Explanations And Refutation of Some Misconcepts
Appendix A :
Points of Caution with Respect to certain Terms
With the introduction of Philosophical concepts into the body of the Muslim ummah, a great deal of distortions were published by scholastic theologians (ahlul-kalaam) and mystic surfs. Many of these distortions were made by introducing certain terms upon which the innovators build their false arguments.
Most graduates of contemporary universities inside and outside the Muslim World are influenced by teachers holding to the Mu'tazilite, latter Ash'arite or Maatooridite concepts in 'aqeedah and manhaj. All of these sects claim that the 'aql (intellect) is the basis for their respective doctrines. Some schools follow a Western-style methodology whereby they teach the different dogmas in a purely academic fashion. Very few places teach the true and correct concepts of deen pertaining to Allaah and His Names and Attributes, the Qur'aan, the sunnah, and the way of the salaf. All praise is due to Allaah سبحانه وتعالى, who enabled the brothers and sisters holding to the true 'aqeedah and manhaj to spread the truth in many parts of the Muslim World
Standing to clarify the distortion of the Philosophical concepts and to dispel bid'ah and firmly establish the sunnah.
Some of the distortions made by those who oppose the path of the salaf in understanding the deen lie in the use of certain terminology in order to deny and (or) distort the Attributes of Allaah, the Most High, The following will discuss some of this terminology in detail :
1. The Term : Hayyiz حَيِّز
The far as the people of 'ilm al-kalaam (scholastic theologians) are concerned, the meaning of the haayiz is, " The imaginary portion of space occupied by a thing having extent, as an indivisible substance unit or atom." Anything which is aimed at or towards is a mutahayyiz (i.e. occupies a hayyiz), through this has no linguistic basis. According to their terminology, the "body" is something which one can aim to or towards and therefore it is a mutahayyiz. Accordingly, the heavens and the earth and what is in between are mutahayyiz.
Introducing this discussion is essential in understanding the intended objectives behind the use of such terminology. So, upon hearing and (or) reading a general negation that Allaah is not mutahayyiz then one should not reject or affirm this generalization until he knows the intended meaning of the generalized term. In practice, this translates into the following points :
1. Suppose that someone says that Allaah سبحانه وتعالى cannot be described as being mutahayyiz. If he understands the term mutahayyiz in its linguistic sense (i.e. being surrounded by an existing thing), then this is true, for Allah سبحانه وتعالى is not enclosed by anything, and He عز وجل is totally distinct and separate from His creation. He is the Most Great and His kursi extends over and encompasses the heavens and the earth ! He سبحانه وتعالى said :
)وَمَا قَدَرُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِ وَالْأَرْضُ جَمِيعاً قَبْضَتُهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَالسَّمَاوَاتُ مَطْوِيَّاتٌ بِيَمِينِهِ )(الزمر: من الآية67)
They made not a just estimate of Allaah such as is due to Him. And on the Day of Resurrection the whole of the earth will be grasped by His Hand and the heavens will be grasped by His Hand and the heavens will be rolled up in His right Hand. [Qur'aan, Soorat Az-Zumar (39 : 67)].
2. On the other hand, the hayyiz is linguistically not limited to the external and separate thing which encloses or contains something else. It also refers to the defining limits or lateral portions of an entity itself, and thus it is not extrinsic. So, if someone says that Allaah, being above the entire world, is enclosed within something existing such that it does not fall under the meaning of the Essence, then He is laying. Anything which is apart from the Essence of Allaah is from the world, and Allaah, the Most High, is distinct and separate from the world.
3. If someone says I affirm the term hayyiz to mean that Allaah is distinct and High above creation, not commixed with them, then we say that the meaning is true and it is affirmed by the Qu'aan and authentic sunnah. Affirming the term itself, however, is an innovation.
