Q302 :Some people say that the Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him) did not netplete the rules and regulations of
Islam, so the four caliphs and five Imams netpleted the task. Even then
many matters remained unresolved. Nevertheless, because of the last
nine persons and their thoughts, we are divided into many sects. How
can we unite now?
A302 : The first thing which I would like to tell
you in reply to your question is that it was not the Prophet who
enacted the rules and regulations of Islam, but it was God Himself who
formulated Islamic law and outlined in detail the Islamic
constitution. God Himself tell us that He has made our faith netplete.
In Verse 3 of Surah 5, entitled “the Repasts”, or “Al-Maidah”, we read
this very clear statement: “Today have I perfected your religion for
you, and have bestowed upon you the full measure of My blessings, and
willed that self-surrender to Me shall be your religion.” Perhaps, I
need not remind you that the first person pronoun in this statement
refers to God Himself who revealed the Qur’an to the Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him) and spoke in this way to the believers in Islam.
It is highly instructive to quote the footnote given in Asad’s
translation of the Qur’an explaining the importance of this statement:
“According to all available traditions based on the testimony of the
Prophet’s contemporaries, the above passage – which sets, as it were, a
seal on the message of the Qur’an – was revealed at Arafat in the
afternoon of Friday, the ninth of Thul-Hajjah, 10 H, 81 or 82 days
before the death of the Prophet. No legal injunction whatsoever was
revealed after this verse and this explains the reference to God’s
having perfected the faith and bestowed the full measure of His
blessings upon the believers. Man’s self-surrender (Islam) to God is
postulated as the basis, or the basic law of all true religion. This
self-surrender is expressed itself not only in belief in Him but also
in obedience to His netmands: And this is the reason why the
announcement of the netpletion of the Qur’anic message is placed within
the context of a verse containing the last legal ordinances ever
revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). With such a
statement, no one can ever suggest that the message of Islam is
innetplete, or that Islamic law does not respond to any clear human
need. Scholars agree that whatever is outlined in the Qur’an or the
Sunnah is part of the Islamic religion. If neither the Qur’an nor the
Sunnah provides guidance on a particular matter, then whatever attitude
we adopt toward that matter is permissible. We can choose for
ourselves; [the only consideration being that conscious efforts shall
be made to remain, as far as may be, within the laid down regulations].
What I would like to point out is that it was never intended that Islam
should provide a particular model of life to be copied in all human
societies, generation after generation. There is simply no attempt to
create a uniform human society. What Islam wants to provide is a system
which can be adapted in a great variety of human societies, and by all
human netmunities, in order to establish a way of life that brings out
the best in human beings. This Islam has certainly done. It was
possible for a wide variety of human societies, races and netmunities
to live together and to establish together a human civilization that
benefited by the contribution of all such groups. None of the four
caliphs or the five imams as you call them, had ever added anything to
the religion of Islam. None could suggest that an addition is needed.
What they contributed was an interpretation of Islamic rules and method
by their application in their netmunities. This is open to all of us,
provided that interpretation has the right basis. People do not make
their interpretations of Islamic law at will. They have to follow the
proper procedure and to adopt a process of proper learning and careful
analysis of a coherent set of rules of deduction. It is not because of
the caliphs and the imams that we are divided into sects. Each one of
those imams and caliphs tried hard to maintain the unity of the
Muslims. Sects came about as the result of misguided actions by people
who do not have the interest of Islam at their hearts.
Our Dialogue ( Source : Arab News – Jeddah )