Said he...

Said he, “But such sects fell into curses and condemnations, not satisfied with cursing and condemning the accursed Shimr but went beyond him to Mu’awiyah, Yazid and Banu Umayyah.”[^1] If I, too, face such sort of people, it does not frighten me in the least, nor does it prohibit me from writing books similar to this one that discuss various subjects put forth in a scholarly, subjective and calm manner, so long as there is a need to discuss them, or if I feel that the Islamic Shari’a obligates me to adopt a stand towards them.

It has become quite obvious that there is no room to make a truce with regard to the creed, to the issues relevant to the creed, and to whatever relates to (as). I shall never pay attention to the intimidating attempts of some of such folks, for these are like mirage which the thirsty person mistakes for water. Let Allah make righteousness prevail through His Words and cause the effort of the treacherous to go to waste.

Some people may say that discussing the ideas and criticizing them is regarded as scandalizing those who uphold them. The latter should be safeguarded and their mistakes should be covered up rather than publicized. Let me say the following: FIRST: If discussing and criticizing the ideas is “scandalizing”, all doors of knowledge and scholarship have to be shut; constructive criticism should be prohibited.

Criticizing the ideas, even of the greatest scholars, has been throughout history the mark that distinguishes thinkers and scholars, especially those who follow the school of (as). SECOND: Prohibitive scandalizing is one that deals with personal matters.

Not so is the constructive and subjective criticism, nor o sot the correcting of mistakes in the doctrinal issues and issues relevant to conviction and ideology, especially if such mistakes reflect on people’s creeds, religious issues and concepts of conviction. These remain to be the most urgent of all. Safeguarding people’s religion is the most important and obligatory, more so than protecting those who jeopardize it or transgress its limits. Everyone has to know his limits.

He should not try to undermine issues and fixed beliefs of the faith, creed and conviction. THIRD: Taking the initiative to criticize an ideology is neither victimizing nor scandalizing. Rather, insistence on bringing about issues which jeopardize the established creed, sect, history or other things, in a way which lacks scholarly precision and transgresses natural limits.