Don’t Speak Without Knowledge

[.: Anna :.]

good reminder for all of us :)


Don’t Speak Without Knowledge
Say “Allaahu A’lam”

http://thikraa.files.wordpress.com/2007/05/skyfloor.jpg




قال أبو بكر - رضي الله تعالى عنه -


أي سماء تظلني؟ وأي أرض تقلني؟ إذا قلت في كتاب الله ما لا أعلم؟!


Aboo Bakr - radiyallaahu ‘anhu - said:


Which sky would shade me and which earth would carry me (i.e. let me live upon it) if I were to say about the Book of Allaah that which I do not know (about)?! (1)

Saying of Ibn Mas’ood – radiyallaahu ‘anhu -
‏يا أيها الناس من علم شيئا فليقل به ومن لم يعلم فليقل ‏الله أعلم فإن من العلم أن يقول لما لا يعلم الله أعلم
“O People! Whoever knows something then let him say it (speak of it), and whoever doesn’t know then let him say ‘Allaahu ‘A’lam’ (Allaah knows best), for it is a sign of having knowledge to say about that which one doesn’t know ‘Allaahu ‘A’lam’”

(3) ash-Sha’bee – rahimahullaah -

وسئل الشعبي عن مسألة فقال لا أحسنها فقال له أصحابه قد استحيينا لك فقال لكن الملائكة لم تستحي حين قالت: لا علم لنا إلا ما علمتنا
Ash-Sha’bee was asked about an issue, so he said “I am not good/well versed at it” (i.e. I don’t know). His friends then said to him “We felt embarrassed on your behalf” (i.e. being one who knows so much, how could you say that you do not know about the matter), so he said “But the angels did not feel embarrassed when they said: we have no knowledge except what you have taught us.“

[Mentioned by Ibn al-Qayyim – rahimahullaah – in the book “I’laam al-Muwaqqi’een” pg. 218; aayah with saying of angels is #32 of Soorat al-Baqarah]



source (http://thikraa.wordpress.com/)

[`asiya]

:jkk: ukhti excellent reminder masha Allah heres some more about this important topic

Speaking About Allah (swt) Without Knowledge


Jamaal al-Din Zarabozo

Transcribed from tape "Usool at-Tafseer" (1/12)

(...) Al-Qurtubee in his tafseer, he talks about such people who say when they read the Quraan in my mind this comes to my mind, or my heart tells me this, and he concludes who reads the Quraan and says, "ask your heart" or "my heart tells me," and so forth, they are speaking about Allaah without knowledge ('ilm), which, as we will talk about, one of the greatest sins that we could commit, and that they are actually from zanaadiqa, those who have nothing to do with Islaam, and he said they should be killed as apostates (murtadeen). (...)

When you go to the Quraan and you read a verse from the Quraan and you explain that verse without having the propher knowledge, without following the proper methodology, you might be and only Allaah swt knows, actually following your own hawaa, following your own desires, you might be following an inspiration from the Shaytaan, you might be following dhann (conjecture), which Allaah swt speaks about in many places in the Qur'aan, or it might actually be some kind of inspirataion from Allaah swt, but most likely it is not the last case. And why is it not the last case? Because as we will talk about it later, you did not follow the proper methodology of talking about the Qur'aan and if you did not follow a proper methodology of talking about the Quran, then you have committed a sin already.

Just by talking about the Quraan, without proper knowledge, by giving interpretation of the Quraan, without proper knowledge, without proper background, without being qualified to do so, then you've already committed a sin. And since you are commiting a sin, it is very unlikely in most cases that Allaah swt will bless you through that sin to give you the right interpretation of the Quran.

When you say that Allaah swt means this or Allaah swt means that in a specific verse, you are actually speaking or saying something on behalf of Allaah swt, you are actually speaking about Allaah swt, and if you are speaking without knowledge, without 'ilm, this is one of the greatest sins that you could commit.

