Assalamu-alaikum
So the Fatwa committee answered your inquiry but provided no sources from Qur'an or Hadith? If what you quoted from them was the totality of their response, then the fact that no sources were cited is proof of a problem right there. I am not a scholar but I think it is fair to expect people in leadership roles (i.e. imams, leaders of halaqas, masjid committees, etc.) to be competent in being able to back up their decisions, interpretations, and recommendations from Qur'an and Sunnah.;
I agree that we must be responsible for our own actions. That may include our own lobbying to replace our ulema with more qualified ulema so that the "masses" are given the information they need to hear as opposed to the information they want to hear.
The above reply is the complete response - which, as you have correctly indicated - have 'no sources quoted from Quran and Hadith'.
^ And this is a completely fine, mashaAllah.
The reason why this is an acceptable response from a mufti stems from the following:
If, for example, a person suffers from a serious heart condition. What does he do?
-> He will obviously look for the best, and most qualified cardiologist in his area and consult him for appropriate advise and treatment.
Which means, that from the outset - before even walking into the cardiologists room - he is indirectly saying that: I accept this specialists knowledge, experience and good recommendations in the community, and this is the reason why I have chosen to consult him for this problem.
So, the cardiologist examines the person, and then gives him advice to take certain medications and that he will need a certain operation.
It will be good for the cardiologist to explain the persons medical condition to him, in the best and simplest way possible (for a lay-person to understand).....but if the patient were to ask for 'evidence' behind each and every medication or advice - will this be correct?
Of course not.
Why? Because, firstly the cardiologist will not have the time to do so.
And secondly: His advice is not based on information that he read from one/ two journals. Instead his conclusions are the result of years.....sometimes, decades of learning and experience.
Which means, that if the patient is asking for 'evidence' for each recommendation that is made by the cardiologist - he is actually saying that he does not trust this cardiologists decision (and he wants to verify it himself). It would be understandable if the cardiologist were to say: if you are not happy with my judgement, then you can go elsewhere....
For worldly matters, we may chose to get a 'second opinion'.
But when it comes to matters of deen, the teaching from our elders is that: Once you have chosen to contact a certain aalim (scholar) - it means that you already trust his knowledge and reliability (if not, then why would you contact him?).....and so, once a fatwa is provided, then we accept it, and practice upon it.
(if not, it results in 'shopping for fatwas', and following our desire for an answer that suits our limited understanding).
In this case, I trust the experience and the many, many years of study that this particular mufti has - and while it is possible for me to ask him to explain in more detail (for my own understanding) - it will be incorrect for me to doubt whether or not this fatwa is based on quraan and hadith.
(I realise that this is a long-winded reply, but in shaa Allah, it explains that we hold the knowledge that our elders have with respect and regard in shaa Allah.
Unfortunately, the current trend is for people to read a few articles on a topic, and then think that they are 'experts' in it.
Whereas, the advice of our ulema is based on many years of knowledge and from authentic sources in shaa Allah).
Further, there is no such thing in Islam as issues being heard in a "political lens vs. an Islamic lens." There is NO separation of church and state in Islam, none whatsoever. Either something is Islam or it is not Islam, period.
The point that was being made (and in the muftis reply) is that the civil wars that are currently occurring in many parts of the world, are not regarded as jihad by very many traditional scholars.
I certainly feel that salat, wudu, and matters of the heart are extremely important in Islam. But they are not the only things in Islam. We can't just focus on the parts of Islam that are convenient at the time and avoid the parts that are inconvenient because they might make people feel uncomfortable or involve an element of risk.
The description of the sisters hijab (or lack thereof) at your masjid, is a good example of
how much emphasis needs to be placed on reforming peoples hearts and matters of day-to-day ibaadat.
Unfortunately, very often, the ones who want to take to the streets in protest of, for example, insults to the prophet (sallalahu alaihi wasalam) and other matters - themselves, bear very little resemblance to his blessed manner.
Which is why, it seems acceptable to become passionate in 'defending islam' - by burning down property and other ways that are in complete contradiction to the teachings of islam......but there is little passion in following the sunnah of the beard, the prophet (saw) dress, men reading their daily salaah in jamaat, etc.
^ This stems from lack of knowledge and true love for the commands of Allah and His messenger (sallalahu alaihi wasalam)......but more knowledge and love for worldly affairs.
The key is balance. All relevant aspects of Islam in any given time or situation should be discussed and focused on. Yet from what I have experienced there is not a balance at all. Words such as "jihad" or "khilafa" or even "sharia" are so rarely mentioned it is almost as if they have become "dirty words." I am sure this is a result of post-9/11 fear of oppression and persecution. At least from my experience though we aren't even being educated at all on Syria or Egypt in my community. The masjids are literally dead silent as if they won't even speak the words "Syria" or "Egypt" almost as if those countries don't even exist. So nobody would know what are proper charities/causes to support or donate to. I'm not seeing anything about the issues on masjid websites, there are no physical handouts, flyers, postcards, etc. with information. Nothing at all. I'm not advocating people do or support illegal activity but I'm also not supporting the castration, emasculation, and total pacification of our ummah either.
The fiqh of jihad is a topic for itself (which is best held by those who possess true knowledge in this field)....
However, as mentioned above, many imaams and scholars do not view the current wars as a form of jihad.
It is best that we take our cues in these matters from our ulema (and not small factions within the community), and in shaa Allah, we will safe-guard ourselves from falling into error (remember, we are living in a time when there will be much division within our ummah. Many people will be saying many different things.
For us, as simple muslims to ensure that we remain on the straight path in shaa Allah, it is best to stick close to those knowledgeable and trustworthy in our communities).
I dont think it would be easy to extrapolate what is happening at your masjid to everywhere else (even within your region)....
In my area, our imaams and other muslim leaders do speak of the calamities in other parts of the world, by means of:
- Duaa that is made in congregation.
- Some time ago, our local masjid held a night of prayer and zikr for the victims of egypt and syria
- Our local jamiat does discuss global affairs on their website. This is their link:
http://jamiat.org.za/blog/category/news/
- Our local islamic radio stations holds many discussions about what is going on in many parts of the world.
- I constantly receive emails and sms alerts requesting donations for various relief projects: e.g. Gift of the Givers, Al Imdaad Foundation, etc (we just need to look out for reputable organisations and in shaa Allah, we can do our part - even if it is very small).
In other words, we may not find our imaams directly calling for support towards one group or another (as it is becoming increasingly difficult to identify who are the actual enemies to islam and who are not).
They hold positions of great responsibility in their respective communities, and so, there does need to be caution before passing any verdicts - that is often based on incomplete information, and for which, they will be held accountable for in the aakhirah.
(e.g. while Bassad is indeed a tyrant, there are also problems within the rebel groups as well......it really is not as clear as we would hope it to be).
But, at least in my part of the world, and I hope in many others, there are some attempts being made (no doubt, there is always room for improvement), to call the community to remember, make duaa for and support our brothers and sisters in all parts of the globe.
:wa: