I’lm is the line between Success and Failure

Sha’bi reported that U’mar said to A’di bin Haatim ‘May Allah give you life with knowledge’ (BUKHAARI in ‘al Adabul Mufrad’ [no.1033]) There is no doubt that without knowledge, mankind can not progress, that is tru with regards to progressing in the dunya and progressing towards the best in the akhirah. The sahaabah sought knowledge from the Prophet (saw) and they continued to seek knowledge until death reached them. They understood that their success was connected to seeking knowledge and living according to that knowledge.

Today we live in times of much ignorance, the world is immersed in shirk and kufr. The relations between the people are not governed by Islam, the dominant thoughts in government and society are not Islamic and neither are the emotions and actions. Rather, the whole society not only in the non-Muslim world but also in the Muslim world has regressed so that it is totally unrecognizable from the Islamic society built by the Prophet (saw) and the sahaabah over fourteen hundred years ago. This great increase in ignorance is not restricted to the finer details of Islamic law but it includes the basic pillars of belief and the very essence of the Islamic message. Society, global society is now dominated by secularism and anti-Islamic laws and values. This is all directly tied to the false knowledge that is being propagated on a mass scale, through media, advertising, corrupted scholars and more significantly, the multitude of government institutions that are under the control of Tawaagheet. Anas reported that Nabi (saw) said “Among the signs of the Hour are the following – knowledge will decrease and ignorance will prevail, fornication and the drinking of wine will be common…” (BUKHAARI kitaabul I’lm)

The revival of Islam in society and in individuals is very much dependent upon a deeper understanding of the deen and the scholars and students of knowledge have a great burden of responsibility in terms of combating the satanic influences upon the minds of the Muslim and non-Muslim public. Ibn A’bbaas reports Nabi (saw) “One faqeeh is stronger against shaytaan than one thousand people of i’baadah” (TIRMIDHI, IBN MAAJAH)

Allah (swt) clearly informed us that the knowledgeable and the ignorant are very different and that indeed their results and effects in both worlds are very different, “The blind man is not equal with the seer; Nor is darkness (tantamount to) light; Nor is the shadow equal with the sun's full heat; Nor are the living equal with the dead. Lo! Allah maketh whom He will to hear. Thou canst not reach those who are in the graves. Thou art but a warner.” (Faatir 35:19-23)

Allah (swt) asks the rhetorical question “Say: Are those who know equal to those who do not know?” (az-Zumar 39:9) And this is a means of emphasis, similar to the teacher who asks a question to the student whereby he reaches the correct answer himself by choosing the obvious truth. There is no doubt that the knowledgeable are those who can turn a nation around, they are those who can forbid the people from their sins and direct them to the Sunnah of the messengers and make the people fear the Sunnah of Allah (swt) in dealing with the rebellious nations.

The more knowledge that one possesses, the more obligations he can perform and the more intentions he can invoke in accordance with the divine revelation that addresses those matters. The highest knowledge in Islam is the knowledge of Tawheed, indeed, the one who learns Tawheed is the one who will be fearful of Allah (swt) due o the knowledge of His attributes and actions towards the people, he is also the one who is hopeful of mercy from Allah (swt) and one who knows that all knowledge is from Allah (swt) and that if Allah (swt) guides him, none can misguide him. True knowledge of Islam leads to the fear of Allah (swt) and that is indeed one of the scales for witnessing the true knowledge in a person, Allah (swt) says “It is only those who have knowledge among His slaves who fear Allah.” (Faatir 35:28)

I’lm is the Midar [Pivot] of the Deen

There are many points to be made to demonstrate that knowledge is the hub around which the deen revolves, for instance:-

• The first ayah revealed to mankind from the Quran was directly associated with knowledge, Allah (swt) says “Read in the name of your Lord who created” (Al A’laq)

• Allah (swt) raises the rank of someone in both worlds according to the knowledge which they possess, Allah (swt) says “Allah will exalt in degree those of you who believe and who have been granted knowledge. And Allah is aware of what you do.” (58:11)

• The good that Allah (swt) intends for someone will manifest in deeper understanding of the deen. Muawiyah reports Nabi (saw) “If Allah intends good for anybody then He gives him understanding (fiqh) in the deen and verily I distribute it while Allah bestows it” (BUKHAARI, MUSLIM)

• The actions of a person are based upon the knowledge which they possess. If there knowledge increases then the motivation for good actions increases. Muadh ibn Jabal “…action is slave to knowledge and i’lm is the Imaam of action” (IBN ABDUL BARR and others)

• The a’lim and the student are among those things on earth that are not cursed as long as they are true to their knowledge. Abu Hurayrah that Nabi (saw) said “The world and all its contents are accursed except the remembrance of Allah and what supports it, the a’lim and the student of knowledge.” (TIRMIDHI who said ‘hasan’, IBN MAAJAH, BAYHAQI)

• Allah (swt) continuously connected the disbelievers to ignorance in the Quran “And those who have no knowledge say ‘ Why does not Allah speak to us why does not a sign come to us?’ So said the people before them words of similar import. Their hearts are alike, We have made plain the signs for a people who believe with certainty.” (aali I’mraan 3:118)

• The scholars lead the people by their fataawa, their speeches and efforts. If they are good scholars then that will effect the society and the society will be damaged if they become corrupted. Ahwas bin Hakeem reported Nabi (saw) “…Beware surely the worst evil is the evil of the u’lemaa’ and surely the best good is the good of the u’lemaa’” (DAARIMI)

• The Islamic knowledge is a heavy responsibility, it is like one who possess much wealth, he can use that for good or evil purposes. Abu Darda’ Nabi (saw) The worst men in the sight of Allah on yawmil qiyaamah is the a’lim who did not derive benefit from his learning” (DAARIMI) U’mar ibn al Khattab asked Ziyaad bin Hudhayr ‘Do you know what will destroy Islam ‘No’ ‘The slip of the a’lim , the dispute of the munaafiq about the book of Allah and the rule of the misguided Imaams’ (DAARIMI) There is also a similar narration attributed to the prophet (saw), I’mraan bin Hussain reported that Nabi (saw) said “What I fear for you th most is the argument of a knowledgeable, sharp tongued munaafiq” (IBN HIBBAAN, saheeh)

• The Prophet (saw) came to teach and this was connected directly to the purpose of his message in many ayaat. Allah (swt) says “Similarly, We have sent among you a messenger of your own, reciting to you Our ayaat, and purifying you and teaching you the Book and the Hikmah and teaching yoou that which you used to know not.” (al Baqarah 2:151) and “He it is Who sent among the unlettered ones a messenger from among themselves, reciting to them His ayaat, purifying them and teaching them the Book and the Hikmah. And verily, before they had been in manifest error.” (al Jumua’h 62:2) So from these and other similar verses, we see the prophet (saw) conveyed many types of knowledge to the Muslims, and each of these types is an ocean with many depths, from these ayaat the main branches are:-

1. Recitation of the Quran
2. The Book
3. at Tazkeeyah (Purification of the Beliefs, Actions and Self)
4. al Hikmah (Wisdom, The Sunnah, Understanding the Laws)
5. That which was unknown (Special Divine Information and Knowledge for mankind which assists them in both worlds)

Therefore, whoever neglects knowledge is neglecting his own best interests in both worlds and is turning away from the objectives for which the messengers were sent and thus can not fulfil his true role as a human being, which is to worship Allah (swt).