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One must know the Sharee‘ah to know what pleases Allaah

Question

I am a young man who has not memorized a text or acted according to one that I do not understand, and I have been like that for a long time. If I do not understand a Quranic verse, I do not apply its rulings nor wish to memorize it. By the same token, I do not apply the rulings of any Hadeeth that I do not understand. What is the solution? I am starting to have doubts. Is my approach a religious innovation?

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.

Dear brother, you should seek the knowledge of the Sharee‘ah as it would enlighten your way and inform you about the things that please Allaah The Almighty. Gaining knowledge is the ultimate way to distinguish between truth and falsehood. Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {Allaah will raise those who have believed among you and those who were given knowledge, by degrees.}[Quran 58:11]

The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam , stated that the knowledgeable person is better than the [unknowledgeable] worshipper because he is the guiding light through which Allaah The Almighty illuminates the path for people, and he worships Allaah The Almighty on the basis of this knowledge. [At-Tirmithi] The orders of Allaah The Almighty are comprehensible to all Muslims. It is impermissible for a Muslim not to perform an obligatory act because he does not understand the relevant verse or Hadeeth. The means of seeking knowledge are available and easy these days. Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {So ask the people of the message if you do not know.}[Quran 16:43] On the authority of Abu Hurayrah  may  Allaah  be  pleased  with  him the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, told us that this worldly life and what it contains are cursed except the remembrance of Allaah The Almighty, good deeds and a scholar or a student who studies knowledge that guides to Allaah The Almighty. [At-Tirmithi]

You should beware of the ploys of Satan. He gradually drags anyone who obeys him until he is cast into Hell. May Allaah The Almighty guide you to the right path.

Allaah Knows best.

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