the guidance of those who came before him, and Allah the Exalted says: “In their stories there is a lesson for people of understanding” (Yūsuf 12:111). This verse concludes Sūrah Yūsuf, in which Allah related Joseph’s account at length so that we might take heed. For that reason the scholars—may Allah have mercy on them—have extracted many benefits from this surah, including legal rulings for the judiciary and other matters.

Among those benefits is the legitimacy of judging by circumstantial evidence, based on His words: “A witness from her own household testified: ‘If his shirt is torn from the front, then she has told the truth and he is of the liars; but if his shirt is torn from the back, then she has lied and he is of the truthful’” (Yūsuf 12:27, 26). They said: this is a qarīna (circumstantial indicator). If the shirt is torn from the front, it means the man sought her and she grabbed him, tearing his shirt from the front. If it is torn from the back—that is, from behind—then she pursued him and, as she seized him, the back of his shirt was torn. This qarīna established the verdict, and the jurists relied upon it, even though other hadiths likewise show that judgments may be based on circumstantial evidence in cases besides this one.

Nevertheless, the sounder view regarding the maxim “the law of those before us is binding upon us unless our own law brings something contrary” is that earlier revelations do constitute law for us provided our Sharia has not introduced a conflicting ruling.

The messengers—peace be upon them—therefore have rights over us: that we love them, honor them with the veneration they deserve, and testify that they occupy the highest rank among all classes of the righteous, as Allah says: “Whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger—those will be with the ones upon whom Allah has bestowed favor: the prophets, the ever-truthful, the martyrs, and the righteous. How excellent these companions are!” (al-Nisāʾ 4:69).

As for the fifth pillar, it is belief in the Last Day.