The Meaning of Fiqh ul-Waqi' (Science of Current Affairs)
Author: Shaihk Salih al-Fawzan (May Allah preserve him)
Source: Salafi Publications #SPUBs
Question: What is the meaning of ‘Fiqh al Waaqi’’ (science of current affairs)?
Answer: ‘The fiqh (science) that is required is the science in the book and the sunnah. This is the fiqh that is required and necessary. As regard the gaining fiqh in the language then that is from the permissable things that which the people need such that they gain understanding in the language. Knowing the meanings of the words and their letters. This is what is called fiqh in the language. For example the book ‘Fiqh logha lil Tha’labee’ and other than it.
As for the fiqh when it is used generally as in the saying of Allaah: ‘That they may gain fiqh in the religion.’[1]
And his (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) saying ‘ Whomsoever Allaah intends to show goodness to He gives him the fiqh in religion.’[2]
And His saying: ‘What is wrong with these people’[3]
and: ‘However the hypocrites do not have understanding (la yafqahoon).’[4]
The meaning of these is FIQH in religion. By knowing the rulings of the sharee’ah. This is what is required and this is what the Muslims must hold onto. They must also learn it. However when these people use Fiqh al Waaqi’ they do not mean fiqh in the language but rather they mean: to occupy themselves in the affairs of politics and to focus on politics. They use their time and give importance to it.
As for fiqh in rulings they call it the fiqh of parts (side issues, mundane issues) and they call it the ‘fiqh of womens blood and menstruation.’ Such that they call people away from busying themselves with it.’[5]
Abi Abdullah Jamal ibn Fareehaan al Haarithee who put the above questions and answers together adds a footnote to this answer:
‘ As for what they call Fiqh al Waaqi’ then they mean by it to occupy the people with the politics and to criticise the rulers and to light up problems and remove security. They use this terminology to confuse the people. This is not a new thing from the people of ‘Fiqh al Waaqi.’’ Their leader who proceeded them Sayid Qutb has mentioned Fiqh al Waaqi’ in his book ‘Fi Dilaal al Quran [4/2006] regarding the verse in soorah Yusuf ‘Make me in charge of the storage of the land. I indeed am able to guard and knowledgeable(of it since he had the ability to interpret the dream regarding the harvest). ‘Sayid Qutub said after speaking about this verse: ‘ The Islamic fiqh has flourished in the Islamic society. It has flourished from the organisation in the society facing the needs of the current(waaqi’) Islamic life. The ‘Fiqh Harakaat,’ differs fundamentally from the ‘FIQH OF PAPERS.’ The ‘Fiqh Harakaat’ takes into account the current affairs which the text has come upon.’
NOTES
[1] Soorah Tawbah: 122
[2] Saheeh al-Bukhaaree (71), Saheeh Muslim (1037)
[3] Soorah Nisaa: 78
[4] Soorah Munafiquoon: 7
[5] Sheikh Saalih ibn Abdullah Fawzan al Fawzan in ‘Ajwiba al Mufeeda ala Asila al manhaj al Jadeedah. P.4/5
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Fiqh al-Waaqi‘ (understanding reality)
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The mufti or judge is not able to issue a fatwa or verdict without understanding two things:
(i) Understanding and having a good grasp of reality: he should have a good understanding of what is happening, on the basis of circumstantial evidence and other signs, so that he has a full understanding of it.
(ii) Understanding what is required in the light of these circumstances, which means understanding the ruling of Allah that He issued in His book or on the lips of His Messenger concerning this reality, then he should apply the one to the other.
I‘laam al-Muwaqqi‘een, 1/87
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Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, when he was asked about fighting the Tatars even though they bore witness that there is no god but Allah. He said:
Yes, it is obligatory to fight them on the basis of the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger, and the consensus of the imams of the Muslims. This is based on two principles: knowledge of their reality and situation, and knowledge of the rulings of Allah concerning people like them.
