Explanation of the Hadith: “You know best the affairs of your worldly life.” With a refutation of those who interpret it in an unfavorable manner.
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : The saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): This hadith is one of the ambiguous hadiths in the view of some people, as they claim that this hadith indicates that the Islamic religion does not organize economic conditions or what pertains to worldly affairs. They say this because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: .
So it was said to him: This is regarding the pollination of date palms, and they know better than the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) about its pollination, because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not know that. So he said to us: Between us and you is a fundamental jurisprudential principle, which is: The consideration is given to the generality of the wording, not the specificity of the cause.
And let us suppose that the cause is the pollination of date palms, but the consideration is given to the generality. So what do we say to him?
We say to him: This generality that you have claimed is not intended. The evidence for this is that the Noble Qur'an has organized economic affairs. In fact, the longest verse in the Qur'an, what does it all pertain to? It pertains to debt, and debt is part of what? It is part of economics. And there are many hadiths abounding with the fact that this is lawful and this is forbidden, and that riba (usury or interest) occurs in such and such, and riba occurs in such and such, and its manner is such and such.
And what is intended by the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): is definitely what pertains to trade, craft, work, and the like.
As for what pertains to rulings, to whom is its matter? To Allah.
Allah the Exalted said:[Ash-Shuraa 42:10]. And He said: [Al-An'am 6:57]. And He said: [An-Nisa 4:59].
As for trade and crafts, there is no doubt that people know best. Therefore, you will find the ignorant man who knows nothing of the religion making the best of manufactures, while the scholar who is among the most knowledgeable in the Shari'ah of Allah does not know how to make this, nor does he even know how to move it. This thing with us now is called a recorder.
If I wanted one of the students in front of me now to make its door only, could he or not?
And a disbeliever comes who does not know Allah and His Messenger, and he makes this or something better than it. This is the meaning of the hadith:. In what does it pertain? To trades and crafts and the like.
As for rulings, they are for Allah (Mighty and Majestic), whether they are in the devotional legal rulings or in the rulings that occur between people, such as contracts, covenants, and the like.
And because of this ambiguity, my brothers, some people have claimed that economics and its reform and organization take precedence over what the Shari'ah requires. So much so that they have made riba (usury or interest) lawful and said: Riba is divided into two categories: an exploitative category and an investment category.
So the exploitative is forbidden, and the investment is lawful.
What is the exploitative? He said: The exploitative is that in which the debtor is wronged and the riba (usury or interest) is doubled upon him, as the people of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance used to do. When the debt became due on the debtor, the creditor would say to him: Either you pay, or you increase.
So what does “pay” or “increase” mean? It means either you give me my debt, or I add something else to it, and we make the hundred two hundred, or the like. This is the forbidden riba (usury or interest).
As for the investment riba (usury or interest) in which both the taker and the giver benefit, this is lawful and not forbidden. It is the riba (usury or interest) that does not include injustice. He gave as an example the existing banks; their riba (usury or interest) is lawful because they are what?
You know best the affairs of your worldly life.
أنتم أعلم بأمور دنياكمYou know best the affairs of your worldly life.
أنتم أعلم بأمور دنياكمSo it was said to him: This is regarding the pollination of date palms, and they know better than the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) about its pollination, because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not know that. So he said to us: Between us and you is a fundamental jurisprudential principle, which is: The consideration is given to the generality of the wording, not the specificity of the cause.
And let us suppose that the cause is the pollination of date palms, but the consideration is given to the generality. So what do we say to him?
We say to him: This generality that you have claimed is not intended. The evidence for this is that the Noble Qur'an has organized economic affairs. In fact, the longest verse in the Qur'an, what does it all pertain to? It pertains to debt, and debt is part of what? It is part of economics. And there are many hadiths abounding with the fact that this is lawful and this is forbidden, and that riba (usury or interest) occurs in such and such, and riba occurs in such and such, and its manner is such and such.
And what is intended by the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
You know best the affairs of your worldly life.
أنتم أعلم بأمور دنياكمAs for what pertains to rulings, to whom is its matter? To Allah.
Allah the Exalted said:
And in anything over which you disagree - its ruling is [to be referred] to Allah.
وما اختلفتم فيه من شيء فحكمه إلى اللهThe decision is only for Allah
إن الحكم إلا للهAnd if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger
فإن تنازعتم في شيء فرده إلى الله وإلى الرسولAs for trade and crafts, there is no doubt that people know best. Therefore, you will find the ignorant man who knows nothing of the religion making the best of manufactures, while the scholar who is among the most knowledgeable in the Shari'ah of Allah does not know how to make this, nor does he even know how to move it. This thing with us now is called a recorder.
If I wanted one of the students in front of me now to make its door only, could he or not?
And a disbeliever comes who does not know Allah and His Messenger, and he makes this or something better than it. This is the meaning of the hadith:
You know best the affairs of your worldly life.
أنتم أعلم بأمور دنياكمAs for rulings, they are for Allah (Mighty and Majestic), whether they are in the devotional legal rulings or in the rulings that occur between people, such as contracts, covenants, and the like.
And because of this ambiguity, my brothers, some people have claimed that economics and its reform and organization take precedence over what the Shari'ah requires. So much so that they have made riba (usury or interest) lawful and said: Riba is divided into two categories: an exploitative category and an investment category.
So the exploitative is forbidden, and the investment is lawful.
What is the exploitative? He said: The exploitative is that in which the debtor is wronged and the riba (usury or interest) is doubled upon him, as the people of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance used to do. When the debt became due on the debtor, the creditor would say to him: Either you pay, or you increase.
So what does “pay” or “increase” mean? It means either you give me my debt, or I add something else to it, and we make the hundred two hundred, or the like. This is the forbidden riba (usury or interest).
As for the investment riba (usury or interest) in which both the taker and the giver benefit, this is lawful and not forbidden. It is the riba (usury or interest) that does not include injustice. He gave as an example the existing banks; their riba (usury or interest) is lawful because they are what?