The Shaykh mentioned the danger of taking some of the religious sciences from other nations and the permissibility of benefiting from them in worldly sciences.
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'Aid al-Abassi: And we know that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) warned of the danger of that and cautioned against it. Sufficient for us in indicating that is the hadith of 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) when he wrote pages from the Torah, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saw them and asked him about them. He said, "It is that he had a Jewish friend, and he copied from him some pages from the Torah." The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) became very angry. So he (peace and blessings be upon him) declares that there is no guidance except the guidance that came from his Lord, and it is not permissible for anyone to be followed, to be an imam, to be a role model, or to be one from whom guidance is taken and followed, except the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). This indicates that it is not permissible for Muslims to take their religion, their guidance, their direction, their morals, or any of the ideas, concepts, values, and behaviors from any other nation. What is the reason for that? The reason is that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) brought guidance to them in its entirety and distinguished them with complete favor. They are not in need of other guidance, nor are they in need of the direction of other people. Allah (Mighty and Majestic) informed them that He has perfected their religion and completed His favor upon them and has chosen Islam as their religion. [Al-Ma'idah 5:3] So whoever turns to a path other than the path of revelation brought by Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) believes, by the concept of the path, that the guidance of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) is not sufficient! And that there is other guidance and better good that can be sought among other nations. The consequence of this is disbelief, even if many do not understand it or intend it.
So this text alone is sufficient to warn against turning to the paths of other nations and their guidance in their ideas, beliefs, morals, and values. And naturally, this does not include worldly matters, lest someone say that Islam has restricted minds and narrowed ideas. For the various sciences are common... among other nations, and we cannot neglect or be pleased with what foreigners and non-Muslims bring in terms of scientific advancement and civilizational superiority in some eras. This is true. Worldly knowledge is not specific to Muslims, and the human mind works, and other nations work and rise. Civilization and worldly scientific progress, as it is said, is exchanged among nations. One day it is the share of this nation, and one day of that nation, and they all... move, work, and build this material civilization. In the aspect of knowledge, our Lord (Glorified and Exalted is He) has not... forbidden us from taking from them the pure industrial worldly knowledge, such as agriculture, chemistry, physics, and astronomy. But with the condition that nothing from these sciences and these innovations contradicts what Islam brought us. Because there are, among the innovations of science and... matters that we may find contradict Islam, so it is not permissible for us to accept them. Because Islam is truth, and no doubt or suspicion touches it. These sciences are human production, and they are from... people who are prone to error and correctness, and they are not free from motives and desires. Therefore, if the clear, explicit, and definitive legal text requires a scientific theory or modern ideas, our trust must be in what came to us from Allah and His Messenger, and nothing else. We must prioritize it over these matters... of the others.
I said there is no harm in accepting these sciences with this condition. Our basis for that is the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the famous hadith, which is the hadith of pollinating the palm trees. Its essence is that when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came to Madinah, he found the people of Madinah pollinating the palm trees. He asked them what they were doing, and they said, "It is something we are accustomed to." He said, So they left it, and their fruit decreased. They informed the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) of that later, and he said, or as he (peace and blessings be upon him) said.
So there are two matters, or... religious matters that include beliefs, morals, ideas, concepts, values, culture, and etiquette. These must not be accepted except through... and we must not take them except from the path of the true, correct revelation brought by him (peace and blessings be upon him). And there are purely worldly, social, and scientific matters, and it is permissible to take them from them, indeed it is obligatory, but with the previous condition that we do not take what contradicts what came to us through the true revelation and through the path of the Seal of the Prophets (peace and blessings be upon him).
We return to this Salafi call to say.
Are you going to be in doubt as the Jews and Christians were in doubt? By Myself in Whose Hand is your soul, if Musa ibn 'Imran were alive, he would have had no choice but to follow me.
أمتهوكون أنتم كما توهكت اليهود والنصارى والذي نفسي بيده لو أن موسى بن عمران كان حيا لما وسعه إلا أن يتبعنيThis day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion.
اليوم أكملت لكم دينكم وأتممت عليكم نعمتي ورضيت لكم الإسلام ديناSo this text alone is sufficient to warn against turning to the paths of other nations and their guidance in their ideas, beliefs, morals, and values. And naturally, this does not include worldly matters, lest someone say that Islam has restricted minds and narrowed ideas. For the various sciences are common... among other nations, and we cannot neglect or be pleased with what foreigners and non-Muslims bring in terms of scientific advancement and civilizational superiority in some eras. This is true. Worldly knowledge is not specific to Muslims, and the human mind works, and other nations work and rise. Civilization and worldly scientific progress, as it is said, is exchanged among nations. One day it is the share of this nation, and one day of that nation, and they all... move, work, and build this material civilization. In the aspect of knowledge, our Lord (Glorified and Exalted is He) has not... forbidden us from taking from them the pure industrial worldly knowledge, such as agriculture, chemistry, physics, and astronomy. But with the condition that nothing from these sciences and these innovations contradicts what Islam brought us. Because there are, among the innovations of science and... matters that we may find contradict Islam, so it is not permissible for us to accept them. Because Islam is truth, and no doubt or suspicion touches it. These sciences are human production, and they are from... people who are prone to error and correctness, and they are not free from motives and desires. Therefore, if the clear, explicit, and definitive legal text requires a scientific theory or modern ideas, our trust must be in what came to us from Allah and His Messenger, and nothing else. We must prioritize it over these matters... of the others.
I said there is no harm in accepting these sciences with this condition. Our basis for that is the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the famous hadith, which is the hadith of pollinating the palm trees. Its essence is that when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came to Madinah, he found the people of Madinah pollinating the palm trees. He asked them what they were doing, and they said, "It is something we are accustomed to." He said,
If you had not done it, it would have been better.
لو لم أن تفعلوا لكان خيراIf I come to you with... If I inform you about a matter of your religion, take it. And if I inform you about a matter of your worldly affairs, you are more knowledgeable about your worldly affairs.
إذا جئتكم عن، إذا حدثتكم عن أمر من أمور دينكم فخذوا به وإذا حدثتكم عن أمر من أمور دنياكم فأنت أعلم بأمور دنياكمSo there are two matters, or... religious matters that include beliefs, morals, ideas, concepts, values, culture, and etiquette. These must not be accepted except through... and we must not take them except from the path of the true, correct revelation brought by him (peace and blessings be upon him). And there are purely worldly, social, and scientific matters, and it is permissible to take them from them, indeed it is obligatory, but with the previous condition that we do not take what contradicts what came to us through the true revelation and through the path of the Seal of the Prophets (peace and blessings be upon him).
We return to this Salafi call to say.