Discussion of the proponents of free thought who claim that they do not contradict the Book and the Sunnah.

The questioner : If you would allow me, Shaykh?

The Shaykh : Please.

The questioner : Salvation lies in following the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), which is suitable for all times and places. We find that some opinions and contemporary ideas in this age say, yes, the Shari'ah is suitable for all times and places, but we lack the proper dealing with this Shari'ah. They expand the door of unlegislated public interests and expand the door of jurisprudential principles that stipulate, for example, matters of ... .
Abu Malik: ...

Another questioner : ... analogical reasoning.

The Shaykh : No harm, let him express what is in his heart.

The questioner : Yes, they call it the term "free thought," Shaykh. They say, yes, we are from the people of the Sunnah and the community, and the source of reception is the Book.

The Shaykh : If Ajaj says so, may Allah make it in its proper place, that he is from the people of the Sunnah and the community, if Allah wills.

The questioner : May Allah reward you, Shaykh. And perhaps they do not deviate from it, if Allah wills, but there is an expansion in ... before us.
Abu Layla : If you would allow me, young men.

The Shaykh : No, please.

The questioner : They intensify their study and expand in the door of the principles of jurisprudence and in studying the principles established by those before us from the Salaf (may Allah have mercy on them) to suit the age. This is called free thought, which does not deviate from the Islamic Shari'ah, if Allah wills. So I do not know, Shaykh, what is your view on this methodology?

The Shaykh : Why do they call it free thought when, as you have quoted from them, it is not free but is restricted by the Book and the Sunnah? Is this naming correct? If it is correct, it is a statement that contradicts itself; its beginning contradicts its end, and its beginning contradicts its end. This is one point. The second, and perhaps the last, is: are they actually studying the Book and the Sunnah so that this would be a guarantee for them in applying what they claimed regarding the naming of free thought in what does not contradict the Book and the Sunnah? Is that not what they say?

The questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh : Their thought is free on the condition of not contradicting the Book and the Sunnah. Are they truthful in practice in applying this principle they established, despite the conflict and contradiction in it, as I mentioned just now? One of them might say, yes, we study the Book and the Sunnah and do not present a free opinion that contradicts anything from the Book and the Sunnah. It is easy for any claimant to make a claim, but the matter is as that old poet said: "And claims, unless you establish proofs for them, their offspring are claimants." It is easy for a person to make a claim: "And everyone claims a connection to Layla *** And Layla does not approve of that for them." So the report must be truthful; the report must be truthful. They must show us what confirms to the Muslims that they are truthful in their claim that in their progression to what they called free thought, they claim they do not contradict the Book and the Sunnah. They must present to the Islamic world what would lead them to believe their claim. And I am certain that they will not be able to find a way to do so. This is because we may believe them that they studied the Book and the Sunnah, and all Islamic sects study the Book and the Sunnah, because they are, in appearance, all in agreement, and I mean what I say: in appearance, they are in agreement that the Qur'an is as the Lord of mankind said: And that all the sects, I say some of the other sects, claim that there is a lost, missing Qur'an, the Mushaf of Fatimah, as you must know, three-quarters of the Qur'an, they claim it is in the lost Mushaf of Fatimah. The point is, they may claim that they study the Qur'an, but we ask: do they study the Qur'an based on the statement of Blessed and Exalted is He, addressing the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in His saying: And are they with us, I mean with the people of the Sunnah and the community and all Islamic sects that consider the Sunnah to be the second source after the Noble Qur'an? Do they interpret the saying of the Exalted: meaning by the Sunnah that gathers His saying, His doing, and His approval? Perhaps they will say, yes, we are with you. We will say finally, and they will show that they are not with us in practice. Did they study the Sunnah on the methodology of the people of hadith and the Sunnah? Did they study the chains of narration? Did they study the science of the critique and vindication of narrators? Did they study hundreds, thousands, of the narrators of the Sunnah and know the rank of each narrator among them, his history, his truthfulness, his memorization, his connection with those he narrates from, his disconnection from them, and so on? Do you think they did that? I am asking you now, do you think?

The questioner : Regarding the study, I mean, they say that in authenticating hadiths and weakening them, we refer toThe Shaykh : Nasser!

The Shaykh: Allahu Akbar.

The questioner : Yes, this is his specialization and field.

The Shaykh : This reminds me of the Tahrir Party when I was debating them in Damascus. I would say, "O people, you want to establish the state of Islam, and this is the book by Taki al-Din al-Nabhani (may Allah have mercy on him) which he called, an old book, 'The System of Governance in Islam.'" You have done well. You establish rulings on weak hadiths that have no basis. How do you want to establish the state when your constitution for the state is not yet clear to you? And I would say, and I would say, the research is long, and so on. You return to me and consider me an opponent, and you accept my testimony that this hadith is authentic and this hadith is weak. These people, if this is the statement I quoted just now, it is proof of what we said just now: they did not study the Book in light of the Sunnah, nor did they study the Sunnah in light of the science of hadith, the terminology of hadith, and the critique and vindication of narrators. Therefore, these people mean by free opinion the breaking away from the rulings stipulated in the Book and the Sunnah, and the authentic Sunnah.