Correct Evidence, But Incorrect Usage Of The Evidence

A correct DELEEL, but incorrect ISTIDLAAL:

الدَّليلُ صَحِيحٌ وَلَكِنَّ الْاِسْتِدْلَاَل بِهِ غَيْرُ صَحِيحٍ

Sometimes, a person’s evidence (الدَّليلُ) may be correct (صَحِيحٌ), but how he applies that evidence (الْاِسْتِدْلَاَل), may be incorrect (غَيْرُ صَحِيحٍ).

The scholars say:

فليس كل دليل صحيح يكون الاستدلال به صحيحاً

For example, a man was watering his plants, so his neighbour asked if he could water his plants as well.

The man replied:

“No, this is forbidden, because the Prophet said:

لَا يَحِلُّ لِامْرِئٍ يُؤْمِنُ بِاَللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ اَلْآخِرِ أَنْ يَسْقِيَ مَاءَهُ زَرْعَ غَيْرِهِ
“It is not lawful for a man who believes in Allah and the Last Day to water what another person has sown.”
[“Abu Dawud”, 2158 – حسن]
https://sunnah.com/bulugh/8/180

This Hadith is metaphorical, it means: a man should not have intercourse with a woman who is pregnant from another man.

So, his DALEEL was correct, but his ISTIDLAAL was incorrect.

Another good example are the Khawarij.

Muslims never had any issues with their evidences – it was all about how they applied those evidences.

When they quoted a verse from the Qur’an out of context, Ali Ibn Abi Talib said:

كلمة حق يراد بها باطـــل
“A correct word and incorrect implications”

It’s the same with all the misguided sects, they all mis-apply the Qur’an.

So, just because someone quotes the Qur’an and authentic Ahadith, it does not necessarily mean that his understanding of it is also correct.

Final question:

But how do we know who is right and who is wrong?

Any understanding that matches with the understanding of the first best 3 generations (خير القرون ), it is correct and anything that clashes with it, is baatil.

Allaahu A’alam