The ‘Strangers’ in Islam are those wrongly characterised by critics as ‘modernising’ Islam or ‘liberalising’ it.
In fact, many of them – such as Javed Ahmad Ghamidi – are not trying to ‘reform’ Islam.
Rather they are seeking to ‘restore’ Islam to its original form.
Free of all the additions made due to misinterpretations over the centuries.
The ‘Strangers’
Such scholars are challenging many traditional aspects of religion, and ruffling many feathers.
Their views are therefore seen by many as ‘strange’. Even though, they actually represent true and authentic Islam.
These same strangers, were described in the Ahadith:
Islam began as a something strange and it will return to being strange, so blessed are the strangers.
Sahih Muslim 145
Abu Amina Elias summarises the traditions of the strangers as follows:
Scholars also explained the meaning of strangers as the disappearance of the correct understanding of Islam and the prophetic tradition (sunnah).
Al-Awza’i said:
أَمَا إِنَّه مَا يَذْهَبُ الإسلامُ وَلَكِنْ يَذْهَبُ أَهْلُ السُّنَةِ، حَتَّى مَا يَبْقَى فِي الْبَلَدِ مِنْهُم إِلاّ رَجُلٌ وَاحِدٌ
Islam will not disappear but the people of the Sunnah will disappear until none remain in any country except a single man.
Source: Kashf al-Kurbah 1/7
Islam itself will always exist outwardly in various forms and misguided sects, but the strangers will be the few who revive true Islam when misguided Islamic philosophies and ideologies predominate.
https://abuaminaelias.com/blessed-are-the-strangers-in-islam/
The Quran is the Criterion
I do not believe that Islam needs ‘reform’. To me, it is a perfect and timeless way of life.
However, we should always be willing to subject all our inherited beliefs to the touchstone of the Quran.
God’s book is the ultimate arbiter of what is and is not truly ‘Islamic’:
Blessed is He Who sent down the Criterion (of right & wrong) to His servant, that it may be an admonition to all creatures.
Al Quran 25:1
Is the Majority Always Correct?
There are some Hadith which state that the ‘great majority’ (Al Sawad Al Azam) ‘ of Muslims is always correct.
If this is the case, surely any minority or novel understanding of Islam, must be misguided?
Here is one such narration:
Anas bin Malik said:“I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: ‘My nation will not unite on misguidance, so if you see them differing, follow the great majority.’”
Sunan Ibn Majah 3950
I strongly recomend this brilliant article. It takes all the relevant Ahadith that talk about the ‘great majority’ or ‘Al-Sawad Al-Azam’ and demonstrates that they are weak and unreliably reported.
Scholars also cite the following tradition:
Ibn ‘Umar narrated that the Messenger of Allah(s.a.w) said:‘Indeed Allah will not gather my Ummah “ – or he said: “[Muhammad’s]Ummah upon deviation, and Allah’s Hand is over the Jama’ah, and whoever deviates, he deviates to the Fire.
Tirmidhi 2167
Al-Albani has classed this Hadith as ‘Hasan’ (fair) and Dar-As-Salaam as ‘Weak’ (see here).
Regardless, I have no objection to the text itself. It simply notes that the whole of the Muslim community will not agree on misguidance.
Allama Ghamidi explains:
… there is a world of difference between a mistake and straying into error and whatever is said in the Hadith relates to straying into error and not committing a mistake.
… Thus it is logically impossible that all the scholars, mujtahids and those at the helm of state affairs unite on a polytheistic belief .. or reject the messengerhood of Muhammad (sws) or deny the … Hereafter or deviate from …the prayer, the fast, the hajj, the zakah and animal sacrifice.
…However, there can be a mistake in understanding things which need deliberation or require ijtihad and it is also possible that all people of this ummah are unanimous in this mistake.
‘Consensus of Muslims’ Selected Essays of Javed Ghamidi
What does the Quran say about following the majority?
The Quran clearly forbids us from following the majority blindly. It warns us that most people are willing to believe lies and baseless speculation:
If you obeyed most of those on earth, they would lead you away from the path of God. They follow nothing but speculation; they are merely guessing.
6:116
Our Pious Ancestors
Like all peoples, Muslims generally have a deep emotional attachment to their ancestors.
Over time this respect makes it more and more difficult to differ from their views, or to consider them wrong about something.
The Quran condemns this attitude and associates it with idol worshippers:
But when they are told, “Follow what God has bestowed from on high,” some answer, “Nay, we shall follow [only] that which we found our forefathers believing in and doing.” Why, even if their forefathers did not use their reason at all, and were devoid of all guidance…
Al Quran 2:170
Rather than ancestor-following, Allah expects Muslims to study his book and seek knowledge for ourselves:
And do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge. Indeed, the hearing, the sight and the heart – about all those [one] will be questioned.