جهة 2. The Term : Jihah
1. The scholastic theologians and ahlu-ta 'teel deny that Allaah is above His creation and say that Allaah is not mutahyyiz based upon their definition of a mutahayyiz as being a " direction" or a " body". They claim that affirming a direction (jihah)
Necessitates that Allaah is enclosed by a created thing. Again we deal with such generalizations the way as-salaf as-saalih dealt with them. This term "direction" may mean either something existing (mawjood) or non-existing (ma'doom). Existence and non – existence are states relative to the created, while existence is relative to the Creator and the created beings. So whenever there is a creature, then the jihah (direction) is existing by virtue of his existence, and with his non-existence the "direction" is a non existential. So whoever says that Allaah is in a jihah(direction), we ask him, " Do yon mean that He سبحانه وتعالى is in a jihah whereby there is something other than Him present, like the 'arsh, the heavens and other created things? Or, do you mean that He is in a direction where there is none other than Him present (i.e. "above the world" where there is no existing creation)?" The term "direction" refers to either something existing other than Allaah, and thus it must be created (like the 'arsh, the heavens, etc.) or it refers to " above the creation" where there in none in existence except Allaah, the Most High. The latter is the true acceptable meaning because the Creator is distinct and separate from the created. He عز وجل is not part of the created world nor is it a part of Him. Accordingly, anyone who :
(a) Negates the Transcendence of Allaah ('uluw) based upon his negation of the direction (above creation) is wrong and affirming it the way the salaf had affirmed its correct meaning is the truth.
(b) Uses the term jihah to mean that Allaah عز وجل is above the heavens, ascended upon His 'arsh in the way that befits His Majesty, and that He is distinct from His creation, then this is correct. However, the salaf prefer that the use of generalized terms be avoided and that the Muslim should stick to the terms of the texts from the Qur'aan and authentic sunnah. But since the innovators use such terms according to their own terminology, then one should clarify to the Muslims the danger of the shubuhaat (doubts) deduced from their false meanings.
3. The Term : Jism جسم
The same mixture of truth and falsehood lies in the use of the general term jism. The term has two true meanings in the Arabic language :
(1) The body or what is bulky and dense. This meaning refers to what is being described. Allaah سبحانه وتعالى said:
)وَإِذَا رَأَيْتَهُمْ تُعْجِبُكَ أَجْسَامُهُمْ )(المنافقون: من الآية4)
And when you look at them,
Their bodies please you.
[Qur'aan, Soorat Al-Munaafiqoon (63 : 4)].
(2) It refers to the degree itself, e.g. the degree of bulkiness, etc. You might say, " This thing is bigger, bulkier, denser than such and such, or the bulkiest or biggest …"
The scholastic theologians and people of ta'teel introduced various and different meanings to the term in order to fit their respective creeds. The meaning of the term jism became more general than the known linguistic meaning. Things like the air, fire flames, breath, etc. were called ajsaam (pl. of jism), something which is not known as such in the Arabic language. They also considered the following as jism :
* Everything aimed at.
* Anything you physically point to as being "here" or "there".
* Any existing thing.
* What is established by himself (itself).
* The thing which is capable of having a length, breadth and thickness.
The composed, constituted or put together. Some say it is constituted from al-jawaahir al-mufradah [indivisible substance units (or atoms)], as most of the scholastic theologians claim. Most of the philosophers, on the other hand, say that it is composed of substance and form. Some say it is neither constituted from al-jawaahir al-mufradah nor from substance and form.
The fact that the term jism became a general term having false and correct meanings, then one should be aware of its intended use.
Affirming or negating that Allaah عز وجل is a jism is itself a bid'ah, as the revelation did not use this term for affirmation or for negation. Therefore, when someone says that Allaah عز وجل is or is not a jism, then we should ask him about the intended meaning upon which he is either affirming or negating. If the meaning agrees with that in the texts of the Qur'aan and authentic sunnah, then it will be accepted, but the term used will be rejected and one should stick to the revealed texts. On the other hand, if the meaning opposes the affirmed meaning in the revelation, it will be rejected together with the term used. This is so because the
Revelation has affirmed all of the perfect attributes of Allaah عز وجل and elevated Him above all kinds of imperfection. Accordingly :
* The one who intends the linguistic meaning of jusm (i.e. "body" or what is bulky and dense) and applies it to Allaah عز وجل then the sam' (textual Proofs) and 'aql (rational) reject such a meaning, and Allaah is High above this imperfection.
