A baseless story about obeying Allaah through intuition
Fatwa No: 131996

Question

Dear Shaikh, Salaam Alaikum Wa Rahmatullaah ..
A story is being circulated in which it says that a scholar spoke about "LISTENING TO ALLAH and OBEYING ALLAH THROUGH INTUITION."
Kindly advice IF THIS COULD HAPPEN?
Jazaak Allaahu Khairan ..

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.

 

We have no knowledge of this story and we do not understand what is meant exactly by listening to Allaah and obeying Him through intuition. If you mean that a man receives the teachings of religion through inspiration without need of the revelation, which is represented in the Quran and Sunnah, then this is a false methodology and a form of misguidance of some extremist Sufis who claim that there is no need for the Sharee’ah since it can be received directly from Lord of the Worlds. In Ibn ‘Arabi's book Al-Futoohaat Al-Makkiyyah, Abu Yazeed Al-Bistaami was reported to have said: “You acquired your knowledge from a dead person through a dead person, but we took our knowledge from the Ever-Living One Who never dies. My heart informs me from my Lord, while you say, "So-and-so told me…" Where is this man, now? They say: "He is dead." "Where is the man who told this man?"  They say: "He is dead, too!”

This statement is clear misguidance and a blatant lie against Allaah, Lord of the Worlds. Allaah The Almighty Says (what means):

     ·       {And who is more unjust than one who invents about Allaah untruth.}[Quran 61:7]

     ·       {Indeed, those who invent falsehood about Allaah will not succeed. [It is but] a brief enjoyment, and they will have a painful punishment.}[Quran 16:116-117]

Allaah The Almighty ordered the believers to obey Him and obey His Messenger, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and to refer to them in case of dispute. Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {And if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allaah and the Messenger, if you should believe in Allaah and the Last Day. That is the best [way] and best in result.}[Quran 4:59]  It was narrated on the authority of Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: "Indeed, I am leaving for you two things with which you will not go astray; the Book of Allaah and my Sunnah; they will not part until I meet them at the Hawdh (Basin) [i.e. on the Day of Resurrection]." [Al-Haakim, Ad-Daaraqutni and Al-Bayhaqi]

It is clear that referring to Allaah The Almighty means referring to the Quran, and referring to the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, after his death means referring to his authentically reported Sunnah. For further information about the reality of Sufism, see Fataawa 82017 and 83615.

Allaah Knows best.

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