Does Saying That a Particular Ruling Is a Harsh Count as Disbelief?
Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch
Question
Does saying that a particular ruling from the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) is harsh constitute insulting the Prophet and therefore count as disbelief?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
No. Considering a ruling harsh is not insulting the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace). The statement harsh in this scenario is directed to the ruling, not necessarily to the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) himself.
Submission of the Heart
Despite the above, having ill feelings about a ruling that is authentically attributed to the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace), understood in its correct context, and implemented in a sound manner – is a deficient state.
Allah Most High says, “But no! By your Lord, they will never be (true) believers until they accept you (O Prophet) as the judge in their disputes, and find no resistance within themselves against your decision and submit wholeheartedly.” [Quran; 4:65]
Misunderstood or Inauthentic
Much of what people have reservations towards is either misunderstood, decontextualized, or outright inauthentic.
The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace) was sent as a mercy to all creation, and all that he does, says, or allows is Divinely inspired and guided by Allah Most High.
Now there may be certain things that we misunderstand due to reading history from a modern-day perspective. This is called presentism.
Summary
Thus if we find a ruling in the Quran or in the authentic Prophetic guidance and we understand it the way the early scholars understood it, we accept it and submit in our hearts to it as being from Allah Most High and from the mercy to the worlds who He sent. By this, we know that there is Divine wisdom at play, and we accept it.
Hope this helps
Allah knows best
[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Shaykh Yusuf Weltch teaches Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he completed four years at the Darul Uloom Seminary in New York, where he studied Arabic and the traditional sciences.
He then traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he studied for three years in Dar al-Mustafa under some of the most outstanding scholars of our time, including Habib Umar Bin Hafiz, Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf, and Shaykh Umar al-Khatib.
In Tarim, Shaykh Yusuf completed the memorization of the Quran and studied beliefs, legal methodology, hadith methodology, Quranic exegesis, Islamic history, and several texts on spirituality. He joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.