* The scholastic theologians who were influenced by Greek philosophy dispute regarding whether the jism is murakkab (compounded) or not. Many of them consider that the heavens are neither constituted from indivisible atoms nor from substance and form. So, how could it be claimed that Allaah, Most High and free from all imperfection, is " constituted" from indivisible substance units (atoms) or substance and form ?
* The person who repudiates the applicability of "constitution" to Allaah is right, but he needs to state his negation in a way which clarifies his intent. So we say, " Do you mean that affirming the Attributes of perfection to Allaah does not make of Him سبحانه وتعالى murakkab (compounded), constituted of parts)" ? If he says, " yes," then he
Is complying with the texts of revelation. Allaah is the one who is qualified with all attributes of perfection. Therefore, when the texts affirm that Allaah is above the heavens ascended His 'arsh, and that He Sees, knows, Hears, will be seen by the believers in the Hereafter, and so forth, then this does not necessitate that He is "compounded of several individual units" as a "body" or from substance with various forms"! Allaah is above all imperfection.
* If someone negates the Allaah's that is necessarily qualified with the perfect attributes based on his assumption that this would imply that Allaah is murakkab, "constituted" or "compounded", then he is absolutely wrong and his negation is not tanzeeh (elevating Allaah above all forms of imperfection). This understanding is legally and rationally improper. It is a fact that there is no essence without qualities. Allaah is al-'aalim (All-Knower) possessing knowledge which is His Attribute established with His that. Allaah's knowledge is not His Essence (as the innovators and philosophers claim). In addition, Knowledge as a quality of the qualified one (Allaah) is not distinct and separate from Allaah, and in this sense His knowledge is not "other" than Him.
Because Allaah is qualified with all perfection and He is necessarily existing, in no way does he need anything to "complete" His Oneness. The Mu'tazillah, for example, who rejected the attributes having a necessary relationship to the thaat, reduced Allaah عز وجل into an abstract concept. And to Allaah belongs the most Majestic and Most Beautiful Names and Attributes.
* The claim of the scholastic theologians that the jism is murakkab from indivisible atoms is doubtful from the angle of purely scientific discoveries. We know that a "body" is susceptible to division into molecules and, in turn, into atoms. In the process, the qualities of the body are "lost" and become something else. Water, for example, is composed of two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen (H2O). One molecule of water may be split into hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2), each if which has different characteristics from water. In a nuclear reactor, the splitting of the interlinked components of an atom, mainly electrons, protons, neutrons, positrons… changes into a tremendous energy (e.g, controlled splitting of Uranium – 235), which is called nuclear energy. The uncontrolled version of this splitting
Produces the destructive nuclear bomb, Note: Ibn Taymeeyah said, " [If someone asks] is jism indefinitely divisible? [Then the answer is] 'No, it is not indefinitely divisible'. Those who say it splits into units beyond which it does not accept division are mistaken, because once it is continuously subdivided it undergoes transformation."
* The one who claims that a jism means something that is susceptible to division, portioning or disintegration, then Allaah is far above being qualified with such imperfections, let alone regarding Him as reconstituted! Whoever applies this term according to such intended meaning then he is one of those most qualified with kufr. In fact, one of the Names of Allaah is "الصمد" which means, "The one who is qualified with all attributes of perfection and whom all creatures need".
* Those who say that a jism applies to anything existing or established in itself and do not mean that it is murakkab apply this name to Allaah as being existing and established in Himself. They are known as Mujassimah (attributers of the term jism upon Allaah). They negated, however,
That He is murakkab. Those who consider that the term jism applies to what is murakkab rejected the claim of the Mujassimah. Both aspects of this terminology have no basis when it comes to the linguistic meaning of the term jism.1 It remains to be mentioned that although the usage of the term jism to define what is established in itself and existing, the meaning is that Allaah is existing and established in Himself سبحانه وتعالى is correct. The affirmation of this is not an act of tajseem (attributing to Allaah a "body"). So underline this benefit.
