Posted by Abu Iyaad
Written
January 2021
Filed under Miscellaneous
The Shaykh was asked the following question, after a small speech he gave to Salafi brothers in Morocco (the date of the audio is around late 2020):
Question:
The third question, you know—may Allāh bless you—that in the mosques, the people who pray, pray apart from each other [in the rows], and one of the brothers says that the plague, and the likes of these outbreaks occurred previously in the era of the Salaf and in the era of the Companions, but it is not related from them that they prayed while distanced from each other. So what is the answer O Shaykh, may Allāh bless you.
Shaykh ʿUbayd al-Jābirī:
[Given] this, those in authority over our affairs have commanded us with this. So we say: “We hear and we obey.”
Note: This is what we have called to since March 2020, explaining that this is a matter of ijtihād in this issue for the rulers, and upon the principles of the Sunnah, we obey the rulers, while “social distancing” between the healthy has no basis or evidence, neither in the Sharīʿah nor in medicine. It is a matter of ijtihād that returns to the determination of the ruler, and thus, it comes under the principle of obeying the authorities. This is how it should be explained to the people, in the same way that the scholars do.
This is in stark contrast to the one who claims—while he misconstrues the speech of the scholars—that Allāh Himself made it obligatory upon the ummah and the one who starts looking for evidence in the Sharīʿah for “social distancing” of two metres between the healthy, which does not exist, just as it does not exist in the entire history of medical knowledge and practice, and likewise the one who claims the scholars are the ones who are initiating and devising these policies, wrongly claiming that the scholars must have derived “social distancing” between the healthy from some evidence they have. All of this comes from lack of comprehension and exaggeration, and we warned against such exaggeration and misrepresentation of the realities.
Abu ʿIyaaḍ
4 Jumādā al-Thānī 1442 / 17 January 2021
Additional Notes Safar 1445 / August 2023
01 It is established that social distancing of six-feet between the healthy was completely made up, without any science, something we knew from the very beginning. It was always a raw superstition, going beyond the limits. The scholars of the Muslims (past and contemporary) warned from the likes of these superstitions and exaggerations, and imitation of the disbelievers.
- Ibn Rajab al-Ḥanbalī (d. 795H) on Sins, Causes of Calamities, Contagion, Legislated Means and Omens. Precaution is within defined Sharīʿah limits, and what exceeds them is from harbouring omens and from the actions of the disbelievers — (see here)
- Shaykh Sulaymān bin Ḥamdān (d. 1397H): Sins, Causes of Calamities, Contagion, Legislated Means and Omens. Precaution is within defined Sharīʿah limits and exceeding them is having an evil opinion about Allāh and such affairs are false imaginations and deceptive delusions — (see here)
- Shaykh Al-Albānī on Exaggeration in the Matter of Contagion and Imitation of the Disbelievers. Precaution is from verifiably sick people and exaggerating in this, as do modern day doctors, is from the ways of Jāhiliyyah and brings harm to society — (see here)
Video: Head of CDC: We made up, without any science, social distancing of six-feet:
02 However, if the Muslim ruler implements these types of disputed measures, for whatever reason, either because he has been led to believe it is from the means, because the health authorities of the nation trust institutions such as the WHO the CDC, the FDA and others, then to maintain order and avoid causing commotion and disturbance, we obey.
03 This is very different to trying to find dubious evidences to support these baseless, disputed over measures, which is not something found with the Major Scholars. You can say that we take the means, and the ruler has determined this is from the means, and has required it, so we socially distance, as is the view of Shaykh al-Fawzān (حفظه الله). Or you can say we simply do it because the ruler has required it, as was said by Shaykh ʿUbayd (رحمه الله).
However, you cannot start saying Allāh Himself is the one who made this obligatory upon us, and that the scholars are the ones who derived social distancing of six-feet between the perfectly healthy from the texts, and that everyone in the West, in their mosques, must socially distance because Saudi Arabia does it, and not doing it is opposing the scholars and rulers.
This is not something said or done by the Major Scholars.
04 From the Muslim nations were those that did not close mosques and distancing was not strictly enforced therein, such as Pakistan. This is a matter of ijtihād for the rulers and scholars of every Muslim nation and there is in the view of some scholars that fear of contagion is not itself an excuse for avoiding prayer in the mosque.
However, one must respect the views and opinions of the rulers and scholars of the land, and out of order and unity one must comply with whatever policies they decide in these differed over matters, as they are the ones in charge of the affairs.
05 Alongside the above, one must keep in mind that all of this is based upon a speculative, materialist, Darwinian theory of medicine, namely viral contagion in which alleged “pathogenic viruses” are said to be the cause of disease, which allegedly mutate and evolve in both the sick and healthy to breed new alleged variants.
It is upon this very notion that all these measures are implemented such as worldwide lockdowns, universal distancing and masking, which actually induce unwarranted fear of disease-free healthy people
This theory is false and is not demonstrated by the scientific method.
