Three Causes of Error: Lack of Knowledge, Deficiency in Understanding, and Bad Intention
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The Shaykh : Because the causes of error are three: lack of knowledge, and deficiency in understanding. These are two: first, that a person has limited knowledge and does not possess knowledge; second, that he has knowledge but his understanding is deficient. Many people have much knowledge but do not understand. The third cause is bad intention: a person has knowledge and understanding, but his intention is bad; he wants to misguide the creation and lead them out of the light into darkness, and to prevent them from the path of Allah. So these are three matters, all of which are causes of misguidance.
The first: what is it? Deficiency in knowledge; the person does not have awareness.
Second: deficiency in understanding. He has extensive awareness, but his understanding is limited; he does not understand the texts. Perhaps he understands them, but he does not derive issues and rulings from them. For this reason, you find that some scholars derive rulings from a verse, while other scholars derive ten, twenty, or even more rulings from the same verse. One scholar may derive twenty rulings, while another derives only five or three. The same is true with hadith.
The third: bad intention. A person has knowledge and understanding, but he does not have a good intention. He wants to misguide people and to imitate his fathers and scholars, even if they are on the path of falsehood. But if Allah grants a person extensive knowledge, penetrating understanding, and a good intention, let him be glad of good and glad of knowledge. How few are those whom Allah grants this, but the favor of Allah is vast. For this reason, we should, my brothers, always ask Allah to teach us what benefits us, to benefit us with what He has taught us, and to increase us in knowledge. Because these matters are important. Do not say, "I have attained knowledge." Knowledge is an ocean with no shore. Whoever says he has attained knowledge is the most ignorant of himself and the most ignorant of knowledge, because knowledge has no end. Sometimes a young student comes and says a word that is absent from the mind of one of the greatest people. He speaks a word that is absent from the person, not on his mind. This exists even in the time of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them).
The important point is that we say: issues that contradict the explicit text or contradict what the Salaf were upon cannot be left unaddressed. Rather, it is obligatory to deny them and clarify their invalidity. But wisdom must also be followed. How is wisdom followed? By speaking with your companion calmly and not intending to win for yourself and your opinion. Because if you intend to win for yourself and your opinion, you are not calling to Allah, but calling to yourself. You only want to win for the truth. You treat the one who has contradicted the truth in your view as if he is a sick person you want to treat, not as if he is a criminal you want to punish. Because there is a difference between the two views: between a person who looks at one who disagrees with him as a criminal he wants to punish, and another who looks at him as a sick person he wants to treat. For this reason, people’s methodologies differ in clarifying the truth and the correct in these matters. The successful one is the one whom Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) guides. But there is no doubt that gentleness brings more good than violence, as established from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). And if we treat people with this treatment, perhaps they will accept from us. But if we treat them with violence and say, for example, to one who says that the intended meaning of "hands" in the attribute of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) is power or blessing, it is not wise for me to say, "O innovator, O misguided, O distorter, you have erred." This is not wise. Rather, I speak with him calmly and with correct discussion, and I believe that, if Allah wills, everyone who wants good must be convinced by it.
The first: what is it? Deficiency in knowledge; the person does not have awareness.
Second: deficiency in understanding. He has extensive awareness, but his understanding is limited; he does not understand the texts. Perhaps he understands them, but he does not derive issues and rulings from them. For this reason, you find that some scholars derive rulings from a verse, while other scholars derive ten, twenty, or even more rulings from the same verse. One scholar may derive twenty rulings, while another derives only five or three. The same is true with hadith.
The third: bad intention. A person has knowledge and understanding, but he does not have a good intention. He wants to misguide people and to imitate his fathers and scholars, even if they are on the path of falsehood. But if Allah grants a person extensive knowledge, penetrating understanding, and a good intention, let him be glad of good and glad of knowledge. How few are those whom Allah grants this, but the favor of Allah is vast. For this reason, we should, my brothers, always ask Allah to teach us what benefits us, to benefit us with what He has taught us, and to increase us in knowledge. Because these matters are important. Do not say, "I have attained knowledge." Knowledge is an ocean with no shore. Whoever says he has attained knowledge is the most ignorant of himself and the most ignorant of knowledge, because knowledge has no end. Sometimes a young student comes and says a word that is absent from the mind of one of the greatest people. He speaks a word that is absent from the person, not on his mind. This exists even in the time of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them).
The important point is that we say: issues that contradict the explicit text or contradict what the Salaf were upon cannot be left unaddressed. Rather, it is obligatory to deny them and clarify their invalidity. But wisdom must also be followed. How is wisdom followed? By speaking with your companion calmly and not intending to win for yourself and your opinion. Because if you intend to win for yourself and your opinion, you are not calling to Allah, but calling to yourself. You only want to win for the truth. You treat the one who has contradicted the truth in your view as if he is a sick person you want to treat, not as if he is a criminal you want to punish. Because there is a difference between the two views: between a person who looks at one who disagrees with him as a criminal he wants to punish, and another who looks at him as a sick person he wants to treat. For this reason, people’s methodologies differ in clarifying the truth and the correct in these matters. The successful one is the one whom Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) guides. But there is no doubt that gentleness brings more good than violence, as established from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). And if we treat people with this treatment, perhaps they will accept from us. But if we treat them with violence and say, for example, to one who says that the intended meaning of "hands" in the attribute of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) is power or blessing, it is not wise for me to say, "O innovator, O misguided, O distorter, you have erred." This is not wise. Rather, I speak with him calmly and with correct discussion, and I believe that, if Allah wills, everyone who wants good must be convinced by it.