Khutba on the Dangers of Opinion and Argumentation

الحَمْدُ للهِ، الحَمْدُ للهِ الذي خَلَقَ الإِنْسانَ، وجعل له العقل واللسان، وأنطقه وعلّمه الكلام، نَحْمَدُهُ تعالى ونستعينه، ونشكره تعالى ونستغفره ونستغيثه، نعوذ بالله من شرور أنفسنا ومن سيئات أعمالنا، مَنْ يَهْدِ اللهُ فلا مضل له، ومَنْ يُضلِلْ فَلاَ هَادِيَ لَهُ، ونَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللهُ  وَحْدَهُ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ، له الملك وله الحمد، يحيي ويميت، بيده الخير، وهو على كل شيء قدير، ونشْهَدُ أَنَّ سَيِّدَنَا ومولانا مُحَمَّداً عَبْدُه وَرَسُولُهُ، وحبيبه وصفيه، بلغ الرسالة وأدّى الأمانة ونصح الأمّة، النبي الأمي الذي أرسله الله بالهدى والدين الحقّ، بشيرا ونذيرا بين يدي الساعة، صلى الله عليه وسلم وعَلَى آلِهِ وأَصْحابِهِ ومَنْ تَبِعَهم بإِحْسانٍ إِلَى يَوْمِ الدِّيْنِ. 

أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَيَا عِبَادَ اللهِ اتقوا الله حق تقاته ولا تموتن إلا وأنتم مسلمون، يا أيها الذين آمنوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَقُولُوا قَوْلًا سَدِيدًا، يُصْلِحْ لَكُم أَعْمَالَكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَمَنْ يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَقَدْ فَازَ فَوْزًا عَظِيمًا، يا أيها المسلمون اتقوا الله فيما أوصى وأمر، وانتهوا عما نها عنه وزجر.

One of the banes of the present age is opinion. Everyone is taught and encouraged to have an opinion about anything and everything, even things about which they have no knowledge whatsoever. In this modern day approach, there is no such thing as a single truth, because truth is never considered absolute, only relative. Each person can have his own truth and they are all valid. And so people feel no shame and see no danger in blurting out the first things that come into their heads, or in responding and retorting without reflection to the expressed thoughts of others. This has led to a proliferation of internet forums and an explosion in the use of social media of all kinds. Even the people of knowledge set aside large portions of their knowledge in favour of a quick response. This tendency has caused great damage to the deen and to all the people involved, for no good has ever come from argumentation, unsubstantiated opinion, passing on the opinions and statements of all and sundry or speaking without reflection.
Argumentation or miraa’ in Arabic is defined as any direct criticism of another’s words to his face, whether that involve finding fault with their meaning or finding fault with their language and the ways the words are expressed, such as pointing out his weak grammar or poor spelling. Thus, the purpose of argumentation is to show up the other party as being in the wrong, and no good can ever come of it. The Prophet said,

ذروا المراء لقلة خيره وذروا المراء فإن نفعه قليل وإنه يهيج العداوة بين الإخوان

“Leave argumentation for there is little good in it. Leave argumentation for it brings little benefit. Instead, it stirs up enmity among brothers.” It may make you feel good to demonstrate your intellectual superiority over another, and it may bring you the admiration of many people who read or hear your words, but in reality you end up lessened and demeaned and the umma weakened. One of the salaf said, 

من مارى الإخوان قلت مروءته وذهبت كرامته

“He who engages his brothers in argumentation becomes less of a man and loses his nobility.” And that applies even if you are right and he is wrong. Openly shaming your brother is never the answer – it is far better to hold your tongue and not engage. The Prophet said,

من ترك المراء وهو محق بني له بيت في أعلى الجنة ومن ترك المراء وهو مبطل بني له بيت في ربض الجنة

“He who does not engage in argumentation when he is in the right will have a house built for him in the highest part of the Garden, while he who does not engage in argumentation when he is in the wrong will have a house built for him in the bottom of the Garden.” The only time you should engage is when the person’s words are misleading others about the deen, and your response will help redress that. Hence, your response must be considered and watertight. If it is hasty and incomplete, then all you succeed in doing is drawing out the argument, throwing wood on the fire and making matters worse. And the audience must be prepared to listen. If your words will have no effect, no matter how true, then do not get involved. Allah says, 

فَذَكِّرِ اِن نَّفَعَتِ الذِّكْرَى

the translation of which is, “Remind when reminding is of benefit.” The second danger of debate is is the voicing of unsubstantiated opinion, and by that I mean opinion that is not firmly rooted in knowledge but rather in what your own intellect sees as being right and correct. Allah says, 

