Tafseer Benefits: The Scholars are Authority Figures

In the Name of Allaah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful…

In a response to a recent exposition of the Almaghrib Institute and their direction, one of our visitors who has (apparently) been influenced by their teachings requested us to reflect on the Verse of the Quran:

يا أيها الذين آمنوا أطيعوا الله وأطيعوا الرسول وأولي الأمر منكم وإن تنازعتم في شيء فردوه إلى الله والرسول إن كنتم تؤمنون بالله واليوم الآخر ذلك خير وأحسن تأويلا
“O you who believe! Obey Allah, obey His Messenger, and (obey) those of you who are in authority. If you differ in anything, refer it back to Allah and the Messenger, if you truly believe in Allah and in the Last Day. That is better and a more suitable outcome.” [4:59]

The confused advisor assumed that -based on his misunderstanding of the Verse- Muslims are required to return the affairs they disagree about back to the Book and the Sunnah, and not to the scholars of Islaam, and that is one more reason to avoid “blindly following” the scholars. (While blind-following was never endorsed or encouraged in any of our writings in the first place!)

This is one of the common effects of the Almaghrib scheme – that people understand any connection to the scholars as “blindly following” them. As a result, people actually believe that removing the scholars from their lives is better and even supported in the Quran!

Response to This Point of Confusion

Yes indeed, we refer back to Allaah and His Messenger (may Allaah raise his rank and grant him peace). But without the scholars? How could we come to this conclusion?

We do not take one Verse and ignore other Verses! Allaah has Continue reading