2000 to 2014. Or say 1421 to 1435 A.H. The amount of refutations and counter-refutations witnessed in the Islamic world, and between Muslims, in these 15 years alone have well and truly eclipsed all the refutations combined from the 1400 years or so prior to it. Laymen are ever so confused as a result. But to alleviate this problem, lets put this matter into some perspective: What is a refutation, exactly? It is an expression of disagreement, the grounds for disagreement, and outlining what the other opinion is and its grounds. In other words, a refutation is quite simply the other opinion. So, essentially, it boils down to this: a refutation is one opinion against another. Laymen - whose job is to follow a scholar they trust, nothing more or less - are in no position to express agreement with either position. A layman doesnt have the tools to assess whether a refutation does actually dismantle the refuted position or not. In fact, a refutation might be a load of tosh! But how would a layman know that? The answer is simple: He cant. Strictly speaking, that also means a laymans pushing of the like button on a facebook post outlining a second opinion or a refutation is meaningless, pointless and is pure cheerleadership. A layman in the religion doesnt even possess the right to agree with an opinion - it is totally outside his scope and jurisdiction. A layman simply trusts and follows. Anything further than that is just pure partisanship and cheerleadership. Next time you like a post that has a religious opinion of any sort, or agree with some analysis or a religious verdict, ask yourself: Did I understand, appreciate and make an informed decision long enough to like or agree with it in the first place? If not, then youre better off staying original and true to yourself, than lie to yourself and think oh Ive figured this out too, and Im now in a position to agree with this.
Posted on: Mon, 15 Dec 2014 18:22:20 +0000
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