Key to Life
Everything that gets you closer to Paradise and everything that keeps you away from Hellfire have already been taught. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
إِنَّهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ نَبِيٌّ قَبْلِي إِلاَّ كَانَ حَقًّا عَلَيْهِ أَنْ يَدُلَّ أُمَّتَهُ عَلَى خَيْرِ مَا يَعْلَمُهُ لَهُمْ وَيُنْذِرَهُمْ شَرَّ مَا يَعْلَمُهُ لَهُمْ
It was the duty of every Prophet that has gone before me to guide his followers to what he knew was good for them and warn them against what he knew was bad for them (Sahih Muslim 1844a).
Then why is it important for us to understand this problem? It turns out the answer, the key to this problem is easy. According to shariah that has been agreed upon by the scholars, in general everything is permissible. The reasons are:
هُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ لَكُم مَّا فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا ثُمَّ اسْتَوَىٰ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ فَسَوَّاهُنَّ سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ ۚ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ
It is He who created for you all of that which is on the earth. Then He directed Himself to the heaven, (His being above all creation), and made them seven heavens, and He is Knowing of all things. (Surah Al-Baqarah: 29)
وَسَخَّرَ لَكُم مَّا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا مِّنْهُ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ
And He has subjected to you whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth – all from Him. Indeed in that are signs for a people who give thought (Surah Al-Jathiyah: 13)
أَلَمْ تَرَوْا أَنَّ اللَّهَ سَخَّرَ لَكُم مَّا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَأَسْبَغَ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعَمَهُ ظَاهِرَةً وَبَاطِنَةً
Do you not see that Allah has made subject to you whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth and amply bestowed upon you His favors, (both) apparent and unapparent? (Surah Luqman: 20).
The ayat that were mentioned, state that Allah has subjected everything on earth for mankind. “The lawful is what Allah made lawful in His Book, the unlawful is what Allah made unlawful in his Book, and what He was silent about; then it is among that for which He has pardoned” (Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1726).
This means in general everything is halal or allowed.
Except if there is a valid and strict prohibition from Allah then the law becomes haram or makruh (disliked). So long as it does not have a valid divine source is found (because some hadith are weak or fabricated) or there is no strict prohibition, then the general rule is applied.
On the contrary, when it comes to worshipping Allah, because Islam is perfect, everything is rejected if not exemplified by the Prophet, his companions, tabi’un (the generation of Muslims that were born after the death of the Prophet) and tabi’un tabi’un (the generation after tabi’un).
The Prophet said: “If somebody innovates something which is not in harmony with the principles of our religion, that thing is rejected.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 2697 and Sahih Muslim 1718a).
Therefore, it is important for us Muslims to learn our religion from teachers that stick to the Quran and Sunnah. Allah knows best.