A summary of the concepts held by the Ahl al-Sunnah.
Returning to the foundational principles.
If a jurist does not find an explicit text regarding an issue,
he then links the specific case to the general principle,
and derives a ruling for the parallel case based on the ruling of its counterpart.
If Allah has omitted a specific ruling out of mercy—not out of forgetfulness—
then we return to the general texts,
and link the matter to the closest principle,
categorizing it under the general principles we have already established.
Deriving insights beyond the literal report.
Deriving insights beyond the literal report is the task of the elite,
not all Muslims.
Allah has honored the scholars with this task,
and made it the fruit of their fiqh and knowledge.
Allah the Almighty says:
“And if any tidings, whether of safety or fear, come unto them, they noise it abroad, whereas if they had referred it to the messenger and to such of them as are in authority, those among them who are able to think out the matter would have known it. If it had not been for the grace of Allah upon you and His mercy ye would have followed Satan, save a few (of you).” (4:83)
“And if any tidings, whether of safety or fear, come unto them, they noise it abroad, whereas if they had referred it to the messenger and to such of them as are in authority, those among them who are able to think out the matter would have known it. If it had not been for the grace of Allah upon you and His mercy ye would have followed Satan, save a few (of you).” (4:83)
"And had it not been for the favor of Allah upon you and His mercy,
you would have followed Satan, except for a few."
Foresight regarding the future.
Foresight is not a form of guesswork or divination of the unseen.
Rather, it is based on anticipating future outcomes through present data.
The West has established centers and departments for such research and studies,
and we are more entitled to this than they are,
because we possess the reliable sources to implement it.
We have the Noble Qur'an,
and the mention of divine laws within it,
whether they are cosmic or social.
We have the hadiths of the Messenger, peace be upon him,
and the information they contain regarding future events,
as well as the minor and major signs of the Hour.
We have the study of history,
and the lessons drawn from its occurrences,
applying similar present-day situations to them,
and deriving conclusions in light of Allah’s laws in these historical events.
We have the true vision of the believer,
and its interpretation by a just and reliable interpreter,
provided that we do not contradict a legal ruling with it,
and that we do not claim certainty in its interpretation.
The Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
"In the end times,
the vision of the believer will hardly be false,
and the most truthful of them in vision are the most truthful of them in speech."
"The vision of the believer is one of forty-six parts of prophecy."
Recorded by al-Tirmidhi and authenticated by al-Albani.
Practical examples of benefiting from the science of foresight.
There are numerous practical examples of benefiting from the science of foresight.
Among them:
First:
Realizing the reason for the nations gathering against the Ummah of Islam,
and confronting this by nurturing the preference for the Hereafter over the worldly life,
avoiding what incurs the wrath of Allah,
and loving death in the cause of Allah, the Almighty.
The Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
"The nations are about to gather against you,
just as diners gather around a platter."
Someone asked:
"Will we be few in number that day?"
He said:
"No, you will be many that day,
but you will be like the foam of a torrent.
Allah will remove the fear of you from the hearts of your enemies,
and Allah will cast *al-wahn* into your hearts."
Someone asked:
"O Messenger of Allah,
what is *al-wahn*?"
He said:
"Love of the world and hatred of death."
Recorded by Abu Dawud,
and declared hasan by Ibn Baz.
Second:
Knowing the misguidance of the Jews and their defeat at the end of time,
based on the hadiths reported about them.
From this, we realize the error of assuming that the solution to the issue of Palestine and Jerusalem
lies in negotiations and normalization.
Third:
Not despairing or losing hope due to the weakness and humiliation of Muslims today,
and the fading of many features of their religion,
but striving to change all of that in accordance with the words of the Messenger, peace be upon him:
"Indeed, Allah will send for this Ummah at the beginning of every hundred years
someone who will renew its religion for it."
Recorded by Abu Dawud.
Fourth:
Being cautious of the Antichrist (al-Masih al-Dajjal) and the trials he brings,
based on what our Prophet, peace be upon him, informed us,
and warned us against.
Adhering to the principles and constraints of foresight
protects one from error in it.
One who practices foresight may err in their expectations
due to errors in their ijtihad and deduction.
But the more the practitioner adheres to the constraints and principles of this science,
the less their error will be.
Striving in foresight
is better than being ignorant of it and surrendering to the captivity of the present,
or stumbling in the maze of searching for an exit while remaining ignorant.
The constants of Islam do not accept dialogue for the sake of changing them.
The religion of Islam and its Sharia have constants and axioms that do not change and do not accept debate.
Presenting these axioms for dialogue
as if they were personal opinions subject to creative interpretation
is deviation, misguidance, and a cunning way to attack the religion.
Weakness begins in the Ummah
when the axioms of its religion are offered for dialogue,
and that is the gateway to the fall of nations.
Allah the Almighty says:
“And it becometh not a believing man or a believing woman, when Allah and His messenger have decided an affair (for them), that they should (after that) claim any say in their affair; and whoso is rebellious to Allah and His messenger, he verily goeth astray in error manifest.” (33:36)
“And it becometh not a believing man or a believing woman, when Allah and His messenger have decided an affair (for them), that they should (after that) claim any say in their affair; and whoso is rebellious to Allah and His messenger, he verily goeth astray in error manifest.” (33:36)
“And it becometh not a believing man or a believing woman, when Allah and His messenger have decided an affair (for them), that they should (after that) claim any say in their affair; and whoso is rebellious to Allah and His messenger, he verily goeth astray in error manifest.” (33:36)
The constants of the religion do not change with the change of time, place, or circumstances.
