I was recently told If this is so, then why is it necessary to have interpretors, scholars, and others who serve the role of helping people to understand what is obviously unclear to many. If it were clear, I would think that there would be no questions and certainly no differences. But we do see differences in Isalm, be it question about who is to be in authority after Muhammed's (pbuh) pasing, or the various schools of law, there isn't even agreement about the beginning and end of Ramadan.

Opinion's come to the fore in Islam all the time. A recent thread on LI showed that just in discussing what was appropriate and not appropriate for a Muslim to do in relating to non-Muslim family members at Christmas time. And both were able to produce ahadeeth to back up their various opinions. So, how is it that one can say that Islam is not a religion of opinions?

We need scholars for the intepretation of certain ahadith and surahs since these have been translated into English and have therefore lost their full meaning.

An important thing to note is this: the Quran was revealed in Arabic simply because Arabic was the only language that was powerful enough for the Quranic verses. Proof of this: look at the english translation - see how easy it is to get confused or point out ''mistakes'', without a scholar/imam's interpretation.

Now read it in arabic - not only does it sound cooler (seriously, suratul Kafirun sounds easily 10 times better in arabic than it does in english) but the meaning of the words is indeed far more meaningful.

Another thing to note is that society's vernacular has changed considerably from 1400 years back - certain words are phrased or interpreted far differently from way back when in addition to certain customs. Another reason for ''mistakes'' found in the Quran.

Indeed there are differences amongst muslims - minor cracks throughout. This is simply because as muslims we are not doing our job properly, we are not following Islam as it should be. This is not the fault of Islam, the Quran, the Prophets [peace be upon them] or Allah - it is the fault of muslims on the whole.

As for the comment about opinions; different situations will require different methods of dealing with them ergo different opinions.

Is Mathematics clear to you without education?
Yet even if you look at a complex equation without education you will not understand it and may interpret it or try to guess how it works. You might not understand a part of it and express an opinion that a certain part is wrong however a mathematician can correct you. Your confusion does not take away from the fact that the answer to the equation exists, is true and the formula just needs to be learned.

The scholars are the mathematicians in this case.
We are the students.
Islam is the mathematics.

I am not going to tell you that absolutely everything in Islam is clear, because there are parts that yes various scholars disagree on. But we also have been told that if we are in doubt to stay away from it. Or see if other principles exist which may apply.

Truth exists, people don't always see it or agree with it, but that doesnt detract from the fact it is there.

Islam is not a religion of opinions because the Quran is the foundation, the hadith are practical examples from the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa salam based on direct orders or principles from within the Quran.

That is why there is also a science in determining true and false and dubious hadith. But again some people are not educated on what is a true/false/dubious hadith..myself included!

And there are people also with agendas who wish to interpret things a certain way for their own benefit and try to convince others of the same. And there are people who make genuine mistakes in their understanding of something. Because they haven't been educated to the correct standard is the main reason really. Islam is not a religion of opinions, Muslims can from time to time project their opinions onto Islam.

The start and end of Ramadan is governed by the sighting of the new moon by the naked eye which varies all over the world.

When we see that there might be hadith to support both sides of an argument (such as Christmas) we should be looking to ensure are our quoted hadiths sound? Are they reliable? If they are, then are there other rulings on similar related topics to shed more light on the subject?


Am I making any sense

Its a fact that the hadith are clear,and about your question i can only say this.Its an established fact that 2 +2 = 4 but for a child to know it it requires a teacher.
So did Islam our mind is not mature enough to understand truly in a sense what God said. So Muhammad PBUH explained that to us as a teacher.

and as for opinions thing Muhammad PBUH said many if any question rises after He is gone . Muslims would be able to solve ot properly if they sit down together.This is called Qiyas and u can see it. eg there wasn't body transplants in that era so by establish facts from the quran. they create another fact. rg

Alchahol is haram cause it cause intoxication so all the other things which cause intoxications are also haram.

So it is encouraged in Islam by the prophet that if answer is not found in hadith u can find it indirectly in the Quran just do qiyas like the eg i gave u thanks.

Salaam/peace;


I guess , s/he meant men made laws can't change God's words & laws---something like that. Take that example : Quran prohibits alcohol , interest ( Riba ) , gambling etc.

So, no one can give opinion that these are allowed for Muslims. These will be banned till the last day.

