Bismillahi rahmani raheem, assalamu alaikum.

What is Intelligence? Intelligence is the ability to make connections between topics, the more complex the subjects and the more complex the connections the more intelligent you are. That is the proper definition of intelligence among academics, it is not your IQ number that is something used to help unintelligent people understand, like teachers.

A person can be autistic and have a low IQ but be capable of making the most complex connections, intelligence is your natural ability not your ability to perform on demand like a monkey in a set time period.

Scholars take time to develop ideas, thoughts and understanding, you can’t earn a noble prize in 90 minutes so IQ is for people who don’t really care they just need something quick to categorize people.

Ijtihad in Islam means an ability to think for yourself and develop ideas from the knowledge you have, in relation to bringing new knowledge into the world Rasul Allah (saws) taught me it is the ability to talk about the nature of something from having a proper understanding of it.

Mu’adh Ibn Jaba (ra) reported that (when) Allah’s Messenger sent him to Yemen, he asked him ‘how he would judge (decide cases). He said, “I will judge in accordance with Allah’s Book (the Qur’an).” He asked, “What, if it is not found in the Book of Allah?” He said, “Then according to the sunnah of Allah’s Messenger.“ He asked, “And if it is not in the sunnah of Allah’s Messenger?” He said, “I will make ijtihad through my judgment.” The Prophet – said, “Praise belongs to Allah Who has made the messenger of the Messenger of Allah consistent with what pleases him.” (Ahmed 22161, Abu Dawud 3592, Tirmidhi 1332)

Anyone with a capacity for both knowledge and understanding is capable of ijtihad once they are grounded in a framework of knowledge, but Islamic Ijtihad, that is Ijtihad with Islam and its framework is something only Allah can give to a person.

No evil person is capable of it because the knowledge you are required to master revolves around morality and at the level of Ijtihad, where you are in uncharted waters, you rely on what Allah and His Mala’ikah inspire you with to see the bigger picture, if you are evil your character blocks that from occurring.

Scholars said the Door to Ijtihad is closed, that is not correct and it is correct for the time being. The door to Ijtihad in Law (Fiqh) is closed because people have trouble proving who is a mujtahid is, Allah did not close it to people because that would be like saying Allah stopped sending Awliyah to mankind and the highest Awliayh are all Mujtahid Imams, able to understand what Allah said, how the universe works and see the right path with ease.

The prophet (saws) said every one hundred years Allah will send someone to renew Islam in the world, but the scholars said the door to Ijtihad closed hundreds of years ago, did Allah also stop sending people to renew Islam…No, all that statement means is people should play it safe and not that people in the world will no longer capable of it.

Understand Imam Mahdi (ra) will be a Mujtahid Imam who is guided by Allah to his Ijtihad, he will not be formerly trained at Islamic universities because they are all corrupt and Allah will not hand over the mind of such a wali to be moulded by evil people.

These Mujtahids and Awliyah I am referring to are given Ijtihad like sayudinah Umar (ra) and they will understand the religion better than the people who came before them because Allah will inspire them to understand like He did Sayidinah Umar (ra).

This is what that looks like:

al-Harith ibn Malik al-Ansari (some chains have: al-Haritha ibn al-Na`man al-Ansari): He passed by the Prophet who asked him: “How are you this morning O Haritha?” He replied: “This morning I am a real believer.” The Prophet said: “Take care of what you say: what is the reality of your belief?” He said: “I have turned myself away from this world by keeping awake at night and by keeping myself thirsty by day; and I can almost see the Throne of my Lord in full sight; and I can see the people of the Garden of Paradise visiting each other; and I can almost see the people of the Fire wailing to each other in it.” The Prophet said: “O Haritha, you do know: therefore cleave to it.” Some versions add: “This is a believer, Allah has illumined his heart (with light from Him)” (mu’minun nawwara Allahu qalbah).

(Narrated by Tabarani in his Mu`jam al-Kabir, al-Bazzar, Suyuti in his Jami` al-saghir, al-Haythami in Majma` al-zawa’id in the “Chapter on the Reality of Belief and its Perfection” (bab haqiqat al-iman wa kamalih), al-`Askari, Ibn al-Mubarak in Kitab al-zuhd, `Abd al-Razzaq through two chains, Ibn Mindah, Bayhaqi in Shu`ab al-iman, Ibn Asram in Kitab al-istiqama, Ibn Sa`id, and Ibn Abi Shayba in his Musannaf. Abu Hanifa mentions it in his al-Fiqh al-akbar. Ibn Hajar in his Isaba lists its many chains and says that this is a hadith mu`dal (i.e. its chain is missing two or more sub-narrators) and mawsul (or: muttasil; i.e. it is linked back to a Companion through the authority of a Tabi`i.) The Prophet highlighted `Umar’s gift in this when He (saws) said: In the nations before you were people who were spoken to (muhaddathun) though they were not prophets. If there is anyone in my Community (today), it is `Umar ibn Khattab. (Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, and Ahmad).

Meaning these people spoken to by the Angels and Allah are common in every Ummah including Islam, the prophet (saws) also explained the significance of this in relation to prophethood and what the prophets receive, He (saws) said;

“Allah has engraved truth on the tongue of `Umar and his heart” (Tirmidhi)

and “If there were a prophet after me verily it would be `Umar.” (Tirmidhi)

Meaning this is how close this gift is to prophet hood and what it is.

Imam Tirmidhi adds to the narration that according to Ibn `Uyayna “spoken to” means “made to understand” (mufahhamun), while in his narration Muslim adds: “Ibn Wahb explained “spoken to” as meaning “inspired” (mulhamun),” and this is the majority’s opinion according to Ibn Hajar in Fath al-Bari (7:62:#3689) who adds “spoken to” means “by the angels.”

It is only the Mala’ikah speaking to these people and inspiring them nothing else.

All of this is one step below receiving revelation, the Mala’ikah speak to the persons heart about the right answer, right path, right way until the persons tongue only speaks what He is inspired to speak, the prophet (saws) perfected this and about it Allah revealed this verse honouring Him (saws):

“Nor doth he speak of (his own) desire. It is naught save an inspiration that is inspired, Which one of mighty powers (Gabriel) hath taught him” (53:3-6)

Insha Allah soon Islam will be where it used to be in the world, just like we are seeing oppression spread today it will spread all over the earth fighting the injustice of the sahireen; Ibn Ishaq said: A reliable source narrated to me that Abu Hurayra used to say, when these countries were conquered in the time of `Umar and in the time of `Uthman and after `Uthman: “Conquer what comes within your sight. By the One in Whose hand lies Abu Hurayra’s soul, you do not conquer any city nor will you conquer any city until the Day of resurrection except that Allah the Exalted gave Muhammad its keys beforehand.”

Shaykh Rami Al Rifai.