TheAuthenticBase
Assalaamu 'alaykum!
Ibn ‘Uthaymeen mentions:
[Taken from "The Four Essays On The Obligation Of Veiling" Ch. 2: An Essay On Hijaab, Pp. 51-53]
http://ibnuthaymeen.wordpress.com/2012/01/04/being-just-and-open-minded-in-disputed-issues/
“…It is incumbent upon every researcher to examine an issue with justice and impartiality, and not to speak about something, before having attained knowledge of it.
And he must stand in front of the seemingly contradictory proofs with a stance of a judge facing two opponents. he should look at the two with the eye of justice, and judge according to the way of knowledge. He should not give preference to one of the two opinions without there being any predominance for it over the other. rather, he should look at the evidences from all perspectives. And his form conviction in one of the two opinions should not carry him to exaggeration and extremism in confirming his arguments and neglecting the evidences of his opponent.
Due to this, the scholars have said that one must gather the evidences before making certainty on an issue, so that his certainty can be dependent upon the evidences and not the other way round. This is because the one who establishes certainty on an opinion before having attained evidences for it, he has his conviction carry him to refute the opposing texts, based upon that firm conviction, or to the distorting of the texts that he is unable to refute.
I, as well as others, have seen the harm that following evidences based on preset certainty can do, such that it can cause someone to authenticate weak hadeeths, or to use authentic texts that do not provide evidence as a means of confirming his opinion and providing proof for it.. .
So let the author and writer beware of having laxity and laziness in his search for evidences, his explanation of them, and his quickness to speak without knowledge, lest he become from those whom Allaah has spoken of when He said:
And he must stand in front of the seemingly contradictory proofs with a stance of a judge facing two opponents. he should look at the two with the eye of justice, and judge according to the way of knowledge. He should not give preference to one of the two opinions without there being any predominance for it over the other. rather, he should look at the evidences from all perspectives. And his form conviction in one of the two opinions should not carry him to exaggeration and extremism in confirming his arguments and neglecting the evidences of his opponent.
Due to this, the scholars have said that one must gather the evidences before making certainty on an issue, so that his certainty can be dependent upon the evidences and not the other way round. This is because the one who establishes certainty on an opinion before having attained evidences for it, he has his conviction carry him to refute the opposing texts, based upon that firm conviction, or to the distorting of the texts that he is unable to refute.
I, as well as others, have seen the harm that following evidences based on preset certainty can do, such that it can cause someone to authenticate weak hadeeths, or to use authentic texts that do not provide evidence as a means of confirming his opinion and providing proof for it.. .
So let the author and writer beware of having laxity and laziness in his search for evidences, his explanation of them, and his quickness to speak without knowledge, lest he become from those whom Allaah has spoken of when He said:
“And who is worse than he who invents a lie against Allaah, so that he may lead the people astray without knowledge. Verily, Allaah does not guide the evil-doers.” [Al-An'aam:144]
Or that he combines his laxity in his search for evidences with the denial of what the majority of the evidences establish as correct.”
[Taken from "The Four Essays On The Obligation Of Veiling" Ch. 2: An Essay On Hijaab, Pp. 51-53]
http://ibnuthaymeen.wordpress.com/2012/01/04/being-just-and-open-minded-in-disputed-issues/