WEBVTT 00:00:00.240 --> 00:00:09.599 A summary of the concepts of the Ahl al-Sunnah. 00:00:09.599 --> 00:00:13.599 Wherever the law of Allah is found, there lies the true interest. 00:00:13.599 --> 00:00:21.820 Whatever Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, has legislated in His Book and upon the tongue of His Messenger, peace be upon him, 00:00:21.820 --> 00:00:24.820 whether it be obligatory or recommended acts, 00:00:24.820 --> 00:00:28.820 or permissible, prohibited, or disliked acts, 00:00:28.820 --> 00:00:35.850 He, the Glorified, legislated them only for the benefit of humanity and their welfare in this world and the Hereafter. 00:00:35.850 --> 00:00:40.850 Thus, wherever the law of Allah is found, there lies the true interest. 00:00:40.850 --> 00:00:45.060 Interests in the balance of the Sharia. 00:00:45.060 --> 00:00:50.149 Interests in the balance of the Sharia are of three types: 00:00:50.149 --> 00:00:54.149 Recognized, nullified, and unrestricted (masalih mursala). 00:00:54.149 --> 00:00:59.579 Recognized interests: 00:00:59.579 --> 00:01:05.579 These are interests that the Sharia has attested to by accepting and validating them through specific evidence. 00:01:05.579 --> 00:01:08.579 It has legislated a ruling to realize them. 00:01:08.579 --> 00:01:12.579 These are interests that cannot be rejected, 00:01:12.579 --> 00:01:16.579 and there is no disagreement regarding the legitimacy of adopting and implementing them. 00:01:16.579 --> 00:01:18.620 Examples of this include: 00:01:18.620 --> 00:01:20.620 The interest of preserving life, 00:01:20.620 --> 00:01:23.620 for which the ruling of retaliation (qisas) was legislated. 00:01:23.620 --> 00:01:26.620 The interest of preserving wealth, 00:01:26.620 --> 00:01:29.620 for which the cutting of the thief's hand was legislated. 00:01:29.620 --> 00:01:31.620 The interest of preserving the intellect, 00:01:31.620 --> 00:01:34.620 for which the prohibition of intoxicants was legislated. 00:01:34.620 --> 00:01:38.620 And so on, to the end of such examples. 00:01:38.620 --> 00:01:44.340 Nullified interests: 00:01:44.340 --> 00:01:48.340 These are interests that the Sharia has attested to by invalidating and rejecting them. 00:01:48.340 --> 00:01:50.340 Examples of this include: 00:01:50.340 --> 00:01:55.340 The interest of earning wealth through usury (riba), gambling, or games of chance. 00:01:55.340 --> 00:02:00.340 The Sharia has invalidated these by prohibiting both usury and gambling. 00:02:00.340 --> 00:02:05.340 Likewise, the perceived interest in banning polygamy 00:02:05.340 --> 00:02:11.340 due to the expected harm arising from problems and jealousy between a woman and her co-wife. 00:02:11.340 --> 00:02:15.340 The Sharia has disregarded this interest and did not consider it, 00:02:15.340 --> 00:02:18.340 in order to realize a higher interest, 00:02:18.340 --> 00:02:22.340 which is the increase of offspring, the facilitation of chastity, 00:02:22.340 --> 00:02:24.340 and the protection of the soul. 00:02:24.340 --> 00:02:28.330 Unrestricted interests (masalih mursala): 00:02:28.330 --> 00:02:34.900 These are interests for which no specific evidence has come in the Sharia to either validate or nullify them. 00:02:34.900 --> 00:02:38.900 They are "unrestricted" from the constraint of being explicitly recognized or nullified. 00:02:38.900 --> 00:02:43.900 However, they contain a meaning suitable for a ruling to be legislated for them. 00:02:43.900 --> 00:02:47.900 Furthermore, they fall under the general principles of the Sharia 00:02:47.900 --> 00:02:51.900 regarding the consideration of interests and the warding off of harms. 00:02:51.900 --> 00:02:53.900 Examples of this include: 00:02:53.900 --> 00:02:58.900 The compilation of the Qur'an, the establishment of administrative registers, and the codification of sciences, 00:02:58.900 --> 00:03:03.900 such as the Arabic linguistic sciences, the principles of fiqh, and the science of hadith terminology. 00:03:03.900 --> 00:03:12.090 And other such interests that no rational person would doubt are in harmony with the Sharia. 