Al Quran 17:36
…Was not the covenant of the Scripture taken from them that they would not say about Allah except the truth, and they studied what was in it? And the home of the Hereafter is better for those who fear Allah, so will you not use reason?
Al Quran 7:169
Furthermore, Allah tells us that we are only responsible for ourselves.
Therefore we should not overly concern ourselves with what those who went before us did, or said:
Those are a people who have passed away; theirs is that which they earned and yours that which ye earn. And ye will not be asked of what they used to do.
Al Quran 2:141
Lessons from the People of the Book – Wrong Ijma is Possible
Unthinkingly following the majority, and blindly following one’s scholars can lead to major errors.
Take for example, Christianity.
How did Christians come to believe in Trinity or Original Sin and Atonement? Why was this never challenged by later scholars?
What about Jews?
Why did they universally deny Prophets Jesus and Muhammad (peace be upon them)?
The answer is obvious.
The argument from authority fallacy meant that it become almost impossible for later theologians or scholars to differ on these fundamentals from the Church Founders or Rabbinical Authorities.
The Quran referred to this attitude as ‘taking scholars as Lords beside Allah’:
They have taken their scholars and monks as lords besides Allah…
Al Quran 9: 31
The Quran warned us against becoming like the nations who preceded us (57:16). Whilst the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is narrated as foretelling that Muslims would repeat the mistakes made by the Children of Israel:
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “You will follow the ways of those nations who were before you, span by span and cubit by cubit (i.e., inch by inch) so much so that even if they entered a hole of a mastigure, you would follow them.”
We said, “O Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)! (Do you mean) the Jews and the Christians?” He said, “Whom else?”
Sahih Al Bukhari 7320
In view of this evidence, Muslims should avoid blindly following their scholars, past and present. Even where there is a supposed ‘ijma’ (consensus) about an issue.
Rather, they should give due weight to different opinions and choose the one that seems closest to the truth to them, regardless of whose opinion it is.
The best attitude to take is that of Imam Malik who said that everyone’s views may be rejected, except that of Allah’s Messenger.
The Example of the Salaf
What about the Hadith that describes the first three generations after the Prophet as the best?
Does this not mean we are bound to limit ourselves to what they are reported as understanding?
No it doesn’t. If it did then:
- Muhaddith Imam Bukhari should not have collected his Ahadith collection long after Imam Malik, who was one of the Salaf.
- Imam Shafi fundamentally diagreed with his own Teacher Imam Malik and set up his own school of Jurisprudence. According to the above perspective, this was wrong.
- A student of Imam Shafi, in turn set up his own school of Fiqh i.e. Imam Ahmad Bin Hanbal.
- Imam Abu Hanifa’s students Imam Muhammad & Qadi Abu Yusuf disagreed with him on many issues.
The first three generations saw the Ummah splinter into many different political and religious sects.
The Khwarij & Mutazila are regarded as heterodox by Sunnis. Yet they too were part of the Salaf in the broadest sense.
The Hadith of the Salaf, refers to the general moral decline of Muslims after the first generations.
Specifically it mentions those of later times who would lie while giving testimony:
“The best people are those of my generation, then those who come after them, then those who come after them. Then, there will come people after them whose testimony precedes their oaths and their oaths precede their testimony.”
Sahih Al Bukhari 6065
It is clear that this has nothing to do with issues of Fiqh, or understanding and interpretation of the Quran and Sunnah.
Later Scholars May Understand Better Than Earlier Ones
The Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings upon him) explicitly stated that those who heard his words indirectly, may understand them better than those present at that time.
In the blessed Farewell sermon, he is reported as saying:
“.. All those who listen to me shall pass on my words to others and those to others again; and may the last ones understand my words better than those who listen to me directly. Be my witness, O Allah, that I have conveyed your message to your people…
Farewell Sermon
It is thus clear that earlier generations may err in understanding a matter that may be corrected by later scholars.
Given the revolution in knowledge brought about by the invention of the printing press, air travel and the advent of the internet, it is now easier for scholars to access a far wider range of sources than the predecessors.
Thus, it is completely rational that later scholars will correct the errors, made in good faith, by earlier generations.
The Quran also indicates that many of its signs will only manifest with the passage of time, i.e. “in the horizons“.
Consequently, it will not do, to reject new understandings of the Quran and Sunnah, simply because early Imams did not ascribe to them.
What About Ijma?
Ijma refers to consensus. People sometimes claim that there is ‘a binding consensus or ijma’ of all scholars on an issue. On closer inspection, this often turns out to be false.