Asking is encouraged in Islam . There is a verse in Quran that says , ask those who know.

Ans must be based on Quran & hadith. Anything that goes against Quran & authentic hadith can't be accepted as this is from God Almighty.

Arabic months follow the lunar calendar. So , there is a time difference ...where people see new moon , they start holy Ramadan , when they see new moon , they celebrate Eid. Where people cant' see moon , they fast one more day ...complete the 30 days fasting etc.

Muslims have no differences on the most major matter for salvation --God is one.

God has no partner , human being or angel must not be worshipped ---u won't see any different opinion about it in Islam


anyway, let's wait for ans from a more knowledgable person

peace

I disagree with the statement 'the ahadeeth are clear...', some hadith are clear, some are less than clear, and some are really obscure or difficult to grasp their meaning or point. Hadith scholars study the subject in depth for years and their knowledge of classical arabic has to be first-rate. it's not really appropriate for a non-arabic speaker to take an english translation of a hadith and draw any conclusions from that without learning what the scholars have said about it. Like the qur'an the context needs to be taken into account for example.

There is one hadith I always keep in mind in every situation, and it sums up this beautiful deen of Islam for me. From the collection of An-Nawawi - the Prophet pbuh said:

'Let there be neither harm nor reciprocating of harm'.

I look forward to seeing the replies to this thread insha'Allah. an interesting discussion.

peace

Lots of readers, but no responses. Do I need to get more specific, by giving some examples?

Hey,

Many Arabic words are homophones and synonyms, which is why it is sometimes difficult to get the exact meaning whether translated or through an attept to retrieve explicit description (which is how some opinions may incur).

Also, the Quran's verses aren't based just on the past and present events, but there are verses based on futuristic events and scientific advances that we still have not yet discovered because of our own lack of advancement in the scientific fields or simply because the time has not been perfected enough for them to be revealed yet. The same goes for some ahadith.

For every message is a limit of time, and soon shall ye know it." [6:67]

As far as I know, ahadith are really comprehendable.

Scholars of Islam with the intention of using their time and every ounce of potency they have to increase their own faith and knowledge of their religion to teach and call to others who may be astray, confused, or simply on the path of knowledge themselves are better than those who speak out of ignorance or societal logic, because that is what corrupts the soul. Not everyone wants to dedicate the time to become a scholar, so just because there are those who are willing to do so, doesn't mean the religion is confusing at all, it just means there are people who seek the guidance of those who are learned because they can't derive that knowledge by themselves for some reason.

You can use the same logic with a child learning something in school. Just because he doesn't get it, doesn't mean its not clear or that the answer isn't right...it just means the child needs to learn it through a different approach, or maybe the kid has some sort of inability to learn.

Muslims aren't just educated Arabs or experts in Arabic, therefore scholars are necessary to help those who are incapable or disadvantaged to learn about the practices of Islam purely...otherwise, how would some practices be preserved through all these years and practiced the same way or closely similar all around the world? They would have all been diminshed by now if it weren't for a few individuals.

Like what?

Islam is easy, if there was something that was unclear to many as you say, then its clarity is insufficent to the the people of this time and in no way should it corrupt their faith. If it does, then the frailty is from them.

We aren't perfect. The clarity is available for those who seek it and those who trouble themselves by continously asking questions beyond their comprehension of the answers will never find it. As far as I know, Islam is the only religion that is crystal clear in terms of every aspect of life and death. It answers the basic and most complex questions logically and chronologically. Just as long as the human being doesnt transgress the boundries, and believe me it would be obvious, then he should be alright. And if for some reason he transgresses out of ignorance, then it is forgiveable. So...I don't see a problem.

Of course there will be differences in the practice, and that was already foretold. You can't expect the people of a religion to remain on course in the exact same way when advancements (time, technology, society) are constantly changing around them, especially when the leader of the religion (peace be upon him) has died. That doesn't, by no means, mean that the religion of Islam has been separated through differences. It just means that the people have separated themselves with differences. Any madhab (school of thought) that is based on ahlul sunnah wa jama'ah is considered to be correct as long as the person doesn't transgress any of their teachings. The message of Islam is clear, some of its practices, however, are disputed when it comes to the point of reviving an action that hasn't been practiced for such a long time or hasen't been a practice at all in the first place because it wasn't necessary during sunnah times.