In fact, Ibn ul Qayyim said that it is the greatest sin. Ibn ul Qayyim said that speaking about Allaah swt without `ilm is the greatest sin that you could commit. He bases it on this verse:

"Qul innamaa 7arrama Rabbi-l-fawaa7isha maa DHahara minhaa wa maa baTan, wal-ithma wal-baghya bi ghayri-l-7aqq, wa an tushrikoo bi-Llaahi maa lam yunazzil bihi sulTaanaa, wa an taqoolo 3ala-l-Laahi maa laa ta3lamoon."

"Say: The things that my Lord has indeed forbidden are al-Fawaahishah (great evil sins, every kind of unlawful sexual intercourse, etc.), whether committed openly or secretly, sins (of all kinds), unrighteous oppession, joining partners (in worship) with Allaah for which He has given no authority and saying things about Allaah of which you have no knowledge." [The Noble Qur'aan, 7:33]

In discussing this verse, he says, first of all there are some sins which are haraam li-dhaatihi, forbidden due to their own evil nature, and (others which are) haraam li ghairihi, which are forbidden because they lead to some evil or have some evil in them.

And he said with respect to this verse, all of these four, they are haraam in dhaatihi, they are haraam in their own essence, because of the evil in them. Continuing his discussion, he said that Allaah swt first mentions al-fawaahishah, and he says this is the least of the sins that He mentions, after that He mentions the sins of transpasses against the truth; this is a greater sin that the first one that Allaah mentioned.

And then He mentioned making shirk, and finally He mentioned saying things about Allaah swt of which you have no knowledge. He is saying that Allaah swt is going from from the lesser to the greater. And the reason he says is that this last sin of saying about Allaah swt without 'ilm, which is actually what you do when you make tafseer without the proper background, without the proper methodology, he says it involves and it includes many things even more than what commiting shirk involves. He says it involves and it includes:


ascribing something falsely to Allaah swt

changing or altering the religion of Allaah swt

denying what He has confirmed or confirming what He has denied

affirming something declaring false or declaring something false as true

it also includes supporting something that Allaah swt dislikes or opposes

supporting something that Allaah swt dislikes or opposes, and liking something that Allaah swt dislikes.

In other words, when you are speaking without 'ilm, in the religion, in things which are related to the religion, then in fact you are changing the religion of Allaah swt. And in fact, if you continue what he wrote - this is right from "Madaarij us Saalikeen", 1:372-3 - you find that in fact speaking without `ilm is actually the real source of all kufr and shirk.

He said, for example, the polytheists claim what they are worshipping instead of Allaah swt was something to take them closer to Allaah swt, so the cause of their shirk was saying something about Allaah swt without `ilm, something they did not know about Allaah swt.

Similarly today, the greatest kufr that we have nowadays, among Muslims, but especially among non-Muslims, is secularism and the basis for that is saying that Allaah swt doesn't really care about what we do in worldly affairs, or hasn't really given us guidance for worldly affairs, or the Deen that He sent is not meant for daily affairs; all of this is speaking about Allaah without knowledge.

So in fact, it is one of the greatest sins, and Ibn ul Qayyim even included that it is in fact the greatest sin. And he also mentioned that every bid'ah, every innovation, also is based on some statement that has no support from the Qur'aan and Sunnah, in other words every bid`ah also is based on some statement which is actually made without `ilm.

To think about this point even further, about just going to the Qur'aan, and saying, I am a believer I am pious, I can go to the Qur'aan, and read the Qur'aan, and get its own meaning, if there was any people in the history of mankind who could have said that - maybe we could accept this from them - would be the Companions of the Prophet saws, for many reasons:


They witnessed the revelation of the Quraan itself. They witnessed the events it was referring to, they were living the events that it was referring to, the Quran was revealed in their language, the language of their time, and Allaah swt chose them to be the Companions of the Prophet saws, and he described them as the best generation.

So if anyone could actually make that claim that he has such a pure heart and such a close relationship to Allaah swt or such a good understanding of Islaam, that he can go to the Quraan and interpret the Quraan simply by what his heart tells him or what they used to call ra'ee (personal opinion) - after the Soofees it became "What the heart tells you," but originally it was called ra'ee or personal opinion, it would be the Sahaaba, but if we go to the Sahaaba we see that what they understood and what they learned from the Prophet saws in fact is the complete opposite. What they learned is that it is absolutely forbidden to speak about the Quraan without proper knowledge.

