im so utterly confused

[Ummu Sufyaan]

there just seems to be sooo much ikhtilaaf these days. one person is saying something is bi3ah and another is saying it isnt. i don't get it. i can accept a small difference such as whether saying "bismillah" is obligatory b4 wudoo or something, but not matters where some say certain acts of worship are bidah whilst others say that the same act of worship isn't. matters like that are huge and it confuses me as to why there would be such a difference. how do you know who is right when both have sufficient evidences to suggest so?

[Eric H]

Greetings and peace be with you Umm ul-Shaheed;

This is most confusing, the same God hears all our prayers, and somehow he listens to them through hundreds of diverse religions, each religion further divided into more sects.

My feelings are that we should try and change ourselves more than we should try and change other people. We search for what is right, but we are not scholars, somehow we just have to accept we are doing our best with the knowledge God has placed before us.

Which kind of means that if we are struggling to do the right thing, we have to accept that other people are also struggling, but in different ways, maybe we should not judge them.

In the spirit of praying to a just and merciful God

Eric

[mathematician]

Why don't you share some examples with us? Maybe we can help.

[alcurad]

but sister, evidence is never equal, rather lack of knowledge and the decline of good scholarship are the main culprit. not to mention there are so many people under so many different circumstances, it's only natural for confusion to occur.

[abu_musab461]

there just seems to be sooo much ikhtilaaf these days. one person is saying something is bi3ah and another is saying it isnt. i don't get it. i can accept a small difference such as whether saying "bismillah" is obligatory b4 the prayer or something, but not matters where some say certain acts of worship are bidah whilst others say that the same act of worship isn't. matters like that are huge and it confuses me as to why there would be such a difference. how do you know who is right when both have sufficient evidences to suggest so?

You should find a trust worthy scholar and seek knowledge and follow him, for he is your shield from hellfire as long as he obeys Allah and His messenger and the understanding of the companions..

[amna_mirza]

I agree with abu_musab461. Don't take everything you hear as a fact. Only believe what you hear from good sources. Always refer back to the Quran and the Sunnah.

[NoorInaya]

Asalaamu Alaikam,

This is why fiqh is so very important. We have people who are not giving importance to fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), and just coming up with their own "rulings" based how their either "feel" about a subject, or "understand" it.

Islam is a very in-depth, comprehensive religion (but not a hard one!). For that purpose, we should not just go along our own path, and figure things out on our own. When we refer back to the Quran and Sunnah (the ultimate source), we should do so with the understanding that we may not understand what we are reading. We should consult scholars and learned people of Islam (the ulema) to fully understand the position on an issue. Their findings and understandings are what become fiqh.

Also, as a couple of other people have already said, do not ever just listen to someone, and take their word. You should question EVERYTHING that you are being told. You don't have to question the person to their face (unless you are really good friends, I strongly recommend against doing this!), but definitely go check it out later.

I have learned more about Islam by doing this than anything else. People have told me some CRAZY things, and I would just smile, nod my head, and tell them thank you. Then I would hit the books, and start asking other friends if they had ever heard of that. That also got my friends to looking into it as well. Sometimes, the information is confirmed as being true and accurate, other times, it is not.

When you have a major issue where you are receiving conflicting information, always consult a scholar. Find books written by reputable scholars, and really dig in. Consult the Quran and Sunnah. Try to gain a good understanding of the subject.

inshAllah, Allah will guide you to what is right.

wasalaamz,

[Eric H]

Greetings and peace be with you abu_musab461;

You should find a trust worthy scholar

If only all scholars could agree, who do we follow when scholars disagree with each other?

In the spirit of searching for truth,

Eric

[Snowflake]

I think the differences are minor and they should not affect the purpose and essence of Ibadah. For instance, there is blessing in saying Bismillah before we do anything. Yet if scholars differ on whether to say it before salah, who do you follow if both provide daleel that you can't fault eitherway? Follow your heart. It is a sin to say Bismillah before salah? No. It salah accepted without starting with Bismillah? Yes. So if you can't find the answers, do what your heart feels. The heart is truthful right?

I do find some things confusing but I always follow my heart. And Allah is Merciful and Forgiving.

[NoorInaya]

I think the differences are minor and they should not affect the purpose and essence of Ibadah. For instance, there is blessing in saying Bismillah before we do anything. Yet if scholars differ on whether to say it before salah, who do you follow if both provide daleel that you can't fault eitherway? Follow your heart. It is a sin to say Bismillah before salah? No. It salah accepted without starting with Bismillah? Yes. So if you can't find the answers, do what your heart feels. The heart is truthful right?

I do find some things confusing but I always follow my heart. And Allah is Merciful and Forgiving.

