Scholarly Statements Are Not Independent Evidence
As previously explained regarding the flawed methodology, it is impermissible to interpret clear statements of the Qur'an using ambiguous statements from the same text.
An even greater violation of the above-mentioned rule is to interpret ambiguous scholarly statements in a way that contradicts the clear texts of the Qur'an – or, even more absurdly, opposes the fundamental principles of Islam.
Scholarly statements can never be considered independent and binding Islamic evidence on their own. This means that, according to Islamic teachings, no scholar after the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has the authority to introduce a completely new concept about the religion and make it obligatory. This is because no one after the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم receives direct revelation.
However, it is certainly possible that the statements of the salaf, meaning the early scholars of Islam, hold a certain evidentiary value in matters of faith or jurisprudence, as these statements were originally based on evidence from the Qur'an or Sunnah. This was already mentioned at the beginning of this book. Of particular importance in this regard is the explicitly narrated consensus of the salaf, or their collective approval of a known statement by a scholar among them125.
This, however, has nothing to do with blindly following later scholars (al-muta'akhirun) or contemporary scholars (al-mu'asirun) merely on the basis that these individuals hold such a high status and are so excellent that any criticism of their statements must be rejected from the outset. As previously mentioned, such an approach would not even be permissible regarding the earliest and most renowned scholars of Islam, as they, too, were not protected from error in their individual opinions and juristic views. It is therefore even more unreasonable to theoretically or practically elevate a later or even a contemporary scholar to the level of infallibility.
In fact, the matter explained here is a matter of course in Islam. For this reason, scholars since the early generations of Islam have emphasized this principle. Thus, it is frequently narrated from well-known scholars such as Malik126, ash-Shafi'i127, Ahmad and many others رحمهم الله that they prohibited people from following their statements if a clear contradiction to a text from the Qur'an or Sunnah was present.
Notes
- In Islamic sciences, this is referred to as silent consensus (al-ijma'u s-sukuti). ↩
Malik ibnu Anas (93-179 AH / 712-796 CE) was the renowned scholar after whose teachings the Maliki school of jurisprudence later developed. Malik lived approximately 84 years.
His still-preserved work, al-Muwatta', is considered one of the earliest works on hadith narration and therefore holds significant importance in the science of hadith. Malik was therefore not only a distinguished jurist but also made significant contributions to the field of hadith narration. ↩
- Muhammad ibnu Idris ash-Shafi'i (150-204 AH / 767-820 CE) is also regarded as one of the most prominent scholars of Islam and its early period. Ash-Shafi'i was not only a renowned jurist but also a hadith scholar. After his teachings, the Shafi'i school of jurisprudence later developed. ↩