وَلا تَقْفُ مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِ عِلْمٌ إِنَّ السَّمْعَ وَالْبَصَرَ وَالْفُؤَادَ كُلُّ أُولَئِكَ كَانَ عَنْهُ مَسْؤُولاً

the translation of which is, “Do not pursue what you have no knowledge of. Hearing, sight and hearts will all be questioned.” Regardless of how clever you think you are or how watertight your logic appears to yourself, opinions not based on knowledge invariably mislead and the people of knowledge never allow them to hold sway. An example of this is Sayyidina Ali who said,

لو كان الدين بالرأي لكان أسفل الخف اولى بالمسح من أعلاه

“If the deen were to have been based on opinion, wiping the underpart of the khuff would have been more important than wiping the upperpart.” In other words, the deen is not based on opinion and it does not matter what we think is right, it only matters what we know. It may seem more logical to place greater emphasis on the undersole of the khuff, but the deen has not done that and so we follow what we know not what we think and opine. Placing human reason on a pedestal and making it the ultimate criterion for determining the rightness or wrongness of our affairs is one of the main reasons we find ourselves in the weakened position in which we find ourselves today, for even many of our ulama have fallen prey to the same disease. I have listened to some question and answer sessions on the radio, and instead of admitting that they don’t know, as the great ‘alim, Imam Malik, did when a man came all the way from the Maghreb to ask him about a number of issues, these radio ulama respond to every question, sometimes giving answers which are spurious, incomplete and wrong. Umar warned us against this, saying,

إياكم وأصحاب الرأي فإنهم أعداء السنن أعيتهم أحاديث الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم أن يحفظوها فقالوا بالرأي فضلوا واضلوا

“Beware of the people of opinion. They are enemies of the sunna who have found themselves incapable of preserving the sayings of the Messenger and so speak with opinion instead, leading themselves and others astray.” Never embark upon a matter and never express an opinion on it, especially a matter of the deen, unless you have full knowledge of it. If you do not have full knowledge, then do not try to make up for any shortfall with intellectual reasoning, but instead seek the advice of people who do know. Allah says,

فَاسْأَلُواْ أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِن كُنتُمْ لاَ تَعلَمُونَ

the translation of which is, “Ask the people of dhikr (knowledge) in you do not know.” That is the only way to safeguard your deen and the wellbeing of the society in which you live.

أقول قولي هذا وأستغفر الله لي ولكم ولسائر المسلمين من كل ذنب فاستغفروه إنه هو الغفور الرَّحيم

الحمد لله الحمد لله رب العالمين، وأشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له وأشهد أن محمداً عبده ورسوله، صلى الله وسلم وبارك عليه وعلى آله وصحبه، والتابعين وتابعي التابعين ومن تبعهم بإحسان إلى يوم الدين.

أما بعد! فيأيها الذين ءامنوا اتقوا الله ما استطعتم واسمعوا وأطيعوا وأنفقوا خيرا لأنفسكم. يا عباد الله أوصيكم وإياي بتقوى الله وطاعته وأحذركم وإياي عن معصيته ومخالفته.

Another danger of the modern craze for social media is speaking out of turn and disclosing things that should not be disclosed in a public environment. Sometimes things are said to certain people that are intended for their ears and their ears alone, and if these statements are disseminated widely can cause great distress and harm to those involved. This happened in the time of the Prophet when battle plans were made public, jeopardising the lives of those involved. And it happens every day when people tell tales, telling one person what So-and-so said about him and vice versa, or simply making public something that was said to them in confidence, two things that are utterly repugnant to Allah. Indeed, the Prophet said about namima, telling-tales, that it was the most hateful thing there was in the eyes of Allah, given the hatred, discord and division it leaves in its wake. 
Every statement has its audience and that audience is not automatically the entire community or the entire world. The Prophet said,
الحديث بينكم أمانة
“The words that pass between you are a trust.” And Allah says, 

إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُكُمْ أَنْ تُؤَدُّوا الْأَمَانَاتِ إِلَى أَهْلِهَا

the translation of which is, “Allah commands you to give things held on trust to their people.” So never just blurt things out. Instead, you must weigh up what is said to you and determine whether it should be passed on or whether it should be kept to yourself. Is it private or is it public? Will it be of benefit or will it be of harm? Is it true or is it untrue? If you are unsure of any of these things, then you should consult the people of knowledge, as our Lord instructs us when He says,

