Submission vs questioning: the believer’s attitude
Submission lies in not questioning Allah’s wisdom
Ibn Abī al-‘Izz al-Ḥanafī (d.792) said:
“The foundation of servitude (‘ubūdiyyah) and faith is submission.”
Know that the foundation of servitude (‘ubūdiyyah) and faith (īmān) in Allah, His Books, and His Messengers rests upon submission (taslīm) and refraining from asking about the detailed wisdom behind the commands, prohibitions, and prescribed laws.
For this reason, Allah, Exalted be He, never related of any nation that believed in its Prophet and accepted what he brought, that they asked him about the detailed wisdom of what he commanded or forbade or conveyed from his Lord. Had they done so, they would not have been true believers in their Prophet. Rather, they submitted, yielded, and complied. What wisdom became clear to them, they accepted; and what remained hidden did not prevent their obedience and submission, nor did they deem it their right to ask. Their Prophet was far greater in their eyes than to be subjected to such questioning.
As it is mentioned in the Injīl* (Gospel):
“O Children of Israel, do not say: ‘Why did our Lord command?’ but rather say: ‘What did our Lord command?’”
Thus were the early generations of this Ummah—the most complete of all nations in intellect, knowledge, and sciences. They would not ask their Prophet: “Why did Allah command this? Why did He forbid that? Why did He decree such? Why did He do such?” They knew that such questioning contradicts faith and submission, and that the very foundation of Islam cannot stand except upon the degree of taslīm (submission).
The first level of honouring a command is to believe in it; then to have firm resolve to comply with it; then to hasten to it and overcome obstacles in carrying it out; then to exert effort and sincerity in performing it in the most complete manner; then to do it for no reason other than that it is a command—without making obedience contingent upon knowing its wisdom. If the wisdom becomes apparent, one acts upon it; but if it remains hidden, the action is not abandoned. For making obedience dependent upon knowing the wisdom undermines submission and damages compliance.
Al-Qurṭubī, quoting Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr, said:
“If one asks out of genuine desire to learn, seeking knowledge and to remove ignorance from himself, exploring a meaning upon which religion depends, then there is no harm in such questioning—for the cure of ignorance is asking. But whoever asks out of obstinacy, not as a seeker of knowledge or understanding, then neither a little nor a lot of his questioning is permissible.”
Qādī Abū Bakr Ibn al-‘Arabī said:
“What is proper for the scholar to engage in is the exposition of proofs, clarification of the paths of reasoning, securing the premises of ijtihād, and preparing the tools that enable derivation. Then, when an unprecedented matter arises, it is approached through its proper gateway, sought from its rightful sources, and Allah opens the way to correctness in it.”
And the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Part of a person’s good Islam is leaving that which does not concern him.”
(Tirmidhī and others. Sharḥ al-‘Aqīdah al-Ṭaḥāwiyyah, Dār al-Risālah edition)
Islam means submission
The word ‘islam’ means to submit.
The word Islam comes from the Arabic root s-l-m (س-ل-م), which conveys meanings of peace, safety, and submission. From this root we also get words like salaam (peace) and muslim (one who submits).
Islam means submission to the will of Allah (God). This is why Muslims are described as those who willingly surrender themselves to God.
By submitting to God, a person enters into a state of peace, both inner peace (tranquillity in the heart) and outer peace (living harmoniously with others and creation). So Islam can also be translated as achieving peace through submission to Allah.
Quranic usage
The Quran uses the verb aslama (to submit) often. For example, when Ibrahim (Abraham) is tested, it says:
“When they both submitted (to Allah)”
(Surah al-Saffat 37:103).
It shows that the essence of Islam is not just believing in God, but actively surrendering one’s will and actions to Him.
The believer’s code
The very motto of the believer is ‘I hear and I obey’. This stems from deep trust in Allah and His wisdom.
