The Concept of Hadith and Muhdes
It is reported in Sahihayn from the Prophet Muhammad: “There were muhdes in those before you. If there is one among them in my ummah, it is ‘Umar.” Muhdes refers to someone who is the recipient of inspiration and revelation.
Similarly, in matters of kevni, if they are discovered by a believing soul either as a certainty or as a suspicion, religious matters are discovered hastily. Because they require more to be revealed. However, this discovery must usually be based on a piece of evidence. Sometimes, it is a spark that ignites in the heart of a believer and is accompanied by an inexpressible evidence. This is one of the interpretations made under the meaning of ‘istihsan.’
Those who criticized this, such as Abu Hamid and Abu Muhammad, said: “An inexpressible thing is merely a fantasy.” However, this is not the case. Because it is impossible for everyone to explain the meanings that exist in their hearts. Most people explain them in an incomplete manner.
In the hearts of the majority of those who discover, a feeling arises without any apparent evidence, such as: this food is forbidden, or this man is a disbeliever or a sinner. Alternatively, the opposite may occur, such as a feeling of love for a person and the belief that he is the messenger of Allah, or that this property is halal.
Here, it is not implied that this is a standalone evidence in religious rulings. However, such a situation becomes a preference for the seeker of truth when apparent evidences become equal to each other. Choosing between two opposing matters is better than taking an equal stance towards both. Because, taking an equal stance towards both is definitely wrong.
As we have said, if acting upon one of them is required, acting upon a suspicion based on an apparent evidence or analogy is more beneficial than acting upon its opposite.
The correct view supported by the predecessors and the consensus is that there is a religious evidence in every hadith, and therefore, it is impossible for the evidences in the same matter to be equal. However, according to the researcher, an equality may be considered due to the absence of a preference for oneself. Some say: There is no definite truth in the same matter; rather, each mujtahid can know the hidden truth in that matter. No superiority can be claimed by one over another in terms of knowledge or action.
They – or some of them – consider the equality of the evidences as possible and thus consider the preference of one of the two views as mandatory.
They say: In the same matter, there can be no evidence based on suspicion. The preference of one of the two views is a type of preference based on inclination and will, like the preference of the angry soul for revenge and the patient soul for forgiveness.
This view is wrong. Because, there must be a definite truth that the person who reasons in the same matter sometimes hits the mark and sometimes makes a mistake. Just like the person who does not know where the qibla is, as in the example of the Kaaba. The person who, through his own research, is guided to a direction and performs prayer facing it, thus fulfilling the obligation, is similar to the mujtahid who is guided to a view and acts accordingly. Both have obeyed Allah. In terms of having obeyed Allah and thus being entitled to a reward, they are correct, but not in terms of having known a definite truth. This truth can only be one, and the one who hits the mark receives two rewards.
This is also valid in classes where religious evidences are present. However, the servant sometimes does not know them. The Legislator has explained general rulings. Regarding specific rulings, such as whether a particular person is just or sinful, a believer or a hypocrite, a servant of Allah or an enemy of the Muslims who must be killed, or whether a certain property is feared to be subject to the oppression of the oppressor and the benefit of the people when protected from the oppressor, which are called ‘tenkih’ul-menat’:
These matters do not need to be known in general and universally through legal evidence; they are known through specific evidence related to themselves. One of the ways is inspiration. Allah may inspire certain servants about the condition of a particular property or a particular person, even without any apparent evidence that they will share it with someone else. The story of Khidr and Musa belongs to this category. In this story, there is no situation contrary to the Sharia. Because it is impossible to say that anyone has ever opposed Allah’s Sharia, whether a prophet or a saint. On the contrary, in this story, there is knowledge (information) about the condition of that particular matter due to an internal reason, which is the Sharia’s approval. For example, entering a house and knowing that the owner has given permission, even though others do not know it, and acting as if one is the owner of the property there. Finding a lost item and thinking that it has been given as a gift, but not knowing the owner of the lost item, as in other examples. Such examples are quite numerous among the people of true inspiration.
The second category is the opposite of this. They obey their own desires rather than Allah’s command. They only command what they love and prohibit what they dislike, solely based on their desires. They are the most wicked among the created beings. Allah says: “Have you seen the one who takes his desire as his god? You will be held accountable for him.” (Furkan/43). Hasan said: “This is the hypocrite who does whatever his soul desires.”
Indeed, Allah says: “Who could be more deviant than one who, without a guide from Allah, obeys his desires?” (Kasas/50). Omar bin Abdulaziz says: “If something is in accordance with your desires, be obedient to the Truth, and if it is against your desires, oppose it. If you do this, you will not receive a reward for being obedient to the Truth, but you will be entitled to punishment for your opposition.” Yes, the situation is as he said, because in both cases, obedience to desire is intended, and no action is taken for the sake of Allah.
Do you not know that Abu Talib helped the Messenger of Allah and protected him more than anyone else? However, he did this out of kinship, not for the pleasure of Allah. Therefore, Allah did not accept this and did not reward him for it. However, Abu Bakr Siddiq (r.a.) helped him with his wealth and his life for the sake of Allah, and thus Allah says: “But the pious will be saved from the Fire. Those who spend their wealth in the cause of Allah, not expecting any reward, but only seeking the pleasure of their Lord. Indeed, they will be pleased on the Day of Judgment.” (Leyl/17-21).
“Third Part: Sometimes they have a will in accordance with Allah’s will, and sometimes they have a will in accordance with Allah’s anger. Most Muslims are like this. Sometimes they obey Allah and desire what He loves, and sometimes they are disobedient to Him and desire what pleases them, even if it is not pleasing to Allah.
