darwish@eng.umd.edu (Mamdouh Maher) (04/26/91)
Assalamu `alaykum. Brother Mohammad Fadel writes: > >The issue here is not one of questioning or not questioning; the problem is >the mode of questioning.[...] >[Knowledge of Allah is] the only knowledge praiseworthy in and of itself.[...] >This does not mean that everything else is worthless; al-Ghazali's point >was to show that difference of opinion on other issues, even issues of ritual >obligation, pale in comparison to the duty of believing in Allal (SWT) and >His messenger salla Allah 'alyhi wa sallam. [...] >The operative principle here is the assumption made by believers by virtue >of their being believers that Allah, SWT, knows best - 'asaa an tuhibbuu >shay@an wa huwa kurhun lakum wa 'asaa an takrahuu shay@an wa huwa khayrun lakum >Allah ya@lamu wa antum la ta@lamun - Perhaps you are a fond of a thing and >it is bad for you; perhaps you despise something which is better for you - >Allah knows while you know not. (I don't know the cite, but I think it's in >Baqara. I'm not sure, I also might have written it in reverse, i.e. "perhaps >you despise comes" first.) [...] You are correct on both counts. It is in Baqara 216, and takrahu comes first. >Finally, we must all thank God for His huda, guidance; He is the only source >of guidance. We must also hope that Allah guides not just Muslims, but every >one to Islam. I am sorry if my responses to your postings sounded like a disagreement. I do not disagree with any of the points you just made, I was mearly trying to clarify. I never thought you meant questioning is wrong; I only thought that you did not make that clear, so I clarified what I think was part of your message. The perception of Islam in the eyes of the non-Muslims and the perception of the scholars in the eyes on some Muslims has been distorted (intentionally) to such an extent that I try to be very careful in what I say, because most of the time, if what I say can be misunderstood, it IS misunderstood. May Allah bless all who honestly seek truth and grant them all the guidance of Islam. May Allah bless all who found truth and follow it. May Allah grant them all Iman. May He forgive us all our sins, He is the Most Forgiving. Assalamu `alaykum, Mamdouh Maher