The questioning of rebellious nations
By contrast, previous nations, in particular Bani Israel, quibbled with Allah’s commands, questioning them. Depicted repeatedly through the Quran, we see that Bani Israel were characterised by their defiance and rebellious nature, which was manifested through their incessant questioning. Most memorably perhaps this is illustrated by the time they refused to slaughter a cow when commanded, avoiding this command by questioning what Allah meant when He said slaughter a cow. This account of their rebelliousness and disobedience gives the second surah of the Quran its name – Al Baqarah (The Cow).
The Ummah of obedience
For this reason, Allah Almighty never related of the Ummah of Muhammad (peace be upon him) that its believers quibbled with the commands. Rather they accepted what their prophet (peace be upon him) brought, without probing the reasons behind the prohibitions, even when they went against the cultural practices that they had been accustomed to for generations – whether it was drinking alcohol or wearing hijab, or giving up riba (usury/interest). They never doubted the detailed wisdom of what he commanded or forbade or conveyed from his Lord. Had they done so, they would not have been true believers in their prophet.
Don’t question the wisdom behind rulings
The early generations of this Ummah were thus the most complete of all nations in intellect, knowledge, and sciences. They would not ask the Prophet: “Why did Allah command this? Why did He forbid that? Why did He decree such? Why did He do such?” They knew that such questioning contradicts faith and submission, and that the very foundation of Islam cannot stand except upon the degree of taslīm (submission).
Overcome obstacles to obedience
The first level of magnifying a command is to believe in it; then to have firm resolve to comply with it; then to hasten to it and overcome obstacles in carrying it out; then to exert effort and sincerity in performing it in the most complete manner; then to do it for no reason other than that it is a command, without making obedience contingent upon knowing its wisdom.
If the wisdom becomes apparent, one acts upon it; but if it remains hidden, the action is not abandoned. For making obedience dependent upon knowing the wisdom undermines submission and damages compliance.
Much research has now been done on the health benefits of fasting, but we do not fast because it is beneficial for us (although undoubtedly it is), rather we fast because Allah commanded it, as a means of attaining taqwa, as He stated in Surat al- Baqarah.
O you who believe, the fasts have been enjoined upon you as they were enjoined upon those before you, so that you may be God-fearing. (2:183)
While He gave us the reason for fasting, He did not tell us why we perform tawaf seven times around the Kabah. Not knowing the reason for this, does not mean we do not do it. And on a daily basis, we have no idea why each of the five prayers has the number of rak’ahs it does.
Sincere questions
Al-Qurṭubī, quoting Ibn ‘Abd al-Bārr, said:
“If one asks out of genuine desire to learn, seeking knowledge and to remove ignorance from himself, exploring a meaning upon which religion depends, then there is no harm in such questioning—for the cure of ignorance is asking. But whoever asks out of obstinacy, not as a seeker of knowledge or understanding, then neither a little nor a lot of his questioning is permissible.”
The story of Khidr
In the story of Khidr, in Surat al Kahf, we see that Musa (peace be upon him) struggles with some of the strange actions of Khidr – from damaging a boat, to rebuilding a wall and most alarmingly – killing a child. At the end, Khidr gives the explanation, and it all makes sense. However, that wisdom would not have been apparent unless Khidr disclosed the knowledge of the Unseen that Allah had bestowed on him. In our lives that knowledge is with Allah and we occasionally gain some of the wisdoms but our knowledge is not more than a drop in the ocean.
It’s easy to have sabr when you have all the answers, but the real test is to have tawakkul (reliance on Allah) and sabr (patience), and to remain obedient, even when you do not have the answers.
Indeed, the very first sin committed by mankind is when Adam and Hawwa transgress by eating the forbidden fruit. Had they known the reason to refrain from eating, perhaps it would have been harder for Iblis to tempt them, but as a consequence, it would have been less of a test of their obedience. Like the forbidden fruit, we too are given a tiny number of things that we should refrain from. Yet so often, we hear people demanding the reasons for the prohibitions.
Accepting Islam means to accept that Allah is One, Unique, Wise, All Knowing and our Creator – if He gave us some laws, they will never be arbitrary – there will always be a good reason. When we accept this, and follow to the best of our ability, we will be true believers.
