What is the wisdom behind the caliphate being in Quraysh? And the Shaykh’s advice against exaggerating in seeking the wisdoms of legislation.
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : The hadiths that came regarding the caliphate being in Quraysh: what is the wisdom behind it and what is its impact on us?
The Shaykh : As for what the wisdom is, I am against those who ask about the wisdom. Do you know the reason? If you don’t know, I will explain it to you.
The questioner : We know.
The Shaykh: Good.
The questioner : Sometimes the wisdom is apparent, and sometimes it is not apparent.
The Shaykh : It is fine, but we do not support all questions, even if the wisdom is apparent. Especially the wisdom they mentioned regarding this hadith has passed its time, because they said that the Arabs used to submit to Quraysh, and Quraysh was like a person in a tribe who is the Shaykh, so Quraysh was like a tribe that is the Shaykh of the tribes, so they submitted to them. This was a political and legal connection at the same time. Now there are no Arabs and no Quraysh, and the situation is chaos, as you are seeing in one country. Therefore, I have explained to you more than once that I no longer feel comfortable directing such questions for many reasons that I will clarify. I personally may be asked about the wisdom in a text, and I answer, and another text, and I answer, and a third text, and I must not be unable to do so. These are the ones who were raised with me and grew up with me asking about the wisdom of things, so I answer them. One day I stand and say, "I do not know," and doubt enters them regarding this ruling that I am unable to explain, justify, and clarify its wisdom. So I found practically that this is a harmful thing. If the wisdom comes like this, off the top of my head, I have no objection, of course, and the Shari'ah is all wisdom. As for adopting a methodology as many Islamic writers do today, seeking the wisdom, the wisdom of legislation, until some of them have written some books, this is a very subtle and dangerous deviation. The important thing is that we say this is a legal ruling, the intention is to gather the Muslims on a person who has many qualities that are rarely found in the candidate for the caliphate. One of these qualities is that he is an Arab from Quraysh. What is the wisdom? It is possible that the wisdom was apparent before and is not apparent later. It is possible that it appears later, but it is upon us to apply the legal text. What remains of the important question in this question?
The questioner : The impact of this matter on the position of Muslims in the present age.
The Shaykh : This question is not as important as what are the conditions of the Muslim ruler, meaning the Muslim caliph. For example, is it valid for the caliph to be ignorant of the Shari'ah? Of course, the answer is no.
The questioner : Even if he is from Quraysh.
The Shaykh : That is the intention. If not, if he must be knowledgeable. Well, why do we hold on to what came in the text and forget other conditions? Is it permissible for him to be illiterate, not able to read or write? The answer is no. Is it permissible for him to be cowardly? The answer is no. Is it obligatory for him to be resolute? The answer is yes, he must not be weak in character. So here, where is this society that we dream of, where they make a balance? We have one who is from Quraysh, and one who is an Arab but not from Quraysh, and we have a third who is a non-Arab. By Allah, this one is from Quraysh but he is ignorant, this one is an Arab but he is knowledgeable. We have eliminated that one, we have screened with whom? With the Arab and the non-Arab. We also make a comparison between these two to see which of them has the greater set of the characteristics that the scholars stipulated must be present in the Muslim caliph, we nominate him for the caliphate, even if he is a non-Arab. But if we find the non-Arab and the Arab are equal, it is upon us to nominate the Arab. If we find the Arab is from a tribe other than Quraysh and a man from Quraysh are equal, but this one surpasses him in being from Quraysh, then he is the nominee. And we ask your permission, and may Allah reward you with good.
The questioner : Who would you nominate?
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : Who would you nominate?
The Shaykh : This is a question, ... how
Another questioner : Is it only in the caliphate or in the governorship in general?
The Shaykh : No, only in the caliphate.
The Shaykh : As for what the wisdom is, I am against those who ask about the wisdom. Do you know the reason? If you don’t know, I will explain it to you.
The questioner : We know.
The Shaykh: Good.
The questioner : Sometimes the wisdom is apparent, and sometimes it is not apparent.
The Shaykh : It is fine, but we do not support all questions, even if the wisdom is apparent. Especially the wisdom they mentioned regarding this hadith has passed its time, because they said that the Arabs used to submit to Quraysh, and Quraysh was like a person in a tribe who is the Shaykh, so Quraysh was like a tribe that is the Shaykh of the tribes, so they submitted to them. This was a political and legal connection at the same time. Now there are no Arabs and no Quraysh, and the situation is chaos, as you are seeing in one country. Therefore, I have explained to you more than once that I no longer feel comfortable directing such questions for many reasons that I will clarify. I personally may be asked about the wisdom in a text, and I answer, and another text, and I answer, and a third text, and I must not be unable to do so. These are the ones who were raised with me and grew up with me asking about the wisdom of things, so I answer them. One day I stand and say, "I do not know," and doubt enters them regarding this ruling that I am unable to explain, justify, and clarify its wisdom. So I found practically that this is a harmful thing. If the wisdom comes like this, off the top of my head, I have no objection, of course, and the Shari'ah is all wisdom. As for adopting a methodology as many Islamic writers do today, seeking the wisdom, the wisdom of legislation, until some of them have written some books, this is a very subtle and dangerous deviation. The important thing is that we say this is a legal ruling, the intention is to gather the Muslims on a person who has many qualities that are rarely found in the candidate for the caliphate. One of these qualities is that he is an Arab from Quraysh. What is the wisdom? It is possible that the wisdom was apparent before and is not apparent later. It is possible that it appears later, but it is upon us to apply the legal text. What remains of the important question in this question?
The questioner : The impact of this matter on the position of Muslims in the present age.
The Shaykh : This question is not as important as what are the conditions of the Muslim ruler, meaning the Muslim caliph. For example, is it valid for the caliph to be ignorant of the Shari'ah? Of course, the answer is no.
The questioner : Even if he is from Quraysh.
The Shaykh : That is the intention. If not, if he must be knowledgeable. Well, why do we hold on to what came in the text and forget other conditions? Is it permissible for him to be illiterate, not able to read or write? The answer is no. Is it permissible for him to be cowardly? The answer is no. Is it obligatory for him to be resolute? The answer is yes, he must not be weak in character. So here, where is this society that we dream of, where they make a balance? We have one who is from Quraysh, and one who is an Arab but not from Quraysh, and we have a third who is a non-Arab. By Allah, this one is from Quraysh but he is ignorant, this one is an Arab but he is knowledgeable. We have eliminated that one, we have screened with whom? With the Arab and the non-Arab. We also make a comparison between these two to see which of them has the greater set of the characteristics that the scholars stipulated must be present in the Muslim caliph, we nominate him for the caliphate, even if he is a non-Arab. But if we find the non-Arab and the Arab are equal, it is upon us to nominate the Arab. If we find the Arab is from a tribe other than Quraysh and a man from Quraysh are equal, but this one surpasses him in being from Quraysh, then he is the nominee. And we ask your permission, and may Allah reward you with good.
The questioner : Who would you nominate?
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : Who would you nominate?
The Shaykh : This is a question, ... how
Another questioner : Is it only in the caliphate or in the governorship in general?
The Shaykh : No, only in the caliphate.
And even if a black slave from Abyssinia were to rule over you
وإن ولي عليكم عبد حبشي
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.