The Method of Receiving Questions and Answering Them in Accordance with the Book and the Sunnah

The questioner: As is customary in our many gatherings that we hold, His EminenceThe Shaykh : Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani, who is of such stature and knowledge that he needs no introduction, and this visit he is making to the country at the invitation of the Islamic Heritage Revival Society, and – if Allah wills – tonight we will hear from him what will benefit us, and we ask Allah – Mighty and Majestic – that we be students of knowledge in the style of question and answer, as it is one of the methods of seeking knowledge, and then focusing on the science of hadith and seeking it. And as is customary after this address, we take the written questions on paper, and then answers are given to them, so please proceedThe Shaykh .

The Shaykh: Indeed, all praise is due to Allah; we praise Him, seek His help, and seek His forgiveness. And we seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our own selves and from the evil of our deeds. Whoever Allah guides, none can misguide, and whom He leaves to misguide, none can guide. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, with no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger, , , . As for what follows:
Indeed, the best of speech is the speech of Allah, and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), and the worst of matters are their innovations, and every innovation is a religious innovation, and every religious innovation is misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Fire. And after that:
It occurred to me tonight to present, before the questions and their answers, a word that I hope will not be long, explaining that this method we have followed since Allah gave us understanding of His Book and the Sunnah of His Prophet – (peace and blessings be upon him) – in receiving questions and answering them, is indeed a method and style among the methods of the Islamic Shari'ah, whose explanation came in the Book of Allah and in the hadith of the Messenger of Allah – (peace and blessings be upon him). That is because the known method in the past for people to learn their religion was by one way only: namely, that the student would sit in the circle of the lesson and receive from his teacher what he was in the process of explaining from the knowledge. There is no doubt that this method is a prescribed method, but alongside it is another method that some people may think is an innovation and a Western style in the present age; that method is the one I mentioned earlier: directing a question fromThe student : The student in a study circle, who receives from his teacher what he is currently engaged in explaining of knowledge, there is no doubt that this method is a prescribed method. However, alongside it is another method that some people may think is an innovation and a Western style in the present age; that is the method I mentioned earlier, directing the question fromThe student : one who needs to know a ruling he is questioning in his own mind, directing it to one he thinks is qualified to answer his question, and receiving that answer from that respondent. I want to clarify now – even if briefly – that this method is Islamic before it is a European Western method. We have mentioned on more than one occasion – indeed, recently – the saying of Allah – Blessed and Exalted is He: . In this verse is the legislation of the Lord of the Worlds for the majority of people, who are described in this verse as those who do not know, to learn by the way of asking the people of knowledge, who are the people of knowledge and understanding of the Book and the Sunnah. This verse is the basis for this style of learning knowledge by the method of question and answer. And similar to it is the saying of our Lord – Blessed and Exalted is He: . And the Messenger of Allah – (peace and blessings be upon him) – clarified that in the hadith that Imam Muslim narrated in his "Sahih" from the hadith of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab – (may Allah be pleased with him) – who said: .
The point of this entire hadith is this last phrase: meaning: by the method of asking and receiving the answer,The questioner : he asks, and the respondent answers. And in a narration, he said – (peace be upon him): . This is more effective, stronger, and more indicative that the Muslim should ask about what concerns him of the matters of his religion and his Hereafter.
Also, what indicates this style of learning – which is the style of question and answer – is what Abu Dawud narrated in his "Sunan" from the hadith of Jabir ibn 'Abd Allah al-Ansari – (may Allah be pleased with him) – who said: We went out on an expedition in the time of the Prophet – (peace and blessings be upon him) – and a man among us was struck with wounds in his body. And at night he had a wet dream; so the full ritual bath became obligatory upon him. He asked those around him: Do you find for him a dispensation so that he does not take the bath? They said: No, and you must take the bath. So he took the bath and died; that is because the water – especially since they were in the open – affected those wounds until they became pus and turned into festering matter, and his fever intensified and rose – as is known today – so that was his destruction and death. When the news of this reached the Messenger of Allah – (peace and blessings be upon him) – he became very angry and said: قتلوه قاتلهم الله ! They killed him, may Allah kill them! ; meaning: they became the cause of his killing by their giving him a fatwa out of ignorance, قتلوه قاتلهم الله ! ألا سألوا حينما جهلوا ؛ فإنَّما شفاء العيِّ السؤال They killed him, may Allah kill them! Did they not ask when they were ignorant? Indeed, the cure for ignorance is asking. .
