Causation Based on Wisdom

Summary

Dr Mohammad Salim al-Awwa exerted clear scholarly effort, offering evidence in his lecture of causation (taʿlīl) of Sharīʿah rulings (aḥkām) in the statements of leading scholars in this regard; for example Shaykh Badran Abu al-‘Aynayn Badran: “the majority of scholars would resolve in their juristic efforts (ijtihād) that the purpose for which Allah has legislated rulings (aḥkām), was only for the interest (maṣaḥah) of attaining a good, or preventing a harm, and hence, this interest is in itself the objective intended by the legislation, and is termed wisdom (ḥikmah). Indeed, Allah, the Exalted, acts only in accordance with the wisdom inherent in His Laws in creation, and for His Ruling to have a purpose in no way erodes the perfection ascribed to Him; moreover, he points to the consensus of the rationalist (Muʿtazilah) school, in that His Rulings, the Exalted, are underpinned by the interests of the slaves, and that Sunni Muslims (Ahl al-Sunnah) believe that He, the Almighty, does not act except but to achieve the advance of earthly life, and the good of human beings, in accordance with His Will, Most Powerful, Most Great, as concluded by the eminent scholar, ‘Alāl, al-Fāsi, may Allah have mercy on him.