The munhaarif Linguistically speaking, the Arabic term inhiraaf means deviation; namely to go to an extreme or depart from the middle of the way. Hence, deviation is to drift away from the right path and the moderate way of judging things and ideas. It is finally an imbalanced position that an individual takes in understanding or conceptualizing religious and political events. The term includes wrestling of the meanings of words. Allah says, مِنَ الَّذِينَ هَادُوا يُحَرِّفُونَ الْكَلِمَ عَنْ مَوَاضِعِهِ وَيَقُولُونَ سَمِعْنَا وَعَصَيْنَا وَاسْمَعْ غَيْرَ مُسْمَعٍ وَرَاعِنَا لَيًّا بِأَلْسِنَتِهِمْ وَطَعْنًا فِي الدِّينِ وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ قَالُوا سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا وَاسْمَعْ وَانْظُرْنَا لَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُمْ وَأَقْوَمَ وَلَكِنْ لَعَنَهُمُ اللَّهُ بِكُفْرِهِمْ فَلا يُؤْمِنُونَ إِلا قَلِيلا (٤٦) Among those who are Jews, there are some who displace Words from (their) Right places and say: We hear Your word (O Muhammad ) and disobey, and Hear and let You (O Muhammad ) hear nothing. and Râina with a twist of their tongues and as a mockery of the Religion (Islâm). and if Only they had said: We hear and obey, and Do make us understand, it would have been better for them, and more proper, but Allâh has cursed them for their disbelief, so they believe not except a few.[ Surat An-Nisaa: 46’ (Mujam Maqayees Al-Lughah, 2/42)] This is what Allah has warned us against: قُلْ يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ لا تَغْلُوا فِي دِينِكُمْ غَيْرَ الْحَقِّ وَلا تَتَّبِعُوا أَهْوَاءَ قَوْمٍ قَدْ ضَلُّوا مِنْ قَبْلُ وَأَضَلُّوا كَثِيرًا وَضَلُّوا عَنْ سَوَاءِ السَّبِيلِ (٧٧) Say: O people of the Book! Exceed not in your religion the bounds (of what is proper), trespassing beyond the truth, nor follow the vain desires of people who went wrong in times gone by, who misled many and strayed (themselves) from the even way.[ Surat Al-Maaidah: 77] Ibn Katheer comments on this verse thus: Do not go beyond limits in following the truth and do not praise those who are you instructed to glorify more than they deserve, thereby raising them from the state of creatures to the state of gods as you did with Jesus Christ. Although he was a messenger of Allah, the Christians raised him to the state of divinity, following the example of misguided people who came before them. See Tafseer Al-Quran Al-Adheem, 2/82.]
Posted on: Sat, 26 Oct 2013 05:31:24 +0000
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