Dealing With New Situations

Question

Praise be to Allah.

I thank you for your question and ask Allaah to grant us and
you strength, steadfastness and wisdom, and to show us what is true and help
us to follow it, and to show us what is false and help us to avoid it, and
not to let it confuse us and lead us astray… With regard to what you asked
about, my comments on it are as follows:

You should note that we are not obliged to define our stance
or opinion on every issue or event that occurs, simply because much of what
occurs does not concern us. With regard to the things that do concern us and
on which we should form opinions, they are of different types:

1 – Matters which because of their depth and breadth go
beyond the limits of our knowledge and understanding. Concerning these
matters we must consult the opinions of specialists, scholars, researchers
or experts, as much as possible.

2 – Matters which are so clear that they have become the talk
of gatherings and the media. We can form an opinion on such matters by
reconciling between the views of those whom we trust and some of the
reports.

3 – Matters within our own private circle. These require us
to look at all the alternatives and weigh up the pros and cons of each, then
compare them objectively. This will enable us to form an initial idea, then
we can consult others and seek the opinions of people who have prior
experience in this field, or those whose opinions we trust. Whoever consults
people will benefit from their experience and knowledge. As time goes by and
we make mistakes and benefit from our experience, we will accumulate
experience and more understanding, and will develop the ability to evaluate
things. In the light of this experience we will be able to form our own
opinions.

May Allaah help you and protect you, and make you steadfast
in adhering to the path of truth and goodness.