Imam al-Nawwawi quotes al-Ghazzli’s [may Allah have mercy upon them both] response to the question, “What is the speech of Allah?” as saying: “Such a question is an innovation and was not from the way of the early scholars…………..those who introduce such complex issues to the masses, encouraging them to delve into them, are like a person who took a group of infants to swim in a river!”
Muqadima al-Majm’u
Suhaib Webb is a contemporary American-Muslim educator, activist, and lecturer. His work bridges classical and contemporary Islamic thought, addressing issues of cultural, social and political relevance to Muslims in the West. After converting to Islam in 1992, Webb left his career in the music industry to pursue his passion in education. He earned a Bachelor’s in Education from the University of Central Oklahoma and received intensive private training in the Islamic Sciences under a renowned Muslim Scholar of Senegalese descent. Webb was hired as the Imam at the Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City, where he gave khutbas (sermons), taught religious classes, and provided counselling to families and young people; he also served as an Imam and resident scholar in communities across the U.S.
From 2004-2010, Suhaib Webb studied at the world’s preeminent Islamic institution of learning, Al-Azhar University, in the College of Shari`ah. During this time, after several years of studying the Arabic Language and the Islamic legal tradition, he also served as the head of the English Translation Department at Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah.
Outside of his studies at Al-Azhar, Suhaib Webb completed the memorization of the Quran in the city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia. He has been granted numerous traditional teaching licenses (ijazat), adhering to centuries-old Islamic scholarly practice of ensuring the highest standards of scholarship. Webb was named one of the 500 Most Influential Muslims in the World by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center in 2010.
You know i’d like to comment, but it seems that there is a huge piece of this puzzle missing (…..), and a response back from al-ghazzali RA (and im sure he gave a response) would be nice too.
Usman, read that paragraph again… That is the response by Imam al-Ghazzali.
ohhh, my bad – haha i was a little confused there
But isn’t kalam necessary to refute people like the Mutezilites?
Read the 8 rules of debates and arguments by Imam Al Ghazzali in his Ihya Ulum id-din. (I have an excerpt of it in my blog.)
I see what you mean. You are specifically referring to rules 3 and 5, right?
Good point.