What is the difference between al-mudarā'ah and al-mudāhanah, and what is the Islamic ruling on each?

Al-Halabi : The questioner:The questioner : What is the difference between al-mudarā'ah and al-mudāhanah, and what is the Islamic ruling on each?

The Shaykh : The difference is known and recognized among scholars. Al-mudāhanah is to contradict the religion for the sake of al-mudarā'ah. Al-mudarā'ah does not involve contradicting the religion; rather, it is being gentle in speech first, and then avoiding clashing with or confronting an oppressor if doing so would lead to harm. This is the difference between al-mudāhanah and al-mudarā'ah. Al-mudāhanah requires contradicting the Shari'ah, and this is not permissible. Al-mudarā'ah is placing every matter in its proper place without contradicting the Shari'ah. For example, there is a saying well-known on people's tongues, and they often ask me about it. They say that the Messenger of Allah said: We answer that this is not correctly attributed to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him); rather, something similar is narrated from some of the Companions, perhaps Abu al-Darda'. However, close to it is what Imam al-Bukhari narrated in his Sahih from the hadith of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), that a man asked permission to enter upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he said: The man entered and sat with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he was cheerful and smiling toward him. When he left, and Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), who was the wise, intelligent, and believing woman, had been observing the beginning and end of the story, when he left she said: "O Messenger of Allah, when he asked permission to enter, I said: him; but when he entered, I was cheerful and smiling toward him?" He said: O Aisha, The explainers of the hadith say: This man was a hypocrite and was the chief of a tribe, and under his leadership were the weak believers. If the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had rejected him and not been gentle with him, perhaps his harshness would have returned as harshness toward or from him upon the weak believers and Muslims who were from his tribe. So this was a policy of the Messenger (peace be upon him) and al-mudarā'ah toward him, and it was not al-mudāhanah; because he (peace be upon him) did not say a word that contradicted the Shari'ah. This is the difference between al-mudāhanah and al-mudarā'ah. Yes.

The questioner : Our Shaykh, if you please, allow us to serve a cup of tea first.

The Shaykh : What time is it now? It is nine and a quarter. In a quarter of an hour, if Allah wills, we will finish, if you have no objection.

The questioner: No.

The Shaykh : May Allah reward you with good. Please proceed.
Al-Halabi : He saysThe questioner : The chapter on the oneness of the names and attributes is one of the delicate chapters in which the understanding of the minds of many people, both in the past and present, has delved. You see many people speaking about it without knowledge, and few of them speaking about it with knowledge. Among those who speak about it without knowledge are those who say that the verses of the names and attributes are of the ambiguous (mutashabih) that no one knows except Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). What is your statement regarding this? We ask for clarification. May Allah reward you with good.