The Criterion
for the Importance of Religious Matters
The importance of a religious matter is determined
according to a set of precise Qur’anic principles that reveal its role and
position within the overall structure of religion. These principles may be
summarized as follows:
1.
Structural
Centrality:
A matter gains significance when it serves as a foundational basis for multiple
other commandments, or when those commandments are derived from or dependent
upon it.
2.
Continuity and
Permanence:
The more an instruction remains relevant and binding across all times and
circumstances, the greater its importance. Examples include the commands to
remember God (dhikr), to be mindful of God (taqwâ), and to engage in
self-purification (tazkiyah).
3.
Being an
Objective of a Higher Command:
A matter acquires greater significance when it serves as a direct objective of
a core religious obligation. For instance, taqwâ is an objective of the prayer
(ṣalâh), while remembrance of God is the
ultimate purpose of many rituals.
4.
Universality
and Unrestricted Scope:
A command gains precedence if it applies unconditionally to the human being in
all states, times, and places—such as the remembrance of God, which is
prescribed across all contexts.
5.
Encompassing
Multiple Sub-Components:
The broader a command is in terms of encompassing various subsidiary
obligations and interrelated components, the more central it becomes. Dhikr
again exemplifies this quality.
6.
Extension of
Benefit to Diverse Realms:
A command whose performance brings benefit to a wide range of entities—whether
individual, collective, societal, or environmental—demonstrates a higher level
of importance.
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