The one who intends that the term jism means what is qualified with Attributes, established in himself, distinct and separate from everything else, may be aimed towards him, and that hands may be raised towards him in supplication, then the Qur'aan and authentic sunnah affirmed that Allaah عز وجل is qualified with the superlative Attributes : knowledge, Might, Mercy, Face, Hands, He ascended his 'arsh which is above the seven
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1 See Shaykh-ul-Islaam Ibn Taymeeyay's Sharh Hadeeth An-Nuzool [Riyaadh, Saudi Arabia: Daaurl – 'Aasimah, (1414/1993), pp. 250-251and Al –Jawaabus-Saheeh Liman Baddala Deenal – Maseeh (Riyaadh, K.S.A. Daarul – ' Aasimah, 1414/1993)], vol. 3, pp. 432-433.
Heavens, He is above His creation, and to Him ascend all goodly words and the angels as well, and so forth. In fact, the best of mankind and the most knowledgeable of Allaah, Muhammad صلي الله عليه وسلم, declared before the thousands of the sahaabah that he has proclaimed the Message of the deen and then raised his forefinger, pointing towards the sky, saying : " O Allaah be witness, O Allaah, be witness, saying it thrice." Certainly he pointed towards the one above the heavens, Allaah, who is ever-existing and established in Himself. So, if this is your understanding of the jism, then the meaning has been affirmed in the Qur'aan and the sunnah but without qualifying Allaah with such an innovated and generalized term. Even the language does not assist those who affirm these meanings to Allaah because the one who is qualified with these attributes is not called a jism.
Finally, the Muslim should be aware when he reads that, " Allaah is not a jism (body) or corporeal being" because this negation may involve negation of all or some of Allaah's Attributes. So check for what is intended!
4. The Statement
" Allaah is not a 'physical' form"!
You may also find and hear statements negating that Allaah is "physical"! Again, check for the intended meaning. Because those who generalize such negation often deny the communicated Attributes (as-sifaat al-khabariyyah) which we are informed of in the Qur'aan and (or) the authentic sunnah, like Allaah's Face, Hands, Fingers, and so froth. We Affirm them as Allaah affirmed for Himself and as His Messenger Muhammad صلي الله عليه وسلم affirmed them for Him. In no way does this affirmation impute resemblance of Allaah to His creation, because there is nothing like unto Him. The prophet صلي الله عليه وسلم, who was most knowledgeable of Allaah, affirmed them for Him. So does this necessitate that the prophet صلي الله عليه وسلم is mushabih (one who attributes likeness of Allaah to His creatures) ? In no way is this the case. Hence, the correct tanzeeh (declaring Allaah to be far removed ro free from imperfection) is to affirm what Allaah and His Messenger affirmed from the surperlative Attributes with which Allaah is qualified without tamtheel (Exemplification, drawing parallels), tahreef (distortion of their ture meanings), takyeef (specification : stating the manner of the sifaat) and ta'teel (negation or denial of them).
5. The Term : Makaanمَكَان
You often hear or read that Allaah is far removed from being in a place (makaan). So, what is the truth regarding this term ? First, one should remember that the term makaan (place) may have one of the following meanings :
* What encloses a thing and envelops it from all of its lateral portions.
* That above which a thing may be settled upon, and in need of, e.g. like a man being above the roof.
* That which a thing is above but is in no need of, e.g. birds above the earth, the sky above the atmosphere, and angels above the earth and air.
* That which is above the world even though it is not something existing.
The last meaning is the one agreeing with the 'uluw of Allaah above His creation and His ascent above His 'arsh. The poet and companion of the prophet صلي الله عليه وسلم Hassaan ibn Thaabit رضي الله عنه said in one of his poems:
تعالى علوا فوق عرش ٍِ إلهنا وكان مكان الله أعلى وأعظما
Supremely Exalted2 in His Highness above [His] 'arsh is our ilaah,
And the makaan (place) of Allaah is indeed Highest, above everything, and Greatest.
