Importance of following knowledge
We have heard many speeches about how important knowledge is. A hadith of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) says that it is better to take part in a Majlis (gathering) where you can acquire knowledge, than to perform a thousand raka’at of Sunnah prayers (non obligatory prayers). And it is better than helping to organize a thousand funerals or a thousand visits to sick men. And there is a hadith which also says that looking at your parents is also an act of worship. However this does not concern looking while quarreling or arguing or fighting, but looking with love and respect. A similar act of worship is just sitting and looking at the Kaaba during the Hajj.
It says that looking at ulama (scholars) is an act of worship, too. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Anyone who shakes the hand of an alim shakes my hand. Anyone who communicates with an alim communicates with me. But anyone involved with a person, who is preoccupied with worldly matters, will not reach me on the Day of Judgment.”
But one cannot just mention all the good qualities of ulama and all the advantages of divine knowledge. There is one circumstance that we have mentioned before, which is difficult to understand and dangerous for us. The behavior of ulama must be consistent with their knowledge; otherwise these ulama will be useless for both people and Islam itself.
The knowledge that such ulama transfer to people, is like a wild squirting cucumber, which has long sprouts and a very bitter taste. The more you water it, the more bitter it becomes. This is what an alim who does not follow his knowledge is like. The more knowledge he receives, the more harmful his activities are. May Allah keep us away from this! This is what we need most of all.
Speaking about the superiority of knowledge, the Almighty said to Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him): “I am an Alim [i.e. Alim is one of Allah’s wonderful names] and I love ulama [alims].” And there is a verse in the Quran, where Allah says that only He has Absolute Power and that His uniqueness is proved by miracles and obvious things like the existence of the Sun, the Moon, the Heaven and the Earth. Think about Who and how could create all these. These are Allah’s arguments that prove His uniqueness and His Absolute Power. And then Angels saw the Almighty’s Power and witnessed it. And then so did scholars [ulama]. Ulama followed Angels’ example and witnessed Allah’s uniqueness and Power.
Ulama are said to be the true believers, because a person cannot fear something he is not aware of. Ulama know Allah better than anyone else; this means they should also be more pious. If a person has learned all the knowledge in the world except for the knowledge of Allah, then he cannot be called an alim (scholar). Therefore, our goal is to lead young men to become God-fearing and God-conscious.
The Almighty Allah taught Adam (peace be upon him) thousands of skills and said: “Oh Adam! Tell your children to choose any of these thousand skills for life. But never use religion to receive benefits. Tell them that religion must be followed for My sake only.”
See, my brothers in faith, religion and aspiration to spiritual knowledge should be for the sake of the Allah only. Do not become obsessed with worldly problems. You should practice religion and cater to your material needs without transgressing the framework of Shariah. May Allah grant health and strength to you, so that you can follow this path!
BY SHEIKH SAID AFANDI AL-CHIRKAWI
