The Cure of Ignorance Is Asking

Now, this needs to be understood in the right way. It does not mean that you worship Allah in ignorance. If you do not know something, then you need to ask. Because we have a situation which is mentioned in a hadith in Abū Dāwūd, from Jābir. Jābir says: we were travelling, and there was a man with us who was injured by a stone. A stone struck his head — a rock knocked him on his head — and it injured him. And then he had a wet dream at night. So when he woke up in the morning, he was in a state of janābah, and he said: hal tajidūna lī rukhṣatan fī al-tayammum — do you find any concession for me to make tayammum? Is it allowed for me to make tayammum?

They said: mā najidu laka rukhṣah — we do not find any concession for you; you have to make ghusl. He said: can I make tayammum? They said: no, you have to make ghusl. They gave him a fatwā: wa anta taqdiru ʿalā al-māʾ — and you are able to use water. Fa-ghtasala fa-māt — he washed, and he died. They told him: we do not find a concession for you; you have to bathe; you are not able to make tayammum.

So the news was carried to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), and he said: qatalūhu qatalahumu Allāh, a-lā saʾalū idh lam yaʿlamū, fa-innamā shifāʾu al-ʿiyyi al-suʾāl — they killed him, may Allah kill them. They killed him. Why did they not ask, if they did not know? Because the cure of ignorance is asking. How come they did not ask? They did not know — so why did they give him a fatwā when they did not know? They should have asked. Shifāʾu al-ʿiyyi al-suʾāl — the cure of ignorance is asking. It would have been enough for him to make tayammum, tie a cloth over his wound, wipe over it, and wash the rest of his body. But when the water hit the injury, it killed him.

So the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) is saying here that you need to ask. And we also learn something important from this hadith: do not give a fatwā if you do not know. I have brothers coming and telling me about things that they have been told — unbelievable. People are giving fatwās right and left. May Allah forgive us all. We all make mistakes; all of us, we make mistakes. But sometimes there are some of us who, whenever a question is presented, have an answer. They have an answer for everything. They are know-it-alls; they can answer everything. You could answer a question and cause the death of somebody, like this. The sharīʿah is not a game that you play with. When you do not know, say: Allāhu aʿlam.