We always hear from the scholars the phrase "The criterion is the generality of the wording, not the specificity of the cause." What does that mean, and what is the evidence for it?
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The questioner : We always hear from the scholars the phrase "The criterion is the generality of the wording, not the specificity of the cause". What does that mean? And what is the evidence for it? May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : The meaning is that when a text is revealed regarding a specific cause, the criterion is its generality. An example of this is the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-Mujadila 58:1] Then He said: [Al-Mujadila 58:2] Then He said: [Al-Mujadila 58:3] Here, the cause of the revelation of these verses was that a man pronounced zihar regarding his wife, and the woman came to complain to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) while he was in his chamber with Aisha. So the verses were revealed. The cause is specific, but the ruling is general.
In this story, Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "Praise be to Allah, Who has made His hearing encompass all voices. By Allah, I was in the chamber, and some of her conversation was hidden from me". She said (may Allah be pleased with her): "Praise be to Allah," and this is praise of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and a description of Him with perfection, that He encompassed the voice of this woman from above the seven heavens, while Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) was in the same chamber and some of her conversation was hidden from her. This is the truth: that Allah the Exalted hears the secret and what is even more hidden. If a man believes in that, he will undoubtedly guard his tongue and not speak except with what pleases the Lord (Mighty and Majestic) and what He has permitted, because he knows that every word he says, Allah the Exalted hears it from above the seven heavens. When that is the case, one must be cautious about letting the tongue run loose. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said to Mu'adh ibn Jabal: So the wise, intelligent believer should be cautious about letting his tongue run loose. How many a word has brought its owner into the Fire, may Allah protect us from it, and how many a word has brought its owner into Paradise. A man speaks a word that pleases Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and rises thereby to the highest degrees, and he speaks a word that angers Allah and falls thereby into the Fire. Perhaps the questioner now understands the meaning of the scholars' saying: "The criterion is the generality of the wording, not the specificity of the cause." For the two verses regarding zihar are comprehensive for everyone who pronounces zihar regarding his wife. Zihar is when a man says to his wife: "You are to me like the back of my mother." This means forbidding her with the most severe prohibition, because the back of the mother is among the greatest and most severe of the forbidden things. And Allah the Exalted said regarding this zihar: [Al-Mujadila 58:2] It is an abomination because the Shari'ah does not approve of it, and a lie because they lied; the wife is not like the back of the mother.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : The meaning is that when a text is revealed regarding a specific cause, the criterion is its generality. An example of this is the saying of Allah the Exalted:
Certainly has Allah heard the speech of the one who argues with you, [O Muhammad], concerning her husband and directs her complaint to Allah. And Allah hears your dialogue; indeed, Allah is Hearing and Seeing.
قَدْ سَمِعَ اللَّهُ قَوْلَ الَّتِي تُجَادِلُكَ فِي زَوْجِهَا وَتَشْتَكِي إِلَى اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ يَسْمَعُ تَحَاوُرَكُمَا إِنَّ اللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ بَصِيرٌThose who pronounce thihar among you [to separate] from their wives - they are not [consequently] their mothers
الَّذِينَ يُظَاهِرُونَ مِنْكُمْ مِنْ نِسَائِهِمْ مَا هُنَّ أُمَّهَاتِهِمْAnd those who pronounce thihar from their wives and then [wish to] go back on what they said - then [there must be] the freeing of a slave before they touch one another
وَالَّذِينَ يُظَاهِرُونَ مِنْ نِسَائِهِمْ ثُمَّ يَعُودُونَ لِمَا قَالُوا فَتَحْرِيرُ رَقَبَةٍ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ يَتَمَاسَّاIn this story, Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "Praise be to Allah, Who has made His hearing encompass all voices. By Allah, I was in the chamber, and some of her conversation was hidden from me". She said (may Allah be pleased with her): "Praise be to Allah," and this is praise of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and a description of Him with perfection, that He encompassed the voice of this woman from above the seven heavens, while Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) was in the same chamber and some of her conversation was hidden from her. This is the truth: that Allah the Exalted hears the secret and what is even more hidden. If a man believes in that, he will undoubtedly guard his tongue and not speak except with what pleases the Lord (Mighty and Majestic) and what He has permitted, because he knows that every word he says, Allah the Exalted hears it from above the seven heavens. When that is the case, one must be cautious about letting the tongue run loose. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said to Mu'adh ibn Jabal:
Shall I not inform you of the key to all of that? — after he had mentioned to him some of the laws of Islam — I said: Yes, O Messenger of Allah. So he took his own tongue and said: "Hold back this." Mu'adh said: O Messenger of Allah! Are we to be held accountable for what we speak? He said: May your mother mourn you, O Mu'adh! And what causes people to fall into the Fire on their faces, or he said: on their snouts, except the harvest of their tongues?
أفلا أخبرك بملاك ذلك كله -بعد أن ذكر له أشياء من شرائع الإسلام-؟ قلت: بلى يا رسول الله، فأخذ بلسان نفسه وقال: كف عليك هذا، فقال معاذ : يا رسول الله! أئنا لمؤاخذون بما نتكلم به؟ قال: ثكلتك أمك يا معاذ ! وهل يكب الناس في النار على وجوههم، أو قال: على مناخرهم إلا حصائد ألسنتهمAnd indeed, they are saying an objectionable statement and a falsehood.
وَإِنَّهُمْ لَيَقُولُونَ مُنْكَرًا مِنَ الْقَوْلِ وَزُورًاThe questioner : May Allah reward you with good.