Ask the People of Knowledge

Jabir (radi Allahu anhu) said: "We set out on a journey and along the way a man from amongst us injured himself on a rock and split his head, after which he had a wet dream and required a bath. So he asked his companions, 'Do you find any concession for me in that I make tayammum?' They replied, 'We do not find any concession for you as you are able to use water.' So he bathed and died as a result. This was mentioned to the Messenger (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam). He (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) then replied, 'They killed him, may Allah kill them. Should they not have asked if they didn’t know! Verily the cure of all ignorance is to question! It would have been enough for him had he performed tayammum.'" [Sunan Abu Dawud]

When a group of the Companions passed a judgment without knowledge, which eventually led to the wounded man’s death, the Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) supplicated against them. Allah knows how many people's lives or eeman or Islam we have hurt with our arrogance on our ignorance. How quick we are to give our opinion as a rightly informed Islamic ruling. We need to consider the words of Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) in the Quran: "So ask the people of knowledge if you know not." [16:43]