We hear and we obey
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported said: “When the ayat: “Lillahi ma fī assamawatiwama fīl-ardi, wa-in tubdū ma fee anfusikum aw tukhfūhu yuhasibkum bihillah, fayaghfiru liman yashāu, wayu ‘azzibu man yasha, wallahu ‘ala kulli shay-iñ qadīr (To Allāh belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth, and whether you disclose what is in yourselves or conceal it, Allāh will call you to account for it. Then He forgives whom He wills and punishes whom He wills. And Allāh is able to do all things)” [Al-Baqarah, 2:284] was revealed to the Messenger of Allāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam), it was very hard for the Companions of the Messenger (peace be upon him).
Subsequently, the Companions came to the Messenger (peace be upon him) and fell to their knees saying, `O Messenger of Allāh! We were asked to perform what we can manage to do: pray, fast, do Jihad and give charity. However, this ayah was revealed to you, and we cannot manage it.’
The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) said, “Do you want to repeat what the “Ahlul Kitab” (People of Scripture) before you said, that is, “Sami’na wa `asoi na (We hear and we disobey)” Rather, say, “Sami’na wa ata’na ghufrânaka rabbana wa-ilaikalmasīr (We hear and we obey, and we seek Your forgiveness, O our Lord, and the Return is to You.)”
It was when the people accepted this statement and their tongues recited it, that Allāh sent down soon afterwards: “Amana arrasūlu bima ônzila ilaihi min rabbihi walmu’ minūn. Kullun âmanabillahi wamala-ikatihi wakutubihiwarusulih. La nufarriqu baina ahadin min rusulih. Waqalū sami’na wa ata’na ghufrânaka rabbana wa-ilaikalmasīr. (The Messenger believes in what has been sent down to him from his Lord and (so do) the believers. Each one believes in Allāh, His Angels, His Books, and His Messengers. (They say,) “We make no distinction between any of His Messengers ـ and they say, “We hear, and we obey. (We seek) Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the return (of all).”
It was when they did that, that Allāh abrogated the ayah [Al-Baqarah 2:284] and sent down the Ayah: La yukallifullāhu nafsan illa wus`aha laha maktasabat wa `alayha maktasabat rabbana lâ tuâkhizna in nasīnā aw akhta’na,(Allāh burdens not a person beyond his scope. He gets reward for that (good) which he has earned, and he is punished for that (evil) which he has earned. “Our Lord! Punish us not if we forget or fall into error.”), until the end.” (Muslim)
Taqwa
There is great reward for those who are obedient and show taqwa,which is obeying what has been commanded by Allah and refraining from what He has prohibited
وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ دِينًا مِمَّنْ أَسْلَمَ وَجْهَهُ لِلَّهِ وَهُوَ مُحْسِنٌ وَاتَّبَعَ مِلَّةَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَنِيفًا ۗ وَاتَّخَذَ اللَّهُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ خَلِيلًا
And who is better in religion than he who submits himself wholly to Allah, and is a doer of good, and follows the faith of Abraham the Monotheist? Allah has chosen Abraham for a friend. (4:125)
بَلَىٰ مَنْ أَسْلَمَ وَجْهَهُ لِلَّهِ وَهُوَ مُحْسِنٌ فَلَهُ أَجْرُهُ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِ وَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ
In fact, whoever submits himself to Allah, and is a doer of good, will have his reward with his Lord—they have nothing to fear, nor shall they grieve. (2:112)
إِذْ قَالَ لَهُ رَبُّهُ أَسْلِمْ ۖ قَالَ أَسْلَمْتُ لِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ
When his Lord said to him, “Submit,” he said, “I have submitted to the Lord of the Worlds.” (2:131)
Whoever submits himself to God is among the good-doers. This is why a Muslim is the one who submits himself to the will of Allah.
* It does not exist in the the Canonical Gospels in this form. It’s closer to Jewish rabbinic sayings (based on Torah principles) and conceptually echoed in passages like Romans 9:20. The Jewish Talmudic / Rabbinic Tradition says there is a teaching that one should not say “Why did God command this?” but rather focus on “What has God commanded?”
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