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Chapter 333 of 5614 min read
حديث واثلة (تتمة)
Hence, the believer should remain away from it. At this point, the following question must be addressed: What then is the relationship between this principle and the commentary to Hadith Number 6? That hadith stated that the permissible was clear and the forbidden was clear. But between them there were doubtful· matters. To safeguard one's religion one should remain away from the doubtful matters. However, according to the majority of the scholars, those doubtful matters are not considered forbidden or sinful. The relationship is clear and Hadith Number 6 should be understood in the light of this hadith. A matter is doubtful when there is some sign that it may be permissible as well as some sign that it may be impermissible. If the believer's soul feels uneasy about the act, then it must be a sin and the believer must remain away from it. But, if the matter is doubtful in the sense just described and the believer also feels no hardship concerning it, it is still recommended to remain away from the deed in order to safeguard one's religion. Finally, if there is no evidence that an act may be impermissible and, in addition, the believer's heart feels no uneasiness about it, then the act may be performed and it should be considered a righteous or permissible act. Allah knows best. Hadith #27: "Righteousness is Good Character . ." Does this Hadith Lend Support to the Concept of Ilhaam? Many Sufis believe in the concept of ilhaam. Ilhaam is defined as some knowledge being put into the heart, that the soul is at rest with, without any need to look for any supporting evidence from the Quran or sunnah. They claim that this knowledge is special to them, for Allah only gives it to special people of His chooses.1 In lhyaa Uloom al-Deen, al-Ghazzaali states that the only difference between the ilhaam they receive and the revelation that the prophets received is the fact that the prophets physically saw the angel while in the case of ilhaam the angel goes directly to the heart without the person seeing him.2 According to some Sufis, the person must follow the feeling or inspiration that he claims to have found in his heart. Ibn Taimiya, for example, said that some Sufi leaders he knew personally had requested their followers to seek help from them after they should die, basing that instruction on the basis of ilhaam that they supposedly had received. 3 In other words, ilhaam is an unquestionable authority in the minds of some Sufis. Indeed, some of them consider what they receive through kashf ("spiritual unveiling") and ilhaam ("inspiration") to be definitive while the texts of the Quran and sunnah are speculative. Indeed, they are even known to use it to declare a specific hadith authentic or inauthentic.4 This hadith stating, "Consult your heart," and others like it form part of the evidence for the validity of ilhaam. There is some validity to the concept as a whole but not in the sense that it is applied by many Sufis, as the above references demonstrate. If a mujtahid or scholar is faced with an issue, he must first study the clear and manifest evidence related to that question as found in the Quran, sunnah and secondary sources. If there is such evidence, then it is the determining and overriding factor. Anything that contradicts them must be opposed or ignored. It could be that the scholar sees no clear or decisive conclusion based on that evidence. However, his heart leads him to one conclusion that he feels is more pleasing to Allah. Then, according to ibn Taimiya, he is to follow that feeling for himself and only for himself. In other words, it is not a general ruling that he gives out to others. Ibn Taimiya says that such a feeling would be considered a stronger proof than a weak analogy, weak hadith and other rejected evidences that people sometimes rely on.5 1 For various definitions of ilhaam, see Saadiq Saadiq, Al-Masaadir al-Aaamah lil-Talaqqi al Soofiyah (Riyadh: Maktaba al-Rushd, 1994), pp. 266-267. 2 Al-Ghazzaali's statement was quoted in Saadiq, p. 267. 3 lbn Taimiya, Majmoo, vol. 1 7, p. 457. 4 See Saadiq, pp. 269ff. 5 lbn Taimiya, Majmoo, vol. 1 0, pp. 472-473. Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi The reason that the conclusion is not to be applied to others is because it cannot be considered a judgment concerning the act and, more importantly, it is not based on clear evidences that other Muslims are required to follow. This is the ruling concerning such matters that one can find in a number of books on legal theory. For example, in his commentary to al-Muhilli's work on legal theory, al-Attar stated that ilhaam is an authority over the person himself but not over others. 1 This does not imply that a person may follow his ilhaam without investigating a matter from the legal sources or in opposition to what the legal sources have stated.