The constants of the religion meant by the Ahl al-Sunnah
are those that do not change with the change of time, place, or circumstances,
such as matters of creed upon which the salaf of the Ummah have reached consensus,
including, for example:
Shirk, which remains shirk regardless of how time or place changes.
Among the constants as well are morals and values,
for they are fixed and do not change.
Thus, immodesty, nudity, or adultery do not become permissible or commendable at any time.
The constants of Islam are numerous and their fields are diverse.
Most of them can be exemplified as follows:
First: Everything related to the truths of Divinity,
such as Existence, Oneness, Power, Management, and Will,
and all of Allah’s essential attributes and attributes of action, glory be to Him.
Second: The entire universe, with all its living and non-living entities,
is the creation and innovation of Allah.
Nothing in it has any trace of the power of creation or management,
or participation in any of the characteristics of Divinity.
Third: All beings have servitude to Allah the Almighty, each according to its nature.
Allah the Almighty says: "Then He directed Himself to the heaven while it was smoke and said to it
and to the earth, 'Come, willingly or by compulsion.' They said, 'We have come willingly.'"
Allah has the right of worship and tawhid over all His angels, humans, and jinn,
with no exception for any king, messenger, or saint.
Fourth: Believing in the six pillars of faith.
There is no faith for one who does not fulfill them collectively, nor is there acceptance of deeds,
nor are they valid except through them.
Fifth: The religion in the sight of Allah is Islam.
Allah the Almighty says: "Indeed, the religion in the sight of Allah is Islam."
People must submit to Allah the Almighty in His commands and rulings.
Allah the Almighty says: "O you who have believed, enter into Islam completely
and do not follow the footsteps of Satan."
Sixth: There is no material value that surpasses the value of the human being,
for which their value is wasted; they are a creature honored above all other creations,
a vicegerent of Allah on earth, and everything in it has been subjected to them
to facilitate their worship of their Lord. Allah the Almighty says:
“Verily we have honoured the Children of Adam. We carry them on the land and the sea, and have made provision of good things for them, and have preferred them above many of those whom We created with a marked preferment.” (17:70)
“Verily we have honoured the Children of Adam. We carry them on the land and the sea, and have made provision of good things for them, and have preferred them above many of those whom We created with a marked preferment.” (17:70)
And Allah the Almighty says: "And He has subjected to you whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth - all from Him.
Indeed in that are signs for a people who give thought."
Seventh: All people are from one origin,
and the standard of superiority among them in the sight of Allah the Almighty is piety.
Allah the Almighty says: "Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you."
And the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "No Arab has superiority over a non-Arab,
nor a non-Arab over an Arab, nor a red-skinned person over a black-skinned person,
nor a black-skinned person over a red-skinned person, except by piety."
Eighth: Loyalty and the bond of human gathering is the creed,
not race, nation, or land,
nor economic or political interests,
nor any other earthly consideration.
For everything other than loyalty to Islam and the Muslims
is detestable tribalism and racism.
Ninth: The world is a place of trial and work,
and the Hereafter is a place of reckoning and reward.
Tenth: Among the constants
are the foundations of virtues and noble morals,
and the foundations of vices and base morals.
In conclusion:
The teachings and areas of scholarly consensus
are all among the constants in Islam,
and there is no room in them for change, development, or ijtihad.
They include matters of creed,
the foundations of obligatory acts, the foundations of prohibitions,
and the foundations of virtues and morals.
Ijtihad in variables does not mean demolishing the constants.
In variables, there is a wide field for the movement of thought,
striving to develop and improve the earthly reality.
But the movement of change must be
within the framework of the constants of the religion,
and revolve around the axis of these constants.
As for the proponents of modernism and rationalism,
they adopt the novelties of their era,
even if it involves demolishing the constants,
under the pretext of renewal and development.
Adherence to the constants is an acknowledgment of the perfection and majesty of the Lord and the inadequacy of the creation.
Adherence to the constants is not stagnation, rigidity, or backwardness,
but rather a realistic acknowledgment of human nature,
the inadequacy and limitation of their minds,
and the Lordship of the Lord, the Almighty, His perfection and majesty.
Adherence to the constants is a protection from the trials of doubts and desires.
The existence of constants is a guarantee for humanity against the confusion of thought and instincts in the maze of doubts and desires.
For the constants are the self-regulating foundation of humanity.
The understanding of the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, and their fiqh
is the foundation for understanding the Book and the Sunnah.
The understanding of the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, and their fiqh
is the foundation for understanding the Book and the Sunnah.
They are the ones who witnessed the revelation and received it directly from the Prophet, peace be upon him, without an intermediary.
They are the ones who transmitted from him, peace be upon him, what they heard of hadiths,
so they are the most knowledgeable of people regarding that.
As it is said: "The one who is told is not like the one who sees."
In addition to the eloquence and pure Arabic language they possessed,
and the insight that Allah bestowed upon them as the pious and sincere.