MUSJIDUL HAQ

Download PDF: The Barakah of Questioning

Once, Sayyiduna Rasoolullah May Allah send peace and blessings upon him said, “I have hope that the people of Badr and Hudaybiyah will never enter Hell.” When , Sayyidah Hafsah May Allah be pleased with her heard these words, she asked, “Allah Almighty declares that there is none among you who will not pass (over Hell).”

This fact is stated in Surah Maryam, verse 71:

وَ اِنۡ مِّنۡکُمْ اِلَّا وَارِدُہَا ۚ کَانَ عَلٰی رَبِّکَ حَتْمًا مَّقْضِیًّا ﴿ۚ۷۱﴾

There is not one of you who may not pass over the Hell, this is necessarily a decided thing for your Lord.

He replied, “Yes, however, He also stated:

ثُمَّ نُنَجِّی الَّذِیۡنَ اتَّقَوۡا وَّنَذَرُ الظّٰلِمِیۡنَ فِیۡہَا جِثِیًّا ﴿۷۲﴾

“We shall then rescue the pious – and leave the unjust in it, fallen on their knees.”

[Surah Maryam. 72]

(Musnad Imam Ahmed May Allah be pleased with him).

Lesson

This proves that to listen to someone knowledgeable carefully and then to question certain aspects of his words has also being the habit and Sunnah of the pious predecessors in Islam.

However, if this action is based on trying to insult the person, or trying to prove that you have more knowledge, or merely as a form of examination to the person opposite, then these types of questions would be considered as nothing but following one’s Nafs. It also does not achieve the objective of increasing one’s knowledge.

Pertaining to the importance of questioning further, the following has been stated by the pious.

Sayyiduna Rasoolullah May Allah send peace and blessings upon himhas stated that, “A cure or remedy for ignorance (Jahaalat) is to question.” (Jamia Bayaanul Ilm wal Fadlihi, Imam ibn Abdul Barr Andalusi)

Sayyidah Ayesha May Allah be pleased with her once stated that, “Allah Almighty grace the females of the Ansaar with His Divine Mercy, no amount of shame restricted them from learning their religion. (In other words, they did not restrict themselves from questioning Sayyiduna Rasoolullah May Allah send peace and blessings upon himon any matter in religion.)” (Same treatise)

Hadrat Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Mas’ud May Allah be pleased with him states, “Knowledge is increased by searching for it and attained through questioning.” (Same treatise).

Ibn Shihaab May Allah be pleased with him said, “Knowledge is indeed wealth and questions are the key.”

Khalil bin Ahmed May Allah be pleased with him states, “Do not tire of questioning because through it, different doors of knowledge are opened through it.” (Same treatise).

Hadrat Sayyiduna Hasan Basri May Allah be pleased with him has stated that, “He who feels ashamed to acquire knowledge, his knowledge is always little or insignificant.”

Hadrat Sayyiduna ‘Umar bin Abdul Aziz May Allah be pleased with him states that, “I have knowledge of many things, however, those things which I was ashamed to question about, even in old age, I am ignorant of those aspects.”

When we look carefully, we will see that proper questions are created in the mind of a person when he is able to listen carefully to the person speaking. If someone does not pay attention to what is being said, besides questioning, for him to understand what is said also becomes impossible.

We should also make it a habit of carefully listening to any religious knowledge or speech. When there is anything which is confusing to us, we should immediately seek the guidance of someone who is learned in Islam. One of the advantages of this is that when you do this, if someone does question you in future, you yourself will already know the answer to this question. In most cases when someone questions you, you either look right or left in confusion or you yourself become embarrassed.

Bear in mind also the words of the following Hadith Shareef wherein Sayyiduna Rasoolullah May Allah send peace and blessings upon himhas has stated that, “To teach even a single aspect of religion is better than giving the entire world in charity.”

We make Du’a that Allah Almighty gives all Muslims the strength to do this. Aameen.