With regard to the first principle: everyone who is in contact with these people knows their situation; the one who is not in contact with them will only know that from what he hears of authentic reports and honest news. We will explain about their situation after explaining the other principle, knowledge of which is limited to people who have knowledge of Islamic sharee‘ah. So we say:
Every group that rejects one of the tangible, practical laws of sharee‘ah that are proven on the basis of tawaatur must be fought, according to the consensus of the imams of the Muslims.
Majmoo‘ al-Fataawa, 28/510
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Shaykh al-Albaani (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
During that turmoil there were some people who brought up the issue which is called fiqh al-waaqi‘. I do not disagree in principle with this concept for which they came up with this name of fiqh al-waaqi‘, because many of the scholars stated clearly that those who lead the ummah and give answers to solve its problems should have knowledge and understanding of circumstances and realities. Hence one of their famous sayings is: The ruling on a thing is a projection of one’s understanding of it, and that cannot be achieved except by understanding the circumstances surrounding the issue for which they have to give an answer. This is one of the bases of giving rulings and fatwas in particular, and is one of the principles of knowledge in general. So fiqh al-waaqi‘ means understanding what concerns the Muslims with regard to their own affairs or the plots of their enemies, so as to warn them or help them to progress in a real sense and not just in theory when focusing on news of the kuffaar or focusing totally on their analysis and ideas. Understanding reality in order to reach the shar‘i ruling is an important duty that a specialised and smart group of seekers of knowledge have to do. This is just like any other branch of knowledge, whether it has to do with sharee‘ah, social sciences, economics, military matters or any other branch of knowledge that is of benefit the Muslim ummah and will bring it back to its position of glory and leadership, especially when these branches of knowledge are developing from one time and place to another.
But we have heard and seen that many young Muslims are confused with regard to this type of knowledge that we referred to above by the name of fiqh al-waaqi‘. They have, unfortunately, divided into two groups; some went to extremes with regard to this matter and others fell short. Now you can see and hear -- from those who exaggerate about the importance of fiqh al-waaqi‘ and raise it above its rightful level -- that they want every scholar of sharee‘ah to be knowledgeable about what they call fiqh al-waaqi‘, and the opposite is also applicable to them. They give the impression to those who listen to and support them that anyone who has knowledge of what is happening in the Muslim world has good understanding of the Qur’aan and Sunnah and is following the path of the righteous Salaf! But that is not necessarily the case, as is quite obvious. We cannot imagine the existence of a man who is perfect in all senses, i.e., one who could have knowledge of all the branches of knowledge referred to and discussed above.
So what is required is for those who have devoted themselves to knowing the reality of the Muslim ummah and the plots that are made against it is for them to cooperate with the scholars of Qur’aan and Sunnah, according to the way of the early generations of this ummah, so that the former may present their understanding and ideas and the latter may issue the Islamic ruling on them, based on sound evidence and proof. As for the one who speaks of fiqh al-waaqi‘ being regarded in the minds of his listeners as a scholar or mufti for no other reason than that he is speaking to them on the basis of this “fiqh”, this cannot be correct in any way, because his words may be used as a reason to reject the fatwas of the scholars and their views and rulings.
Su’aal wa Jawaab hawla Fiqh al-Waaqi‘, p. 14-16
And he (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
So it is as Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Thus We have made you [true Muslims — real believers of Islamic Monotheism, true followers of Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم and his Sunnah (legal ways)], a just (and the best) nation” [al-Baqarah 2:143].
Fiqh al-waaqi‘ in the correct shar‘i sense is undoubtedly something obligatory, but that is a communal obligation (fard kifaayah): if some of the scholars undertake it, the obligation is waived for the other scholars, let alone seekers of knowledge and let alone the ordinary Muslims.
Hence moderation is essential when calling upon Muslims to be aware of fiqh al-waaqi‘, and we should not overwhelm them with political news and analysis of western thinkers. Rather what is needed -- always -- is to focus on purifying Islam from any contamination, then to educate the Muslims -- collectively and individually -- in this pure Islam and to bring them back to the original message: the Qur’aan and Sunnah according to the understanding of the early generations of the ummah.
