It isn’t for us to leave the Book and the Sunnah...

It isn’t for us to leave the Book and the Sunnah; and what has been referred to us which is neither in the Book of Allah -azwj nor in the Sunnah of His -azwj Rasool -saww , we take with our opinion.’ قُلْتُ مَا صَنَعْتَ شَيْئاً لِأَنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ يَقُولُ‏ ما فَرَّطْنا فِي الْكِتابِ مِنْ شَيْ‏ءٍ وَ قَالَ فِيهِ تِبْيَانُ كُلِّ شَيْ‏ءٍ أَ رَأَيْتَ لَوْ أَنَّ رَجُلًا عَمِلَ بِمَا أَمَرَهُ اللَّهُ بِهِ وَ انْتَهَى عَمَّا نَهَاهُ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ أَ بَقِيَ لِلَّهِ شَيْ‏ءٌ يُعَذِّبُهُ عَلَيْهِ إِنْ لَمْ يَفْعَلْهُ‏ أَوْ يُثِيبُهُ عَلَيْهِ إِنْ فَعَلَهُ I said, ‘You have not done anything, because Allah -azwj Mighty and Majestic: We have not neglected in the Book of anything [6:38] , and Said in it is a clarification of all things [16:89] .

What is your view if a man works with what Allah -azwj has Commanded him with and desists from what Allah -azwj has Forbidden from, does there remain anything for Allah -azwj to Punish him upon if he does not do it, or Reward him upon if he does it?’ قَالَ وَ كَيْفَ يُثِيبُهُ عَلَى مَا لَمْ يَأْمُرْهُ بِهِ أَوْ يُعَاقِبُهُ عَلَى مَا لَمْ يَنْهَهُ عَنْهُ He said, ‘And how can He -azwj Reward him upon what He -azwj did not Command him with, or Punish him upon what He -azwj did not Forbid him from?’ قُلْتُ وَ كَيْفَ يَرِدُ عَلَيْكَ مِنَ الْأَحْكَامِ مَا لَيْسَ لَهُ فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ أَثَرٌ وَ لَا فِي سُنَّةِ نَبِيِّهِ خَبَرٌ I said, ‘And how can the rulings be referred to you, when there is neither any trace of it in the Book of Allah -azwj nor any Hadeeth in the Sunnah of His -azwj Prophet -saww ?’ قَالَ أُخْبِرُكَ يَا ابْنَ أَخِي حَدِيثاً حَدَّثَنَاهُ بَعْضُ أَصْحَابِنَا يَرْفَعُ الْحَدِيثَ إِلَى عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ أَنَّهُ قَضَى قَضِيَّةً بَيْنَ رَجُلَيْنِ فَقَالَ لَهُ أَدْنَى الْقَوْمِ إِلَيْهِ مَجْلِساً أَصَبْتَ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ فَعَلَاهُ عُمَرُ بِالدِّرَّةِ وَ قَالَ ثَكِلَتْكَ أُمُّكَ وَ اللَّهِ مَا يَدْرِي عُمَرُ أَصَابَ أَمْ أَخْطَأَ إِنَّمَا هُوَ رَأْيٌ اجْتَهَدْتُهُ فَلَا تُزَكُّونَا فِي وُجُوهِنَا He said, ‘I will inform you, O son of my brother, a Hadeeth one of our companions has narrated to us, raising the Hadeeth to Umar Bin Al-Khattab who had judged a case between two men.