[3] Spot the Difference: Behaviour of the Scholars of Cautious Piety When Their Errors Became Known to The Public

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Imam Ibn Ḥazm, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:

I had a debate with one of our companions regarding a Mas’alah and I gained the upperhand. The gathering ended with the (view) that indeed I was right. Then when I returned to my house, something about the issue continued to trouble me. So, I searched for it in some books and found a sound proof that clarified the falsity of my position and the correctness of my opponent’s position. There was one of our companions who was with me in that gathering, so I informed him of what I had found. Then I marked the relevant place in the book. He said to me: ‘What do you want to do?’ I said to him: ‘Take this book, give it to so-and-so, inform him that he was correct and that I was mistaken, and tell him that I am returning to his view.’ He was amazed by this and said: ‘And can you bring yourself to do such a thing?!’ I replied: ‘Yes! If I were able to do so right now, I would not delay it until tomorrow.’” [at-Taqrīb li-Ḥadd al-Manṭiq. p. 194]

Finally, spot the difference. There is an important distinction between someone who acknowledges and corrects his mistake and someone who makes a public mistake but resists publicly correcting it, while those demanding clarification are attacked. Vague, emotional speech, appeals to credentials and past achievements, and strategic silence do not resolve public misinformation or address justified criticism. The correction should be proportionate to the publicity and impact of the mistake, as demonstrated by the scholars of integrity and cautious piety mentioned above.

Furthermore, allowing supporters to attack the character, intentions, intelligence or qualifications of those raising the issue, rather than addressing the evidence, is particularly concerning. Respecting the people of knowledge does not mean vehemently defending someone who remains silent and refuses to correct his public error. The honour of the people of knowledge must not be manipulated to evade accountability. We have not witnessed this behaviour from the senior scholars of piety.

And Allah knows best.