Thus, Hassan رضي الله عنه affirmed the place which is above creation where there is no existing creature, knowing well, as the rest of the companions knew, that Allaah is free of all watnts, and that the 'arsh as well everything else other than Allaah is in need of Him, and nothing contains Him سبحانه وتعالى. So if someone negates that Allaah is in a place in the sense that Allaah is enclosed in something else which He is in need of, then Allaah is far removed from this as well as all imperfection. Accordingly, we say that Allaah is above the creation, above the heavens, ascended upon His 'arsh, distinct and separate from His creation. Whether the innovator will understand from this that He is in a place or not is irrelevant.
If the person who says that Allaah is not in a place intends to negate that Allaah is surrounded in a place or that he needs a place, then the negation in this sense is true and agreed upon by the salaf.
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2 In Essence and in Attributes.
If, however, the negation is aimed at denying the fact that Allaah is above the creation, then it is false.
The innovators from the scholastic theologians and people of ta'teet introduced their own definitions of the above terms in order to fit with their corrupt creeds. May Allaah, Who is qualified with all perfection, safeguard the Muslims from all ways and forms of deviation.
Appendix B :
The Khaarijites (Khawaarij)الخوارج
Historically, the Khawaarij are those who rebelled against ' Ali ibn Abee Taalib رضي الله عنه in the 37th year of Hijrah (657 C.E.) and imputed kufr upon 'Ali رضي الله عنه upon the arbitration that followed the Battle of Siffen. They hated 'Ali's decision to end the fitnah which occurred with Mu'aawiyah رضي الله عنه, calling 'Ali's acceptance of the arbitration a compromise. They also imputed kufr upon many of the sahaabah who accepted the arbitration. They did not even accept the whole of 'Uthman's رضي الله عنه Caliphate. This position stems from their misunderstanding of the Qur'aan. They deduced, wrongly, that major sins are kufr and thus forfeit salvation. Sin is a contradiction which nullifies faith ! 'Ali and the other sahaabah sinned in the eyes of the khawaarij and that sufficed to nullify their state of belief! Their doctrine become famous in their rebellions against any Muslim leader who, in their eyes, committed a sin or a mistake. The prophet صلي الله عليه وسلم informed us before his death of the emergence of this sect and that, " They will kill the Muslims and leave the idolaters. Should I live till they appear, I
Would kill them as the killing of the nation of 'Aad.'
He صلي الله عليه وسلم also said : " The khawaarij are the dogs of the fire." 4
'Ali رضي الله عنه delegated ibn 'Abbaas رضي الله عنهما to call them to the truth. He succeeded in convincing several thousands of them. Those who rejected continued to spread mischief even after ' Ali رضي الله عنه warned them against it. He finally fought them in the battleof an-Nahrawaan (38Hj/658) and only few of them escaped and continued the secession. ' Ali رضي الله عنه was himself killed by kharijite by the name of Muljam. They split into many groups and today they survive in 'Oman, Tunisia, Libya, Algeria, and in Tanzania and they are known as the Ibaadiyyah (ibadi kharijism).
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3 An agreed upon hadeeth [i.e. reported by Al- Bukhaari and Muslim]. See Saheeh Al-Bukhaari (Arabic/English)], vol. 9, no.527.
4 Reported by Ahmad, Ibn Maajah, ibn Abee ' Aaasim, and others. Shaykh al-Albaani authenticated the isnaad of the narration reported by ibn Maajah and ibn Abee ' Aasim. He also said that the isnnad of Ahmad's report is hasan. [See As-Sunnah by ibn Abee 'Aasim, no. 904, and 905], p. 424.
The khawaarij sect was later influenced by scholastic theology and its principles became very close to those of the Jahmite and Mu'tazilite sects.
The center upon the following matters :
(1) Imputing kufr upon ' Ali, 'Uthmaan and other sahaabah. رضي الله عنهم أجمعين
(2) The right to rebel and fight the Muslim rulers who may err or sin.
