. Y""" (cont.)

Or, someone should not avoid praying in a certain area that has no marks of impurities simply because he fears that there may be impurities present. These types of doubts are called whisperings from Satan and they should not be acted upon. In Islam, the person should act according to what is certain and, if that is not possible, then what is apparent by the preponderance of the evidence. Suspicions that have no basis are not to be acted upon. "About which not many people are knowledgeable." This phrase means that not many people are able to figure out whether the individual doubtful matters are actually permissible or forbidden. This is very clear in the narration in Sunan al-Tirmidhi which states, r1ri1 9 ;f ࢿ ࢕Jb..i1 9f W81 9 ࢾ '-?!૤ '-1 "Not many people know whether they are permissible or if they are forbidden." Some scholars are able to look at the root of the matter and discover if these acts are actually forbidden or permissible. This proves that there is a specific ruling for all of these doubtful matters that may be ascertained from Commentary on the 40 Hadith of al-Nawawi enough study, but only a very few are able to discover the rulings for these actions. In general, it can be said that Allah and His Messenger did not leave anything that is to be permissible except that they showed it to be permissible and did not leave anything that is to be forbidden except that they showed it to be forbidden. However, in some cases the exposition is much clearer than in other cases. What has been made clear, well-known and a necessary part of the , religion, there is no doubt about and no one may be excused for being ignorant of such laws if they live in an Islamic environment. Concerning those laws that have not been so clearly explained, some of them are well known among the people of the religion and the scholars are in agreement concerning the conclusions about such laws although these conclusions may not be known to those Muslims who are not students of the religion. Then there are some laws that are not that clear even to the scholars and about which they differ for a number of reasons. But definitely there is at least one scholar who knows the correct conclusion. For him, the matter is clear although it will be considered a "doubtful" matter for others. It is impossible that no scholar, throughout the whole Muslim world, should come to the correct conclusion. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said that this nation would not agree on an error' and, in this hadith, he also said, "about which not many people are knowledgeable," but did not say that no one would be knowledgeable about it. Therefore, the ruling is not doubtful in itself but it is doubtful or ambiguous only to those who cannot find the correct conclusion. The words of the Prophet (peace be upon him) show that some people know the conclusions concerning the doubtful matters while others do not. Those that do not may be divided into two groups. One group does not make any pronouncement concerning the doubtful matter and will, perhaps, say upon being questioned, "Allah knows best." Another group will think that they have understood the problem and will make an incorrect conclusion concerning it. This hadith, though, proves that the correct position is only one position in Allah's sight and it does not mean that more than one conclusion may be correct concerning the doubtful matters. Of course, those scholars who made the incorrect conclusion or ijtihaad will still get a reward from Allah for their efforts but this does not mean that their conclusion is necessarily to be followed. 1 This statement is found in many different hadith from the Prophet (peace be upon him). Its details may be found in Muhammad al-Sakhaawi, al-Maqaasid al-Hasanah fl Bayaan Katheer min al-Ahaadeeth al-Mushtaharah ala al-Alsinah (Beirut: Daar al-Kitaab al-Arabi, 1985), pp. 716-71 7. Al-Albaani considers the hadith to be authentic. See, for example, al-Albaani, sahih al-Jaami, vol. 1 , p. 3 78. Hadith #6: "The Permissible is Clear. .. " "Thus, he who avoids doubtful matters clears himself in regard to his religion and his honor." The one who avoids the doubtful matters will be free of any criticism with respect to his religion or honor. This also means that the person who takes part in these doubtful matters leaves himself open to criticism and blame. Some or one of the early scholars said that if someone, by his acts, causes others to have suspicious thoughts about him, he should not blame them if they have a bad opinion about him.1 The Prophet (peace be upon him) himself, while walking with a woman, showed two people who saw him that it was Safiyah, one of his wives. (Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim.) He did so in order to make sure that no one should have an incorrect idea about his actions.