Su’aal wa Jawaab hawla Fiqh al-Waaqi‘, p. 25
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Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan (may Allah preserve him) said:
As for focusing on contemporary reality -- or fiqh al-waaqi‘ -- this can only be done after attaining understanding of sharee‘ah, because it is on the basis of understanding sharee‘ah that one should look at people’s real-life situation and what is happening in the world of ideas and opinions, and measure them against sound shar‘i knowledge, in order to distinguish between which of these things are good and which are bad. Without shar‘i knowledge one cannot distinguish between truth and falsehood, guidance and misguidance. The one who starts initially by focusing on current affairs, newspaper articles and political issues, and has no understanding of his religion, will be led astray by these matters, because most of them are based on misguidance, the call to falsehood, fancy words and temptations. We ask Allah to keep us safe and sound.
Al-Muntaqa min Fataawa al-Shaykh al-Fawzaan, 1/297
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Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in Liqa’ al-Baab il-Maftooh (1/330):
It is well known that a person should have knowledge of real life, so that he will know how people are living. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) indicated this in the words he said when he sent Mu’aadh ibn Jabal to Yemen: “You are going to some people of the Book,” and he told them about their situation. But it is not permissible under any circumstances to let that outweigh his study of religion. Neither youth nor anyone else should focus only on what is happening here and there and focus only on issues that he cannot do anything about. Moreover, if he is keen to set the affairs of the ummah straight, proper understanding of religion is the basic requirement. Hence the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When Allaah wills good for a person, He grants him proper understanding of religion.” Proper understanding requires applying proper understanding of Islam to people’s lives, but it is not permissible under any circumstances to focus on studying life and reality at the expense of studying religion to such an extent that a person has no concern but reading newspapers and magazines, and so on, and neglects to study the Qur’aan and Sunnah. End quote.
But you know that much of what is shown on satellite channels is things that it is not permissible for a Muslim to watch, because the programs show women who are displaying their beauty, and are accompanied by music. Allaah has caused us to have no need of that, praise be to Allaah, because you can watch what you need on a channel that is free of things that are haraam, or a trustworthy Islamic news website, especially since we agree that what is required in your case is to familiarize yourself in general with current affairs, then focusing on the issue which you care most about, which is seeking knowledge and doing da’wah, especially if it is an evil that you can change, or something good that you can enjoin or take part in.
But if your ambition is to reach the same level of knowledge as the great imams, that is a blessing which Allaah bestows on whomsoever He will, and that is not difficult for Allaah. But you must prove what you say, and the way to prove it is by striving hard to acquire knowledge and devoting yourself and your wealth to that, then seeking Allaah’s help to enable you to reach the status of an imam in knowledge and religious commitment, for that is a quality that Allaah commends in His slaves. Allaah says of the attributes of the slaves of the Most Merciful (interpretation of the meaning):
“And those who say: Our Lord! Bestow on us from our wives and our offspring the comfort of our eyes, and make usleaders of the Muttaqoon (the pious”
[al-Furqaan 25:74]
But we warn you against doing to extremes in your ambitions and dreams, which may lead to unrealistic thinking for a while, then soon you may feel despair and frustration because you have not achieved much.
We advise you of the words of Allaah (interpretation of the meaning):
“He who emigrates (from his home) in the Cause of Allaah, will find on earth many dwelling places and plenty to live by. And whosoever leaves his home as an emigrant unto Allaah and His Messenger, and death overtakes him, his reward is then surely, incumbent upon Allaah. And Allaah is Ever Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful”
[al-Nisa’ 4:100]
And we remind you of the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to those who are following the path that leads to Allaah:
“Do your duties as well as you can and try to be near to perfection; make use of the morning, evening, and part of the night. Be moderate, be moderate and you will reach your goal."
Narrated by al-Bukhaari (6463) and Muslim (2818).
