The Excellence of Islamic Knowledge and True Salafi Scholarship
السَّــــــــلاَم عَلَيــْـــــــكُم وَرَحْمَــــــــــةُاللهِ وَبَرَكـَـــــــــاتُه
The religion of Islam is the name of the loftiness of knowledge and action; it is the name of the elevation and greatness of the teachings of the Qur’an Hakim Furqan-e-Majeed, the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and the Salaf Saliheen (righteous predecessors). In this religion, there is a great reward for learning, teaching, and acting upon knowledge. That is why in the religion of Islam, the scholar (‘alim) has been given superiority over the worshipper (‘abid).
Abu Umamah al-Bahili (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that two men were mentioned in the presence of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), one of whom was a worshipper and the other a scholar. The Prophet (ﷺ) said:
“ فَضْلُ الْعَالِمِ عَلَى الْعَابِدِ كَفَضْلِي عَلَى أَدْنَاكُمْ ” .ثُمَّ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ” إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلاَئِكَتَهُ وَأَهْلَ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ حَتَّى النَّمْلَةَ فِي جُحْرِهَا وَحَتَّى الْحُوتَ لَيُصَلُّونَ عَلَى مُعَلِّمِ النَّاسِ الْخَيْرَ ” . قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ غَرِيبٌ . قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَمَّارٍ الْحُسَيْنَ بْنَ حُرَيْثٍ الْخُزَاعِيَّ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ الْفُضَيْلَ بْنَ عِيَاضٍ يَقُولُ عَالِمٌ عَامِلٌ مُعَلِّمٌ يُدْعَى كَبِيرًا فِي مَلَكُوتِ السَّمَوَاتِ .
“The virtue of the scholar over the worshipper is like my virtue over the least of you.” Then the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Indeed, Allah, His Angels, the inhabitants of the heavens and the earths – even the ant in its hole, even the fish – send blessings upon the one who teaches the people to do good.”
[Jami` at-Tirmidhi: 2685]
مَنْ سَلَكَ طَرِيقًا يَبْتَغِي فِيهِ عِلْمًا سَلَكَ اللَّهُ بِهِ طَرِيقًا إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ وَإِنَّ الْمَلاَئِكَةَ لَتَضَعُ أَجْنِحَتَهَا رِضًا لِطَالِبِ الْعِلْمِ وَإِنَّ الْعَالِمَ لَيَسْتَغْفِرُ لَهُ مَنْ فِي السَّمَوَاتِ وَمَنْ فِي الأَرْضِ حَتَّى الْحِيتَانُ فِي الْمَاءِ وَفَضْلُ الْعَالِمِ عَلَى الْعَابِدِ كَفَضْلِ الْقَمَرِ عَلَى سَائِرِ الْكَوَاكِبِ إِنَّ الْعُلَمَاءَ وَرَثَةُ الأَنْبِيَاءِ إِنَّ الأَنْبِيَاءَ لَمْ يُوَرِّثُوا دِينَارًا وَلاَ دِرْهَمًا إِنَّمَا وَرَّثُوا الْعِلْمَ فَمَنْ أَخَذَ بِهِ أَخَذَ بِحَظٍّ وَافِرٍ
“Whoever travels a path in search of knowledge, Allah will make easy for him a path to Paradise. Verily, the angels lower their wings in approval for the seeker of knowledge. Verily, the inhabitants of the heavens and the earth, and even the fish in the water, seek forgiveness for the scholar. The superiority of the scholar over the worshipper is like the superiority of the moon over all other celestial bodies. Verily, the scholars are the heirs of the Prophets, and the Prophets did not leave behind dinars or dirhams, but they left behind knowledge; and whoever takes it, has indeed acquired a great portion.”
[Jami` at-Tirmidhi: 2682, there are other narrations similar to this, and the scholars are in agreement on their text]
Praise of the person of knowledge in the Qur’an:
۔﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌
یَرۡفَعِ اللّٰہُ الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا مِنۡکُمۡ ۙ وَ الَّذِیۡنَ اُوۡتُوا الۡعِلۡمَ دَرَجٰتٍ ؕ
"Allah will raise those who have believed among you and those who were given knowledge, by degrees."
[Surah Al-Mujadila: 58:11]
And learning and teaching knowledge is so important that Allah commanded the Messenger (ﷺ) to acquire more of it. Allah says:
وَ قُلۡ رَّبِّ زِدۡنِیۡ عِلۡمًا ﴿سورة طه /۱۱۴﴾
And say, "My Lord, increase me in knowledge."
In praise of the scholars, Allah the Exalted has said:
قُلۡ ہَلۡ یَسۡتَوِی الَّذِیۡنَ یَعۡلَمُوۡنَ وَ الَّذِیۡنَ لَا یَعۡلَمُوۡنَ ؕ اِنَّمَا یَتَذَکَّرُ اُولُوا الۡاَلۡبَابِ
"Say, 'Are those who know equal to those who do not know?' Only they will remember [who are] people of understanding."
