In Islam we are encouraged to ask when we are in doubt about something, but is there such a thing as asking the wrong questions?
There are certain questions which have no benefit to the questioner. Was Yunus AS swallowed by a fish or a whale? Did Maryam AS have a normal term pregnancy or was it accelerated? Did the snake that Musa’s AS staff turned to resemble a python or a cobra? What colour was Nuh’s AS ark? Is jahannam actually a black hole?
When Rasulullah SAW passed us knowledge from Allah, he gave it comprehensively. He neither made mistakes nor forget to give us the knowledge we need for our goal in life – which is safe passage to the hereafter. When a detail is omitted, it indicates that such detail is irrelevant to the goal.
The Companions of Rasulullah SAW were the most pious people in the ummah after him. Yet, even they, with their piety and proximity to him, never raised superfluous questions. In fact, they were forbidden from asking unnecessary questions where the questioner had no genuine need for the answer, an injunction that originated from the Qur’an itself:
O you who believe! Ask not about things which, if made plain to you, may cause you trouble. But if you ask about them while the Quran is being revealed, they will be made plain to you. Allah has forgiven that, and Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Forbearing. Before you, a community asked such questions, then on that account they became disbelievers. (Qur’an 5:101-102)
The Prophet SAW taught his Companions adab or manner, and in the excellence of their manner, they never tried to enquire about anything that he did not share or talk about. They understood that if the knowledge was relevant, he would have shared it with them. Such traits, where one asks unnecessary, mocking or useless questions, are those of a hypocrite, who would prefer to debate and create division rather than to use the knowledge in a useful fashion to elevate their faith.
How does one know if a question is permitted? Most questions are permitted, for example if it relates to a ruling or to seek clarification on a point about our faith. However, questions for the sake of asking questions, on matters which are inapplicable to our lives, or irrelevant to our journey of iman and the betterment of ourselves, are prohibited.
Rasulullah SAW is the final Messenger and Prophet, the Seal of the Prophets who was sent down to us to complete and perfect the teachings of Islam. He received revelations from Jibril AS who in turn received the messages directly from Allah. There was a lot of knowledge that Allah did not emphasise upon. In these, Muhammad SAW shared nothing with us, and we do not have authentic hadith to back up many of our theories.
Yet today, we try to act clever. We open up topics which were never appropriate for discussion to begin with. We reach conclusions without any research or basis in Islam. We try to argue about unseen knowledge whereas such details will not increase our iman and will not benefit us dunia or akhirah.
Allah chose to leave things this way. There is a wisdom in it, which only Allah knows. The early scholars agreed that probing into what Allah chose not to reveal to us is a fitnah. How is it useful to have debates on how many children Adam AS had, or the kind of birds that Allah gave life to when Ibrahim AS asked for Allah to show him His power of giving life? All these details are not relevant, for the point behind these stories is to show the power or qudra of Allah. This is the main message.
Even in the early gospels of Christianity, there is the Book of Jonah (Yunus AS). Every Christian knows about Yunus AS and the whale, for this is what Allah revealed to them. Similarly, for the staff of Musa AS, when it transformed into a snake, it does not matter if it was long, short, poisonous, male or female. Some scholars say that this species of snake does not even exist in this world, thus closing the debate. Certain miracles belong to a time and place, and once the era has passed, the miracle is over.
Now, when you look into every miracle behind that, Allah mentions in the Qur’an, there is a message behind it. Today, we seek detail when we have no authentic knowledge to validate it. We debate with each other about these points, being so occupied with our unfounded theories that we forget the message entirely.
For example, the Qur’an mentions that Musa AS approached a tree which appeared to be on fire in the valley of Tuwa. Once he arrived at the scene, Allah did not give details of the fire or the type of tree. Instead, the Qur’an immediately talks about the conversation between He and Musa AS, and of Musa’s AS mission to make da’wah to Pharaoh. This means that the gist of the story is about Musa’s AS mission, not whether the tree was tall or short like a shrub, or whether the fire was actual, electrical or hallucinatory!
Similarly, does it matter if Maryam AS was pregnant for one, seven or nine months, whether she was sixteen or twenty when she delivered Isa AS? How does this knowledge benefit you in becoming a better Muslim?
Rasulullah SAW said: “Avoid (asking) me as long as I leave you; surely those before you were destroyed for their numerous questions and disobedience to their prophets. When I command you with something, do as much of it as you are able; and when I forbid you from something, stay away from it.” (Bukhari and Muslim)
We should be careful, for the past followers of the Prophets and Messengers caused their own undoing by being unnecessarily inquisitive about details which did not concern them. The next time we want to ask a question, ask ourselves what we are hoping to achieve – to strike up a lively debate, or rather, to perfect our own iman? Will the knowledge be useful to us? Will the knowledge strengthen our faith in Allah? Will the knowledge correct a wrongful action on our part?
May Allah guide us, ameen.
