Differentiation between Wahi and Islamic Thinking

There is difference between wahi and Islamic thinking. Wahi is what has been revealed in words or Ideas to our Nabi ﷺ. We know Quran was revealed to our Nabi ﷺ in the form of Allah’s Words; and Hadith is what has been revealed to our Nabi ﷺ in the form of Allah’s Ideas expressed in words by our Nabi ﷺ or by Gabriel (a.s) (for details pls see https://secondriseofislam.blogspot.com/2011/09/wahi-and-intuition.html). In other words, Wahi is what has reached us through Quran and Hadith; Quran and Hadith are sources of Islam. 

We have already seen in details that it is the basic function of a Nabuwwah that meanings of the Book  (i.e. Allah's Kalam) are revealed to a Nabi through wahi. In case of our Nabi s.a.w.w. such meanings have been revealed to our Nabi s.a.w.w. in the form of ahadith. To believe in this basic function of Nabuwwah that meanings of the Book (i.e. Allah's Kalam) are revealed to the Nabi is requirement of Eman in the light of al-Qiyamah-19 and many other Quranic texts (for details pls see  https://secondriseofislam.blogspot.com/2016/12/nabuwwat-and-its-functions-in-light-of.html ). In other words, we have to believe  that ahadith are Quranic meanings which have been revealed to our Nabi s.a.w.w. through wahi, and as such ahadith are part of Deen. Once we have this belief that ahadith are part of Deen, the next stage is how we can ascertain that a certain hadith is rightly attributed to our Nabi s.a.w.w. There may be hundreds of ways which may be employed to ascertain a hadith; all these ways have nothing to do with Eman or Deen. Once we have ascertained correctness of a hadith, we become able to develop tasdeeq bil qalb that such hadith is saying/action of our Nabi s.a.w.w. This tasdeeq bil qalb is the second name of Eman. Thus we see that process starts with believing that ahadith are part of Deen and ends with Eman/ belief in a hadith. The in between stages which are related to ascertainment of a hadith have nothing to do with Eman or Deen. It may be appreciated that believing in ahadith as part of Deen essentially ends in having Eman/faith/belief in many ahadith. Therefore we cannot put up an excuse that we do not consider ahadith as part of Deen because we cannot be sure that ahadith are rightly attributed to our Nabi s.a.w.w.

Islamic thinking is an approach developed through mental exertions by the Muslims of a certain age to solve the problems and issues to be faced by Muslims in that age. It means Islamic thinking is always age specific. Islamic thinking is always based on wahi i.e. Quran and Hadith. Wahi is unchangeable but Islamic thinking, being age specific, is changeable. Through Islamic thinking, Wahi is neither redefined nor reshaped; rather, through Islamic thinking, solutions of problems and issues pertaining to the present age are sought by the people, on the basis of the principles contained in Wahi i.e. Quran and Hadith. Islamic thinking is product of mental exertions of people which apply Islamic principles for seeking solutions of their age/period; but wahi is outcome of Allah's Deed . But it does not mean that principles contained in wahi i.e. Quran and Hadith may be understood or discovered without intellectual exertions. In case of wahi, intellectual exertions aim at discovering principles already contained in wahi; but in case of Islamic thinking, intellectual exertions are made to discover solutions of problems/issues pertaining to the present age through application of principles already contained in or discovered from wahi. It may also be appreciated that sources of Islam are only Quran and Hadith; these sources contain obvious Islamic principles in the form of words. But those Islamic principles which are not in the form of words in these sources and which we have to discover out of these sources through intellectual exertions are part of  Islamic Thinking. In other words, sources of Islam are what is wahi (i.e. Quran and Hadith); it is in the form of words. Wahi' has worded Islamic principles as well as un-worded Islamic principles. The worded Islamic principles are apparent. The un-worded Islamic principles are discovered through intellectual exertions and become a part of Islamic Thinking. Thus Islamic Thinking is not only un-worded Islamic principles discovered  through intellectual exertions from Quran and Hadith but also an approach to solve problems faced by the Muslims of an age on the basis of worded as well as un-worded Islamic principles. 