(3) Justifying the tebellion and fight against disobedient Muslims (rulers and/or ruled) and that it its permissible for them to secede from the general body of the Muslims.
(4) They belive that the Qur'aan is created. However, the Qur'aan is the literal word of Allaah who uttered it in letter and sound and which He spoke to Jibreel عليه السلام, directly without a mediator, and who then brought it down to the prophet Muhammad صلي الله عليه وسلم. The Qur'aan is neither the word of Jibreel nor of prophet Muhannad صلي الله عليه وسلم.
(5) They distort the meanings of Allaah's Attributes by resorting to figurative interpretation.
(6) Like the twelver Shee'ites and other deviant sects, they deny that the believers will see Allaah on the Day of Resurrection. This contradicts what is asserted in the Qur'aan and authentic sunnah.
(7) Inputing khfr on the Muslims who commit major sins.
(
The majority of the Khawaarij deny the actual punishment in the grave which Allaah سبحانه وتعالى inflicts upon those who deserve it.
The aforementioned are some of the major characteristics of the Khawaarij. I intended to give the leader some background about this very dangerous sect and which has influenced many Muslim groups and parties in our times leading to bloodshed in many parts of the Muslim world. The bloody confrontations are hard to stop in some places and that has distorted the view of Islaam in many parts of the world.
The truth however, is emerging and will inshaa' Allaah completely emerge on the hands of the true followers of Islaam who are working hard to correct this problem with the good word without compromising the 'aqeedah nor the manhaj. We should be able to present the truth without imitating
The kufaar and their ways. In this respect the words of Imaam Maalik رحمه الله are remembered : " Nothing will benefit this ummah to come except that which benefited its early grnerations."5 This refers to the correct creed, methodology and righteous deeds. Another point of benefit is that the Muslim should be aware that the principles of many of these sects are still alive and propagated by certain individuals and /or groups, and accordingly the believer must be cautious.6
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5 Related by Imaam ibn ' Abdil – Barr in At – Tamheed (23 :1).
6 See Fathul-Barri by al-Haafith ibn Hajar, vol. 12, pp.282-284,287, 289 and Wasatiyyat Ahlus-Sunnah Baynal Firaq ("The Distinguished Medium Path of Ahlus- Sunnah vis-à-vis the Sects), by Dr. Muhammad ba-Kareem ba-'Abdullaah [Riyaadh, Saudi Arabia : Daarur – Raayah, 1415/19994, pp. 290-291].
Appendix C :
3. The Mu'tazilitesالمعتزلة
The Mu'tazilah (from I ' tazala, " to remove oneself" or "to withdraw") is one of the philosophical schools whose doctrines were affected by Greek philosophy. Originally the sect was established by Waasil Ibn 'Ataa' (80-131Hj/699-748C.E.), who withdrew (i ' tazala) from the circle of al-Hasan al-Basri (d.110Hj/728) because of his opposing view that the Muslim who commits a grave sin was neither a beleiever nor a kaafir, but somewhere between the two (manzilah baynal-manzilatayn). This marked the beginning of this so-called rationalistic sect. In its early stages its concepts were close to those of the khaarijites. In the third certury of Hijrah, the Mu'tazilah became influenced by the Shee'ah. The Mu'tazilites teachings were further developed under the influence of the Greek and Persian ideologies leading to the birth of 'ilmul kalaam (scholastic theology). Some of the main corrupt beliefs of the Mu'tazilites include :
(1) Denying the Attributes of Allaah.
(2) Claiming that the Qur'aan is created. They were able to influence the Caliph al-Ma'moon (in 212Hj/827) and enforce this belief along with other distortions. Their scrutiny was a virtual inquisition. Many scholars were jailed and/or killed. Imaam Ahmad bin Hanbal was tortured and Jailed for his great stand defending the truth held by the salaf that the Qur'aan is the uncerated literal Word of Allaah. His great stand together with afew other scholars, led to the decline of the fitnah, and the Mu'tazilite doctrine was suppressed under the Caliph al-Mutawakkil (ruled 232-247Hj/847-861).
