Part of Concepts of Ahl as-Sunnah (series completed)
· Lesson 1229 of 1251
Summary of Sunni concepts | Concept (1228) | Renewal and change
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Transcript
Machine translation — may contain errors
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A summary of the concepts held by Ahl al-Sunnah.
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Renewal and change.
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The terms "renewal" and "change" are currently being manipulated and used to deceive people.
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Deceivers use them to pass off deviant concepts wrapped in embellished packaging.
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To clarify the truth and remove the confusion surrounding this concept,
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we present the concept of renewal and change according to the scales of the Shari'ah,
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and what opposes and contradicts it according to the scales of the Jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic ignorance).
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First: The concept of renewal and change in the scale of the Shari'ah.
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This concept proceeds from the fact that the religion of Allah—which is Islam—
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is exclusively from Allah the Exalted, who knows what has been and what will be,
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who is free from ignorance, deficiency, injustice, and caprice,
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who is Wise and perfect in His wisdom,
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and who is Kind, Merciful, and perfect in His kindness and mercy.
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Based on this knowledge,
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it is the perfect religion, suitable for every time and place,
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regardless of how circumstances, conditions, and people change.
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It is independent of any need for addition or alteration.
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Allah the Exalted says:
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“Forbidden unto you (for food) are carrion and blood and swineflesh, and that which hath been dedicated unto any other than Allah, and the strangled, and the dead through beating, and the dead through falling from a height, and that which hath been killed by (the goring of) horns, and the devoured of wild beasts, saving that which ye make lawful (by the death-stroke), and that which hath been immolated unto idols. And (forbidden is it) that ye swear by the divining arrows. This is an abomination. This day are those who disbelieve in despair of (ever harming) your religion; so fear them not, fear Me! This day have I perfected your religion for you and completed My favour unto you, and have chosen for you as religion al-Islam. Whoso is forced by hunger, not by will, to sin: (for him) lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.” (5:3)
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It has no need for anyone to come and "renew" its foundations, constants, creed, or ethics.
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If the matter is this clear and decisive,
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then what is the concept of renewal and change mentioned in the saying of Allah the Exalted:
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“For him are angels ranged before him and behind him, who guard him by Allah's command. Lo! Allah changeth not the condition of a folk until they (first) change that which is in their hearts; and if Allah willeth misfortune for a folk there is none that can repel it, nor have they a defender beside Him.” (13:11)
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And in his saying, peace be upon him:
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"Indeed, Allah will send for this Ummah at the beginning of every hundred years
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someone who will renew its religion for it."
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Narrated by Abu Dawud and authenticated by al-Albani.
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The answer is to say:
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The correct concept of change in the aforementioned verse
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is the change that a person undertakes to alter their state from a condition that Allah dislikes—
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such as disbelief, hypocrisy, immorality, or disobedience—
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to a state that Allah loves,
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by adhering to His obedience and avoiding His prohibitions.
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This type of change
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is what Allah uses to change the conditions of people
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from a state of misery, evil, and calamity
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to a state of goodness, prosperity, and happiness.
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As for the concept of renewal mentioned in the aforementioned hadith,
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it is as explained by the scholars of narration and understanding
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of the hadiths of the Messenger, peace be upon him.
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It is stated in *Awn al-Ma'bud*, quoting al-'Alqami, that:
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The meaning of renewal is
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reviving what has been abandoned of acting upon the Book and the Sunnah,
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and commanding people to act according to them.
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And in *Awn al-Ma'bud* it also states:
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It says in *Majalis al-Abrar*:
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"The intent behind renewing the religion for the Ummah
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is the revival of what has been abandoned of acting upon the Book and the Sunnah."
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This "renewer" is not known
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except by the prevailing opinion of the scholars who were his contemporaries,
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through observing his conditions
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and benefiting from his knowledge.
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For the renewer of the religion
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must be a scholar
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in the manifest and hidden religious sciences,
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a supporter of the Sunnah,
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and a suppressor of innovation.
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His knowledge must benefit the people of his time.
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Renewal occurs at the beginning of every hundred years
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because of the passing of the scholars during that time,
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meaning their departure and death,
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the fading of the Sunnah,
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and the emergence of innovations,
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thus necessitating a renewal of the religion.
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Second:
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The concept of renewal and change in the scale of the Jahiliyyah.
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The ignorant among the disbelievers and hypocrites,
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and those among the ignorant Muslims and people of caprice who are influenced by them,
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use the term "renewal and change."
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By it, they mean renewing the foundations of the religion and its constants,
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and changing them to suit the era and its variables.
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They deceive people into thinking that this is subject to the "law of change"
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which nothing can stand against,
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including the foundations of the religion, its values, and its ethics.
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People can be categorized regarding the issue of change and renewal
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into the following positions:
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First:
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The position of the hypocrites, including secularists and liberals,
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and the proponents of Westernization and shedding the religion.
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They view the human being, in his material state and composition,
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as the ultimate point of reference.
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Therefore, they claim it is his right alone
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to draw the image of the change he desires,
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according to a specific social contract, far removed from religion and revelation.
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Second:
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The modernist position.
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These include some children of Muslims who believe in Islam,
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but in a modernist way
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that comes under various labels:
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sometimes in the name of "Islamic rationalism,"
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sometimes in the name of the "contemporary Muslim,"
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and sometimes in the name of "modernist moderation" and "moderate Islam,"
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and other such labels.
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These, too, are of varying degrees.
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Some of them live on secular ideas,
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influenced by them due to the contagion of proximity.
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Others distance their modernist position
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from their secular boundaries, to a greater or lesser extent.
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Among their characteristics
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is what is called general laxity and leniency in dealing with rulings,
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in contrast to what they call rigidity and extremism.
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By this, they mean the people of uprightness and piety,
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so they grumble about them and aim the arrows of criticism at them.
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They have a passion for change, even at the expense of the religion and its rulings.
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They share similarities with those before them in that they all target the methodology.
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However, the previous category targets the general methodology,
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meaning Islam in its generality, comprehensiveness, and perfection.
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These people target the specific methodology:
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the methodology of Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah and the followers of the salaf in particular.
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There is no one among them whose religious knowledge is trusted,
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nor their religious zeal,
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nor their sound understanding, nor their comprehensive perception.
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Rather, among them are many people of caprice and intellectual ailments.