1251.    We believe in a world of Asbab (apparent causes), among the most important ones was the person of the Prophet (ﷺ). There was no outrage or controversy in the mind of any Muslim about the true benefit of his (ﷺ) blessed look, saliva, or touch, from the time of the Companions (RAA) up to very recently. But also consider that it is an apparent Sabab still, it is not “god-like”, it is not “Shirk”, everyone must know that all good truly comes from Allah alone.

1252.    ‘Isa (Alayhi as-Salaam) says he ‘Akhluqu’ (“created”) certain things as is mentioned in the Qur’an – yet this is necessarily Majaz (metaphorical speech), since he (Alayhi as-Salaam) is Ma’sum (infallible) and cannot speak untruth. This is important in considering language and the Nusoos including Ahadith, and why many of the criticisms levelled against the texts are invalid.

1253.    Knowledge is like a medicine for the Deen, while money is like a disease. ‘Ilm and Maal are in opposition to one another, for within the history of revelations to humanity and their aftermath how many Tahrifaat (distortions) have taken place due to the bribing of religious scholars, either directly or indirectly?

1254.    If the “Muslim rationalists” seek to dilute the meanings of the Nusoos, one wonders on what basis do they accept the recitation of, say, Hafs-Asim? After all, this is one from a number of Qira’aat, why would they not accept a much less authenticated Qira’ah which may happen to accord better with their “rationality”?

1255.    If one takes the Neo-Atheist paradigm, is there any prerogative against following wrong norms? The worst scenario one could think of is that humanity would be destroyed due to following wrong norms, the world or the galaxy would be destroyed due to that, but according to their paradigm, it is not a major problem anyway.

1256.    It seems in a way, people are fighting over the world the way dung-beetles fight over dung; we see this and understand the pointlessness of their wars. There is also something to be said in how money (Dhahab) and withholding money (becoming Mumsik) is likened to going to do natural waste, how one is described when they keep it within themselves for too long, and other similar analogies.

1257.    There is a rule: The awe one gives to following the orders of an agent is generally related to the awe and position of the agent is one’s heart.

1258.    (As mentioned) The quality of becoming a sheep-herder is a big praiseworthy characteristic of all Prophets (Alayhim as-Salaam), even if different ‘Urf don’t see it that way.

1259.    Rizq is what the slave benefits by it; important to consider that it is not simple ownership (we don’t call Allah Marzuq even though He owns (Tamlika) all creation since it is impossible to attribute that He benefits from it).

1260.    One of the conditions for ‘joining’ between the Madhabs is that the composite rulings when viewed as a whole, don’t contravene Ijmaa’. For example, a marriage without Mahr, without witnesses, and without a Waly, is not valid, even if individually each of the components may be acceptable to any one of the Madhaahib.

1261.    Aqeedah as understood by us Sunni Muslims has the components of Idraak al-Jazm Mutaabiq lil Waaqy [definite cognizance corresponding to reality]. Thus, the Christians are not included even if they have Jazm, neither do we accept Taqlid in this definition.

1262.    If a religious group says OK they don’t engage in war, fine, but by default then they are accepting the war-theory of the larger polity, in theory and in practice; for how did they get the very freedom to worship in their own way except through the military efforts of the polity or nation-state they are living in? Some martial effort and order did and does continue to take place to allow this religious group to remain as it is.

1263.    Even before we look into the legal rulings of the Prophets (Alayhim as-Salaam) we must understand their high rank with Allah the Exalted, otherwise the one receiving the Ahkam will be in a state of perpetual doubt, or at most engaging in an abstract mental exercise.

1264.    There is a connection between Ijma’ and the texts and their meanings. For example, ‘La Nabiyya Ba’di’ has a meaning that is well known; if someone say his name or title is “Laa” this is against the conventions of language as agreed by all; if we the community are accused of fabricating rules of language or meanings of words, this is first of all very far off and second it can be used against the accuser as well, and ultimately leads to the total extinction of knowledge as trustworthy in and of itself.

1265.    As in Surah 48 the Ghufran is mentioned, this Ghufran is actually Sitr from every possibility of the Prophet (ﷺ) committing sins- this is how our scholars explain this issue.

1266.    It seems that in the secular contexts all religious activities are seen as merely optional – this is problematic when it comes to real religious practices in the real world, since religions do in fact make the distinction between obligatory and optional. We know that in Islam, there is a true distinction between optional and mandatory, even some acts are mandatory to perform in congregation and some other acts are mandatory to perform on others (like raising children as Muslims). So one can see how this secular legal framework is not in line with the Islamic communal ethos, and this problem comes up again and again in the world, in different nations and contexts.

1267.    Khuluwa is more specific than Bunuah, since the father/son relationship has some competition/enmity to it, while Khuluwa does not (this is in terms of Prophet Ibrahim (Alayhi as-Salaam) and Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) being the Khalil of Allah).

1268.    Most people are in fact apathetic towards your message, you have a certain percentage of avid supporters and another set of avid enemies. The challenge is how to treat the enemies so that those in apathy see your behavior and may become your supporters (avidity is not an issue since those are almost always totally set in their ways, either in your favor or against you).

This is a method understood by so-called “progressives” since they know they are evangelizing to a mostly passive audience and they can use many tricks to convert a passive audience into supporters (whether mild supporters or avid ones). At the very least these “progressives” can instill shame into the passive audience, so that problems don’t arise for the “progressive” legislation or message being implemented. We Muslims have to keep this in mind as well whenever we present Islam to a varied audience.

1269.    It seems many a times that cultures of certain people are deemed as ‘way too Islamic/religious’ or ‘secular and good’ based on expedient reasons, perhaps not related to an analysis of the culture itself in any way or under any paradigm.

1270.    (As mentioned) Concerning what might be understood as “lies” of Ibrahim (Alayhi as-Salaam), in fact there are explanations, such as: Saqim, he was Saqim (ill) of their disbelief; that his wife was his sister, this is in terms of religion, and that this one broke it, he meant the finger he used to break the idols.

1271.    Even the very best of creation – the Prophets (Alayhim as-Salaam)- had to accept the Divine Decree and the Divine Order, whether it was in difficult things in their lives, or a mission that was limited in time or scope; being Raadhi (content) with what Allah had ordered and decreed was the way for them as well.

So one can analyze, what “right” does the common person have then for displeasure, when good things do not happen to them or when serious problems arise? None at all.

1272.    The marriage relationship should also be seen as a long-term business relationship, that is, analogous to it; there are requirements and then services provided; but if someone may threaten to drop out at every single moment if they feel slighted, it becomes extremely difficult to run this “business” and the “economy” (society as a whole). So we have to keep the big picture in mind as well – it is not always about feeling amazing in one’s life at every moment, there will be hardship and difficulty even if every side is fulfilling his/her duties properly.

1273.    A consideration: Sometimes we see subjectivity even in numbers, like accounting sheets; people may hide their company’s problems using totally legal means and they may never ever be found out. So the very meaning of objectivity needs to be revisited in many cases.

1274.    Regarding narrations where the Prophet (ﷺ) said not to prefer him to other Prophets (Alayhim as-Salaam) this is the type of preferring where the other Prophets’ (Alayhim as-Salaam) true position is diminished, otherwise there is no problem in acknowledging the true highest position of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ).

1275.    (A general comment): It is possible that one becomes a specialist to the point that only 20-30 other people know what ones’ writings mean; but whether they will have a real impact to the world at large is another matter and requires another approach.