Do Not Ask Too Many Questions

This lesson of al-Baqarah — a few comments on it. It is not appropriate to come to the anbiyāʾ of Allah and ask them questions — to ask them too many questions that have no good purpose behind them, or that are not beneficial. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) told the people — in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim; this hadith is narrated by Muslim — ayyuhā al-nās, qad faraḍa Allāhu ʿalaykumu al-ḥajja fa-ḥujjū: O people, Allah has made Hajj obligatory upon you, so perform Hajj.

One of the men present — it is a clear order from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him): perform Hajj; very clear; it does not need any explanation — one man stood up and said: every year? A-kulla ʿām — should we perform Hajj every year? The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) did not answer. The man stood up again and said: should we perform Hajj every year? The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) did not answer. He stood up a third time and said: shall we perform Hajj…? He was insisting. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: law qultu naʿam la-wajabat, wa la-mā istaṭaʿtum — if I said yes, it would have become obligatory upon you, and you would not be able to do it. Why are you asking the question? If I said yes, then it would become obligatory upon you to perform Hajj every year, and you would not be able to do it. Why are you bringing difficulty upon yourselves?

And then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: dharūnī mā taraktukum, fa-innamā halaka man kāna qablakum bi-kathrati suʾālihim wa-khtilāfihim ʿalā anbiyāʾihim — leave me with what I have left you with; what destroyed the people before you was their going back and forth to their anbiyāʾ and asking them questions. Fa-idhā amartukum bi-shayʾin fa-ʾtū minhu mā-staṭaʿtum, wa idhā nahaytukum ʿan shayʾin fa-daʿūh — if I tell you to do something, do the best you can; and if I prevent you from doing something, do not do it.

Do not ask too many questions. If I tell you to do something, do as much as you can — because the orders of Islam are many, and many of them are recommended; we cannot do them all. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) knew that, and he said: fa-ʾtū minhu mā-staṭaʿtum — do as much as you can. But the things that are ḥarām, you do not do them, period. Wa idhā nahaytukum ʿan shayʾin fa-jtanibūh — if I tell you not to do something, then do not do it. Do not ask too many questions. And this is with the anbiyāʾ.