Discussion of the division of Islam by some people into husks and kernels, focusing on the kernels while neglecting the husks, and clarification of the error and danger of this statement

The Shaykh : ... which, if neglected or not attended to, leads to many harms. As we have mentioned repeatedly, this is from his saying (peace be upon him) at the end of the hadith: And what increases the bitterness and sadness in the soul is that some Islamic groups today not only give no weight to such important legal principles, but they go further in their speech by saying that these are husks and we must focus on the kernels. This is, in reality, one of the greatest calamities that have befallen many young people in the present age. Because if this distinction or differentiation between the husk and the kernel were a matter of the Shari'ah, it would require scholars of the Shari'ah to distinguish between the two and classify them, just as the jurists distinguished between the obligatory (fard) and the recommended practice (sunnah). This is the view of the majority of jurists, and the Hanafis in particular distinguished between the obligatory (fard) and the mandatory (wajib). So this distinction between the obligatory and the recommended practice undoubtedly requires knowledge of the Shari'ah, its Book, and the Sunnah of its Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). So it was possible for the scholars, if it were true that there are husks in Islam in addition to the kernel, for who is able to distinguish between the husk and the kernel? It is the scholars. And who says that we should not focus on the husks today and that we must focus on the kernel? It is the ignorant.

The questioner : They are the husks.

The Shaykh : Huh, they are the husks. Therefore, the result of this is the destruction of Islam, because we will say to you: you say such and such is a husk, but how do you know? Perhaps it is the kernel. And what you call the kernel, how do you know? Perhaps it is a husk. And both of the two categories, the one opposed to the kernel and the one opposed to the husk, are both present today. Many creedal issues, when raised, cause them to become agitated and say, "Let us leave the disputed issues for now." But which issue is not a disputed issue? So what is the benefit of this detail? If we speak about the kernel, they say, "Let us leave this; it divides the ranks and divides the gathering." And if we speak about what they call the husk, they say, "These are husks, we do not want them for this time." Even though Allah (Mighty and Majestic), as He was wise in His creation of everything He created, was also wise in everything He legislated. When He created humans, He created the male and the female. And when He created many, if not all, for I am not a specialist in agriculture, when He created the fruits and the grains, He created for them a husk and a kernel. Was this creation by Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) in vain? Far from it. So if He placed in the Shari'ah, according to the expression of those people, a kernel and a husk, this creation was not in vain either, but rather for a wisdom. And just as the wisdom in the first creation, namely the fruits and grains and the like, is very clear, for without the husk the kernel would spoil, so it is exactly the same in the Shari'ah. And pointing to this reality, there are hadiths from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), among them in the Qudsi hadith: And so on. And in another hadith, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: In another hadith, he (peace be upon him) said: So voluntary acts of worship are not permissible for a Muslim to do without; this voluntary worship which those people call the husk, because in that lies the loss of the kernel and its waste.