Too often we forget how beautiful our religion is, that it is an open religion.
It is quiet unlike the mystical ancient religions where one caste disdains another, or like our Christian and Jewish forbears that have hierarchies of priests.
Ours is an open religion, where the sources are known, and the fundamentals are available and accessible. Just as the Hajj, the pinnacle of our worship, is in essence a walk and a standing and a sacrifice. It's simplicity and accessibility is startling.
And this simplicity and accessibility is present not just in our religion but also in the society it seeks to guide.
It is instructive to remember that our Messenger (saw) choose Abu Bakr (as).
He (saw) did not choose him because they were best friends. Being aware of this some companions held the opinion that Abu Bakr (as) was the one who best knew the Qur'an.
But that was a speculative judgement as our Messenger (saw) did not leave our appreciation of Abu Bakr's talents to chance, he (saw) said of him that he is the best amongst you, because he has the best heart.
Abu Bakr (ra) had a specialist knowledge in a field of study, but it was not in the Qur'an, nor was it in the Hadeeth.
If you have read the Seerah, then many of you will know his specialisation and where his expertise lay, and I ask that those who know then tell it here, so that all can know.
He was known as a specialist in that field by the companions.
And the Messenger choose him.
Because he had heart.
And he is not the one who brought arguments from the Qur'an or Hadeeth, he was better than that.
He knew that the Qur'an and Hadeeth are there to instruct us, and not there so that one man can use them to control other men and then revert us all back to old ways, of a segmented closed society.
Ours is an open society, where we can question without fear of being accused of backbiting, or causing disunity, or even accused of hankering after Power.
The Messenger (saw) choose Abu Bakr (as).
And in that vital moment when the Ansar confirmed that choice, Abu Bakr (as) did not prove his credentials by saying or using the Qur'an or Hadeeth.
Do not trust men who use the Qur'an in such matters, where they want to impress, or where they want to prove their religiosity. It was not done then, it should not be done now.
The Qur'an is there to instruct us, it is there to be studied and applied, but not used like that.
And not used for backward and forward argument, as if it were a sword in your hands.
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