Ibn Qutaybah: On Commanding Silence In the Wake of Fitnah and the People’s Dire Need of Scholars Who Speak and Clarify

Ibn Qutaybah (d. 276H) (رحمه الله) said:^[1]

I have not found among these factions those having the least excuse than those who commanded with silence and feigned ignorance following the strife (fitnah). Such a command would have been permissible before the matter escalated and animosity appeared, but it is not in human nature to refrain from addressing a matter of religion that has become widespread and apparent in such a way.

Even if the intelligent among them had withheld (from speaking), the ignorant would not have. And even if (people’s) tongues had remained silent, (their) hearts would not have. They had a good example in the scholars who came before them, specifically when Jahm and Abū Ḥanīfah spoke regarding the Qurʾān. Prior to that, the matter had neither been discussed nor known among the people.

Then, when the people turned to their scholars in a state of alarm (seeking counsel and guidance), the scholars did not dismiss it as an innovation that people had not previously discussed or delved into. Instead, they dispelled doubt with certainty, cleared the confusion, and removed the distress. Their view reached a consensus that the Qurʾān is uncreated and issued religious verdicts for it, presented arguments and proofs, engaged in debate, employed analogy, and derived evidence from the Book of Allāh—such as His words: “Verily, His is the creation and the command”, and: “Indeed, I am Allah. There is no deity (worthy of worship) except Me, so worship Me (alone).”

As for their claim that “this is an innovation people have not discussed, so do not burden yourselves with it”, then people turn to the scholar in alarm specifically regarding innovations, not matters that are established by the Sunnah or already discussed by the early generations. Had it been this latter case, the (people) would not have needed the (scholars).

Speech cannot be countered with silence, doubt cannot be remedied by inaction, and innovation cannot be repelled merely by citing the Sunnah (alone)^[2]. Indeed, falsehood gains strength when one perceives it yet refrains from addressing it.

Notes

01 Ibn Qutaybah is speaking about the fitnah regarding the Qurʾān, when the affair of Jahm and his statement appeared. He is criticising those who commanded with silence after the fitnah had already escalated and animosity had set in, as opposed to when it was in its beginning and obscure stage.

He said it opposes human nature to refrain from addressing a matter of religion that has reached such a stage of awareness.

02 Although this is in relation to the issue of the Qurʾān in the second and third centuries hijrah, it can apply to any matter of religion around which controversy and animosity arise and lead people to confusion and distress.

03 Ibn Qutaybah criticises the policy of silence because it serves no real purpose except to add to the prevailing confusion and allow ground to be gained by the people of falsehood. If the scholars and the people with knowledge do not speak, the ignorant will. And if the tongues do not speak, the hearts will.

Meaning, that just because you do not speak, people’s hearts will speak in the sense that they developing feelings and sentiments about what is taking place, and will acquire beliefs, views and opinions from the arena of controversy and confusion.

04 When the people turned to their scholars in order to escape the alarm caused by confusion and controversy and their inability to decipher the truth, the scholars did not evade their duty by saying that this is an innovation that has not been discussed previously, so let us remain silent. Instead, they cleared the confusion and removed people’s distress with knowledge, evidence, clarification and refutation, until a consensus was formed about the truth in the matter.

05 Ibn Qutaybah makes the valuable point that people turn to scholars specifically regarding innovations and misguidance that emerge, to acquire truth and clarity therein, not regarding matters of the Sunnah already discussed by earlier generations.

Meaning that people are looking for clarity and removal of controversy and confusion regarding affairs which have been stirred, which are doubts, misconceptions, false interpretations, false principles etc., as this is the role of the scholars through the knowledge and comprehension Allāh has given them. Otherwise, had it just been a matter of corroborating the Sunnah alone, which has already been made clear by previous scholars, then the people would have no need of contemporary scholars. Hence, the necessity of the scholars speaking and clarifying in the wake of tribulations, when controversies and confusion arises involving innovations, doubts and desires.

06 The last part is concise and tremendous:

Discourse cannot be countered with silence, doubt cannot be remedied by inaction, and innovation cannot be repelled merely by citing the Sunnah (alone). Indeed, falsehood gains strength when one perceives it yet refrains from addressing it.

07 In summary: there is a period in the evolution of a fitnah, the quiet stage where silence is appropriate. However, when the fitnah escalates leading to open controversy and animosity, silence here is inappropriate and against human nature itself. It is fruitless for the intelligent to remain silent in order to avoid the fitnah when they are already encompassed by it. Hence, even if the tongues remain silent, the hearts will continue speaking Thus, when people seek clarification and removal of their distress (from confusion and controversy), the scholars must speak and clarify. They must address the doubts (and not just corroborate what is already known) in order to remove the distress, until the word of Ahl al-Sunnah becomes united, prominent and uppermost and falsehood is exposed and vanquished.

Arabic source:

Footnotes

1. Al-Ikhtilāf fī al-Lafḍh wa al-Radd ʿalā al-Jahmiyyah wal-Mushabbihah (Dār al-Rāyah) p. 60-61. May Allāh reward the brothers who shared this benefit.
2. In another manuscript, there occurs: "... and innovation cannot be repelled except by citing the Sunnah", indicating that the word "except" may have been dropped. Either way, the scholars refuted by both citing the Sunnah and refuting doubts and false interpretations.