In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, and may blessings and peace be upon the noblest of the prophets and messengers, our Prophet Muhammad, and upon all his family and companions.
This is a summary of what was presented in this part of the explanation of Imam al-Shafi’i’s al-Risala, focusing on the important points and clarifications.
Continuing the discussion of abrogation (naskh):
- The meanings of abrogation among the legal theorists:
- Removal.
- Clarification.
- Some regard the relationship between the specific and the general, and between the restricted and the unrestricted, as a kind of abrogation (in the sense of clarification).
- It is not permissible to act in worship upon the general or the unrestricted when the specific or the restricted exists.
- The concept of abrogation according to al-Shafi’i:
- It is not permissible for the Qur’an to be abrogated by the Sunnah.
- It is permissible for the Sunnah to be abrogated by the Sunnah, and the Book by the Book.
- Abrogation takes place between two evidences of equal standing, and the Sunnah is not equal in standing to the Qur’an.
- Al-Shafi’i’s foundational principles on the relationship between the Sunnah and the Qur’an (paragraph 595 onward):
- What follows necessarily is that Allah has made something lawful in general and forbidden a specific thing from it.
- The lawful is made lawful in general, and a thing is forbidden specifically; the forbidden is not used as a basis for analogy against the lawful, rather analogy is made on the majority (the predominant case).
- Analogy is not made on the lesser (the excepted case), but on the majority (the predominant case).
- Example: food is permitted in general, and swine is forbidden specifically.
- Example: imitating the disbelievers is forbidden in general, and some imitation is permitted out of necessity.
- The impermissibility of opposing an authentic hadith (paragraph 599):
- No one may oppose a hadith authentically established from the Prophet ﷺ.
- The example is mentioned of the Malikis opposing the hadith “Perform Hajj for yourself, then perform Hajj for Shubrumah” on the issue of someone who has not performed Hajj for himself performing it on behalf of another.
- A warning against following the positions of a school without paying attention to the hadith.
- Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr’s report from al-Layth ibn Sa’d that Malik opposed the text in seventy issues is mentioned.
- The story is mentioned of ‘Abdullah ibn Wahb asking Malik about running the fingers between the toes in ablution, and Malik retracting his fatwa after hearing the hadith.
- None of the people of knowledge deliberately opposes the text when it becomes clear to him.
- A man may be unaware of a Sunnah and so hold a view that contradicts it, not that he deliberately opposed it.
- A person may be inattentive and err in interpretation (ijtihad).
- The one who errs in ijtihad is excused.
- Al-Shafi’i’s statement is mentioned: “Someone said to me: ‘Then give me an example of each category you have described…’”
- An example of abrogation: the change of the qiblah:
- The first thing Allah prescribed regarding the qiblah was facing Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem).
- Then that was abrogated by directing the qiblah to the Ka’bah.
- Each qiblah was the truth in its time.
- It is not permissible to worship by what has been abrogated.
- The example of the Masjid of the Two Qiblahs (Dhu al-Qiblatayn) is mentioned, along with a rebuke of what some people do there.
- It is mentioned that seeking the direction of the qiblah is done at the beginning of the prayer, after which deviating from it for an excuse does no harm.
- Legal responsibility is tied to ability.
- The example of the blind person and seeking the direction of the qiblah is mentioned.
- Explanation of the abrogating and the abrogated:
- The abrogating ruling comes through instruction from the Lawgiver (tawqif) and revelation.
- It is not possible for an abrogating Sunnah to contradict the Book.
- Allah established His proof against His creation in two ways: His Book and the Sunnah of His Prophet.
- The abrogating ruling is known as the later of the two commands.
- Abrogation is not resorted to except when reconciliation is impossible.
- Reconciling the texts is better than abrogation (neglect).
- The example is mentioned of the verses of pardon, forgiveness, and peaceful coexistence and the verses of the sword: they are not abrogated; rather, each is acted upon in its own time.
- Abrogation in the Book of Allah is known only through the indication of the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
- The Sunnah contains contexts (of occasion), unlike the Qur’an.
- The Qur’an’s need for the Sunnah is greater than the Sunnah’s need for the Qur’an in terms of explanation and detail.
- Date of the session:
- 3 Muharram 1429 AH, corresponding to 11/1/1988 CE.
Some important benefits:
- The meanings of abrogation among the legal theorists.
- The concept of abrogation according to al-Shafi’i.
- Al-Shafi’i’s foundational principles on the relationship between the Sunnah and the Qur’an.
- The impermissibility of opposing an authentic hadith.
- An example of abrogation: the change of the qiblah.
- Explanation of the abrogating and the abrogated.
- Reconciling the texts is better than abrogation (neglect).
- The importance of knowing the date of the narration or the narrator in the topic of the abrogating and the abrogated.
- The areas of agreement and disagreement among the people of knowledge.
We ask Allah the Exalted for acceptance and ease.
All parts of Summary of the Explanation of al-Risala by Shaykh Dr. Ahmad al-Naqeeb