00:03:12.090 --> 00:03:19.889 Among the conditions for adopting an unrestricted interest: 00:03:19.889 --> 00:03:25.889 That it does not contradict a Sharia proof from a text, consensus (ijma'), or analogy (qiyas). 00:03:25.889 --> 00:03:30.889 And that adopting it does not result in the loss of a higher interest. 00:03:30.889 --> 00:03:36.710 The difference between unrestricted interest and innovation (bid'ah): 00:03:36.710 --> 00:03:43.509 Unrestricted interests only apply to matters where the meaning is rationally understood. 00:03:43.509 --> 00:03:46.509 They have no place in purely devotional acts (ta'abbudat), 00:03:46.509 --> 00:03:51.509 for which no specific rational meaning is sought. 00:03:51.509 --> 00:03:58.509 Such as the details of ablution, the number of units in prayer, and the specification of fasting to a particular time, 00:03:58.509 --> 00:04:03.509 or the standing at the sites of Hajj, and so on. 00:04:03.509 --> 00:04:07.509 This is one of the most important distinctions between unrestricted interests 00:04:07.509 --> 00:04:13.509 and the innovation that occurs in acts of worship based on pure devotion, 00:04:13.509 --> 00:04:18.509 or in matters of creed, as these are fixed and established foundations. 00:04:18.509 --> 00:04:23.470 The ruling on agreeing upon an unrestricted interest: 00:04:23.470 --> 00:04:29.620 If the scholars or specialists reach a consensus on an unrestricted interest, 00:04:29.620 --> 00:04:32.620 it is not permissible to act contrary to it. 00:04:32.620 --> 00:04:38.620 If consensus is not reached, the one in charge acts upon the opinion of the majority of scholars. 00:04:38.620 --> 00:04:43.060 The overlapping of interests and harms: 00:04:43.060 --> 00:04:48.250 Interests and harms are rarely pure and isolated. 00:04:48.250 --> 00:04:52.250 Rather, the norm is their intermingling or competition. 00:04:52.250 --> 00:04:57.250 In such cases, the Muslim acts according to the general rules regarding this, 00:04:57.250 --> 00:05:01.250 such as: warding off harm takes precedence over bringing about benefit, 00:05:01.250 --> 00:05:05.250 prioritizing the higher of two interests over the lower, 00:05:05.250 --> 00:05:08.250 and committing the lesser of two evils. 00:05:08.250 --> 00:05:12.050 The competition of interests: 00:05:12.050 --> 00:05:16.980 Prioritizing one interest over another when they compete 00:05:16.980 --> 00:05:19.980 is done according to the following criteria: 00:05:19.980 --> 00:05:27.040 First: Prioritizing an interest that is certain over one that is merely speculative. 00:05:27.040 --> 00:05:33.139 Second: If the two interests are equal in their certainty, 00:05:33.139 --> 00:05:37.329 the public interest is prioritized over the private. 00:05:37.329 --> 00:05:43.329 Third: If the two interests are equal in their realization and general benefit, 00:05:43.329 --> 00:05:48.329 the greater interest is prioritized over the lesser. 00:05:48.329 --> 00:05:56.000 The objectives of legislation are derived from the texts of the Sharia, not rulers over them. 00:05:56.000 --> 00:06:05.860 The general objectives of legislation are only known through examining the texts of the Sharia and its interpretive rulings. 00:06:05.860 --> 00:06:13.860 By deriving the objectives from them, the texts are the foundation, and the objectives are the branches derived from them. 00:06:13.860 --> 00:06:24.860 Therefore, it is impossible for any text or interpretive Sharia ruling to contradict a general objective of the legislation. 00:06:24.860 --> 00:06:32.860 Such claims are only made by people of deviation and desire; when they were unable to confront the texts, they resorted to reinterpreting them 00:06:32.860 --> 00:06:37.860 according to their misguided understanding of the general objectives of Islam. 00:06:37.860 --> 00:06:44.860 They call this adopting the "purposive" (maqasidi) understanding of Islam instead of the "textual" understanding. 00:06:44.860 --> 00:06:50.990 Examples of this include their claim that usury was only prohibited because of injustice, 00:06:50.990 --> 00:06:59.990 so any form of it that does not lead to injustice is permissible—we seek refuge in Allah from deviation and misguidance.