Shubha
Definition
Shubha is the doubtful matter that falls in the grey zone between the clearly halal and the clearly haram — something about which the evidence is mixed, scholars disagree, or the individual has personal uncertainty about its status. Al-Ghazali quotes the famous prophetic hadith: 'The halal is clear, and the haram is clear, and between them are doubtful matters that most people do not know. Whoever guards against doubtful matters has protected their religion and their honour.' He argues that how a Muslim navigates the shubha is the most revealing test of their actual relationship with the divine command — because avoiding the haram is relatively easy, but voluntarily avoiding the doubtful requires a level of God-consciousness that goes beyond legal compliance.
As understood in the classical tradition of Imam al-Ghazali and the scholars of his school.
How the scholars use Shubha.
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"according to the criteria of the two sheikhs, al-Bukhari and Muslim. Al-Baihaqi added in al-Shubha, Remembrance lifts their burdens and they come on the day of resurrection light. Al-Tabarani narrated it in al-Mujam al-Kabir from Abu al-Darda, without the addition mentioned by the author at the end. Both are weak. These accounts relate to the inner gate, highlighting the difference between the knowledge of saints and prophets and that of scholars and sages."
— Imam al-Ghazali, Book 21: The Book of the Wonders of the Heart
Appears in
1 book in the library
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