A something something
Just a little excerpt that I would like to share from my humbled readings.. ;
Yet, Muhammad himself prophesied that his community would not find the answer to every new challenge spelled out in the pages of the Qur'an or his sayings. Part of Muhammad's mission was to provide his community with the tools they would need to encounter every fresh challenge in situations for China to Africa, Malaysia to America. The well-commemorated episode that identifies this account is Muhammad's interaction with his companion Mu'adh ibn Jabal, who was being sent to lead another province as its new governor. In their last conversation, Muhammad asked Mu'adh how he would deal with the new challenges that would surely come his way. Mu'adh answered that he would first look into the Qur'an for guidance. Muhammad asked his companion what would he do if he did not find the answer there. Mu'adh pondered further, then stated that he would look at the example of the Prophet himself - he would wonder what Muhammad would do. The Prophet pressed on a bit further, asking one last time what Mu'adh would do if asking this question revealed no specific instruction. Reflecting one last time, Mu'adh offered thatn then he would exert his own independent reasoning to come up with a fresh solution to the new dilemma. Finally satisfied, Muhammad sent his companion forth to lead his community.
Yet, Muhammad himself prophesied that his community would not find the answer to every new challenge spelled out in the pages of the Qur'an or his sayings. Part of Muhammad's mission was to provide his community with the tools they would need to encounter every fresh challenge in situations for China to Africa, Malaysia to America. The well-commemorated episode that identifies this account is Muhammad's interaction with his companion Mu'adh ibn Jabal, who was being sent to lead another province as its new governor. In their last conversation, Muhammad asked Mu'adh how he would deal with the new challenges that would surely come his way. Mu'adh answered that he would first look into the Qur'an for guidance. Muhammad asked his companion what would he do if he did not find the answer there. Mu'adh pondered further, then stated that he would look at the example of the Prophet himself - he would wonder what Muhammad would do. The Prophet pressed on a bit further, asking one last time what Mu'adh would do if asking this question revealed no specific instruction. Reflecting one last time, Mu'adh offered thatn then he would exert his own independent reasoning to come up with a fresh solution to the new dilemma. Finally satisfied, Muhammad sent his companion forth to lead his community.
Page 299-300, Memoirs of Muhammad
As the writer puts it, it was never an intention for the question of 'What Muhammad would do?' to be a fossilized and fully codified system, but rather a way of preparing the Ummah to live in a global and perpetually changing world. In other words, they are guidelines, not the definite answer to all problems. It is this creative re-imagining of what Muhammad would do that has in part allowed Islam to expand and become indigenous in so many cultural contexts.
I bet you guys are panicking why I'm posting this kind of stuff loollll. But seriously.
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