Hadith on shubahat (grey area between halal and haram)
Question:
assalamualaykum,
can u please through some light on this hadith:
"The Prophet (SAW) says when you are doubtful; “That which is lawful is clear, and that which is unlawful is also quite clear. Between these two is that which is ambiguous, which most people do not know. One who avoids the doubtful safeguards his faith and his honor.”
(Riyadh-us-Salaheen, Hadith 588)
Sir can you please through light on this hadith in brief. people claim that it relates to growing of a beard or prohibition of music in it's entirety.
Please a brief explanation with examples.
Answer:
Assalamu Alaykum,
Before looking at the hadith that you quoted, it is helpful to look at another well known hadith:
الْحَلَالُ مَا أَحَلَّ اللَّهُ فِي كِتَابِهِ وَالْحَرَامُ مَا حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ فِي كِتَابِهِ وَمَا سَكَتَ عَنْهُ فَهُوَ مِمَّا عَفَا عَنْهُ
Halal is what God has made halal in His book and Haram is what God has made haram in His Book and what He has been silenced about is forgiven.
(Ibn Majah, 3367)
The above hadith is inline with the general spirit of rulings in Islam, were in principle everything is halal other than what God announces to be haram. Based on the above, when we do not have a reliable and relevant evidence to consider something haram, then that things is halal.
After appreciating the above, we now look at the hadith that you referred to:
إِنَّ الْحَلاَلَ بَيِّنٌ وَإِنَّ الْحَرَامَ بَيِّنٌ وَبَيْنَهُمَا مُشْتَبِهَاتٌ لاَ يَعْلَمُهُنَّ كَثِيرٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ فَمَنِ اتَّقَى الشُّبُهَاتِ اسْتَبْرَأَ لِدِينِهِ وَعِرْضِهِ وَمَنْ وَقَعَ فِي الشُّبُهَاتِ وَقَعَ فِي الْحَرَامِ كَالرَّاعِي يَرْعَى حَوْلَ الْحِمَى يُوشِكُ أَنْ يَرْتَعَ فِيهِ أَلاَ وَإِنَّ لِكُلِّ مَلِكٍ حِمًى أَلاَ وَإِنَّ حِمَى اللَّهِ مَحَارِمُهُ أَلاَ وَإِنَّ فِي الْجَسَدِ مُضْغَةً إِذَا صَلَحَتْ صَلَحَ الْجَسَدُ كُلُّهُ وَإِذَا فَسَدَتْ فَسَدَ الْجَسَدُ كُلُّهُ أَلاَ وَهِيَ الْقَلْبُ
What is lawful is evident and what is unlawful is evident, and in between them are the things doubtful which many people do not know. So he who guards against doubtful things keeps his religion and honour blameless, and he who indulges in doubtful things indulges in fact in unlawful things, just as a shepherd who pastures his animals round a preserve will soon pasture them in it. Beware, every king has a preserve, and the things God his declared unlawful are His preserves. Beware, in the body there is a piece of flesh; if it is sound, the whole body is sound and if it is corrupt the whole body is corrupt, and hearken it is the heart. (Muslim, 1599)
As it is clear from the text of the hadth, the above situation is not about when there is a silence in Shari’ah about something being halal or haram. The hadith is in fact about the situation where there are evidences to show that something is haram while there are also evidences to show it is halal. This is a totally different situation and in such situation every rational person would avoid the doubtful thing. The best example I can give you is about pork gelatine. In another answer I have explained that the main reason for having disagreement about pork gelatin being halal or haram is that whether istihalah has taken place. I have explained there that in my view it has taken place but there are also many who are not convinced whether istihalah has taken place or not. Based on the above hadith, which I repeat is only rational, those who are not sure about istihalah happening to pork gelatin should avoid the products made by pork gelatin.
You mentioned people use the above hadith to argue for growing beard. I do not see any relevance what so ever. Growing beard is not in the category of Halal and Haram, rather, it is in the category of Wajib or Not Wajib. The above hadith is about the category of Halal and Haramm rather than Wajib or Not Wajib. Some people often confuse these two categories which then results in arriving on wrong conclusions.
Halal and Haram are about whether we can benefit from something while Wajib and Not Wajib is about whether doing something is compulsory. We can say 'Pork is not halal', but it will be technically wrong to say for instance 'Revealing your private parts is not halal'. Rather we say, ‘it is wajib to cover your private part'. Similarly we cannot say 'Is it halal to shave beard?', rather the question is 'Is it Wajib to have beard?'. Therefore as I stated, the above hadith is not even relevant to the question of beard. One difference between Halal vs Haram and Wajib vs Non-Wajib is that while not being sure about something being Haram or Halal should result in avoiding it, not being sure about something being Wajib or Not Wajib will make it Not Wajib. This is because taklif (wujub) only comes with certainty.
For my views on the issue of beard please read this answer: Keeping beard, religious obligation?
