Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
Belief in Allah Almighty is not limited to believing in His existence. It also includes believing that He is perfect in knowledge, wisdom, and justice, and that His rulings and actions do not arise from ignorance or injustice. Rather, they are based on knowledge and wisdom, some of which people may understand and some of which may remain hidden from them.
Allah Almighty says:
“And the word of your Lord has been fulfilled in truth and in justice. None can change His words, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.”
[Al-An‘am 6:115]
And Allah says:
“And who is better than Allah in judgment for a people who are certain in faith?”
[Al-Ma’idah 5:50]
A person may not understand the wisdom behind certain Islamic rulings. This does not mean that the ruling has no wisdom or that it is unjust, because human knowledge is limited, while Allah’s knowledge encompasses everything.
The wisdom being hidden may itself be a test for a person: Will he trust Allah’s knowledge and wisdom and submit to His ruling, or will he make his limited understanding the standard by which he judges Allah’s law?
When a believer does not understand the wisdom behind a ruling, he submits to Allah’s judgment and then asks, learns, and searches for its wisdom without objecting to Allah.
Allah says:
“Does He who created not know, while He is the Most Subtle, the All-Aware?”
[Al-Mulk 67:14]
Yes. There is nothing wrong with a Muslim asking: Why did Allah prescribe this ruling? What is the wisdom behind it? if his intention is to learn, increase his understanding, and gain reassurance.
However, there is a difference between searching for the wisdom and believing that Allah’s ruling is wrong or unjust and that a human being knows better or is wiser than Allah.
A believer may say, “I do not understand the wisdom behind this ruling.” This is completely different from saying or believing, “This ruling is unjust, and I know what would be more just.”
The human mind may be unable to comprehend some aspects of wisdom, but its inability to understand them is not evidence that the ruling is false. Scholars have distinguished between matters that leave human minds unable to fully comprehend them and matters that are rationally impossible. Islamic teachings may contain matters whose wisdom some minds cannot fully comprehend, but they do not contradict sound reason.
The basic attitude of a believer is submission to Allah and His Messenger.
Allah says:
“But no, by your Lord, they will not truly believe until they make you judge concerning that over which they dispute among themselves, and then find within themselves no discomfort from what you have judged and submit in full submission.”
[An-Nisa 4:65]
Allah also says:
“It is not for a believing man or woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decided a matter, to have any choice concerning their affair.”
[Al-Ahzab 33:36]
Therefore, once an Islamic ruling has been authentically established, the Muslim accepts it and submits to it, even if its full wisdom is not clear to him.
Not understanding the wisdom behind an Islamic ruling is not in itself a problem with one’s faith, and a person may ask questions and research until he understands.
However, believing that Allah is unjust in His ruling, or that a human being is more knowledgeable or wiser than Allah, contradicts what must be believed concerning Allah’s perfect knowledge, wisdom, and justice. Whoever falls into such a belief should repent to Allah and correct his belief.
The correct attitude is to say: The wisdom may be hidden from me because of the limitations of my knowledge, but I know that Allah is more knowledgeable, wiser, and more just than I am. Then the person may seek to understand the wisdom and ask knowledgeable scholars about whatever is unclear.
And Allah knows best.