^This reminded me of the well-known statement of Ali ibn Abi Talib pertaining to why the top of the sock is wiped during ablution instead of the bottom, “If religion were based on reason, it would be more fitting to wipe the bottom of the sock than the top. But I saw the messenger of Allah wiping the top of his sock.”
I just googled the saying to get the proper phrasing and commentary and was reminded of just how asinine fiqh classes can be with their million and one “benefits” that can be extracted from such a silly statement. It’s absurd.
These are notes from a lecture given at the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah on the above statement of Ali.
The sound reason, does not conflict, nor contradict the deen, if the text is authentic and clear, it is not possible to contradict sound reason and rationale. The intellect might be unable to comprehend, but it will not contradict the sound reason. The intellect does not comprehend why Fajr prayer is 2 Rakats, while Dhuhr is 4 Rakats, but it does not have what would contradict it. It is unable to fully understand the wisdom behind it, but inability to understand the wisdom is different than contradicting. And other than that, no it will not contradict. And if some claim that Islam differentiates between similar things, and this is a contradiction, we say: No, it is not possible for there to ever be a contradiction. Islam will never differentiate between two identical things. If you find that Islam differentiates between two things that appear identical, then know that there must be a difference between the two, undoubtedly. And they mention the hadith that says, “the urine of the boy is sprinkled over, and the urine of a baby girl is rinsed.” They said, “They are both infants breastfeeding.” Why sprinkle over this one, but wash the other one? They are both the same, sprinkle over both, or wash both. The response to the is that there is a reason. And the researchers have discovered, even in earlier times, such as Mutawalliy, from the Shafii school, that the urine of a baby girl is more dense and heavy than that of a baby boy. And modern science has proven, in the laboratory, that the urine of a baby girl contains hormones that are not found in the urine of a baby boy.
So there is a difference. They say, “You make wudu from eating the meat of the camel, but not from the meat of sheep.” We say, yes, there is a text, we accept it, and then after that it has been proven that they are not the same. There is a long study about this. Thus, “if the religion was according to opinion” : if we were only to make room for asking, not in contradiction to what Ali was saying, and it is said: Informed opinion and conception does not contradict the religious law, the opinion that is properly reasoned and correct, because Islam came to address people of sound mind. Allah says, “Yaa Uoolil albaab” “O you people of contemplation” Thus, why is the wiping on the top of the Khuff, and not the bottom, as Ali mentioned. A person can say: Sound reason also points us towards wiping over the top of the Khuff, and not the bottom. Why? Not simply because of logic, but even other texts prove this.
There are texts regarding wiping on the shoes. And there is the text that says, “If one of you come to the Masjid, let him look under his shoes, and if there is any impurity, let him wipe them in dirt.” This was during the days when Masajid were bare dirt and pebbles, unlike the Masajid today. And likewise, the dress of a woman. When the Prophet alayhi salam commanded that a woman make her dress a handspan longer, enough to cover her feet, it was said to him that the wind would uncover her feet. He said, make it two handspans longer, and not longer. Then it was said to him that the women would end up dragging her overgarment on the roads, and on the roads are all kinds of things. He replied, “Does not she pass over pure things after that?” They said: Yes: He said, the latter will purify the former. That is, when she walks over pure dust, it will remove the impure things stuck on it. It will dry it and cause anything to fall off, so it will become purified. This also points to the necessity of covering the woman. So if a person wore two shoes, and came to the Masjid, and looked under them, and found impurity, he should wipe it in the dirt. Of course today, there is not always dirt nearby, nor are masjids the way there were, and we cannot follow this particular Sunnah as we could before. 6 So if there was impurity, and he rubbed it in the dirt, then he made wudu and wanted to wipe over his shoes, if the wet hand passed over that impurity that has been dried by dust, will it change it? Yes, the impurity that was dried with dust will be affected by the moisture, you brought wetness to it again. And also something could get on your hand. So, as long as there is this possibility, the text indicates that the wiping be done on the top of the Khuff, far away from any place where there is possibility of impurities being found. Thus, wiping the top of the Khuff is the perfection of reason and intellect, and this is exactly what the Lawgiver has legislated.
Topic: Have you been to Ummah.com ?