﴿Surah Az-Zumar / 9﴾
In another place, the divine guidance is:
یُّؤۡتِی الۡحِکۡمَۃَ مَنۡ یَّشَآءُ ۚ وَ مَنۡ یُّؤۡتَ الۡحِکۡمَۃَ فَقَدۡ اُوۡتِیَ خَیۡرًا کَثِیۡرًا ؕ وَ مَا یَذَّکَّرُ اِلَّاۤ اُولُوا الۡاَلۡبَابِ ﴿البقرہ/۲۶۹﴾
"He gives wisdom to whom He wills, and whoever has been given wisdom has certainly been given much good. And none will remember except those of understanding."
Qualities of a true Salafi scholar who adheres to the teachings of the Salaf Saliheen:
۔﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌
Today we are living in an era where what is destined has come to pass. As the earth moves through its appointed term, getting closer and closer to its final destination, so too the trials and corruption are increasing in the land and sea.
ظَهَرَ الْفَسَادُ فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ
"Corruption has appeared throughout the land and sea."
﴿Surah Ar-Rum / 41﴾
Have we not entered that time when people are mixing truth with falsehood? As justice and fairness are being lifted, the scholars of truth are leaving the world, and the evils of innovation (bid’ah) are increasing, so too are blessings and goodness disappearing. The deficiency in fruits, livestock, grains, and in the wealth and children of man is in fact due to man’s sins. The distinction between a believer and a disbeliever is eroding. It is now common for religious scholars to be humiliated at the hands of the ignorant; scholars are treated like ordinary people instead of with respect and etiquette. Matters that were once considered hateful are becoming desirable, and the forbidden (haram) is replacing the lawful (halal). This is because people have strayed from the straight path (Sirat al-Mustaqim) and have forgotten the purpose of their coming into this world. And its significant effects are also seen among the Salafi scholars. The materialism of the present time has affected many of our Salafi scholars; worldliness, love of fame, and narcissism have distanced most Salafi scholars from their objectives and duties. The main reason for this is the lack of fear of Allah (khashiyat Ilahi).
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah on page 162 of “Al-Fawa’id” quotes from Abdullah ibn Mas’ud:
“Indeed, a person forgets knowledge because of the sins he commits. Knowledge is not that you narrate many traditions, but knowledge is the name of the fear of Allah.”
Let’s analyze to what extent Salafi scholars are acting upon the teachings of the Salaf Saliheen:
✦ As long as a scholar lacks Qur’anic attributes, gratitude to God, contentment in wealth, obedience to Allah in his affairs, and fear of Allah in his actions, he is far from the ranks of Salafi scholars.
اِنَّمَا یَخۡشَی اللّٰہَ مِنۡ عِبَادِہِ الۡعُلَمٰٓؤُا ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰہَ عَزِیۡزٌ غَفُوۡرٌ ﴿الفاطر/۲۸﴾
"Only those fear Allah, from among His servants, who have knowledge."
✦ A Salafi scholar feels pain for the Ummah of Muhammad (ﷺ); he strives constantly to remedy the evils of the Ummah. Concern for the Ummah keeps him awake at night.
✦ If a scholar commands righteousness and forbids evil but is himself devoid of these qualities, then he is far from being a true scholar of Salafiyyah.
{ أَتَأْمُرُوْنَ النَّاسَ بِالْبِرِّ وَ تَنْسَوْنَ أَنْفُسَکُمْ وَ أَنْتُمْ تَتْلُوْنَ الْکِتٰبَ أَ فَلاَ تَعْقِلُوْنَ} (البقرۃ : ۴۴)
"Do you order righteousness of the people and forget yourselves while you recite the Scripture? Then will you not reason?"
✦ If a scholar is not compassionate, kind, and sincere towards the Ummah like the predecessors of this Ummah, but instead his self, ego, status, fame, and ostentation are more important to him, then this is not Salafiyyah.
✦ As long as a scholar does not truly fear Allah the Exalted, he will fail in his claims of religious sincerity, and worldliness will be the priority of his engagements, because the fear of Allah eradicates worldliness.
✦ As long as a scholar is negligent in clarifying the truth and is afraid of trials, preferring silence over speaking the truth, he cannot become a Salafi scholar. Because the Salaf were not afraid of the trials on the path of truth due to the fear of the world.
✦ As long as a scholar’s conversation with people is not filled with wisdom and advice, his teachings will not have an effect. The call of a Salafi scholar is filled with the sweetness of religious sincerity and is effective, which is the hallmark of the Salaf.
