalik are all opinions and they are in my sight the same. Verily Hujjah is only in the traditions.
- ( *من رد حديث رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فهو على شفا هلكة ) ( ابن الجوزي في المناقب ( *
He who refutes the Hadith of the Prophet(PBUH) then he is on the brink of destruction.
His agreement with you is fake as further discussion will prove, but I’m not sure he will take the bait.