Very well stated, mashAllah! You are exactly correct. Just follow your heart. The differences are minor generally, and inshAllah, you will not be misled as long as you go with a reliable scholar.

It's when we start doing things because, "my dad told me," or "my uncle, who has made Hajj like a dozen times, so he must know his stuff told me," that we can run into making serious errors. Don't just listen to "the man on the street."

wasalaamz,

[Snowflake]

It's when we start doing things because, "my dad told me," or "my uncle, who has made Hajj like a dozen times, so he must know his stuff told me," that we can run into making serious errors. Don't just listen to "the man on the street."

True. And not to go offtopic, but this is also exactly why, biddah has been going on from generations and generation of muslims in the pak/indian sub continent.

[Abdu-l-Majeed]

The heart is truthful right?

No, it's not (unfortunetly?).

[Z-Blade]

,

No, it's not (unfortunetly?).

Not exactly true bro, as:

Al-Nawwas bin Sam'an, radiyallahu 'anhu, reported that the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, said:<B>

"Righteousness is good character, and sin is that which wavers in your heart and which you do not want people to know about."

[Muslim]

</B>

According to Wabisah bin Ma'bad, radiyallahu 'anhu, who said:<B>

I came to the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, and he said: "You have come to ask about righteousness ?" " Yes," I answered. He said: "Consult your heart. Righteousness is that about which the soul feels tranquil and the heart feels tranquil, and sin is what creates restlessness in the soul and moves to and fro in the breast, even though people give you their opinion (in your favour) and continue to do so."

[A good hadith transmitted from the Musnads of the two Imams, Ahmad bin Hanbal and Al-Darimi]

</B>

From here: http://fortyhadith.iiu.edu.my/hadith27.htm

Sister Umm ul-shaheed, the best advice I can give you is ask Allah for guidance, sincerely and truly. And when you read Surah Al-Fatihah, really ask Allah with all your heart to keep you on Seeratul Mustaqeem. And then inshaAllah you will no longer be confused :').

Wassalam.

[NoorInaya]

True. And not to go offtopic, but this is also exactly why, biddah has been going on from generations and generation of muslims in the pak/indian sub continent.

It happens in every culture/region, unfortunately. I know of Arabs who also practice bidah for the same reason. For some reason, people just seem to notice it among South Asians.

[Zafran]

salaam

Yeah there will always be these new argumnets coming about - when in the past they were not a problem. However I seriously believe that the difference are not huge although some people like calling everything BIDA. Those guys are preety annoying.

peace

[Salahudeen]

but aswell as bid'a there's difference of opinion in other things like prayer timings, Hanafi school of thought says Asr is when the shadow is double the length and shafi school says Asr is when shadow is same size as object.

So how are you meant to know which 1 is correct, the prayer can't have two timings right??

and are all the people who are praying according to the Hanafi madhab praying late???

and are all the people who are praying Asr according to Shafi madhab praying too early so it's not accepted??

This is what confuses me and in 1 madhab certain things are halal and in another their not so how do you know which is the correct opinion to follow.

And the thing is they both have their evidences, both could give you proof with hadith backing their case, so how do you know

And I sometimes wonder how can there be a difference of opinion on something so big as Asr prayer time

and then there's rafiyadain in Hanafi madhab they have hadiths against it and in shafi madhab they have hadiths for it, so how do you know which is correct to follow

would be grateful if some 1 could explain and enlighten me plzzz.

[MSalman]

as-salamu 'alaykum

the laypeople (awam), like ourselves, is not suppose to be concerned about which mathahab to follow and which mathahab is the correct. The awam has no mathahab and we are obliged to ask the people of knowledge, the scholars, regardless of which mathahab they belong to. We do not have the tools to understand the shariah and weigh the opinions of scholars; therefore, we ask the trustworthy scholars. Hence we are to choose the scholars which we trust the most and they are known for knowledge, piety and being upon the aqqeedah of Ahlus Sunnah. We need to make sure that we do not follow them in their errors and that is when it is known to us by other trustworthy scholars. This solves the issue of worrying about ikhtilaf and all that.

As an awam this is max that we can do and have done our best to follow the haqq and Allah Azza wa Jal will forgive us for our shortcomings. The ulama were trying to find haqq (truth) and they did not come up with things out of blue. There are some valid differences and some invalid. When it is known to us that there is difference of opinion then we refer to those scholars who refer back to the Qur'an, the Sunnah and understanding of the Salaf.

Our Stance Towards The Differences Amongest the Scholars - by Ibn Uthaimin
http://forums.islamicawakening.com/f...s-thought-262/

and Allah knows best

[Salahudeen]

So does that mean if we're following the wrong ruling and praying Asr at the wrong time Allah won't hold us accountable?? Or if we do something that is haraam in 1 madhab and it's not haraam in another we won't be held accountable for it??