So, it is permissible for the Muslim to learn by the method of asking, and it is permissible for the respondent to answer every question if there is nothing in it of pretense, or sarcasm, or mockery, and its appearance is that he is asking to benefit from knowledge by this style of asking. And consequently, the respondent must answer, and he has no excuse to withhold the answer; except in one case I mentioned earlier: if it appears thatThe questioner : he is not asking to learn, but is asking out of stubbornness. As for if heThe questioner : truly wants to realize this principle that we have established in the texts of the Book and the Prophetic hadiths, wanting to learn knowledge and gain understanding of the religion; then it is obligatory upon the respondent to hasten to answer him, otherwise the severe warning mentioned in the authentic hadith will befall him; namely, his saying – (peace and blessings be upon him): من سُئل عن علمٍ فكتمَه ؛ أُلجِمَ يوم القيامة بلجامٍ من نار He who is asked about knowledge (of religion) and conceals it, will be bridled with a bridle of fire on the Day of Resurrection.Riyad as-Salihin 1390 . And we know that the rich person whom Allah – Blessed and Exalted is He – has blessed with much wealth, it is obligatory upon him to help with it the poor and needy around him, especially when a beggar turns to him asking for what Allah – Mighty and Majestic – has given him of wealth, and thisThe questioner : person deserves to be given something of that wealth. But if he has made begging and asking a profession for himself, earning by such a profession that is not lawful in the Shari'ah; then he should not be given at that time, so that he is not helped in violating the Shari'ah; that is because the Prophet – (peace and blessings be upon him) – used to say: لا صدقة لغنيٍّ ، ولا لذي مرَّةٍ سويٍّ Charity is not lawful for the rich nor for the physically fit.Jami` at-Tirmidhi 652Hasan (Darussalam) .
Likewise, and even more so, if someone comesThe questioner : asking about knowledge, it is obligatory that knowledge be presented to him, and he should not be driven away, nor scolded, nor rejected except in the best manner. And for that reason, He – the Exalted – said: وأما السائل فلا تنهر and do not repel the questioner .
Thus, it is obligatory upon the respondent at that time that his answer be in light of the Book and the Sunnah. We have mentioned to you in a previous gathering – or to some of you – that knowledge is only "Allah said" and "The Messenger of Allah – (peace and blessings be upon him) – said," and anything other than that; it is from the voluntary portion of knowledge; where it is not obligatory upon the Muslim to adhere to anything except what Allah said and what the Messenger of Allah – (peace and blessings be upon him) – said.
And if this is what is obligatory upon the scholar to answer with from the Book and the Sunnah; then you must also know that seeking knowledge must be within the limits of the Book and the Sunnah. And the Sunnah – as we all know – is an explanation of the Book of Allah – Mighty and Majestic. This has also been clarified previously; so the Muslim must be certain of the Sunnah; because what is not from it has entered into it, and weak and fabricated hadiths have multiplied in the pages of books. If we do not say that most of them, many of them are not free from weak and fabricated hadiths. Therefore, the most obligatory thing that is obligatory upon students of knowledge today to turn to for study is the science of hadith. And with great regret, until recently we did not hear any mention of students of the science of hadith; that is because this science, over the years, did not have a notable status with the rulers, and consequently, the people of this science did not have a status with the rulers, or salaries, or jobs, or the like. But now, without doubt, we see a new launch for some of the youth in many Islamic countries; where they turn to the study of the science of hadith and the Sunnah. And the study of this science has two sciences, the study of the Sunnah has two sides.
The first side is what relates to it of the science of hadith with its principles and terminology, and with the knowledge of the biographies of its men and narrators. And the fruit of this is that the student of knowledge is able to judge any hadith he looks at with its chain; he is able, by means of this science – the science of terminology and the science of men – to judge that hadith with what it deserves of authenticity or weakness.
The second aspect, or the second science related to the science of hadith, is the science of usul al-fiqh (the principles of jurisprudence). The science of usul al-fiqh is a science that helps the student of knowledge to understand the words of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) and the words of His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) correctly, and to keep away from the doubts and problems that may arise for him. We see this happening frequently among many young people in all the countries I have visited; a hadith becomes difficult for them, even though there is no difficulty in it, because they have not studied this science, which is the science of usul al-fiqh. The science of usul al-fiqh consists of rules that the scholars established through their continued study of the Book and the Sunnah. Then they compiled these rules in books to make things easier for students of knowledge, leaving behind a vast heritage for those who came after them. This science in which they compiled these rules is called the science of usul al-fiqh. Thus, usul al-fiqh is what enables a person to understand the Book of Allah and the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). In fact, it is what should prevent him from diverting his understanding to anything other than this jurisprudence of the Book of Allah and the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). One relies on these two sciences to understand them: usul al-hadith to distinguish the authentic from the weak, and usul al-fiqh to help in understanding the Book of Allah and the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in a way that there is no contradiction between them.
