:salam2:
Akhi and Ukhti dont worry you both are correct i think its just that you two are looking at things differently. I think sister is correct cuz to me fitrah or haneef here means simple monotheism and that people are born monotheists and with a tendency to follow the will of God and this is the base of Islam and Islam as a way of leading life is to be learned as sister said. We are not born learned. We gradually learn the deen but the basic monotheism and the belief in oneness of God is there from birth. Fitrah doesnt tell you how to perform salaah and how much zakaat you have to pay and how to fast, which month etc. etc. All this you learn gradually
Take care,
Ma'assalaam
JazaakAllah khayr. It is not about me or the sister or you being correct. What matters is the ijmaa` of ahl ul-`ilm (after the Qur'aan and sunnah). And like i said, it supports my view (unless you can show me with authoritive `ilm, without saying "I think"). I'm just waiting for the evidence for the opposing view.
Haneef means monotheistic but refers to the way of Islaam, look back at the ayah. Shaykh At-Tamimi famously said "That Hanifiyyah is the way of Ibraheem, it is to worship Allaah alone, making the deen sincerely for him" So what is making the deen sincerely for him. Likewise in the fatwa the Shaykh (Al-Barraak) inclined to the same opinion. As does Ibn Kathir and those he narrated upon in his tafsir etc.
Akhi, I did not at all say we were born learned. However there is a BIG difference between being born learned and being born Muslim. Just because the former isn't the case, it doesn't mean the same applies for the latter. That is, because we aren't born learned it doesn't mean we are not Muslim. No rather we were born upon the fitrah, which is Islaam, "Laa tabdeela likhalqillaah!"
"So set your face towards the religion..." - Islaam
"...as a haneef..." - To worship none but Allaah
"Allaah's fitrah with which he created mankind." - I think it's clear.
Look back at the fatwa I quoted and I ask this, what did the Shaykh say? He said that the meaning of fitrah is Islaam, it goes inline with the ayah.
Islaam is based upon the Qur'aan, the sunnah, the ijmaa`, not a lay man's opinion. This is why I have quoted evidence from the aforementioned sources. However, all I'm asking for is the daleel of the other side, because in my research it doesn't seem to exist among the people of sunnah and knowledge, and it doesn't agree with the aforementioned ayah (or at least this tafsir of it). It is also in opposition to the second hadeeth (the qudsi hadith seems crystal clear, we were created haneefs and shaytaan mislead some of us from our religion; so is Islaam other than that religion Allaah mentioned?), from what is apparent.
When I initially made my statement, and the sister made hers, I asked for where this understanding comes from. Alhamdulillaah, may Allaah reward her she gave me somewhere to check back. However it is not enough and isn't strong enough for me to except, as it hasn't been expressed. I've done my share and brought the proofs in many ways (for this position). I could type up the full tafsir of the ayah, but that would be lengthly and probably pointless, since it may be somewhat redundant.