As Islamic thinking is age specific, it gives solutions of the problems faced in the present age. With the change of age/period, if problems and issues to be dealt with by the Muslims are changed, need arises for new Islamic thinking. It is peculiarity of Islamic thinking that Islamic thinking pertaining to a present age does not contradict Islamic thinking of any previous age, though it may be different from the Islamic thinking of a previous age (for difference between ‘Contradictory’ and ‘Different’ pls see https://secondriseofislam.blogspot.com/2015/07/khilafah-and-imamah-not-contradictory.html). . Islamic thinking of a present age is always dominant over all Islamic thinking of previous ages, but Islamic thinking of present age does not eliminate Islamic thinking of a previous age. The reason behind this peculiarity of Islamic thinking is that Islamic thinking of all ages is always based on the same sources i.e. Quran nad Hadith (for details pls see  https://secondriseofislam.blogspot.com/2016/07/change-and-changeability-in-islamic.html). Another peculiarity of Islamic thinking is that it is order of the day; towering majority of Muslims adopts Islamic thinking of their age. Only a small minority propagating  contradicting thinking is left out of fold of Islamic thinking of an age. It may be appreciated that there may be many shades in Islamic thinking but no one may be contradictory to another one; the shades found in Islamic thinking may be different but not contradictory (It may pls be appreciated that Sunni and Shiite views are not contradictory though they are different in most of the cases; Shiite and Sunni are two different shades of collective Islamic thinking). In other words, Islamic thinking is what is reflection of collective wisdom of  Muslims not only because it is order of the day but also because Islamic thinking of an age does not contradict Islamic thinking of a previous age. In other words, any minority view presented in the name of Islamic thinking but actually contradicting tenors of Islamic thinking is certainly not Islamic thinking of an age; such views may be termed only as a negative views. In other words, any views held by a minority group in contradiction to collective wisdom of Muslims cannot be termed as Islamic thinking; such views may only be termed as negative views.One example of such negative minority views is Ghamdi Cult which is changing Islam by changing sources of Islam in the name of so called Islamic thinking. As stated earlier, it is not mandate of Islamic thinking to redefine or reshape sources of Islam; sources of Islam are unchangeable. Islamic thinking can only seek solutions of present age on the basis of principles contained in Islam. 

We have already seen in the article https://secondriseofislam.blogspot.com/2016/10/itbaa-e-nabi-second-name-of-deen-2.html that human needs are unchangeable; what are changeable are the ways and means to meet with human needs. Sources of Islam i.e. Quran and Hadith deal with human needs which are unchangeable in character; Islamic thinking deals with ways and means to meet human needs- the ways and means which are changeable in character. Deen/Islam is combination of Quran, Hadith and Islamic Thinking.  Islam  describes not only human needs but also ways and means to meet those human needs. All ways and means described in Islam are not changeable; only time specific ways and means are changeable- if our Nabi s.a.w.w adopted contradictory ways and means for the similar issue at different time periods, such ways and means may be called time specific. It may be appreciated that presence of time specific ways and means in Islam does not mean Islam is changeable; rather it means this quality of Islam which is related to time specific ways and means is unchangeable. Through Islamic thinking we can adopt such new ways and means which are not present in Quran and Hadith but which are not contradictory to Quran and Hadith. Through Islamic thinking we can also adopt new ways and means along-with those described in Wahi, if such new ways and means are not contradictory to wahi.

All decisions reached at the Muslims through mental exertions, if based on Islamic principles, are called Islamic thinking. In other words, all decisions reached through various forms of Ijtihad are Islamic thinking and they should be taken as such. It means what we call Islamic fiqh is actually Islamic thinking and, as stated earlier, Islamic thinking is always age specific and is needed to be changed, if new problems and issues are to be dealt with in new age.