Source: HadeethEnc.com, English v1.25.0
Arabic text
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رضي الله عنه عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ: «دَعُونِي مَا تَرَكْتُكُمْ، إِنَّمَا هَلَكَ مَنْ كَانَ قَبْلَكُمْ بِسُؤَالِهِمْ وَاخْتِلَافِهِمْ عَلَى أَنْبِيَائِهِمْ، فَإِذَا نَهَيْتُكُمْ عَنْ شَيْءٍ فَاجْتَنِبُوهُ، وَإِذَا أَمَرْتُكُمْ بِأَمْرٍ فَأْتُوا مِنْهُ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ».
Translation
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Leave me as I leave you. Verily, what destroyed those before you was their asking questions and their disagreement with their prophets. So, if I forbid you from something, avoid it; and if I command you with something, do as much of it as you can."
Explanation
The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned that the Shariah rulings fall into three categories: what is left unaddressed, prohibitions, and commands. As for the first: It is what the Shariah has left unaddressed, as there is no ruling, and things, in principle, are not obligatory. During the Prophet's lifetime, it was a must not to ask about something that had not occurred for fear that it might become obligatory or forbidden through revelation, as Allah has left it unaddressed out of mercy towards His slaves. After the Prophet's death, on the other hand, if the question is posed by way of seeking legal opinion or learning about what one needs of the religion, then it is not only permissible but also commanded. However, if the question is posed by way of obstinacy and affectation, then this kind of question should be avoided, and this is what the Hadīth refers to, as it could lead to what happened to the Children of Israel when they were commanded to slaughter a cow. It was sufficient for them to obey the command by slaughtering any cow; however, when they acted obstinately, things were made hard for them. Second: The prohibitions: It is whatever one is rewarded for abandoning and is punished for doing. So, all prohibitions must be avoided. Third: The commands: It is whatever one is rewarded for doing and punished for abandoning. The commands must be carried out to the best of one's ability.
Benefits
- People should be occupied with what is important and necessary, leaving what is not immediately needed, and they should not be preoccupied with asking about what has not occurred.
- It is prohibited to ask questions that may lead to the complexity of issues and open the door to suspicious matters that lead to wide divergence.
- Commanding that all prohibitions be avoided because avoiding them entails no hardship, and this is why the prohibition here is general.
- Commanding that orders be carried out according to the ability, as it could entail hardship or one could be unable to do it. Hence, the command here depends on the ability.
- Forbidding the act of asking too many questions. Scholars divided questions into two categories: First: Questions that are meant for learning what one needs of the religion, and this kind of question is required, and an example of this is the Companions' questions. Second: Questions that are asked by way of obstinacy and affectation, and this is the kind of forbidden question.
- Warning this Ummah of disobeying their Prophet as what occurred in the previous nations.
- Asking frequently about what is not necessary and disagreeing with the prophets lead to destruction, especially when the questions are about what is unattainable, like matters of the unseen, which none knows except Allah, and the events taking place on the Day of Judgment.
- Forbidding the act of asking about extremely difficult matters. Al-Awzā‘i said: When Allah chooses to deprive His slave of the blessing of knowledge, He makes him speak fallacies, for I noted that those were the least among people in terms of knowledge. Ibn Wahb said: I heard Mālik say: Arguing about knowledge turns off the light of knowledge in one's heart.
Explanation: العربية
ذَكَرَ النبيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أنّ الأحكام الشرعية على أقسام ثلاثة: ما سُكت عنه، ونواهي، وأوامر. فأما الأول: وهو ما سَكَتَ الشرعُ عنه: حيث لا حُكْم، وأنّ الأصل في الأشياء عدم الوجوب؛ فأما في عهده صلى الله عليه وسلم فيجب تركُ السؤال عن شيء لم يقع خشية أن ينزل به وجوب أو تحريم، فإن الله تركَها رحمة بالعباد، وأما بعد موته صلى الله عليه وسلم فإن كان السؤال على وجه الاستفتاء أو التعليم لما يحتاج إليه من أمر الدين فهو جائز بل مأمور به، وإن كان على وجه التَّعَنُّت والتكلُّف فهو المراد بترك السؤال عنه في هذا الحديث؛ وذلك لأنه قد يُفضي إلى مثل ما وقع لبني إسرائيل، إذ أُمروا أن يذبحوا بقرة فلو ذبحوا أيَّ بقرة لامتثلوا، ولكنهم شددوا فشُدِّد عليهم. الثاني: النواهي؛ وهي: ما يثاب تاركه، ويعاقب فاعله، فيجب اجتنابُها كلها. الثالث: الأوامر؛ وهو ما يثاب فاعله، ويعاقب تاركه، فيجب أن يفعل منه قدر الاستطاعة.
- ينبغي الانشغال بالأهم المُحتاج إليه، وترك ما لا يحتاج إليه في الحال، وعدم الاشتغال بالسؤال عما لم يقع.
- حرمة السؤال الذي ربما أوصل إلى تعقيد المسائل، وفتح باب الشبهات المفضية إلى كثرة الاختلاف.
- الأمر بترك كل المنهيات؛ لأنه لا مشقة في تركها، ولذلك كان النهي عنه عامًّا.
- الأمر بفعل المأمور به على قدر الاستطاعة؛ لأنه قد يلزم منه مشقة أو يعجز عنه؛ ولذا كان الأمر به على قدر الاستطاعة.
- النهي عن كثرة السؤال، قد قسم العلماء السؤال إلى قسمين: أحدهما: ما كان على وجه التعليم لما يحتاج إليه من أمر الدين، فهذا مأمور به ومن هذا النوع أسئلة الصحابة، والثاني: ما كان على وجه التعنت والتكلف وهذا هو المنهي عنه.
- تحذير هذه الأمة من مخالفة نبيها، كما وقع في الأمم التي قبلها.
- كثرة السؤال مما لا يُحتاج إليه والاختلاف على الأنبياء سببٌ للهلاك، ولا سيّما في الأمور التي لا يمكن الوصول إليها، مثل: مسائل الغيب التي لا يعلمها إلا الله، وأحوال يوم القيامة.
- النهي عن السؤال في شِداد المسائل، قال الأوزاعي: إن الله إذا أراد أن يحرم عبده بركة العلم ألقى على لسانه المغاليط، فلقد رأيتهم أقلَّ الناس علمًا، وقال ابن وهب: سمعت مالكًا يقول: المِراء في العلم يذهب بنور العلم من قلب الرجل.