or doubtful, or who regard all of it in this way. Some have gone so far as to deem it lawful for a ruler, on the grounds that he is entitled to it, and to hold that a thief’s hand should not be cut off for stealing it, nor should rulings concerning usurped property be applied to it. Imams such as Ahmad ibn Hanbal and others condemned these people’s conduct and censured those who go to excess in scrupulousness.

Muslim narrated in his Sahīh that ‘Abd Allāh ibn Mas‘ūd said:

“The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: ‘Those who go to excess are ruined.’ He repeated this three times.”

Much of the scrupulousness practised by the people of religious innovation belongs to this category. Indeed, the scrupulous refusal of Jews, Christians and other disbelievers to fulfil the obligations of Islam belongs to this category. So too does their scrupulous avoidance of things they themselves declared forbidden, although Allah Most High had not forbidden them—a practice Allah Most High censured in the Quran—such as the animals called bahīrah, sā’ibah, wasīlah and hām.

Another example is the scrupulousness censured by the Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in the hadith recorded in the Sahīh. When he availed himself of certain concessions and learned that some people had scrupulously abstained from those things, he said:

“What is the matter with men who scrupulously abstain from things in which I avail myself of concessions? By Allah, I hope to be the one among them who knows Allah best and fears Him most.” In another narration: “The one who fears Him most and knows His limits best.”

The hadith about the man who kissed his wife is another such example. Thus, a devout person who practises scrupulousness needs extensive knowledge of the Quran and Sunnah, and understanding