By Mufti Muhammad Shafi’ Usmani We, Ourselves, have sent down the Dhikr (the Qur’an), and We are there to protect it. (Surah al-Hijr, verse 9) Imam Qurtubi (may Allah have mercy on him) has authentically reported an event from the court of ‘Abbasi Khalifah, Al-Ma’mun. He was used to patronizing occasional debates on intellectual issues at his court where all scholars were welcome. It so happened that a Jew came to attend one of these debates. By his looks, dress and manners, he seemed to be an elegant person. Then, his address during the debate was eloquent and intellectually bright.…
The Concept of Bid’ah in Islam