Issues of Ijtihad

committing suicide. There is, thus, a clear difference in the nature of the two actions. But on account of not knowing this difference, some people wrongly assume both actions to be identical in nature, and so an action that was clearly an act of suicide was wrongly accorded by them the status of ‘martyrdom.’ This is an example of knowledge without realisation or maarifah. If a person possesses knowledge (in the sense of information) but does not possess the insight of maarifah, he will not understand the difference between one thing and another. What he speaks will be based simply on the information that he possesses. But in actual fact, it will be based on ignorance, and nothing else. For maarifah, knowledge is necessary, but a person of maarifah is able to go beyond external knowledge to see inner realities. He is able to properly analyse information. He can read between the lines. He can see events in their proper perspective. These are some of the attributes of a person of maarifah. Only for a person of maarifah can his knowledge become beneficial. Without maarifah, knowledge is an enormous depravity. Difference of Perspective In the year 625 C.E., at the time of the Prophet Muhammad, a battle occurred which is called the Battle of Uhud. In this battle, initially, the Muslims scored a victory. But later,