Fourth Part: It is a state of having neither of these wills. Neither for the sake of Allah nor for one’s own desires. This occurs in some people regarding certain matters. It also occurs in many wise and learned people regarding many issues.
It is impossible for a person to be absolutely free from will. Because humans are created with an inevitable will and with a hatred for what causes them harm and suffering. A wise and learned person, if they are a Muslim, must desire what Allah loves: such as the performance of obligatory duties and the avoidance of forbidden things… Even every Muslim must desire what Allah loves. Otherwise, whoever does not love Allah and does not love anything for the sake of Allah, does not love any act of worship, not even the declaration of faith (shahada) and the declaration of testimony (tawhid), nor does he desire them. In that case, that person cannot be a believer.
Therefore, every believer must desire at least some of what Allah loves. However, if a servant desires something that Allah does not love, even though it is what they desire, it is a characteristic of those who rebel against Allah. In such a case, the person is considered to have desired a sin, even though Allah does not love or approve of it.
Regarding the matter of being in a state of both praised and condemned wills, this occurs in two ways: The first is when the servant turns away from worship and obedience to Allah, even though they know it. The servant knows that many things have been commanded, but neither desires them nor feels any displeasure if others do them. When Muslims and non-believers fight, they do not desire the victory of the first group, which is beloved by Allah, nor do they desire the victory of the other group, which Allah is angry with.
The second case is that many pious and learned individuals follow what they know Allah has commanded, and refrain from what they know Allah has prohibited. As for other matters about which they do not know whether Allah has commanded or prohibited, since they have no knowledge in this regard, they neither desire nor dislike them. Because they are created and decreed by Allah, they are content with them, cooperate in these matters, and consider this as conformity with Allah. These people, when they are distant from the desires and inclinations of the soul, are commanded to be content with every event, even to assist in it.
This is an area where one may fall into error. Regarding the things that Allah and His Messenger love, we must love Allah and His Messenger, and we must also be angry at the things that anger Allah and His Messenger. Just as the actions of a sleeping person or a mad person are not subject to the same kind of response, regarding matters about which Allah neither loves nor dislikes, if Allah neither loves nor is pleased with them, nor dislikes nor hates them, then it is not necessary for a believer to love them, be pleased with them, or dislike them.
However, the fact that these things are created and decreed by Allah is not unique to them; Allah has created everything He wills according to His wisdom, and has made the creation of everything the best possible.
Being content with fate has three parts:
The first is being content with acts of worship. This is a commanded act of worship.
The second is being content with calamities. This has also been commanded as optional or obligatory.
The third is disbelief, hypocrisy, and rebellion; being content with these has not been commanded, rather, it has been commanded not to love them and to hate them. For Allah neither loves nor is pleased with these things. Indeed, Allah says: “Because they imagine in the darkness of night things which Allah is not pleased with” (Nisa/108); “Allah does not love those who are rebellious” (Bakara/205); “Allah does not approve of disbelief in His servants” (Zümer/7); “Allah does not love the disbelievers” (Âl-i İmran/32); “Allah does not love those who transgress the limits” (Maide /87); “Allah does not love the rebellious” (Maide/64).
Although Allah has created these things according to His wisdom, it is not impossible for Him to create something He does not love in order to reach something He loves, just as He created the devils. We are content with Allah creating whatever He wills. He is indeed worthy of praise in this regard.
However, we are not content with the act itself or the doer, and we do not praise it. There is certainly a difference between the desired thing itself and the thing that is desired through it. For a thing may be desired from one perspective, but may be disliked from another, as in the case of a sick person taking a disagreeable medicine. The sick person does not like the medicine and is repulsed by it, yet he wants to take it because he desires the recovery it brings, not because he likes the medicine itself.
In a sahih hadith, it is stated: “Allah says: I did not hesitate in taking the soul of My servant as I did not hesitate in taking the soul of My servant. My servant does not like death, and I do not like his sorrow. But death is unavoidable for him.” Since Allah does not want the sorrow of a believing servant who does not enjoy death, this necessitates that He does not want to take the soul of His servant. However, Allah, exalted be He, wills to kill him according to His wisdom.
We also do not love or be pleased with the things Allah does not love and has prohibited, but we are content with them because Allah has created them. For there is wisdom in this. Regarding the actions that Allah neither loves nor dislikes, we neither need to love them nor be pleased with them. The established contentment is our being content with Allah as our Lord, Islam as our religion, and Muhammad as our Prophet.
In a sahih hadith, it is stated from the Prophet: “Whoever is content with Allah as his Lord, Islam as his religion, and Muhammad as his Prophet, then it is a right that Allah is also content with him.”
Regarding being content with fate, it is being content with Allah. For praise is due to Him in every condition and circumstance. Although we do not love the things He does not love, we are content with them because He created the creation according to His wisdom and is pleased with it. In the case where the religious command is absent or hidden, even if it was decreed, neither following, nor contentment, nor affection is applicable, as in the case of the religious command.
This is a point where, aside from the common people, even the pious and the sheikhs have fallen into error. According to their knowledge of the religious commandments and their obedience to them, they differ in degrees. Some know the religious commandments more and are more obedient. His condition is better than that of someone below him in terms of knowing the religious commandments and obeying them. Some distance themselves from the religious commandments and behave so indifferent that they will completely leave Islam; they remain in their own desires and content themselves with their condition.
Some of them die as disbelievers, some have their repentance accepted by Allah, some die as sinners, and some have their repentance accepted by Allah. They look at the religious commandments by turning away from them, considering fate as truth. At the same time, they must obey an order and prohibition other than the religious commandments, either from their own selves or from someone other than Allah and His Messenger. Because; absolutely, to behave indifferent along with fate is impossible; as was said before, the servant was created to love some things and to dislike others.