وَإِذَا جَاءَهُمْ أَمْرٌ مِنَ الْأَمْنِ أَوِ الْخَوْفِ أَذَاعُوا بِهِ وَلَوْ رَدُّوهُ إِلَى الرَّسُولِ وَإِلَى أُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنْهُمْ لَعَلِمَهُ الَّذِينَ يَسْتَنْبِطُونَهُ مِنْهُمْ

the translation of which is, “When news of any matter reaches them they spread it about, whether it is of a reassuring or disquieting nature. If they had only referred it to the Messenger and those in authority among them, those among them able to discern the truth about it would have had proper knowledge of it.” It is said that this aya was revealed when a rumour started spreading through Madina that the Prophet had divorced his wives, and people started telling one and another the news in the mosque. When Sayyidina Umar heard what the people were saying, he immediately went to the Prophet and asked him if it was true. The Prophet told him it was not, so Umar went back to the mosque and announced that the Prophet had not divorced his wives in order to halt the rumour in its tracks. The rumour had gained traction through people unthinkingly blurting out what they had heard without pausing to reflect or ascertain the reality or truth of the situation. And that is tantamount to lying and slander, for the Prophet said,

كفى بالمرء كذباً أن يحدث بكل ما سمع

“It is enough of a lie for a person to pass on everything he hears.” But, unfortunately, it is human nature, and is very hard to resist. And therein lies the danger of the present age, the era of social media. No longer are people’s conversations and remarks limited to their close body of friends and acquaintances, but now reach much further afield. And the emphasis in most of these social media is upon instant retorts, not upon considered and measured responses. Their preponderance poses a great danger to the well-being and social fabric of our communities, and so I would advice people to take greater care with their use. Facebook is not the place for discussion of the deen – far too often it leads to misunderstanding, half-truths and the exchange of insults and heated words. Knowledge from taken from people, face-to-face with direct transmission. That is not the case on these social media, so hold back from engaging in such discussions, and if you find yourself unable to hold your tongue or your fingers on the keypad, then remove yourself completely. For when your tongue has mastery over you and you are its slave, the only effective remedy is silence. The Prophet said,

من صمت نجا

“He who is silent will be saved.” And he said,
من كف لسانه ستر الله عورته

“If you hold your tongue, Allah will cover up your defects.” This is the only sensible course of action. We ask Allah to protect us from our tongues and make them the means for us gaining His Pleasure and not His Anger. We ask Allah to make our tongues witnesses for us on the Day of Rising and not witnesses against us. We ask Allah to protect our community from those who misuse their tongues, wittingly or unwittingly, and use them to spread lies and discord. And we ask Him to make our tongues the means of reuniting the Muslims and healing their divisions.

إِنَّ اللهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ، يَا أَيُهَا الذِينَ آمَنُواْ صَلُّواْ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُواْ تَسْلِيماً. 

اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ وَسَلِّمْ وَبَارِكْ عَلَيْهِ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ  أَجْمَعِينَ. وَارْضَ اللَّهُمَّ عَنِ الْخُلَفَاءِ الرَّاشِدِينَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ وَعُثْمَانَ وَعَلِيٍّ، وعن أم المومنين عائشة التي أمرنا الله في سورة النور أن ندافع عنها، وَعَنْ سَائِرِ الصَّحَابَةِ أَجْمَعِينَ، خُصُوصاً اِلأَنْصَارَ مِنْهُمْ وَالمُهَاجِرِينَ، وَعَنِ التَّابِعِينَ وَتَابِعِي التَّابِعِينَ وَمَنْ تَبِعَهُمْ بِإِحْسَانٍ إِلَى يَوْمِ الدِّينِ.

اللَّهُمَّ اهْدِ وُلَاةَ أُمُورِ المُسْلِمِينَ لِمَا يُرْضِيكَ وَلِاتِّبَاعِ سُنَّةِ نَبِيِّكَ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَهُمْ عَلَى الصِّرَاطِ المُسْتَقِيمِ، وَأَصْلِحْهُمْ يَا رَبَّ الْعَالَمِينَ. 

اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلَى شَيْخِنَا، وَعَلَى أَمِيرِنَا، وَعَلَى جَمِيعِ أُمَرَاءِ وَزُعَمَاءِ المُسْلِمِينَ. 

اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلَى المُسْلِمِينَ فِي هَذِهِ المَدِينَةِ، وَوَفِّقْهُمْ لِمَا تُحِبُّهُ وَتَرْضَاهُ يَا أَكْرَمَ الأَكْرَمِينَ. 

اللَّهُمَّ أَعِزَّ الإِسْلَامَ وَالمُسِْلمِينَ، وَاخْذُلِ الْكُفْرَ وَالْكَافِرِينَ، وَانْصُرِ المُجَاهِدِينَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ. وَاجْعَلْ كَلِمََتَكَ هِيَ العُلْيَا وَكَلِمَةَ الْكُفْرِ هِيَ السُّفْلَى. 

رَبَّنَا ءَاتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقَِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ. 

إِنَّ اللهَ يَامُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالإِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبَى، وَيَنْهَى عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالمُنكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ، يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَّكَّرُونَ، وَلَذِكْرُ اللهِ أَكْبَرُ وَاللهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَصْنَعُونَ. وَقُومُواْ إِلَى صَلاتِكُمْ يَرْحَمُكُمُ اللهُ.