The necessity of adhering to the rulings of the Shari'ah after reaching puberty
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Your Eminence! Some people, when you speak to them about following the straight path, say to you: "Religion is in the heart, not in outward forms." And they say that a man does not adhere to or follow the straight path until he reaches the age of forty, arguing that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was not sent until after the age of forty! The Shaykh: There is no god but Allah! The questioner: So what is your opinion, O Shaykh?
Our saying: We agree with him in his statement that taqwa (mindfulness of Allah) is in the heart, and faith is in the heart;But we say to him: the one who said: "(Taqwa is here)" is the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him),It is he who said: "(If it is sound, the whole body is sound, and if it is corrupt, the whole body is corrupt)", so the corruption of the outward is a sign of the corruption of the inward. Then, if this corruption is a cause of exiting Islam, the inward has exited Islam. And if it is not a cause of exiting Islam, there is a sickness in the heart, but it does not reach the level of disbelief.
So we answer him with what he used as evidence,We say: You said: "Taqwa is here," and we say: The one who said: "(Taqwa is here)" is the one who said: "(In the body there is a morsel; if it is sound, the whole body is sound, and if it is corrupt, the whole body is corrupt, and that is the heart)".
So the corruption of the outward is proof that there is affliction in the inward. Did you understand? What does the second point say?The questioner: That he does not follow the straight path until he reaches the age of forty.
The Shaykh: As for this, we say: This is a great error. Yes, the completion of forty years brings the perfection of the strength of the mind and the body, but as for legal accountability, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) says: "(The pen is lifted from three: from the sleeper until he wakes up, from the child until he reaches puberty, and from the insane until he regains his sanity)". So the limit is puberty. Whenever a person reaches puberty and is of sound mind, he is obligated with what is obligated upon the one who is forty years old, the one who is fifty years old, and the one who is less than that. However, it is recommended in such a case that he be brought before the authorities so that they may call him to repent. If he repents, well and good; otherwise, they deal with him as this statement requires. This statement is very serious.
Our saying: We agree with him in his statement that taqwa (mindfulness of Allah) is in the heart, and faith is in the heart;But we say to him: the one who said: "(Taqwa is here)" is the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him),It is he who said: "(If it is sound, the whole body is sound, and if it is corrupt, the whole body is corrupt)", so the corruption of the outward is a sign of the corruption of the inward. Then, if this corruption is a cause of exiting Islam, the inward has exited Islam. And if it is not a cause of exiting Islam, there is a sickness in the heart, but it does not reach the level of disbelief.
So we answer him with what he used as evidence,We say: You said: "Taqwa is here," and we say: The one who said: "(Taqwa is here)" is the one who said: "(In the body there is a morsel; if it is sound, the whole body is sound, and if it is corrupt, the whole body is corrupt, and that is the heart)".
So the corruption of the outward is proof that there is affliction in the inward. Did you understand? What does the second point say?The questioner: That he does not follow the straight path until he reaches the age of forty.
The Shaykh: As for this, we say: This is a great error. Yes, the completion of forty years brings the perfection of the strength of the mind and the body, but as for legal accountability, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) says: "(The pen is lifted from three: from the sleeper until he wakes up, from the child until he reaches puberty, and from the insane until he regains his sanity)". So the limit is puberty. Whenever a person reaches puberty and is of sound mind, he is obligated with what is obligated upon the one who is forty years old, the one who is fifty years old, and the one who is less than that. However, it is recommended in such a case that he be brought before the authorities so that they may call him to repent. If he repents, well and good; otherwise, they deal with him as this statement requires. This statement is very serious.