Intellect: To be used and not to be Worshipped!

[Hassan_B]

Salaams Nomaads and Aliens!

 

One thing I've noticed reading SOL threads is that the intellect is highly valued here and many of the people that post seem to have intellects more developed than the average Somali. So this is a good thing.

 

But I'd like to remind myself and others that the intellect is something to be used, to make sense of the world around us, and to recognize the Signs of Allah.

 

The principle characteristic of the Intellect is that it obeys Allah, the Exalted.

 

When Allah created the Intellect He asked it:

 

What it was and who He was and the Intellect said, "I am Intellect and you are Allah and you are my Creator". He said to it, come and it came, and retreat and it retreated.

 

 

But we also have the Nafs and it competes with the intellect.

 

When Allah created the Intellect He asked it:

 

What it was and who was He and the Nafs said, "I am what I am and you are who you are." So Allah locked it up for a thousand years and then released it. and asked it the same questions and finaly answered,"I am Nafs, and You are Allah and You are my Creator." and Allah commanded the nafs to come and it retreated and He asked it to retreat and it came.

 

So we should make sure our nafs doesn't take over our intellects and start to use it for evil or even to start to make it a rival to Allah and His Messenger (PBUH).

[Nur]

Jazakallahu Kheiran Hassan bro for your thoughts on Intellect. Yours are Inspiring and encouraging thoughts

 

First please can you tell us the source of the story of conversations that you have posted on the intellect and Allah, and the Nafs and Allah, we need to authenticate the sources of the Hadeeth.

 

 

Your tagline reads:

 

If you put the Sunna before mercy, you have lost both.

 

 

Brother Allah sent Muhammad SAWS as a Mercy for mankind, how can the Sunnah contradict with Mercy? Allah says in Quraan " We have not sent you ( O Muhammad) except as a Mercy for Mankind"

 

 

Nur

[Sophist]

Al Naqlu Muqadadum Canil Caql!

[Hassan_B]

Excellent questions Nur.

 

I've heard it many times from shuyuukh and teachers. I never really bothered to look for the hadith sources as I trust them. I'll look for them and post the sources when I find them.

 

As for the tagline. It is from the contentions of Sh. Abdal-Hakim Murad aka TJ Winter of Cambridge. My understanding of it is that in applying the Sunnah you must do it in a merciful way, with a heart truely merciful towards others. And also not to be harsh with people and force them to apply the sunnah all at once. This will wear them out and put them off. You must do it in gradual stages. This is my understanding of it. The shaykh doesn't put commentary on it, however, if one reads his essays, I believe one would get to an understand that is close to that. Also, from life experience, truely those with merciful hearts are the one who really bring people to act upon the sunnah. Wa allahu aclam.

[Nur]

Precisely Brother Hassan!, Sunnah actually means the HOW of delivering the Message of Allah SWT. So the way to deliver the message of Allah SWT is SUNNAH WAY or MERCY WAY! you can use both terms exchangeably.

 

The Prophet SAWS has even taught HOW to teach people the Sunnah like you've said. So, in that regard, if we follow SUNNAH as it should be, we will be kind and merciful in our ways of delivering the Message of Allah SWT to people.

 

Mercy is an embedded wisdom in all of Sunnah, if you fail to see Mercy in an action, rest assured that said action is not Sunnah! The problem as I see is the lack of common sense and wisdom that at times projects the Sunnah to be harsh when administered by the very people who claim that they are championing Sunnah behavior.

 

 

Nur

[Hassan_B]

Yeah, thats what I was talking about.

 

It is just that our understanding of the Sunnah has become shallow and fragmented. It is precisely because the Sunnah is for the most part about Mercy that if you try to disregard Mercy in your application of a distorted type of the Sunnah that you end up loosing the Sunnah altogether. Mercy and Sunnah are interdependent and a Sunnah that is missing mercy is not the real Sunnah of the Prophet PBUH.

[Hassan_B]

Unfortunately Many think that the Sunnah is about being rough and tough and harsh. Not true!

[Nur]

Well put Hassan bro.

 

Now let us go back to the original topic, Sophist bro writes:

 

Al Naqlu Muqaddamun Canil Caql!

That the revelation has a priority over the intellect! since our intellect has a limited capacity.

 

What is your take on that as the starter of this topic?

 

 

Nur

[Hassan_B]

This I believe to be true. However, the intellect is still needed for deciphering the signs of Allah (SAW) that are around us. This is why the Qur'an criticizes the pagan arabs as qawmun la yacqiluun. Because they did not use their intellects to recognize the signs of their lord but used it instead to accumulate wealth, fame and fortune and other worldly things.

 

Even when used properly, it is like a beast of burden. It is useful for ones navigation, but it can only take you so far just as your beast of burden can not help you cross the ocean. The intellect can not inform you of other worldly things, life-after death, punishment, reward and so on.

 

For this, which has eternal consequences one must rely upon revelation. Properly functioning intellect will recognize its limitations and will submit to revelation, is revelation is from it is Creator, who is much more knowledgeable of reality than it could if imagine.

 

Therefore, Al Naqlu Muqaddamun Canil Caql, is true. However, the intellect is still important, least of all it is needed for sifting through things, for example, whose Naqlu are you going to put more value or trust? If you haven't noticed there is much Naql, the intellect is needed for the coming to the right Naql. When one is confident of the correct Naql, one must submit to it. Also, the Qur'an mentions it as something that is important so we should not belittle that. Wallah aclam.

[Hassan_B]

Here is a good piece on reason:

 

Reason as a Balance, the evolution of 'aql