And they made such statements. For example, Aboo Bakr one time said, "What earth would give me place to live and what sky would shade me if I should speak about the Qur'aan with my opinion or by something I do not know." And `Umar ibn al Khattaab, he also said, "Beware of using your opinion in religious matters."

And Ibn `Abbaas, the one who the Prophet saws made du`aa for him to understand the Qur'aan, to get the understanding of the Deen, and to be given by Allaah swt the ta`weel or the understanding of the Qur'aan, he also said, "All that there is to follow and obey is the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of His Messenger. Whoever makes any statement after these two according to his opinion, then I do not know if you'll find among his good deeds or among his sins."

This is the style of Ibn `Abbaas, that he made in many statements. Meaning that even if what you did was something good, looks like something good, you will find it among your sins.

And at-Tirmidhee, in his Sunan, he said it has been related from some of the people of `ilm, people of knowledge, the Sahaaba of the Prophet saws and others, that they that they were very strict when it came to speaking about the Qur'aan without `ilm.

[nami]

masha'allah.

this should become a popup reminder or a sticky which is shown each time anyone is thinking or replying just to remind them. :up:

ok maybe the popup reminder part is too much...

[.: Anna :.]

Jazaaki Allah Khayr sis for adding more :love:

[`asiya]

Ask Those Who Know



Question: Some who are seeking knowledge are very hasty in giving rulings in matters of halaal and haraam, and this is a common noticeable defect. What is your advice to such people?

Al-Albaanee’s reply: “We have spoken on this issue long before, and we said that Allaah the Wise has divided the Muslim community into two types of people: the Ahl adh-Dhikr, and those that depend on the Ahl adh-Dhikr. As Allaah says to the ordinary people: “then ask those who possess the Message (Ahl adh-Dhikr) if you do not know.” (Soorah 21:7 and 16:43)

The Ahl adh-Dhikr are, as we all know, are the Ahl al-Qur’aan and the Ahl al-Hadeeth, those who know the authentic from the unauthentic, the general from the specific, the abrogating from the abrogated, and other such principles of Fiqh and Hadeeth.

Hence, it is not allowed for a Muslim to begin giving fatwaas on the basis of some hadeeth, simply because he came across it in some book, although he does not know if it is saheeh according to the criteria of the scholars of hadeeth. On the other hand, he knows that he is not sufficiently well-versed in knowledge and competence in the Arabic language to explain the meanings and ideas behind the Kitaab and Sunnah.

Therefore, anyone who has not decided to undertake acquiring knowledge and persevere in it for many years, until the people of knowledge testify that he can guide the people and direct them towads good, it is not permissible for him to thank that he is an alim (scholar) simply because he has read some ahadeeth and memorized some aayaat. We often hear of some of them who cannot even read the Qur’aan properly, nor the ahaadeeth of the Prophet (sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam). This is why I advise the seekers of knowledge to study two fundamentals: a) the principles of fiqh and b) the principles of hadeeth.

I have mentioned before that it is not easy for one to deduce the intended aim of the Lawgiver from any text unless he consults as far as possible, all the texts of the Qur’an and Sunnah. I will give a clear example: Allaah says: “Forbidden for you are dead meat, blood…” (5:4). If a beginner who is studying the Qur’aan and has no knowledge of hadeeth is asked regarding dead fish, he will immediately bring this aayah as proof to clearly forbid it since it prohibits dead meat. But were he to look into the ahaadeeth, he would know that the Prophet, sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam, excepted two types of animals, fish and locusts, from this prohibition, so he could rule accordingly.

Briefly, the student must learn these two fundamental branches of learning to help to understand the Qur’aan and Sunnah as correctly as possible.”


Shaykh Muhammad Nasir-ud-Deen al-Albani

Translated by Jami`at Ihyaa Minhaaj as-Sunnah

[Hekmaa]

Well needed post

[$HugoBoss$]

What does Allaahu A’lam mean????

Allah knows best?????

[Abu Hurairah]

What does Allaahu A’lam mean????

Allah knows best?????
That is correct Akhy.

Masha'allah by far one of the best threads, all the articles above are excellent and so relevant particularly in the 'Learn about Islam' section.