At-Tawaqquf, A Sign of Knowledge — Shaykh Abū Muṣ’ab Majdī Ḥafālah
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Audio Clip (along with the translation):
Shaykh Abū Muṣʾab Majdī Ḥafālah - may Allāh preserve hum upon goodness - mentioned:
At-Tawaqquf (pausing, or withholding) is a sign of the knowledge of an individual. And at-Tawaqquf here is not to be considered as ignorance, because if an individual speaks without proofs and evidence, he has spoken about Allāh without knowledge. And speaking about Allāh about without knowledge is (from) the most dangerous of sins.
(Allāh, the Most High, said:)
قُلۡ إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ رَبِّىَ ٱلۡفَوَٰحِشَ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنۡهَا وَمَا بَطَنَ وَٱلۡإِثۡمَ وَٱلۡبَغۡىَ بِغَيۡرِ ٱلۡحَقِّ وَأَن تُشۡرِكُواْ بِٱللَّهِ مَا لَمۡ يُنَزِّلۡ بِهِۦ سُلۡطَٰنًا وَأَن تَقُولُواْ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ مَا لَا تَعۡلَمُونَ
Say (O Muḥammad): “(But) the things that my Lord has indeed forbidden are Al-Fawāḥish (great evil sins and every kind of unlawful sexual intercourse) whether committed openly or secretly, sins (of all kinds), unrighteous oppression, joining partners (in worship) with Allāh for which He has given no authority and saying things about Allāh of which you have no knowledge.” [Sūrah al-Aʿrāf: 33]
وَلَا تَقۡفُ مَا لَيۡسَ لَكَ بِهِۦ عِلۡمٌۚ إِنَّ ٱلسَّمۡعَ وَٱلۡبَصَرَ وَٱلۡفُؤَادَ كُلُّ أُوْلَٰٓئِكَ كَانَ عَنۡهُ مَسۡـُٔولًا
And follow not (O man i.e., say not, or do not or witness not) that of which you have no knowledge. Verily! The hearing, and the sight, and the heart, of each of those one will be questioned (by Allāh). [Sūrah al-Isrā': 36]
Due to that is it befitting for the servant that he doesn’t say (anything) about Allāh except with knowledge.
So the ʿĀlim, the learned individual, if he has not been guided to knowing an affair then he withholds (from speaking concerning it) out of Waraʿ (piety), and he withholds due to religiosity.
As for the one on that has thrown himself into destruction, he speaks in every matter with everything (meddles into every topic even those he’s ignorant of). And this is a sign of lack of religiosity and piety.
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Translation: MiU Editorial
15 Rabī‘ al-Awwal 1447 (هـ) • 8 September 2025 (مـ)
Clip From: From The Second Lesson from the Book, ‘Umdah at-Tafsīr, Mukhtaṣar Tafsīr Qurʾān al-‘Adhīm.