It may be good to clarify this point by mentioning some examples. There is what is called in the science of usul al-fiqh "the explicit and the implied," or "the indication of the explicit and the indication of the implied." The scholars differed in this area, and the majority say that the indication of the implied is a proof just like the indication of the explicit. What is the explicit? And what is the implied?
The explicit is what comes to the mind of the person hearing the speech, and the implied is included in that speech but is not explicit. For example, our Lord (Mighty and Majestic) says: وإذا ضربتم في الأرض فليس عليكم جناح أن تقصروا من الصلاة إن خفتم أن يفتنَكم الذين كفروا And when you travel throughout the land, there is no blame upon you for shortening the prayer, [especially] if you fear that those who disbelieve may disrupt[An-Nisa 4:101]. His saying (Exalted is He): إن خفتم أن يفتنكم الذين كفروا [especially] if you fear that those who disbelieve may disrupt [or attack] you[An-Nisa 4:101] is explicit, and the verse does not indicate the permissibility of shortening the prayer except with the condition that fear is realized. وإذا ضربتم في الأرض And when you travel throughout the land[An-Nisa 4:101] means: you traveled. فليس عليكم جناح For [then] there is no blame upon you[Al-Baqarah 2:282] means: sin. أن تقصروا من الصلاة if you shorten the prayer with the condition: if you fear that those who disbelieve will fitna (try) you. So the implied meaning here is that the explicit is clear. The implied meaning of the text here is that if you do not fear that those who disbelieve will fitna (try) you, then you are sinful if you shorten the prayer while traveling. Is this implied meaning a proof? And if it is a proof, is it a consistent proof? Is its proof consistent? As for it being a proof, that is the position of the majority of scholars of usul, unlike the Hanafis. As for it being a consistent proof, the answer is that it is a predominant proof, not a consistent proof. Why? Why is it a proof based on the general predominant rule, and not a proof in some cases?
The evidence for the first point, that is, the evidence that the implied meaning is a proof, is this verse connected to the hadith that Imam Muslim narrated in his Sahih through a man from the Tabi'un (the generation after the Companions). He said to some of the Companions: "If I had met the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), I would have asked him." He said to him: "About what would you have asked?" He said: "I would have asked him about this verse which says: إن خفتم أن يفتنكم الذين كفروا [especially] if you fear that those who disbelieve may disrupt [or attack] you[An-Nisa 4:101]. We are now shortening the prayer and we do not fear the polytheists at all." He said: "I asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and I said: O Messenger of Allah—and perhapsThe questioner : it was 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him)—I said: O Messenger of Allah, why do we shorten the prayer when we are safe?" He said: "It is a charity that Allah has bestowed upon you, so accept His charity."
It is understood from this hadith that the implied meaning of the text is a proof. How so? Because if it were not a proof, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) would have said to the questioner: "You are taking the implied meaning of the text, and the implied meaning of the text is not a proof." The text indicates that if you fear that those who disbelieve will fitna (try) you, then there is no sin on you if you shorten the prayer. But if you do not fear, the matter is silent on it. This is the logic of the one who says that the implied meaning of the text is not a proof. But when we sawThe questioner : that he directed that question to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and did not say to him—as we mentioned—"You are understanding by the implied meaning of the text, and this is not a proof." Rather, we found that he approved his difficulty, and this difficulty that led him to ask him (peace and blessings be upon him), so he answered him with an answer that reassures him. So on one hand, he confirmed that your understanding is sound, where you understood that shortening is not permissible by the indication of this verse and its explicit meaning except with the realization of the fear, which is the condition. And you understood by the implied meaning that if this condition is not realized, then there is no shortening. So he confirmed him on this understanding. But he said to him—as if he were saying to him: "You were correct in your understanding of the verse, that it indicates that shortening in travel is not permissible except with the condition of fear. But Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) was generous to His servants, so He lifted this condition from them. And this is the meaning of his saying (peace be upon him): صدقة تصدَّق الله بها عليكم ؛ فاقبلوا صدقته A charity that Allah has bestowed upon you; so accept His charity."
