Reason from the Viewpoint of Ahl al-Sunnah wa Jama’ah
Imam Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him, states: “Be aware that the opinion of Ahl al-Sunnah wa Jama’ah is that reason neither proves reward nor evil, nor prohibition or permission.”
Hassan Zuhairi, in his “Explanation of the Basics of Beliefs of Ahl al-Sunnah,” quotes him as follows: “According to them, the text is the original, and reason should reconcile with the text. Whenever there is a gap, inconsistency, or lack of balance between reason and the text, it indicates that one of two things could be the issue: either the text is not established, or reason has not understood the meaning of Allah, Exalted is He, conveyed by this text.”
Reason holds a very high position among Ahl al-Sunnah, as it is employed to understand Sharia proofs, derive rulings, and build principles and rules based on the Book and Sunnah. It also plays a significant role in abrogating rulings and in other important matters where reason is essential and cannot be dismissed. However, it must be emphasized that under no circumstances can reason conflict with narration or take precedence over it. This principle is one of the definitive positions held by Ahl al-Sunnah and Jama’at.
Ibn Khaldoun writes in his introduction: “Reason is a correct measure, and its rulings are certain; there is no falsehood in it. However, do not be tempted to measure the affairs of monotheism, the hereafter, the truth of prophecy, the realities of divine attributes, and all that lies beyond its scope by means of reason. Such an expectation is impossible; it is like a man who sees a scale used for weighing gold and desires to weigh mountains with it. This does not imply that the scale does not accurately fulfill its purpose; reason sometimes remains within its limits and does not exceed its boundaries. It cannot encompass the essence and attributes of Allah. Indeed, reason is merely a particle among the created entities of Allah Almighty.”
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