Can Muslims Choose Which Quranic Verses to Follow

:::note[Description]

Question:

Can a Muslim use personal judgment to decide which Quranic verses to follow? - A discussion of Islamic teachings on personal judgment versus scholarly interpretation in following Quranic verses. :::

Answer:

“…….Can a Muslim use her own judgment to decide which Quranic verses to follow?….

No, because if you rejects even 1 verse then it amounts to Major Kufr (disbelief) which will take a person out of the folds of Islam.

“….If morality really comes from Allah and the Quran is the words of Allah, wouldn’t it be very “anti-Islamic” to use one’s personal judgment?…”

Imam Ibnul-Qayyim Al-Jawzi (rahimahullaah) said: And using the intellect in opposition to the evidences is the basis of all evil in the world. And it opposes the call of the Messengers (‘alaihim u salaam) in every way. This is because they (the Messengers) called toward putting forward the revelation over one’s opinions and intellects, and those who opposed them did opposite to this. The followers of the Messenger put the revelation over the opinions and intellect, and the followers of Iblees (Satan; may Allaah curse him) – or a subsitute from his substitutes – put the intellect over the evidences. Muhammad Ibn Abdul-Kareem Ash-Sharastani (rahimahullaah) said in his bookAl Milal Wa Nihal: Know that the first doubt that was put forward was the doubt of Iblees, and the basis of this was putting opinion before an evidence, and in his choosing desire over obedience. And his pride because of the material he was created from – which was fire – over the material which Adam (‘alaihi salaam) was created from – clay. And from this, many other doubts came thereafter. Usoolus -Sunnah and Ar-Radd ‘alal Jahmiyyah waz-Zanaadaqah by the Imaam of Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jammah Ahmad bin Hanbal(d.241H): And contradiction between a clear text of the Book and the Sunnah and sound and correct ‘aql cannot be imagined and is infact an impossibilty. So if there appears to be a contradiction between the two then the Revelation is given precedence and is decisive (3) since it comes from the one who is infallible (sallallaahu `alaihi wasallam) , whereas the aql (intellect) of a person is not infallible. Indeed,the aql is the deficient perception of humans, and it is open to misconception, error, forgetfulness, desires, ignorance and inability–thus it is certainly deficient. Correct and sound ‘aql (reasoning or intellect) agrees with authentic naql(text)-thes e two agree with each other – and what is qat’ee (definite) fom either of them can not contradict the other.If there is an apparent contradiction, then the text is given precedence. Shaikh Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah (rahimahullaah) said: And even though there is something in the paths of analogical deduction, intellectual reasoning and reflection leading to knowledge; however at times it does not explain in detail the affairs in a dispute between the people of the earth due to the painstaking nature and ambiguities (in that dispute); and at other times (it does not explain in detail) because the souls differ in prioritising necessities. So for this reason, Allaah has not commanded, except a return to (His) revealed books in times of dispute. He (The Most High) said: ”Mankind were one community and Allah sent Prophets with glad tidings and warnings, and with them He sent the Scripture in truth to judge between people in matters wherein they differed.” [1] So He [The Most High] made the revealed Books (i.e. the Qur’aan being the final of them) as the judge between the people in matters wherein they differ. [2] Shaikh Abdur-Razzaaq Al-Badr (hafidha-hullaah) said: If you say that the intellect is to be given precedence over the revelation, then which intellect is to be followed? Are the intellects of the people combined in the intellect of one man or do they vary?; because there is the intellect of the philosophers, the intellect of the atheists, the intellect of the heretics, the intellects of the people of desires and the intellects of the people who confound truth with falsehood. And this why one of the salaf (pious predecessors) said: ”had the desires been one, it would have been considered the truth”; so it is said: ”had the intellects being one, it would have been considered the truth….” [3] And Allaah knows best