Following the Sunnah and the Status of Reason

As Allah's servants and slaves, we have been endowed with intelligence that is limited and that must be used correctly in the appropiate spheres of life. Beyond that, we trust in Allah's revelation in the Qur'aan and Sunnah, as Sheikhul Hadeeth (rahmatullahi 'alayh) explains below.

It was always my view and the advice that I give to my friends that they should follow the Sunnat of Rasulullah (sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam) diligently, as long as it does not go contrary to their mazhab...

Some time ago I wrote a series of articles on the differences between the Imams, which was published in a monthly 'Al Muzahir' and continued to appear for as long as the monthly was published. In it, I indicated the reasons for the differences, together with examples. I also explained that even if for some reason or other, the statements of Rasullullah (sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam) appear outwardly not to be in accordance with our reason, accting according to them is compulsory. When one does not understand the reason, widsom or significance of a Hadith, the fault of not comprehending it should be attributed to our own lack of understanding.

Perhaps I have written somewhere about my youngest daughter, of the time when she was starting to read Qaida Baghdadi. She was only 4 or 5 when she read the lesson 'Aana - baana'. I liked this fight she had with her mother. She was perplexed that when Alif was added, the word turned out to be 'Aana', when Ba was added, it became 'baana', 'taana' etc. But why was it that when 'hamza' was added, it became 'aana' and not 'hamzaana'? She argued with her mother who could not answer her query and only said, "When your father comes home, you had better ask him." The child said, "I will just read it as 'hamzaana'".

In the afternoon the query was brought to me. All I could tell her was, "You are still a child. When you are bigger you will understand. Then you must ask me."

The other sister again wanted to know why it was that when milk is heated, cream forms on top of it.

I cannot understand why it is, that in the rules and regulations of Shari'at, each one of us looks upon himself as a clever research student. What we should actually do is that when something is not understood by us, we should tell ourselves that the rank of Nabuwwat (prophethood) is way beyond us. Our understanding and intelligence can never reach up to that level.