The Quran; 98:1 Prophet Muhammad advised us in one of his well authenticated sayings to “Seek knowledge even if it be in China.” Learning and the pursuit of knowledge through observation and reflection are, therefore mandatory and of primary importance in Islam. Throughout the holy Quran God always challenges us with the words, “don’t you realize, don’t you comprehend, don’t you think, don’t you see….” Consultation in matters of public concern: God has emphasized the importance of this practice by making it part of the believer’s conduct and placed it alongside of the practice of Prayers and giving Alms. “(Holy Quran 42:37-40. It shall be given to all who attain to faith and place their trust in their sustainer and who shun the more heinous sins and who whenever they are moved to anger readily forgive and who respond to the call of their sustainer in prayers and whose rule in all matters of common concern is consultation among themselves and who spend on others what we provide for them as sustenance and who whenever tyranny afflicts them defend themselves.) Conduct one’s self with dignity and moderation. Muslims are, as is prescribed by our Creator, advised to be moderate in their behavior and are forewarned not to commit excesses and to avoid extremism. All forms of extremism in attitudes, behavior and appearance are repugnant to the true spirit of Islam. This conduct is prescribed throughout the Koran. Here are a few of the pertinent verses that make this point abundantly clear.
THE AUTHENTIC SUNNAH (THE LIFE AND SAYINGS OF PROPHET MUHAMMAD) To Muslims, there are two acceptable sources of information, on matters regarding the religion of Islam. These are the Quran and the Authentic Sunnah. God has urged in many verses in the Quran that Muslims should benefit from the exemplary life of the prophet Muhammad and that Muslims should look to him as a role model. e.g. the (Holy Quran 33: 21”
The Sunnah has been succinctly summarized by the Prophet himself when asked by one of his companions, "Oh! Messenger of God what is your Sunnah?" The prophet answered: “Knowledge is my capital Intellect is the basis of my religion Love is my foundation Longing is my vehicle Remembrance of God is my pleasure Confidence is my treasure Sadness is my companion Science is my weapon Patience is my cloak Solace is my gain Poverty is my pride Humility is my profession Belief is my strength Truthfulness is my atonement Obedience is my desire Striving is my character Prayer is the apple of my eye”
The above guideposts are to be followed by all Muslims who should do their best to gauge their actions in their measure.
The Prophet ordered his companions not to write down his sayings lest they be confused with the Quranic text as had happened to earlier revelations. His order was adhered to during the reign of the four caliphs (from the time of Abu Bakir to Ali.)The Quran had been fully documented and written in its final form at the time of the third caliph Othman. Unfortunately and contrary to the order of the prophet, his sayings were later on recorded and were not fully authenticated and were consequently subject to many errors. The scholars are still in disagreement about the authenticity of many of the sayings that have been erroneously recorded. The true measure of the authenticity of the sayings is that they must be in total agreement with the Quranic revelation. Any saying which does not fulfill this acid test must be rejected. This controversy would have been entirely avoided had the Muslims of late listened and obeyed the order of the prophet in not recording his sayings.
All is not lost, for there are serious efforts to research the field in order to arrive at fully authenticated and agreed upon sayings of the prophet. Some Turkish scholars have made a good start in this direction and have, so far, collected some forty saying of the prophet that have been totally authenticated.
Any other source of information about Islam is to be regarded as a contribution by scholars and learned individuals who hold no special place in the Islamic library except that their effort is a sincere and welcomed contribution to assist Muslims in better understanding the Quran so they can apply its teachings to their daily lives.
Since there is no clergy class in Islam, the opinion of the Muslim scholars is non-binding. Every Muslim is free to choose between the opinions of the scholars to find that which he or she feels comfortable with, provided that the scholar has sought to derive his or her opinion based on the Quran and Sunnah. God, throughout the Quran, admonishes Muslims to make matters and obligations simple, and easy and non-cumbersome. Verse 2:185 states that:
Also verse 92: 7 states:
Muslims are encouraged to benefit from the contribution of their scholars whose differing opinions are a healthy sign of a vibrant and well-informed community. Prophet Muhammad said in this respect that the difference of opinions of the Muslim scholars is a grace from God. The contributions of the scholars who may share similar views may be considered as a school of thought for the benefit of better understanding and interpreting the Quran and Sunnah. Muslims are to look at these contributions as opinions by well intending scholars to clarify questions and matters that evolve with life's dynamics as time changes. The main principles and guideposts contained in the Quran and Sunnah are time independent. The contribution of the Muslim scholars, who are human beings, is by definition time dependent and subject to change. There is always a need for scholarly contribution to help Muslims, who do not have the time to delve deeply into Islamic thought, gauge their actions towards matters and issues of their generation so that they fall within the guideposts of Islam. It must be emphasized here that the Quran does not tolerate any sectarian tendencies in matters of religion. The Quran states very clearly in Chapter 6 verse 159 that:
Also in Chapter 6 verse 50 :
As a matter of fact, Muslims cannot call themselves any other name, since the name Muslim has been chosen by God to call His religion Islam and the followers of the religion as Muslims. Islam is the name of all of God’s revealed religions from the time of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and ending with Muhammad, the last and final messenger of Islam. In the Quran chapter 2, verse 136 states what we have just mentioned:
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