12 February 1940 — On Arts, Knowledge, and Following the Schools of Law

۱۲ فروری ۱۹۴۰

Fine Arts (Funun-e-Latifa)

These are arts of beauty and refinement — poetry, music, calligraphy, painting and similar crafts. Some of these are permissible in Islam and some are not. One must distinguish.

Knowledge and Feeling (Ilm wa Ahsas)

Knowledge is one thing; to feel and experience it inwardly is another. Many people have knowledge but do not feel its reality within themselves. True benefit comes when knowledge penetrates the heart and produces inward experience.

Argumentation (Jadal)

Engaging in disputatious argument for its own sake is a spiritual disease. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “No people go astray after having been guided but that they resort to disputation.” (Sunan al-Tirmidhī, no. 3253; Sunan Ibn Mājah, no. 48; narrated by Abū Umāma.) Debate that leads to truth is different; mere disputation for the sake of winning is blameworthy.

Taqlid (Following a Legal School)

Taqlid means following one of the four recognized Sunni schools of jurisprudence — Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i, or Hanbali. This is obligatory for those who are not themselves qualified jurists. The one who has not mastered the religious sciences must follow an imam. To do otherwise is to invite error.

The Difference between the Rakabiya and the Common Person

The Rakabiya are those of a very high spiritual station who may act on direct divine guidance. The common person has no such station. The common believer must hold to the established school of law; otherwise there is danger.

Following One School While Acting on Another

In principle one should follow a single school throughout. Selectively picking rulings from one school and another for personal convenience — what is called talfiq — is problematic. One should remain consistent.

Hazrat Qibla's Ijtihad on the Issue

Hazrat Qibla offered his own considered judgment (ijtihad) on these matters. His view was that while formal taqlid of one school is the general rule, the depth and breadth of the tradition allows for scholarly guidance that may take account of more than one position where there is real scholarly need — not personal convenience.

The Rulings of Islam Are Valid for All Times

Islam's legal rulings are not time-bound. The argument that modern conditions make old rulings inapplicable is false. The principles of the Sharia are eternal; their application is flexible, but their essential character does not change.

Protection from Blind Taqlid Is Important

While taqlid is necessary for the non-scholar, blind imitation without understanding is dangerous. A person should follow their school while also seeking to understand the reasons and evidence behind its rulings to the extent their capacity allows.

The State's School of Law (Hukumat ka Maslak)

The ruling authority of a Muslim state may legitimately adopt one school as the official school for governance and legal administration. This is the precedent of the Ottoman state and other Muslim polities — it brings uniformity and order.

Imaginary and Definite Things Appear Real

What the imagination conjures can seem as real as what is certain. This is a snare for the spiritual wayfarer. One must learn to distinguish between true knowledge arrived at through sound means and mental constructions that only seem real.

Service to the Teacher (Ustad ki Khidmat)

Serving one's teacher is a supreme virtue. The great scholars of the past attained their knowledge partly through genuine service to their teachers. Service creates a spiritual connection through which knowledge flows.

Special Grace upon This Servant

Hazrat remarked on the special grace (inayat) of Allah upon himself — that despite his unworthiness, the Almighty had opened doors of knowledge and spiritual wisdom beyond what could be earned by mere effort.