Knowledge: The Lone Sheep

In the Name of Allaah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

The word (s) "Knowledge" appears 161 times in 152 verses in Qur'an."

Allaah says: "....Say: 'Are those equal, who know and those who do not know? It is those who are endowed with understanding that receive admonition." Qur'an 39:9

Interestingly, Allaah also said: "...Allaah will raise up, to (suitable) ranks (and degrees), those of you who believe and have been granted knowledge. And Allaah is well-acquainted with all you do." Qur'an 58:11

Oh my beloved brothers and sisters in Islam! It has become very pertinent for us to go back to SCHOOL to learn about Islam from sincere Ulamah.

It is sad and rather tragic that when we are given the platform to speak about Islam, we do more harm than good because we lack the sufficient knowledge.

We are living in an era, where information is widely available yet we are suffering from a fermine of knowledge.

This generation has conveniently chosen to read about Islam rather than study and learn about Islam.

While we read many articles online without any independent effort to verify the authenticity of the ahadith and the correct Tafseer of the verses quoted, then we are bound to face great confusion.

In the previous generation, the pious men would dedicate their lives to studying the deen while in our generation we despise sitting in front of scholars to learn the deen.

Imam Shafi'i ( Ra) said: "Bear the bitter molding of your teachers and scholars and your decisions will be flavored with knowledge and wisdom."

Our master, Muhammad (Pbuh) said: "The seeking of knowledge is obligatory for every Muslim." Sunan Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 74.

In another Hadith recorded in Riyadh us-Saleheen, the Prophet (Pbuh) said: "One who treads a path in search of knowledge has his path to Paradise made easy by God."

The million dollar question is: who is treading the real path of knowledge today? Rather we prefer to refer to Google even if the author is unknown rather than take a book to sit in front of a sincere scholar to learn.

Ignorance has no cover, it exposes its custodian.

A generation that wants to talk about Islam because it feels it's her birth right but does not have the zeal and the patience to take a kitab and go to school to learn has itself to blame for its spiritual decay.

This generation is wired differently, the mind set is perplexing, the zeal to argue our way out of Allaah's disobedience is amazing.

Knowledge has got many benefits.

Just analyze your relationship with Allaah after you learn about His Justice, Wrath, Mercy, Forgiveness and compare it to when you were ignorant of all these.

Ibn Taymiyah (RA) said: "The two greatest treasures you can hold from this world are Eeman (for your salvation) and Knowledge (for your elevation)."

Ibn Qayyim (RA) said: "You get benefit from money when you get rid of it, while you get benefit from knowledge of the deen when you hold onto it."

Allaah snatches away knowledge by taking away sincere scholars while the people will rally around ignorant fools for Fatwah. These ignorant fools will give Fatwah without knowledge thereby misleading others.

Ibn Katheer said: "No one is allowed to worship Allaah anyway until he learns how to worship Allaah the right way."

When we learn, we get protected and even the Muslims around us and those who aspire to know the truth.

In seeking for knowledge we must understand Islam the way the earlier pious generation understood it.

Uqbah bin Aamir (RA) used to say: "Learn before those who think they know arrive."

Abu Yusuf (a renowned student of Imam Abu Haneefah) used to say: "Knowledge will not give you a bit of itself until you give it all of yourself."

Shaykh Muhammad Elshinawy said: "With knowledge we will preserve the shariah from alien opinions."

And the scholars said: "If all the people that have no knowledge will just shut their mouths up, we will have less difference of opinions."

Learn, so that you will defend Islam within yourself first  against any ignorant fool who seeks to sway your eeman with dodgy Aqeedah and Fatwah.

We are being fought ideologically such that we are engaged in things that will preoccupy us and make going to Madrasah a difficulty task.

And after taking our minds off Islamic studies through the entertainment industry, they present before us what looks like Islam and we accept blindly because we lack the correct knowledge to unpack the difference. 

We pray Allaah bless us with beneficial knowledge, increase us in Eeman, certainty and understanding. We pray for peace in our lands and water.

Yours in Islam: Abdullah Musa Abdul.