There's nothing wrong with opinions. People learn better when different views are around. However if the answer is direct, there is no need for them, the answer is already there and indisputable by any opinions...and this is where you need the scholars. Anyone can take out a few ahadith and put them together to make them sound good and right, but only the knowledgable can refer them properly with evidence through chronological order and Quranic references.

When there are conflicting choices, some Muslims bend the rules to satisfy a part of their desire and with that they use some sort of evidence to justify their intentions, in which case they hope for forgiveness incase anything goes wrong; and others just stray away from their desires completely and do what is best for their deen and iman to the point where the the conflict is nonexistant, in fear that what they choose to do will add to their sins and prevent them from gaining deeds. And the latter are the people who make the religion easy upon themselves.

peace

I think the problem is, many of us are unable to achieve the balance the predecessors had. Prophet Mohammed sala Allah 3lyhi waslaam, was able to establish a balance and have just the right dosage of everything and for every situation from work, to unwind time, to sports to the rights of neighbors.. those who were around him at the time carried it well from generation to generation..
Now we have many people who will take a part and not the whole, or reach a conclusion based on very linear thinking and very literal words without interpretation or much thought on how it fits into another situation..
Now we have so few scholars and many muftis and the problem is, some folks can't distinguish dajal from science. It is a part of the tribulations of the end.
I have a difficult time myself with many things, and I think, things should be rather easy on the account I am an Arabic speaker.. but thankfully I know where to go for help on really pressing matters..

Other than that prophet Mohammed(p) advised that 'amrokoum shura baynakoum' as in for grave matters to be discussed, not just take one random person's opinion. Thus if you have a large group agreeing to the same thing, it can be more evident to the senses which is the most sound judgement!

This is of course my personal interpretation of why things are the way they are!

peace...

Grace Seeker
Thank you for your good question. I like your inputs and feel they are very objective, cuz they sound they are meant for seeking knowledge and they are not for mere argument.

What has been said to you is correct, yet your output is correct as well.

As for the saying Islam is not a religion of opinion, I see as incorrect.

It should be clear that there are fundamental things that we cant have opinions upon. These are the bases of Islam; like God is one, belief in all prophets, belief in the hereafter, doing the good deeds, not to lie or kill innocent people. These things we cant have different opinions about.

But there are many other things that can have different opinions, and these things are not fundamental; like correctness of praying at home, giving charity in money or as seeds, etc.

Prophet's PBUH sayings and Quraan verses are very very clear even after more than 1400 years after they revealed, but we of course need scholars to illustrate, use as evidence, give expalnation, etc.

As for who has the authority to give opinions, of course this will be left for "scholars" and not anybody who has just read some books. Such scholars need to have extensive and deep knowledge of many branches of relgion science and Arabic language.

I hope I could be of assistance to you.

My best regards

You have misunderstood the statement or whoever explained it to you was not very clear and why not might have misunderstood the matter as well.

When we say that Islam is not a religion of opinions we mean that no one can speak of islam based on his mere opinion or upon his/her whims and desires.

Islam as every other religion has a foundation and this foundation is established based upon the word of God and the messenger of God.

Therefore this is the criterion and not the whims and desires or even honest opinions of people and as you know opinions differ therefore sure knowledge is not based upon differences but upon certainty and certainty in religious matters comes only from the Lawgiver.

The messengers cam to the human kind with matters that can not be arrived at by reason itself, yet they are not against reason. To some extent reason might grasp to some extent the reality of the matters but this is only in general sense thus it is necessary that revelation guides reason and thus they are in harmony.

As you say, opinions of people differ even upon the understanding of certain hadith and this is exactly why we are ordered to go back to the sources to check the matter in relation to it. Whatever complies with it is accepted and whatever opposes it is rejected.

This is the reality with all the messages brought by all the messengers of God without exception. However the religions other than Islam (Judaism and Christianity) have been less adamant on this and this is not a hidden matter for anyone who has studied and compared between them.

This is the only reason that we say that Islam is not the religion of opinions. But in the core of the matter every message from the messengers of God is not a message of opinions rather is a revelation and sure knowledge. Yet it does not contradict reason. However as reason is relative between people misunderstandings will happen and this is the reason that we limit opinions as reason is only a tool to understand the reality it is not a condition for it.

This matter is very broad and it would take a lot of time to explain it but I hope I have shed some light on it.

Hope this helped. Regards.