Bismillahir Rahmaanir Raheem
Hazrat Maulana Yunus Patel Saheb (Rahmatullahi 'alayh)
We want
Islamic law to conform to our liking, so much so that we will find some Fatwa (Islamic
ruling or verdict) to justify our actions.
The ordinary
laymen, and so too many who are highly qualified in the secular field, read the
Qur`aan Shareef and authentic Hadeeth kitaabs[1]
such as Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, and find some Ayah (verse) or Hadeeth to justify their actions.
Often, the
Ayah or Hadeeth is taken out of context and expounded to justify grave and major sins.
Each Ayah and
Hadeeth has an explanation and commentary. If there was no need for
explanations, we would not have had Allama Sayyid Mahmood Baghdadi
(Rahmatullahi ‘alayh), Ibn Katheer (Rahmatullahi
‘alayh) and other Mufassireen (commentators of the
Qur`aan Shareef), or Hafez Asqalani (Rahmatullahi ‘alayh), Mulla Ali Qaari (Rahmatullahi
‘alayh) and other Muhadditheen[2] writing volumes in
commentary. Therefore, to just read and present an Ayah from the Qur`aan
Shareef or a Hadeeth from a kitaab is not sufficient to justify one’s actions.
Despite the
fact that there are so many law books and medical journals at the disposal of
the layman, not everyone is qualified to understand or explain and interpret
these. One has to spend many years in study and research under one already
qualified in the field of law, medicine, etc. before one can do so. …If some
quack has to give a wrong opinion or an incorrect diagnosis, he would be sued
for malpractice.
So in the
field of Ifta[3],
only those qualified in the science of Qur`aan and Hadeeth may issue verdicts.
No matter how many certificates, degrees and other qualifications and titles a
person may have acquired in the secular field, these do not then give him (or
her) the license and authority to issue Fatwas (rulings) in the sphere of religion.
…Then there
are so many who have a superficial knowledge of just the Arabic language but
consider themselves qualified to interpret the Qur`aan Shareef and Ahaadeeth.
The
Sahaba-e-Kiraam (Radhiyallahu ‘anhum), who were perfectly acquainted and
versant in the language of Arabic, were still required to formally learn the
Qur`aan Shareef from Rasulullah (Sallallaahu
‘alaihi wasallam). It would therefore be false and arrogant of a person,
with a basic study of Arabic, to lay claim to having more knowledge and
understanding than the noble Sahabah (Radhiyallahu ‘anhum), by presenting his
own commentary of the Qur`aan Shareef.
There are so
many who have not studied Shari'ah under the guidance of Ulama-e-Haq, who reject
the teachings of the Mujtahideen[4] and present their own
concocted theories and commentaries; others are quick to quote Ayaah and
Ahaadeeth in support of their sinful actions, or misinterpret the same. Such
people should seriously heed the warnings of Rasulullah (Sallallaahu ‘alaihi wasallam) in
regard to their careless and erroneous statements and ignorant behaviour.
Rasulullah (Sallallaahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said: “Whosoever, in interpreting the Qur`aan,
says therein anything of his own opinion commits a mistake even if he is
correct.”[5]
In another
narration, Rasulullah (Sallallaahu ‘alaihi
wasallam) mentioned: “Whoso
interprets the Qur`aan without knowledge, let him seek his abode in the
Fire.”[6]
And: “Whoso interprets the Qur`aan according to
his opinion, let him seek his abode in the Fire.”[7]
In regard to
misquoting Ahaadeeth, Rasulullah (Sallallaahu
‘alaihi wasallam) stated explicitly : “Be careful of (narrating) traditions from me except what you know.
Whoso imputes falsehood to me intentionally, let him then seek his abode in the
fire.”[8]
Yes, when it
comes to etiquette, character, the stories of the Ambiyaa (Alaihimus Salaam) and nations of the past, the causes of rise
and decline; paradise and hell, reward and retribution, then read and quote authentic Tafseer or translation; but when it comes to the laws of Shariah,
Fatawa (Islamic rulings), commentary of Qur`aan and Hadeeth, leave it to those
who have spent years mastering these sciences and are experts in these fields.
Nowadays, the
title of ‘Mufti’[9] has also become very
cheap. Some spend a few months or a year in a Darul Ifta[10]
and become rubber stamp “Mufti so and so”.
Before enquiring about matters
pertaining to Deen, verify the person’s qualifications, just as we do in
worldly matters.
…Women have a
weakness, that if a woman gives a powerful speech on a subject, having read
some Islamic books, she is asked questions on all subjects. The speaker too,
will sometimes reply to all questions, even though unaware or ignorant.
Just giving a good speech is no qualification
to answer all questions on the Qur`aan Shareef and Sunnah of Rasulullah (Sallallaahu ‘alaihi wasallam).
We should be
cautious and selective regarding whom we acquire Ilm-e-Deen[11]
from.
…There is a famous statement of Muhammad bin Sireen (Rahmatullahi ‘alayh):
“This knowledge is a matter of Deen, so
be careful who you take your Deen from.”
We should keep these points in mind and we
should also not lay claim to qualifications we do not possess.
[1] kitaabs
: books [2] Muhadditheen
: Scholars of Hadith
[3] Ifta
: Legal Shar’i injunctions [4] Mujtahideen : Scholars certified as capable to interpret
Islamic Law
[5] Abu Dawood [6] Tirmidhi
[7] Tirmidhi [8] Tirmidhi
[9] Mufti :
Muslim Jurist
[10] Darul
Ifta : Institution offering a course concentrating on Islamic Law and
passing verdicts
[11] Ilm-e-Deen : knowledge of religion
