Imam Ahmad narrated in his Musnad that Umar ibn Al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) came to the Prophet ﷺ and said, “O Messenger of Allah, I passed by one of my brothers from Qurayzah, and he wrote for me a collection from the Torah. Shall I present it to you?” The face of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ changed. Abdullah ibn Thabit said, “I told him: ‘Do you not see the expression on the face of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ?’” Umar then said, “We are pleased with Allah as our Lord, with Islam as our religion, and with Muhammad ﷺ as our Prophet.” Then the Prophet ﷺ’s expression softened, and he said: “By the One in whose hand is my soul, if Musa were among you and you followed him and left me, you would have gone astray. You are my share among the nations, and I am your share among the Prophets.”
This hadith contains a warning and protection for the Ummah against intellectual invasions that could have harmful consequences. What are the essential policies the leader must adopt to protect the people from such threats?
1. Careful Monitoring of Ideas Introduced to Society
The leader is responsible for his people. Al-Bukhari and Muslim narrated from Abdullah ibn Umar that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "All of you are guardians and are responsible for your wards. The ruler is a guardian and responsible for his subjects; the man is a guardian and responsible for his family; the woman is a guardian and is responsible for her husbands house and his offspring; and so all of you are guardians and are responsible for your wards.”
Being a responsible guardian requires paying attention to the people’s conditions, striving to bring benefit to them, and preventing harm.
Thus, the leader must monitor the ideas introduced to the society and assess their benefits and harms. Whatever is beneficial should be embraced and encouraged, while what is harmful should be prohibited and warned against.
2. Allowing the People to Present Their Ideas to the Leader
Allowing people the freedom to present the ideas they encounter to the leader is an important means of protection from fitnah (tribulation). Some ideas may be dangerous in ways that the general public cannot recognize. If the leader or specialized committees review these ideas and clarify their truth to the people, it enables the confrontation of ideas with reason and evidence, encouraging intellectual engagement and safeguarding against subtle doubts that might infiltrate in moments of heedlessness, taking hold in weak minds and sick hearts. Deviant groups could exploit such doubts to attack people's faith and beliefs.
3. Directing People Toward the Truth and Providing Evidence for It
When the Prophet ﷺ noticed Umar’s intention, he took the opportunity to clarify the matter to him and those present. The Prophet ﷺ highlighted that the texts Umar brought were not comparable to the divine guidance they had. The Prophet ﷺ even stressed that if Musa (peace be upon him) were alive, he would have had no option but to follow him.
The message here is that no one after the Prophet’s ﷺ mission should follow any other Prophet, as Muhammad ﷺ is the Seal of the Prophets. If these scriptures had remained untouched by distortion, they still would not surpass the final divine message. However, since they have been altered and corrupted, they no longer possess the truth and sanctity of Allah's unaltered revelation. Hence, no Muslim should replace divinely preserved revelation with distorted scriptures. "Would you exchange what is better for what is less?" (Al-Baqarah: 61).
The Prophet ﷺ’s clarification prevented unnecessary comparisons between Islam, which was still in its early stages, and older scriptures. When Islam becomes well-established and scholars proficiently study these texts to expose their distortions and falsehoods, it becomes permissible. Islam encourages such engagement: "And argue with them in a way that is best". (An-Nahl: 125).
4. Prohibition of Seeking Religious Guidance from Non-Muslims
Allah sent His Messenger ﷺ with guidance and the true religion to prevail over all others. The complete guidance is within Islam. Allah says: "Indeed, this Qur'an guides to that which is most suitable" (Al-Isra: 9).
A Muslim should not seek religious guidance outside the Qur'an or consult non-Muslims for spiritual direction, even if other laws appear advanced. Allah warns: "And whoever desires other than Islam as religion – never will it be accepted from him, and he, in the Hereafter, will be among the losers" (Ali-Imran: 85).
In Musnad Ahmad, Jabir narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Do not ask the people of the Scripture about anything, for they will not guide you. They have gone astray. Verily, if you were to believe in falsehood, or deny the truth, you would be led astray. Indeed, even if Musa (Moses) were alive among you, he would have no choice but to follow me.”
5. Identifying and Warning Against Manifestations of Deviation
The leader must be aware of the deviations within ideas introduced to the community and make the people aware of them to prevent and protect them from falling into misguidance. The Prophet ﷺ would address behaviors that were contrary to Islamic moderation whenever he noticed them.
In Sahih al-Bukhari, Anas ibn Malik narrated: “A group of three men came to the houses of the wives of the Prophet (ﷺ) asking how the Prophet (ﷺ) worshipped (Allah), and when they were informed about that, they considered their worship insufficient and said, "Where are we from the Prophet (ﷺ) as his past and future sins have been forgiven." Then one of them said, "I will offer the prayer throughout the night forever." The other said, "I will fast throughout the year and will not break my fast." The third said, "I will keep away from the women and will not marry forever." Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) came to them and said, "Are you the same people who said so-and-so? By Allah, I am more submissive to Allah and more afraid of Him than you; yet I fast and break my fast, I do sleep and I also marry women. So he who does not follow my tradition in religion, is not from me (not one of my followers).”
In this incident, the Prophet ﷺ corrected their deviations and demonstrated the path of balance to prevent others from being deceived or misled by extremism.
Moreover, the Prophet ﷺ warned against future deviations and showed the path to protection from them. Al-Bukhari and Muslim reported that the Prophet ﷺ said: “In the last time people will come forth, young and foolish, speaking the finest words men speak, but their faith will not pass their throats. They will come out from the religion as an arrow does from the animal it is aimed at.”
This is a clear warning against deviant ideologies and a means to protect the Ummah from their danger and evil.
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