. The query being responded<\/p>\n
to here centres on whether differences of opinion (ikhtilaf<\/em>) in religious matters is a mercy or not.<\/p>\n In the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Compassionate<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n This is a vital issue. For the question of differences (ikhtilaf<\/em>) of the ummah being a mercy occurs in a<\/p>\n hadith whose authenticity is unconfirmed. Al-Bayhaqi recorded it with a disconnected (munqati\u2019<\/em>)<\/p>\n chain; via Ibn \u2018Abbas, with the words: \u201cAllah\u2019s Messenger, peace be upon him, said: Whatever comes<\/p>\n to you from the Book of Allah is to be acted upon; there being no excuse for anyone to leave-off doing<\/p>\n so. If it is not in the Book of Allah, then upon a previous Sunnah of mine. If there is no previous<\/p>\n Sunnah of mine, then what my Companions (sahabah<\/em>) say. Indeed, my Companions are like the stars<\/p>\n in the sky, whichever of them you follow, you will be guided aright. Differences of opinion among<\/p>\n my Companions are a mercy for you.\u201d Al-Albani analysed it in al-Da\u2019ifah, <\/em>no.59, and decalred: \u201cIt is<\/p>\n fabricated.\u201d<\/p>\n The hadith is also recorded by Ibn al-Hajib, with the words: \u201cDiffering among my ummah is a mercy.\u201d<\/p>\n Mulla \u2018Ali al-Qari records this wording and notes: \u201cAl-Suyuti said: It is recorded by Nasr al-Maqdisi in<\/p>\n al-Hujjah and al-Bayhaqi in al-Risalah [al-Ash\u2019ariyyah], <\/em>without a chain. It was also recorded by al-<\/p>\n Halimi, Qadi Husayn, Imam al-Haramayn and others. It may have been related [with a chain] in some<\/p>\n manuscripts of the hadith masters which have not reached us; and Allah knows best.\u201d2<\/p>\n Al-Suyuti relates from \u2018Umar b. \u2018Abd al-\u2019Aziz that he used to say: \u201cIt would not have pleased me if the<\/p>\n Companions of the Prophet, peace be upon him, did not differ. For if they had not differed, there<\/p>\n would have been no leeway.\u201d3<\/p>\n Similarly, al-Khatib cites Harun al-Rashid saying to Malik b. Anas: \u201cO Abu \u2018Abd Allah, we will copy this<\/p>\n book,\u201d meaning the Muwatta\u2019, <\/em>\u201cand command people to adhere to it, and will send copies of it to each<\/p>\n of the Islamic provinces so that the ummah may follow it.\u201d He responded: \u201cO Leader of the Believers,<\/p>\n differences between the scholars is a mercy from Allah for this ummah. Each followed what he<\/p>\n believed to be correct; each was upon guidance; each aspiring to Allah.\u201d4<\/p>\n <\/p>\n These statements show that although the hadith, \u201cDifferences among my ummah is a mercy\u201d is not<\/p>\n established, it does, nevertheless, have a basis. The words of \u2018Umar b. \u2018Abd al-\u2019Aziz and Malik, may<\/p>\n Allah have mercy upon them, prove that this issue does have a foundation. The meaning is that those<\/p>\n differences that have valid justifications – due to their textual wordings or due to understanding the<\/p>\n actual text – they are praiseworthy and legitimate differences. This is why Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah<\/p>\n have mercy upon him, calls such differing \u201clegitimate differing between the people of Truth.\u201d This is<\/p>\n the catagory of differing in which there is no problem. Here, a Muslim should be open to the wisdon<\/p>\n that one of the scholars once advised his son with: \u201cKnow the differences and become more tolerant.\u201d<\/p>\n For when a person knows the differences of opinion of the scholars, and that the rationale behind<\/p>\n such differences are due to differences in the textual wordings or in understanding the actual texts,<\/p>\n then such are differences of ijtihad <\/em>5 about which Ibn al-Qayyim states: \u201cIf in the issue there is no<\/p>\n [decisive text from the] Sunnah, nor a consensus, then ijtihad <\/em>is legislated: there must be no censuring<\/p>\n someone who acts in it either as a mujtahid <\/em>or as a muqallid.<\/em>\u201d6<\/p>\n Al-\u2019Izz b.\u2019Abd al-Salam stipulates: \u201cWhoever comes with an issue for which there is a difference of<\/p>\n opinion over its forbiddance, and holds it to be lawful, cannot be censured – unless, of course, the<\/p>\n opinion is an extremely weak one.