Shaykh Saaleh aal ash-Shaykh [May Allaah
Preserve him] said:
The understanding of current affairs (otherwise
known as Fiqh al-Waaqi') means having understanding of the reality of the
affairs which will help the scholar deduce a religious ruling. This is a sensitive subject. However, it is a must
for the scholars to be aware of what the current affairs are before speaking.
Once they have the correct information, only then can they be able to place a
religious ruling in what is occurring. This understanding has been derived from
the saying of Ibn 'Abbaas [May Allaah be Pleased with him], as was collected by
Shaykh Muhammad bin 'Abdul-Wahaab in his book, Kitaab at-Tawheed, and explained
in Fath al-Majeed by Shaykh 'Abdur-rahmaan bin Hasan aal ash-Shaykh.
Ibn 'Abbaas [May Allaah
be Pleased with him] has been reported to say, "Many have become brothers
to one another for the sake of the Dunyaa, however this form of brotherhood is
completely futile." [at-Tabaraanee (13537)]
Shaykh Muhammah bin
'Abdul-Wahaab [May Allaah have Mercy on him] said about this statement,
"This shows that the Companion (or the scholars of today) was aware of the
current affairs." [Kitaab at-Tawheed (Pg. 43)]
This means that the
scholars are aware of the situation of the people and what applies upon them
from the Sharee'ah.
…
So for the scholar to be
aware of the situation and affairs of the people and giving solutions to their
affairs is absolutely necessary, because no betterment can about except through
this. How can the scholar improve the situation of the people if he doesn’t
know anything about them?
In fact, Allaah, the
Glorified and the Exalted, Explained this to His Messenger. After explaning the
affairs and the situations of the Mushriks and their state, He Said:
وَكَذَلِكَ
نُفَصِّلُ الآيَاتِ وَلِتَسْتَبِينَ سَبِيلُ الْمُجْرِمِينَ
“And thus do We
explain the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs,
revelations, etc.) in detail, that the way of the Mujrimun (criminals, polytheists, sinners), may become manifest.”
[al-An'aam 6:55]
So it is from the
knowledge of the Sharee'ah that one is acquainted with those who have been led
astray and what has been their misguidance.
…
Ibn 'Abbaas and others
from the Companions [May Allaah be Pleased with them all], because of their
insight of the current affairs at their times, were able to speak and direct
the people to the religion and explain what violated it. Thus, through their
insight and knowledge, they were able to benefit the people a great deal.
…
So the scholars of the
Sharee'ah continued with the given importance to understand the current affairs
in their writing, and as a result were able to explain to the people the
rulings of the Sharee'ah.
Understanding current
affairs of two types:
1) That which has
religious ruling connected to it.
2) That which does not
have a religious ruling connected to it.
As for the first one,
then as explained, it is a must that the scholar has sufficient information of
the reality of affairs before giving a religious ruling.
As for the second type,
then it is not a must that the scholar knows and talks about it, because it has
no relation to the religion.
In order to understand
the first type mentioned here, there is an important principle in Fiqh that
must be understood; that ‘All rulings are based on its circumstances’. So it is
possible that a Fatwaa can differ from another according to time and place.
Likewise, there is
another principle that must be firmly understood; that ‘The ruling that a
scholar may issue is only an outcome on his understanding of the situation’.
…
So the term, Fiqh
al-Waaqi' is a term which is used to understand current international politics
or anything else that may affect the Ummah or occur in the world today. So it
is not an absolute condition for a scholar to know about current political affairs,
purely because the full depth of what occurs in politics may not be fully
perceived. Rather, news or information may be transmitted to the extent that
the person telling the news wants you to know. Trying to understand a given
political situation can often be impossible.
For this reason, many of
those who talk about politics often speak partly with fact and partly with
error. In fact, most of the time people speak with error then they do with
truth, only because they have come to their opinion based on what they have
heard and what they conjunct.
Therefore, truly
understanding the full revolve around politics is not likely, and as a result,
the information and news one receives falls under the topic of politics and not
religion.
Having said this, it is
possible that a person is well-informed from (trustworthy sources) about
politics and Allaah Gives him understanding in it. From this stems another
great principle, that those who have knowledge from the Muslims know best about
their enemies. This is a principle that is consistent and requires a lot of
knowledge. From this knowledge, those who have knowledge know who the enemies
are to the Muslims and who is the greatest threat to them, Allaah has Explained
this in His Book:
وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ
بِأَعْدَائِكُمْ وَكَفَى بِاللَّهِ وَلِيًّا وَكَفَى بِاللَّهِ نَصِيرًا
“Allah has full
knowledge of your enemies, and Allah is Sufficient as a Wali (Protector), and Allah is Sufficient as a Helper.”
[an-Nisaa 4:45]
This Aayah explains that
Allaah Knows best about our enemies. It also explains that all the Mushriks
have enmity towards the Muslims, the Jews, the Christians and all the
hypocrites. So this a great piece of knowledge that one possess and can only be
gained by those who have a deep understanding of the Qur'aan and the Sunnah.
…
Studying and have a
profound knowledge of politics is only for those who are specific in its
knowledge, those who have experience within it. From this we also come to know
of another principle, that most of the Ummah is illiterate, meaning ignorant of
the Sharee'ah. This was mentioned by ash-Shaatibee in al-Muwafaqaat (1/52),
based on the Hadeeth, "We are an illtarate nation." [Reported in
al-Bukhaaree (1913) and Muslim (1080)]
However, for the Muslim
to enquire and know about the enemy of the Muslims, then this is binding upon
every one of us, as explained by Allaah, the Glorified and the Exalted, and His
Messenger, Peace and Blessings of Allaah be upon him. So the Muslim must find
out and enquire as much as he is able to.
