Many ideas are circulating among the Muslims that have the effect of diluting the Islamic thinking if left unchecked. Some of these ideas are cleverly disguised in a seemingly innocent cloak in order to escape detection. One such idea is the notion that any rule or legislation that is 'similar' to Islam is Islamic, even if that rule emanates from another source other than Islam.

While it may seem correct on the surface, such an idea is very dangerous because it has the potential to shift the reference away from Islam and towards other sources without the Muslims realizing it. It should be clear that, when we say that 'Islam is our reference', then this means that we refer exclusively towards Islam for all of our rules and legislation. Simply having a similarity to Islam is not sufficient to consider a rule or legislation as Islam; rather, the rule must be DERIVED from Islam. In this context, the rule that prohibits alcohol is Islamic because there is an evidence from the Quran and Sunnah that prohibits alcohol. We cannot consider a bill passed by Western parliaments prohibiting alcohol as an Islamic rule, even though the rule has some similarity to Islam. For example, if a Muslim is in a position to prohibit Khamr (alcohol), but says that he is prohibiting this because Khamr is bad for the health, such a rule does not constitute an Islamic ruling.

If Muslims are to accept such an idea, then the entire notion of Islam as a 'reference' becomes meaningless. Moreover, such an idea will give anybody an open license to adopt other systems, rules and legislation based on perceived similarities or even imagined similarities, and this will open the door for Islam to be mixed with ideas and systems from other sources. And as Muslims, we are forbidden to refer to another reference other than Islam, even if other sources give rise to things similar to Islam. Allah (swt) says in this regard:

O you who believe! Enter perfectly in Islam (by obeying all the rules and regulations of Islam) and follow not the footsteps of Satan...[ 2:208]


No by your God, they shall not become true believers until they make you(prophet) judge in matters that are of dispute amongst them. [ Al Nisa'a, 65]

Hence, He (Allah swt) denied Iman from those who refer in their judgement to other than the Messenger of Allah in their actions, which indicates conclusively that reference in judgement should be restricted only to what the Messenger of Allah has brought.

Therefore, we must rid ourselves of such an idea and refer exclusively to Islam for our rules and legislation. After all, we realize that Islam is complete and comprehensive, meaning that Islam has a solution for every aspect of our lives. With such a realization, the Muslims should not feel a need to shop around for rules, concepts, solutions and legislation from other systems. An appropriate analogy is as follows: It cannot be said that two fruits that come from different trees emanate from the same source, even though the fruits may be similar. Rather, both fruits must emanate from the SAME TREE