Faith & Reason, Emotion is not Enough

Bi ismillahir rahmanir raheem

assalamu alaikum

Faith & Reason Emotion is not Enough

By Faraz Rabbani

�When those bombs exploded in London, I felt my faith itself rocked,� confessed a friend of mine. Many people find their beliefs shaken by the flow of events, in their own lives or in society. Why? It would appear that most people�s religious commitment is based largely upon emotion� rather than knowledge, understanding, or spiritual realization. The danger with emotions is that they are fickle. The �heart� is termed qalb in Arabic because it is given to taqallub� �turning over completely�. Thus, a heart only emotionally attached to religion can suddenly find itself swept away by worldly concerns, or shaken and left without religious inspiration. The Prophet Muhammad (May God him and give him peace) said that, �Whomever Allah wishes well for, He gives deep understanding (fiqh) in matters of religion� (Bukhari 71, Muslim 1037). This fiqh (deep understanding) is knowledge that is coupled with understanding ��ilm is to know something; fiqh is to know something deeply, with understanding. Imam Nasafi, the great Hanafi jurist and exegete, explained that this deep understanding has a transformative effect�if true, it invariably results in action, for the one who truly understands acts in accordance with their realization. This acting�with the hearts and limbs �is likely to be consistent and steadfast, because it results from deep understanding. On the other hand, action based on the impulses of emotion is like student activism�one sees a flurry of activity for a period of time, and then it ends when one �moves on� in life with marriage, a career, and related concerns. Even more dangerous than loss of religious commitment is the losing of one�s very faith. Laqani says in his creed, fa kullu man qallada fi�t tawhidi / imanuhu lam yakhlu min tardidi, or �Whoever believes through mere following / Their faith is not safe from creeping doubts.� In the turbulent world we live in, many things can happen that challenge one�s beliefs. Faith based on emotional attachment to the way of one�s parents or community is easily eroded by creeping doubts. Often, these doubts grow because one is unable to respond to the intellectual and spiritual challenges one faces as an individual and citizen in a global community where Muslims live under questioning eyes. A similar thing often happens to Muslims in academia. It is no doubt important for Muslims to get involved in academia, and to be active participants in the intellectual debates of our age�whether related to Islam, or more general. However, when Muslims enter academia unequipped�but with the best of intentions and the noblest of goals�they put their religious commitment and very soundness of faith on the line. The challenges are not simple; and simple emotional attachment and religious goodwill isn�t enough. What happens time and again is that such Muslims either succumb to prevalent academic currents that run counter to basic Islamic understanding, or become disillusioned and fail to make a meaningful contribution. Imam Taqi al-Din al-Subki mentioned that there are three conditions for engaging in the study of scholastic theology: (a) sound knowledge of the religious sciences, to know what is right; (b) sharp intellect, to be able to reason soundly and engage others� arguments; (c) a strong religious practice, so that the intellectual challenges one faces do not spiritually drain and weaken one. These three conditions are critical for Muslims living in the modern world, if they wish to base their religious commitment on solid ground. The question arises: how is this done, realistically? Here, we have to turn to our tradition. The transmission of our religion and its preservation has been through studying with scholars, and keeping their company. This is the means of gaining knowledge with understanding�knowledge itself may be gained haphazardly through books, but understanding can�t. The Prophet (may God bless him and give him peace) said, �Knowledge is only through learning (ta�allum)� (Haytami, Majma �al- Zawa�id I.340, from Bazzar, with a trustworthy chain of narrators). Learning (ta�allum) entails studying under a teacher (mu�allim). This gives one understanding, a living example of the knowledge one gains, and also a guide to turn to when confused. After all, �Asking is the cure for confusion,� as the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) told us (Abu Dawud 336, Ibn Maja 572, with a sound chain). This means of learning also ensures that one�s understanding is well-rounded, and balanced�without the extremism of emotional calls to merely outward activism, for learning is a calming process that imbues one with the capacity for restraint and reflection. Living examples of piety and faith stir one towards spiritual transformation. And, ultimately, it is only the spiritual transformation that results from fiqh�deep understanding that results in consistent action�that sustains religious commitment. FARAZ RABBANI is a specialist on Hanafi jurisprudence and answers questions on Islamic law at Sunnipath.com

Guidance should be sought with Allah, there is none that can guide after Him.

rami wrote: Bi ismillahir rahmanir raheem Allah requires action from us for there to be guidance, this is the meaning behind Saydiah mariyams efforts during childbirth. Allah asked her to shake the trunk of the date palm tree so the dates could fall out, he asked her to act before he granted her the miracle of the dates falling from the barren. The trunk of these trees are not small and in no way could a women in middle of giving birth have the strength to shake it tothe extent that date fell out.