\u201d7<\/p>\n Therefore, differing such as this is a sort of convenience for people in non-fundamental matters<\/p>\n (furu\u2019<\/em>).8 Whosoever acts according to any of the opinions of the scholars is, Allah willing, not at fault.<\/p>\n Even if he is mistaken, he is forgiven for his error. For whoever strives their utmost [to arrive at an<\/p>\n Islamic ruling] and is correct, receives two rewards; whoever strives and errs, receives a single reward<\/p>\n – as per the hadith related by al-Bukhari, no.7352, and Muslim, no.1716; from \u2018Abd Allah b. \u2018Amr, may<\/p>\n Allah be pleased with him. Thus, in this case one cannot reproach such differences. These are the<\/p>\n differences which have been likened to being a mercy, for they provide a sort of ease and flexibility<\/p>\n in resolving difficult problems for the ummah, as well as allowing people to coexist peacefully with<\/p>\n one another, without the presence of unjustified grudges or rancour.<\/p>\n As for the differing that is forbidden, its like is found in the statement of Allah, Exalted is He: Dispute<\/em><\/p>\n not with one another, lest you falter and your strength departs.<\/em>9 This type of differing provokes<\/p>\n enmity and hostility, which the Prophet, upon whom be peace, catagorically prohibitted. He<\/p>\n strictured: \u201cDo not hate one another, nor be hostile to one another, nor spy on each other. But be, O<\/p>\n servants of Allah, brothers.\u201d Related by al-Bukhari, no.6066, and Muslim, no.2563, by way of Abu<\/p>\n Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him. This type of differing that incites hatred and hostility refers<\/p>\n to differing in the fundamental issues of belief (al-aqa\u2019id al-kubra<\/em>). It is, to use a contempory<\/p>\n expression, \u201cstepping beyond the red line.\u201d What is meant is that it transgresses the bounds of the<\/p>\n acceptable differing and instead leads to strife, and to some of the ummah fighting against others.<\/p>\n Therefore the ummah is unable to unify its affairs or face up to its challenges. This differing is<\/p>\n reprehensible.<\/p>\n Thus, there is a type of differing that is commendable, for which there are certain indicators. This<\/p>\n differing has known causes; its effects on the ummah are healthy; and it gives rise to ease. Then there<\/p>\n is a type of differing that has ill-effects on the ummah; this is the blameworthy type of differing. It is<\/p>\n therefore required by the seeker of truth to be cognisent of this. He must have insight into the type of<\/p>\n differing which can be overlooked, and that type which wreaks havoc upon Muslim unity and<\/p>\n engenders enmity and hostility; which the Sacred Law forbids.<\/p>\n I hope that the questioner comprehends this. And Allah, Transcendent and Exalted is He, knows best.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" . The query being responded to here centres on whether differences of opinion (ikhtilaf) in religious matters is a mercy or not. In the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Compassionate This is a vital issue. For the question of differences (ikhtilaf) of the ummah being a mercy occurs in a hadith whose authenticity is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-170","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fatwa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/binbayyah.net\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/binbayyah.net\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/binbayyah.net\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/binbayyah.net\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/binbayyah.net\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=170"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/binbayyah.net\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":171,"href":"https:\/\/binbayyah.net\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170\/revisions\/171"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/binbayyah.net\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=170"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/binbayyah.net\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=170"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/binbayyah.net\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=170"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}