--------
September 2015
assalamualaykum,
can u please through some light on this hadith:
"The Prophet (SAW) says when you are doubtful; “That which is lawful is clear, and that which is unlawful is also quite clear. Between these two is that which is ambiguous, which most people do not know. One who avoids the doubtful safeguards his faith and his honor.”
(Riyadh-us-Salaheen, Hadith 588)
Sir can you please through light on this hadith in brief. people claim that it relates to growing of a beard or prohibition of music in it's entirety.
Please a brief explanation with examples.
Answer:
Assalamu Alaykum,
Before looking at the hadith that you quoted, it is helpful to look at another well known hadith:
الْحَلَالُ مَا أَحَلَّ اللَّهُ فِي كِتَابِهِ وَالْحَرَامُ مَا حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ فِي كِتَابِهِ وَمَا سَكَتَ عَنْهُ فَهُوَ مِمَّا عَفَا عَنْهُ
Halal is what God has made halal in His book and Haram is what God has made haram in His Book and what He has been silenced about is forgiven.
(Ibn Majah, 3367)
The above hadith is inline with the general spirit of rulings in Islam, were in principle everything is halal other than what God announces to be haram. Based on the above, when we do not have a reliable and relevant evidence to consider something haram, then that things is halal.
After appreciating the above, we now look at the hadith that you referred to:
إِنَّ الْحَلاَلَ بَيِّنٌ وَإِنَّ الْحَرَامَ بَيِّنٌ وَبَيْنَهُمَا مُشْتَبِهَاتٌ لاَ يَعْلَمُهُنَّ كَثِيرٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ فَمَنِ اتَّقَى الشُّبُهَاتِ اسْتَبْرَأَ لِدِينِهِ وَعِرْضِهِ وَمَنْ وَقَعَ فِي الشُّبُهَاتِ وَقَعَ فِي الْحَرَامِ كَالرَّاعِي يَرْعَى حَوْلَ الْحِمَى يُوشِكُ أَنْ يَرْتَعَ فِيهِ أَلاَ وَإِنَّ لِكُلِّ مَلِكٍ حِمًى أَلاَ وَإِنَّ حِمَى اللَّهِ مَحَارِمُهُ أَلاَ وَإِنَّ فِي الْجَسَدِ مُضْغَةً إِذَا صَلَحَتْ صَلَحَ الْجَسَدُ كُلُّهُ وَإِذَا فَسَدَتْ فَسَدَ الْجَسَدُ كُلُّهُ أَلاَ وَهِيَ الْقَلْبُ
What is lawful is evident and what is unlawful is evident, and in between them are the things doubtful which many people do not know. So he who guards against doubtful things keeps his religion and honour blameless, and he who indulges in doubtful things indulges in fact in unlawful things, just as a shepherd who pastures his animals round a preserve will soon pasture them in it. Beware, every king has a preserve, and the things God his declared unlawful are His preserves. Beware, in the body there is a piece of flesh; if it is sound, the whole body is sound and if it is corrupt the whole body is corrupt, and hearken it is the heart. (Muslim, 1599)
As it is clear from the text of the hadth, the above situation is not about when there is a silence in Shari’ah about something being halal or haram. The hadith is in fact about the situation where there are evidences to show that something is haram while there are also evidences to show it is halal. This is a totally different situation and in such situation every rational person would avoid the doubtful thing. The best example I can give you is about pork gelatine. In another answer I have explained that the main reason for having disagreement about pork gelatin being halal or haram is that whether istihalah has taken place. I have explained there that in my view it has taken place but there are also many who are not convinced whether istihalah has taken place or not. Based on the above hadith, which I repeat is only rational, those who are not sure about istihalah happening to pork gelatin should avoid the products made by pork gelatin.
You mentioned people use the above hadith to argue for growing beard. I do not see any relevance what so ever. Growing beard is not in the category of Halal and Haram, rather, it is in the category of Wajib or Not Wajib. The above hadith is about the category of Halal and Haramm rather than Wajib or Not Wajib. Some people often confuse these two categories which then results in arriving on wrong conclusions.
Halal and Haram are about whether we can benefit from something while Wajib and Not Wajib is about whether doing something is compulsory. We can say 'Pork is not halal', but it will be technically wrong to say for instance 'Revealing your private parts is not halal'. Rather we say, ‘it is wajib to cover your private part'. Similarly we cannot say 'Is it halal to shave beard?', rather the question is 'Is it Wajib to have beard?'. Therefore as I stated, the above hadith is not even relevant to the question of beard. One difference between Halal vs Haram and Wajib vs Non-Wajib is that while not being sure about something being Haram or Halal should result in avoiding it, not being sure about something being Wajib or Not Wajib will make it Not Wajib. This is because taklif (wujub) only comes with certainty.
For my views on the issue of beard please read this answer: Keeping beard, religious obligation?
--------
September 2015