For instance it is claimed there is an ‘ijma’ on Music being forbidden. Yet we find that Imam Ghazali, Ibn Hazm and a number of Maliki Scholars disagreed with this view.
There is in fact no consensus about what consensus means! Nor is there any agreement on which ijma is actually binding. Dr Ahmad Shafaat, explains this beautifully here.
The Sunnah – The Only Binding Ijma
In reality, there is but one Ijma that can be substantiated. These are the Sunnah practices which have been accepted and passed down by every generation and all Muslim sects without disagreement.
Islam spread over a large part of the world during the first few decades after Prophet Muhammad (alayhi as salaam). The community also split into many sects and political factions. These were essentially cut off from one another.
As such, it would have been impossible for any practice to gain universal acceptance amongst Muslims, unless it was inaugurated by the Prophet (saw) himself.
Thus if a practice has been accepted by (gained Ijma from) all sects and passed on by practice (tawatur) it has gained the same status as the text of the Quran, and should not be questioned.
The Sunnah – The Rope of Allah
Allah commands believers to hold fast onto his rope and to be united.
The Ijma of the Sunnah is that very same rope, that unites all Muslims across time and space.
One of the worst aspects of Quran-only intepretations of Islam is that it allows each Muslim to define what Salah, Hajj, Sawm et cetera means for themselves.
This makes any kind of unity or uniformity impossible, contrary to the instructions of Allah to unite.
On the contrary the Ijma of all Muslims given in the Sunnah, ensures that all practical aspects of Muslim lives are largely the same.
It is this consensus which is the very life-blood of the Ummah and should never be undermined.
What the Ijma and Tawatur of the Sunnah Is
Allama Javed Ahmad Ghamidi, explains the contents and origin of the Sunnah:
The following portion of Islam has been given to us through the Sunnah:
Worship Rituals
i. The Prayer
ii. Zakah and Sadaqah of ‘Id al-Fitr
iii. Fasting and I‘tikaf
iv. Hajjand ‘Umrah
v. Animal Sacrifice and the Takbirs during the days of Tashriq
Social Sphere
i. Marriage and Divorce and their relevant details
ii. Abstention from coitus during the menstrual and the puerperal period
Dietary Sphere
i. Prohibition of pork, blood, meat of dead animals and animals slaughtered in the name of someone other than Allah
ii. Slaughtering in the prescribed manner of tadhkiyah by pronouncing Allah’s name
Customs and Etiquette
i. Remembering Allah’s name before eating or drinking and using the right hand for eating and drinking
ii. Greeting one another with al-Salamu ‘Alaykum (peace be to you) and responding with Wa ‘Alaykum al-Salam (and peace be to you)
iii. Saying al-Hamdulillah (praise be to Allah) after sneezing and responding to it by saying Yarhamukallah (may Allah have mercy on you)
iv. Keeping moustaches trimmed
v. Shaving pubic hair
vi. Removing the hairs under the armpits
vii. Paring fingernails
viii.Circumcising the male offspring
ix. Cleaning the nose, the mouth and the teeth
x. Cleaning the body after excretion and urination
xi. Bathing after the menstrual and the puerperal periods
xii. Ghusl-i Janabah
xiii.Bathing the dead before burial
xiv.Enshrouding a dead body and preparing it for burial
xv. Burying the dead
xvi.‘Id al-Fitr
xvii.‘Id al-Adha
This is all what the Sunnah is, and it can be said with certainty that there is no difference between it and the Qur’an as far as their authenticity is concerned.
Just as the Qur’an has been received by the ummah through the consensus of the Prophet’s Companions (rta) and through their perpetual recitation, the Sunnah has been received by it through their consensus and through their perpetual practice and stands validated like the Qur’an in every period of time through the consensus of the ummah. Consequently, there is no doubt or debate about it now.
Islam – A Comprehensive Introduction
Where Ijma went Wrong
Certain positions common to our Classical Scholars need to be reviewed in the light of the Quran.
Here are some of the relevant issues:
- The Punishment for Apostasy: Contradicts the Quran on freedom of belief.
- Punishment of Stoning Adulturers – the Quran prescribed 100 lashes not stoning.
- Polygamy without excuse – The Quran used it only as a measure to help Widows and Orphans.
- Permitting slavery and concubinage – The Quran sought to abolish both.
- Prohibition of music – not mentioned in the Quran and contradicted by authentic Hadith.
- Wrongfully allowing isolated reports to overule the mass-transmitted Quran and Sunnah.
- Misunderstandings regarding the status of women in Islam.
There are number of other matters where misinterpretations have been deemed sancrosanct, due to the support of many early Scholars.
InshaAllah over the coming months and years we will be seeking to present Islam, in its true unadultured form.
No matter how ‘strange’ it might seem…