So it is necessary that we study these two principles: usul al-fiqh so that we do not understand the Qur'an incorrectly. So this implied meaning here is the implied meaning of contradiction—contradiction of the condition. That Companion understood that it has an indication, and this indication gives that shortening in travel is not permissible as long as the condition is not present. And the Messenger—as we said—approved him. But he said to him: Our Lord was generous to His servants, so He lifted this condition, and it is a charity from Allah upon us. So our duty at that time is to accept the charity of our Lord (Blessed and Exalted is He) upon us.
I said: The implied meaning of the text, according to the majority, is a proof, but it is not a proof always like the explicit, but rather in the majority of cases. And that is because we find some texts in the Noble Qur'an that are also explicit, and they have an implied meaning; but this implied meaning was not acted upon. For example, Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) said: ومن يدع مع الله إلهًا آخر لا برهان له به And whoever invokes besides Allah another deity for which he has no proof[Al-Mu'minun 23:117]. So برهان له به for which he has no proof[Al-Mu'minun 23:117] is the explicit, and its reckoning is with Allah. But whoever claims with Allah another god, he has no proof; so it must be, according to the method of the implied meaning, that he does not have that ruling. It is said here: This implied meaning is not acted upon. And exactly like it is His saying (Exalted is He): لا تأكلوا الربا أضعافًا مضاعفة do not consume usury in repeated multiples. Its explicit meaning is clear, every person understands it. But its implied meaning is: there is no harm in eating usury multiplied. This is the implied meaning. So this implied meaning and that one are not said, and it is not permissible for a Muslim to adopt them. And that is because the evidence has established that all usury is forbidden, its little and its much. Until he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: درهم ربا يأكله الرجل أشدُّ عند الله - تبارك وتعالى - من ستٍّ وثلاثين زنية A dirham of riba that a man eats is more severe with Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) than thirty-six acts of zina. So a hadith like this and others like it in the prohibition of the small dirham made us not consider the implied meaning of His saying (Exalted is He): لا تأكلوا الربا أضعافًا مضاعفة do not consume usury in repeated multiples. And likewise, it has been established that there is no creator with Allah, and no god with Allah, certainly. And that everyone who claims that with Allah there is another god, his nature is that he has no proof with him. Some scholars express such an explicit meaning that has an implied meaning by saying that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) in both of the previous verses only spoke about the nature of the actual matter. What is the actual matter regarding the one who calls upon with Allah another god? He has no proof! What is the reality of the usury that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) prohibited in His Book? Its reality at that time was that they were eating usury multiplied. With such signs, the scholars understand and distinguish the implied meaning that is not acted upon from the implied meaning that is acted upon. This is an example of the examples that may be difficult for some minds of those who have not written, and have not studied anything of usul al-fiqh.
Similarly, the science of hadith must be studied in light of what we mentioned earlier regarding the knowledge of al-jarh wa al-ta'dil (the critique and vindication of narrators), and the knowledge of the principles of hadith science and its terminology. When is a hadith accepted from a narrator? When is it not accepted? How is it that a narrator is sometimes a trustworthy, authoritative, and precise person, yet in certain circumstances his hadith is not accepted? And sometimes he is not trustworthy or precise, yet his hadith is accepted? These are matters one finds in the science of terminology. When one studies and understands them, it will no longer be difficult for him to understand how the hadith of that trustworthy person became weak, and how the hadith of that weak person became authentic. Many beginners in this science are confused by this; therefore, we encourage whoever has the aptitude for seeking knowledge—first, a psychological aptitude, and second, a temporal and time-based aptitude—to focus on studying the science of the Sunnah through the two paths we mentioned: the principles of hadith and the principles of jurisprudence, which help in understanding the hadith. In this way, he will be able to receive the supplication of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), who said: من يُرِدِ الله به خيرًا يفقهْهُ في الدين He upon whom Allah intends to bestow goodness, He confers upon him an insight in religionSahih Muslim 1037a. This is clear, if Allah wills, because whoever cannot distinguish between a hadith and an authentic one—that is, who does not have the knowledge that enables him to distinguish the authentic from the weak—will mix things up, and he will mix up a great deal in the Shari'ah. Likewise, if he is ignorant of the principles of jurisprudence, it will be difficult for him to reconcile some verses and hadiths, or even some hadiths with other hadiths. Perhaps this is sufficient for now, so that we may turn to answering some questions, if Allah the Exalted wills.

The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.