[MSalman]

as-salamu 'alaykum

brother, you do not know whether you are following the wrong ruling or not. We are asked to do two things:

1 - You are not to worry about this ikhtilaf and simply ask the scholar which you trust and is known for knowledge and piety. So you follow whatever he says given that you are satisfied with his answer and if not then ask another scholar. So you do till you are happy with the answer and simply follow it. Off course, this does not mean we look for lenient opinions or ask scholars who are known for lenient opinions or bidah.

2 - If it is known to you that what you have learned is incorrect then you follow that which is correct. This is known as trajih by layman.

Suppose we were following an incorrect opinion, but by doing the above two we did our best to follow and find the truth and since we were ignorant of the actual the truth then insha'Allah we will not be accountable for it.

I will quote you similar questions and answers by a student of knowledge and I hope this helps insha'Allah:

If a person would like to study fiqh, does he have to chose a madhhab? Is there anyway to study Usool ul fiqh without following a particular schools principles?

He should chose a madhab to study, not due to usul, but due to fiqh itself. Usul, you can pretty much study from any madhabs.

People say that there are "valid" opinions, such as the ones stated above. How do we know what is a valid opinion and does it not have to have authentic evidence behind it?

There are some opinions that not only the scholars criticised, but actually fiercely attacked, such as those who allow the drinking of wine, riba al-fadhl, music, etc. These are the opinions a person should stay away from. These are called the genuine errors, or slips of the scholars.

Im right in thinking arent I , that if a jahil, non scholar comes to you nad says 'here this hadeeth is sahih follow it' that he should not be followed, after all, most of these people dont even know arabic and have never checked one hadeeth isnad right?

Depends. If the issue is of difference of opinion, and you do not know which of the opinion is or is not right, then yes, you can conveniently say to the brother: ‘thank you’, and move on.

But if you know of no difference over an opinion, but it is in fact something very new to you; for instance, you do not know whether or not to drink while standing up, and someone tells you of a hadeeth, then you should act on the hadeeth.

Your excuse for not acting on the hadeeth is only when you know that there exists another opinion, and therefore, the issue involves more than just a hadeeth.

What now if you hear a scholar give you a hadeeth which is contrary to a opinion of what your scholar said.

Don’t forget the golden rule of the Prophet – SallAllahu ‘alaihi wa-sallam: Ask your heart, even if they give you fatwa after a fatwa.

If you feel in your heart that the scholar who quoted to you the hadeeth has a stronger argument, then you should follow his fatwa. If, for some reason, you do not trust him with respect to his knowledge of hadeeth and fiqh, then you should simply put your trust in the scholar you think is more knowledge and has more taqwa.

OR do you take that hadeeth, and take it to sheikh Abdullah, and see what he has to say on it?

What if Sh Abdullah has now reply to the hadeeth, should you follow the other scholar?

Yes, fatwa is not binding upon a person, so you can easily go to the other Shaykh and mention to him the hadeeth.

If the Shaykh thinks you are intellectually able to handle a fiqhi discussion, then he may decide to discuss with you. Otherwise, he is under no obligation to give you a detailed response, and likewise, you are under no obligation to follow all of his fatwas. You follow the fatwa of them one you feel your heart is settled on.

The bottom line is, so long as you have done your job – i.e. asked a qualified mufti, you are free in the sight of Allah. (meaning, in Allah’s judgement, not that Allah does NOT have a sight!)

I find it preferable to follow one Imaam, rather then going to many, I like to stick to hanbali fiqh...is there anythingw rong with that? After all I find them more precise and if I follow many opinions, then I get confused.

There is nothing wrong with that, but you will make your life difficult for no reason. Imagine, if you are travelling from city to city, and you have decided to stick to the hanbali madhab, what if you cannot locate a Hanbali mufti? What would you do? Why go down that wrote anyway, when your obligation is simpler, just ask any mufti.

If now we must follow scholars irrespective of their madhab, then in the UK, where we have so many schools, wouldn't that lead to catastrophy? so in one instance, you ask for the ruling about touching a woman, and then one scholar gives you a hanafi opinion, then on another instance, you ask about where to pray with your hands, so the shafii scholar says, pray on your chest.

So following Hanafi opinion with respect to touching a woman, and shafi’i opinion with respect to placing the hands between your chest and the navel (and not on the chest), would cause catastrophe? How is that?

Source and more clarification here and an answer to blind taqleed in issues of tawheed here

and Allah knows best

[Salahudeen]

jazkallah khair brother very helpful you have been