Yes He requires taqqwaa(fear, conciousness of Him). First taqwaa and the rest is to Allah,

33:70 Yaa(O), who have become secure(have faith) fear Allaha and speak a firm speech.

Ya ayyuha allatheena amanoo ittaqoo Allaha waqooloo qawlan sadeedan

He will better your works and forgive you your debts(sins), and whoever obeys Allaha and His sent one*, then he has achieved a magnificent victory.

Yuslih lakum aAAmalakum wayaghfir lakum thunoobakum waman yutiAAi Allaha warasoolahu faqad faza fawzan AAatheeman

So first taqwaa and the rest is to Allah.

 

  *sent one: he who was sent with the truth.

Bi ismillahir rahmanir raheem

Allahs relationship with his creation is real and active, he is always giving and guiding people, we have had 1400 years of Muslims being guided by Allah and him teaching them and through them they have preserved this religion with the knowldge he has given them. The fruit of Taqwa is knowledge and nearness to Allah and more knwoledge and more nearness to allah. As your knowledge of him and his deen Increases the closer you become to him and the closer you become to him the more knowledge you are given. this is a real relationship, one the prophets have had with Allah as well as his Awliyah.

Whoso obey Allah and the Messenger, they are with those unto whom Allas has shown favor, of the Prophets and the saints and the martyrs and the righteous. The best of company are they! (4:69)

"Those who strive hard in Us, We shall most surely guide them in our Ways" (29:69) and ittaqullah wa yu`allimukumullah ("Be aware of Allah, and Allah Himself will teach you" 2:282), and the hadith man `amila bi ma `alima warrathahullahu `ilma ma lam ya`lam ("Whoso acts upon what he knows, Allah will make him inherit a knowledge that he did not have").

The Shaykh al-Hakim al-Tirmidhi in the second chapter of his Adab al-muridin describes such striving as a kind of door which leads to nearness to Allah.

Imam Bukhari said: "The Knowers (al-`ulama') are the inheritors of the Prophets, that is: they have inherited (their) knowledge." The first part of his statement is actually an authentic hadith of the Prophet. Thus it is beyond anyone's reach to put limitations on the gifts Allah bestows on His Friends.

The inheritorship of the Prophet's knowledge by the great scholars is illustrated by al-Khatib's relation from al-hafiz Abu Nu`aym whereby Abu Nu`aym considered it incumbent upon all Muslims to invoke Allah for Abu Hanifa in their prayer due to his preservation of the Prophet's Sunan and fiqh for them. Another example is the following account about Imam Malik related by Ibn al-Jawzi in the chapter entitled "Layer 6 of the People of Madina" of his book Sifat al-Safwa:

Abu Mus`ab said: I went in to see Malik ibn Anas. He said to me: Look under my place of prayer or prayer-mat and see what is there. I looked and I found a certain writing. He said: Read it. (I saw that) it contained (the account of) a dream which one of his brothers had seen and which concerned him. He said (reciting what was written): "I saw the Prophet in my sleep. He was in his mosque and the people were gathered around him, and he said: I have hidden for you under my pulpit (minbar) something good -- or: knowledge --and I have ordered Malik to distribute it to the people." Then Malik wept, so I got up and left.

Observe the attitude of the awliya towards the meeting with the Prophet in dream and their strong belief both in the absolute credibility of such dreams and their particular contents. This one explicitly states that the Prophet has kept something good hidden for his Umma, and that he continues to give it through one of the greatly learned `ulama after his time.

Similarly Imam Ahmad cited in Kitab al-zuhd, also Ibn Abi al-Dunya, Abu Nu`aym, Bayhaqi, and Ibn `Asakir from Julays from Wahb ibn Munabbih who said: I saw the Prophet in my sleep, so I said: "Ya Rasulallah, where are the Substitutes (budala') of your Community?" So he gestured with his hand towards Syria. I said: "Ya Rasulallah, aren't there any in Iraq?" He said: "Yes, Muhammad ibn Wasi`, Hassan ibn Abi Sinan, and Malik ibn Dinar, who walks among the people similarly to Abu Dharr in his time."

The Prophet said: "There are some among Allah's servants who, when they swear by Allah, He vindicates them" (Bukhari and Muslim).

The above are a small number of Quotes relating to the matter. It would be wise if a person new the specifics of the methodology they are rejecting and the purpose it serves as well as its aplication.