Praises are to Allah and His Prophet (PBUH).
Many years since the prophet Muhammed (PBUH) have passed, many critical incidents have been happening which have make Muslims have different points of view over matters in Islamic rule.
But that is not new, and that’s probably bound to happen. Because some Muslims’ believe are entirely different in knowledge from other Muslims. So in case, such a thing happened, what should you do.
In other words, What should Muslims refer to when differing in a matter?
The differentiation could happen because a Muslim don’t understand the true meaning of a rule, or just don’t know there is a rule that backs a matter.
Some people know the rule and what the true meaning is, but they decided not to follow it, thereby telling other Muslims that they will go for their mind choice.
That said, as a Muslim you have to be open-minded, something you know may need some slight modification, but only if you are open-minded will you give the point a little consideration.
However, if you find yourself helpless to choose, asking yourself what point of view, the true meaning of a matter as it is explained by the prophet to the Sahaabah.
Where You Should Refer to?
To answer the question, Muslims must refer back to the Islamic law, since this is what was mentioned in the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the prophet Muhammed (PBUH). Allah (SWT) said: ‘… then if you differ in any matter, refer it to Allah and the Messanger…’ Q4:59
From Tafseer Usur li-Akeer
You should by now, understand that, wherever any Islamic rule seems to differ in explanation, or point of view, all you have to do is refer back to the Quran and Authentic Hadith of the Prophet (PBUH), and you will be able to find the true meaning of the matter.
But.
What if you got the Quran verse, the Hadith or both, things could still be misunderstood.
For example, let say a kind of differentiation happen in a matter concerning ‘Does Allah own a child?’ two people were discussing this, one saying He owns a child and the other said Allah doesn’t own any child.
They take a look at the Holy Quran and Hadith and find Surat ul-Iklas, and some Hadith to back it up. They both agree it was a true Quran verse and the Hadith is authentic, then one of them against the true meaning of the Quran verse. The other fellow said Allah is speaking in a parable, that Allah did not mean ‘He didn’t have a child’
What next, there is no need to fight, remember, everyone is tied to their beliefs until something changes it. So you look into one more thing.
Islamic Matter Must Be In Alignment with The Sahaabah
For every matter in Islamic rule, anyone would probably create their meaning of Quran verse or the true meaning of Hadith, so to let them understand whether the rule is true or false.
You have to check the understanding of the Sahabaah because they are the ones the Prophet (PBUH) explained the true meaning of Al-Quran and the Authentic Hadith of the Prophet.
That means the Holy Quran and the Hadith of the prophet are the two basics on which Islamic Rules and principles stand. As The Prophet (PBUH) said: ‘I have left two things among you which if you adhere to, you will never go astray: the book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet’ – Ahmad
In conclusion, when differing in a matter Muslims should refer back to the Holy Book of Allah, the authentic Hadith of the Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) and the true meaning of the Quran verses and Hadith must be aligned with that of the prophet Muhammed (PBUH).
All said Allah knows best, may He guide us to the right path of which Al Janat ul-Firdaus will be rewarded.