(3) Claiming that man's action is totally independent from Allaah's Will. This is in direct opposition to what the Qur'aan and sunnah have affirmed, namely that man has ability and the will to act, but like all other things, nothing escapes the Will of Allaah, the Most High.7
(4) Denying the general intercession for the sins committed by the disobedient Muslims and which Allaah approved for the prophet صلي الله عليه وسلم and others on the Day of Resurrection [See earlier in the text].
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7 For more details see our book Al-Qadaa' Wal-Qadar [Buraidah, Saudi Arabia : Daarul-Bukhaari publication, 1417/1996], pp. 62-69.
Blended under the title of " rational" this sect exists nowadays without openly carring the same title it once held. The approach and methodology of those who make the intellectual proofs supersede the text (from the Qur'aan and sunnah) is widespread. The opposite extreme is those who believe that rational evidences has no role whatsoever in implying many things which the textual evidences have proven. The medium path is that of the salaf, which affirms an implicative relationship between the textual evidences and intellectual proofs. The shar' (the Qur'aan and authentic sunnah) lead and guide to the intellectual proofs and the latter share in guiding to many things which the shar' implies. Basically, therefore, there is no contradiction between the two, but to the contrary, there is association. The basis for this relationship, however, is the shar' and not the intellect, as the rationalists from the Mu'tazilites and the latter Ash'arites claim. This is because the shar' is indispensable in itself and is not in need of our knowledge and reasoning. We are the ones who are in need of the shar; and of its knowledge. So if the intellect knows the shar' it attains a perfection which it lacked before. But if it fails, then it will remain ignorant and deficient.
In addition, the human intellect is one of the comparative or relative matters. Ahmad may know something by his intellect which Hasan's intellect is totally unaware of. The same person may know of something under certain conditions which he may not know of at a different time and (or) state. The fact is that people have different levels of intellect in accordance with what Allaah سبحانه وتعالى bestows upon them from reasoning, awareness, contemplation and deduction, and differentiation.
It is natural that the intellect may err and fall in contradictions and / or differences in matters to which it may be subjected. So, those who say that the intellect should be given precedence to the shar' are referring people to something to which there is no way to affirm and perceive its correctness. That is why many of the sects differed and split amongst themselves when they gave precedence to their rationalistic dogmas vis-a vis the textual proofs. The irony is that each of these groups say that the intellect stands to support their positions ! Another irony is that the top theologians who laid down many of these dogmas went into perplexity and confusion. Many of them like Imaam al-Jawaynee, Ar-Raazi, al- Ghazaali, and others, regretted their positions and asked Allaah to let them die on fitrah. In their cases, there is a
lesson for those who still reiterate the same dogmas from the latter Ash'arites, Mu'tazilites and many of those who exaggerate the role of the intellect ! A great reminder for all is the saying of Allaah سبحانه وتعالى about the shar :
) وَلَوْ كَانَ مِنْ عِنْدِ غَيْرِ اللَّهِ لَوَجَدُوا فِيهِ اخْتِلافاً كَثِيراً)(النساء: من الآية82)
Had [the Qur'aan] been from other than Allaah, they would surely have found therin much contradictions. [Qur'aan, Soorat An-Nisaa' (4 : 82)].
The authentic sunnah is a Revelation from Allaah and the prophet صلي الله عليه وسلم said : " I have been given the Qur'aan and something like it along with [ i.e. the sunnah]. 8 The shar' with its textual proofs guiding the intellect are from Allaah, and that is why the salaf who correctly understood this relationship were, by Allaah's help, saved from falling into perplexity and confusion ! All praise is due to Allaah.
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8 Collected by Abu Daawood, ibn Maajah, Ahmad, at-Tahawi, and ad-Daarimee; Shaykh al-Albaani authenticated it in his verification of the kitaabul
موضوع: Explanations And Refutation of Some Misconcepts 
الأربعاء مايو 09, 2012 4:32 pm
