Stay Away from Ambiguities

  

Allah (SWT) says we should know Him before we worship. And the hadith of today is about making sure we know halal as halal and haram as haram and that we stay clear of all doubtful matters.

According to Imam al-Nawawi (RA) and many other scholars, the hadith below is one of the very few ahadith around which the entire religion of Islam is understood.

It indicates that religious matters fall into three categories: halal, haram and doubtful.

And it goes as follows in Sahih Bukhari and Muslim:

An-Nu`man ibn Bashir (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say:

 “The halal (lawful) is clear and the haram (prohibited) is clear, and between them are unclear matters that are unknown to most people.

Whoever is wary of these unclear matters, has absolved his religion and honor. And whoever indulges in them, has indulged in the haram.

It is like a shepherd who herds his sheep too close to a preserved sanctuary, and they will eventually graze in it. Every king has a sanctuary, and sanctuary of Allah is what He has made haram.

There lies within the body a piece of flesh. If it is sound, the whole body is sound; and if it is corrupted, the whole body is corrupted. Verily, this piece is the heart.”

Allah in His infinite mercy has made most things clear for His servants, both the halal and the haram.

But there are few areas in Islam where things are not so clear. In that case, we are required to consult the scholars for clarification.

Even if after consultation, we are still having doubt, then the Prophet (SAW) recommends that we stay away from doubtful matters and stick to what is certain to be true according to the book of Allah and the words of His Last Messenger (SAW) to mankind.  

In a nutshell, true guidance is about staying from all ambiguities.