Re: To our Christian members
Asalaamu Alaikum,
I refer to scholars but i don't take their rulings to be a commandment from Allah unless they cite where Allah commanded it. But more importantly I don't tell other people that Allah commanded this or that, when in fact it is a ruling from a scholar.
Brother scholars are not trying to take their rulings as the command of Allah. They are simply issuing thir verdicts using evidences from the Qur'an and Sunnah. As i have said to you before how can the Qur'an contain EVERYTHING? If it did then it would be too big and heavy to even carry and probably take a lifetime to read. The fact is Allah included everything that he needed to in the Qur'an and this is sufficient. The Sunnah is also from Allah as mentioned in the Qur'an so that is our other source where scholars derive thier rulings from. Scholars ONLY use that which is from Allah to derive their rulings not from their own desires. This is what you must realise. Therefore by referring to scholarly verdicts i am only doing what Allah commanded the lay people to do in the Qur'an and that is to refer to those with knowledge.
You cited a scholar that answered yes to the question "is it haram to say merry christmas" (post #21). Then you made the statement that we should not acknowledge the celebrations of any non-muslim festivals (#59).
Instead of indicating that it is advisable for muslims not to do it. You indicated that muslims should not do it. And you based that commandment on the judgement of scholars. It is your position that scholars can make an absolute commandment like that and say that it is according to islam (submitting to the will of Allah). Or in other words you think that their commandments are according to the will of Allah.
That is because i take the view of the vast majority of scholars on this issue that we must NOT acknowledge the celebrations of any non Muslim and i stick to that view which i am entitles to do. Scholars are allowed to issue verdicts and fatwas on matters which are not clear from the Qur'an and Sunnah based on their knowledge and understanding of the Qur'an and Sunnah. They do not claim and never have done that any of their verdicts have the same weight as verses from the Qur'an or hadith. This is your own assumption.
Therefore you have taken the commandment of a scholar to be an absolutely true commandment.
In other words, you are taking a scholar's commandment to be the commandment of islam. And you think that it is haram not to follow this commandment.
In other words, you are taking a scholar's commandment to be the commandment of Allah.
You have just repeated the same thing several times. I take verdicts from scholars as every other Muslim has done for the past 1400 years. Again It does not mean that i am holding scholars verdicts to be of the same weight as verses from the Qur'an or hadith and scholars also do not imply that for again that is your own assumption and lack of understanding about scholarly verdicts which i recommend you research and look up in order to gain to clarification on this matter .
What I'm trying to tell you is that no man can derive a new ruling and say that this is a commandment of islam or Allah. What the scholars can do is relate their opinions. They can't "forbid" a certain act. They can just say, "i think it would be better if...".
What scholars do is as i have mentioned to you before they use their knowledge and understanding from the Qur'an and Sunnah and issue verdicts and fatwa's accordingly, deeming a matter either permissable or impermissable and they are entitled to their opinion as long as they have sufficient evidence either way and good reason to give such a verdict.
Allah says in the quran to say: "Shall I seek for judge other than Allah. - when He it is Who hath sent unto you the Book, explained in detail."6:114
Let us look at a more detailed translation of this verse:
Say to them O Muhammad: "Shall I choose a judge besides Allah when it is He Who makes and gives the law
whereas all other judges only interpret it? It is He Who has sent down -the Quran- distinctly expressing all that is meant leaving nothing merely implied," .Ahl al-Kitab know it is Allah's sent Book in all truth. Therefore, do not let O Muhammad those who hide the truth and contend with opposing arguments influence your feelings or put you in doubt.
Note the highlighted. All scholars do is interpret it as best they can using their knowledge and understanding of the Qur'an and Sunnah.
In post #59 you adamantly asserted that NO scholar (and you capitalized no) will say that you can greet christians with merry christmas. And you said that your view is unanimous and the consensus. I proved to you that that is not true.
Consensus means the vast majority and the vast majority do hold the view that it is not permissable and you have also admitted that this view is the majority one. All you proved was that there were a few scholars that take the other view but they count as a very small minority.
Now you claim that the "vast majority" of scholars support your point of view. In light of your earlier mistake, how can I believe this claim? I do believe that the majority of scholars agree with your point of view. But I first need proof before I can accept that it is a "vast" majority or that only a "few" scholars are of a differing opinion.
That is upto you to research and examine both views and evidences and decide which is more weighty in accordance with the Qur'an and Sunnah.
And you say that it "may be acceptable" to be inclined towards another point of view.
Yes as long as you do not follow that view according to your own desires or understanding but actually look at both views and evidences weighing them up and taking the view you are inclined towards after studying both properly and choosing the one you think has most weight behind it. As with any difference of opinion one should always look at the stronger opinion on any matter and take the precaution.
Is it acceptable or not? If the lay man is too ignorant to make his own judgements about what is right or wrong without scholars what is he to do when the scholars differ? What do the scholar's commandments come to then? Is the action haram according to islam or halal? I gues it is as you said. Scholars are human and they make mistakes.
Yes of course they make mistakes for they are not infallible and we as lay people will not be held accountable for following scholarly opinions as long as we did so weighing up evidences and going towards what we thought had more weight in accordance with the Qur'an and Sunnah and even Scholars won't be held accountable long as their intentions were good and they did the best they could with the evidences they had. Allah knows best and as the verses stated that you pasted he is the judge of all judges.
So is it againts islam to wish christians a merry christmas? Is it against the "will of Allah"? or is it simply something that many scholars advise not to do and therefore a muslim can choose to take that advise or leave it?
Scholars issue their verdicts on the evidences they have seen and weighed up from the Qur'an and Sunnah and issue their verdicts and fatwas accordingly. It is upto us to research those views properly and then take the view we feel has the best evidences for but not those we just desire to follow without a particular reason as that would just be following ones desires and not following the view that holds most weight in accordance with the Qur'an and Sunnah.
And Allah knows best in all matters
