Chapter I: Acquisition of Knowledge
It may be said that the argument does not apply to various acts of worship about which a Faqih gives decision. In reply, it may be said that Fiqh gives decision about the following matters of religion - Islam, Prayer, Zakat, Halal and Haram. About Islam, a Faqih pays attention only to outward confession of Kalerna 'Tauhid but the heart or mind is outside his domain. The Prophet kept the rulers and the warriors outside it. He questioned a man who praised another man as a martyr: Have you examined the heart of the killed? He uttered Kalema Tauhid out of fear of being killed and then he was killed»The jurisprudent will give decision that his Islam was good even though he uttered it under the shadow of sword. This is therefore a matter of this world. For this reason, the Holy Prophet said: I have been ordered to fight the people until their lives and properties are safe in my hand, but it will come to no help in the hereafter. What will help him there is
34 THE BOOK OF WORSHIP Vol-I
the light of heart, its secret thoughts and its sincerity which are outside the domain of Fiqh.
ABOUT PRAYER: A Faqih will give decision of correctness of prayer if the outside formalities are observed even though one's mind was absent in prayer from first to last. This kind of prayer will be of no use in the hereafter. As verbal expression of Kalema Shahadat will be of no use in the hereafter, so also the outward formalities of prayer will come of no use there. The actions of mind and God-fear which appertain to the actions of the hereafter and which help the outward actions are outside thy domain of a Faqih or jurisprudent.
ABOUT ZAKAT: A Faqih will see whether Zakat has been realised according to th prescribed rules. It is related that the judge Abu Usuf gave decision that if a man makes gift of his wealth to his wife at the end of a year and takes back that wealth to him by gift, it is alright although it is done to avoid payment of Zakat. On this point, Imam Abu Hanifa declared that it is the result of his knowledge of Fiqh and it is correct and the result of worldly wisdom, but it will be of no use in the hereafter and its harms in the hereafter will be greater that its benefits.