Sheikh Muhammad b. Husayn al-Jizani
The evidence that Muslims use to determine the matters of their religion must necessarily be sanctioned by Islam. That which is established in Islam can be categorized as follows:
1. That which can only be established by way of revelation – therefore, by the sacred texts – for which reason can provide no knowledge.
This includes our knowledge of the angels, the Throne, and other matters of faith in the Unseen. It also includes our knowledge of a number of detailed commandments and prohibitions related to matters of devotion, human knowledge of which is wholly dependent on the information imparted by the prophets (peace be upon them all.)
2. That which Islamic Law has indicated and has pointed to various rational means for verification. This second category is that of Islamic rational proofs.
This category includes the establishment of the principle of monotheism and the negation of its opposite, polytheism. It also includes establishing the concept of prophethood.
3. That which Islamic Law has deemed permissible.
This includes matters that the Qur’ân and Sunnah have expressly mentioned as well as what is indicated by the world around us and by experience. This encompasses our medical and scientific knowledge, as well as our knowledge of vocations and trade.
When we consider the three categories mentioned above, we can enumerate the qualities that it must always have in order to be Islamic:
1. It must always hold true, since calling something “Islamic” is an endorsement of it.
2. It must take precedence over other evidence, since Islamic legal evidence cannot be contradicted by evidence that is not Islamic. What Allah has legislated must be given preference in Islamic law.
3. Islamic legal evidence may be either scriptural or rational.
4. Islamic legal evidence can be contrasted with non-Islamic evidence or alternatively with innovated evidence (“innovated” being a negative quality). It is a mistake to contrast Islamic evidence with rational evidence, since they are not contradictory terms in any way.
It is essential to know what is included in evidence for matters of Islamic law and is not. Some people recognize as part of Islamic legal evidence what is not part of it, while others exclude from it what is essential to it.
Revelation is the Primary Basis for All Evidence The basis for Islamic Law is what we find in the Qur’ân and Sunnah. The meanings found in these scriptural sources, when properly contemplated and understood, provide the scriptural proofs as well as the basis for the rational proofs.
The Qur’ân and Sunnah provide the criterion for distinguishing truth from falsehood in matters of religion, for distinguishing guidance from error. All arguments and assertions that people make in matters of religion must be scrutinized in light of the Qur’ân and Sunnah.
The problem is that the terms “reason” and “revelation” have become somewhat confused in popular discourse. Any opinion that people suggest is sometimes touted as a “rational proof”. Such evidence is just as spurious from an Islamic standpoint as a very weak or fabricated hadîth. However, in the case of these rational proofs, most people do not have the criteria to make a determination about it.
Therefore, it is as important to know what constitutes the domain of rational evidence, as it is to know what constitutes authentic textual evidence.
The Harmony between Reason & Revelation Genuine rational evidence will not indicate something false in religion. This is because the sacred texts are in harmony with sound reason. The Qur’an and authentic Sunnah, when properly understood, are never at variance with reason. This is why Allah uses both the Qur’ân and the dictates of reason as proofs upon His creatures.
This is also why we never find that any of the Pious Predecessors ever contradicted the Qur’ân with his opinion or by way of an analogy. We never hear them say: “The scripture and the dictates of reason are at odds on this matter.” The Pious Predecessors agreed that the dictates of reason and revelation were in harmony with one another. They also agreed that any opinion that was in conflict with the unambiguous dictates of the authentic scriptures was unquestionably a mistaken opinion.
Knowledge is of Three Kinds with Respect to Reason & Revelation 1. That which is established by way of reason alone: This includes matters like the principle of prophecy and the honesty of the prophets, for upon these matters the acceptance of the scriptures depends. The best rational proofs for these matters are those that are ones set forth in the Qur’ân.
2. That which is established by way of revelation alone. This includes the knowledge of matters of the unseen and the details of our formal devotions. Such matters are only known to us by way of what the prophets (peace be upon them) have told us.
3. Matters which can be known by way of both reason and revelation. This would include the question of whether it is possible for Allah to be seen by His creatures.
Revelation informs us about a wide range of matters. Some of these are things that we can comprehend with our rational faculties. Our minds verify the truth of what revelation teaches us. Other matters are of a nature that reason can neither verify them nor deny them. It is in these matters that a Muslim simply accepts what revelation tells him.
Sound reason, in turn, will either verify what revelation tells us or – like in matters of the unseen – it will simply accede the possibility of what revelation teaches without being able to verify it. In either case, there will be no contradiction.
The scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah have always respected reason while acknowledging its limitations. They neither take reason as a wholly independent source of knowledge in matters of faith that has no relationship whatsoever to revelation, nor do they shun reason as a source of knowledge and reject the dictates of sound reason.
The scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah took a balanced approach. They recognized that reason is a condition for human knowledge. Nothing can be comprehended or carried out in human affairs without it. This is why sanity is a precondition for legal accountability in Islamic Law. It takes a rational mind to understand the Qur’ân.
Allah commands us to consider the Qur’ân deeply with our minds: “Will they not ponder the Qur’ân?” [Sûrah al-Nisâ: 82 and Sûrah Muhammad: 24]
Allah says: “Will they not ponder the Word?” [Sûrah al-Mu’minûn: 68]
It is only the rational mind that has the ability to realize the proofs that Allah presets us with.
However, the scholars also acknowledged that human reason alone is not enough. Revelation is also needed for matters of faith. Reason is a human faculty, just like sight and hearing are human faculties. Reason has its limitations requires something external to itself, just like human sight is dependent upon he presence of light. There are certain things that are outside the scope of reason to discern.
We can see how reason and revelation relate in the following case. A person comes to recognize by way of his reason that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon hi) is indeed the Messenger of Allah and that what he comes with is revelation from Allah. Therefore, when he hears that the Prophet (peace be upon him) has spoken about a matter of faith, he knows that it is true. He acknowledges its truth by way of the very reason that brought him to conclude it is revelation from Allah. He will not cite the dictates of reason to refute what the Prophet (peace be upon him) said.
The Qur’ân Appeals to Reason We see in numerous verses were the Qur;ân cites rational proofs and appeals to human reason. It often cites parables and examples which are proofs based on analogous reasoning. Allah says: “And certainly We have set forth for humanity every kind of example in this Qur’ân” [Sûrah al-Rûm: 58]
Allah uses these parables as evidence for monotheism. For instance, after describing many aspects of the created world, Allah says: “Such is the Creation of Allah: now show Me what is there that others besides Him have created.” [Sûrah Luqmân: 11]
Allah also establishes proofs for prophethood in the Qur’ân. For instance, Allah says “Say: If Allah had so willed, I should not have recited it to you nor would He have made it known to you. I dwelt among you a whole lifetime before it (came to me). Have you then no sense?” [Sûrah Yûnus: 16]
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