✦ Truly Salafi scholars, despite their abundance of good deeds, wisdom, strength of faith, piety, and uprightness, consider themselves worthless, sinful, and students of knowledge. Whereas in the present era, most Salafi scholars suffer from a degree of arrogance. In the field of social media communication, their arrogant style in their da’wah (invitation) work is often disappointing. This should not be the way of a Salafi scholar; rather, a true Salafi scholar remains thirsty and does not boast even after serving the Qur’an and Sunnah day and night.
✦ If a scholar turns a blind eye to the opponents of Islam and does not inform the people about the harm coming from the opponents of Islam and how to prevent it, then he is failing to fulfill his duty. These are not the teachings of the predecessors. Allah the Exalted says:
یٰۤاَیُّہَا الرَّسُوۡلُ بَلِّغۡ مَاۤ اُنۡزِلَ اِلَیۡکَ مِنۡ رَّبِّکَ ؕ وَ اِنۡ لَّمۡ تَفۡعَلۡ فَمَا بَلَّغۡتَ رِسَالَتَہٗ ؕ وَ اللّٰہُ یَعۡصِمُکَ مِنَ النَّاسِ ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰہَ لَا یَہۡدِی الۡقَوۡمَ الۡکٰفِرِیۡنَ﴿المائدہ/۶۷﴾
“O Messenger, announce that which has been revealed to you from your Lord, and if you do not, then you have not conveyed His message. And Allah will protect you from the people. Indeed, Allah does not guide the disbelieving people.”1
✦ A Salafi scholar repeatedly holds his own self accountable. If he does not do so, his conscience will prove to be fertile ground for Satan, where he will continue to sow the seeds of new satanic ploys and put the scholar’s natural faith to sleep. Be aware that the predecessors of the Ummah repeatedly held their own selves accountable. In the field of da’wah, they kept an eye on their communication efforts, their results, the fruits of their religious endeavors, and strived to correct any flaws that arose.
✦ If, in the field of da’wah, the scholar’s attention remains on the doors and roofs of fame, and he measures and weighs his name, image, and fame everywhere every day and compares himself with other people of knowledge, he is far from the ranks of Salafi scholars.
✦ As long as a scholar possesses self-admiration, arrogance, and haughtiness, he cannot be included even among the ordinary pious servants of the Most Merciful, let alone the Salafi scholars. Because the Salaf of this Ummah were paragons of humility, modesty, and sobriety.
✦ As long as a scholar’s entire life revolves around worldliness and he remains a part of the materialistic world, he will not be able to do justice to commanding good (amr bil ma’ruf) and forbidding evil (nahi anil munkar). Whereas for the predecessors, their very fabric and purpose of life was to command good and forbid evil.
✦ If a scholar supports the true sayings of the Salaf but is practically bankrupt in acting upon the commands of Salafiyyah, and he refutes false sayings but his own lifestyle is adorned with those false sayings, then he is by no means deserving of being called a Salafi scholar.
✦ If, during the course of teaching and preaching the religion, a person of knowledge makes a mistake and, instead of retracting it due to the pride of his position, stubbornly persists in that mistake, and then commits further mistakes to justify the first one, and considers it beneath his dignity to turn back in the court of Allah the Exalted and in the court of the public, then he is by no means on the platform of Salafiyyah. Because nurturing wrong thoughts and views is a sign of the people of innovation (ahl al-bid’ah); the Salaf were pure from these evils. And every true Salafi scholar detests this.
If we study the Salaf Saliheen, we will know that the Salaf used to refer to the senior scholars of their time who were present, for matters such as declaring someone an innovator or for issues of takfir (declaring someone a disbeliever).
Shaykh Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) once gave a fatwa regarding a glucose injection. A person in the gathering opposed the Shaykh’s fatwa on medical grounds. Upon this, the Shaykh said, “I take back my fatwa until I ask my shaykh, Allamah Abdul Aziz ibn Baz (may Allah have mercy on him).” Then the next day he came and narrated his shaykh’s fatwa to the people.
[See: Al-Jami’ li-Hayat al-Allamah Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen, page 23]
✦ When evils, corruption, and immorality are flourishing in society, and a scholar is busy only in polishing his own ranks and positions, and adopts silence regarding those who spread evil, then these are not the characteristics of the people of Salafiyyah, but rather the traits of the Jews and Christians. The objective of the Jews and Christians is to propagate evil; they remain silent on goodness.
Except for lip service, if a scholar’s knowledge is not acted upon in the religion, then even after years of effort in learning the sciences of religion, he is useless and far from the teachings of the Salaf. Today, the abundance of such scholars who, even after acquiring religious knowledge, are far from action is regrettable. Whereas the command of Allah the Exalted is:
ولکن کونوا ربانیّین بما کنتم تعلمون الکتاب وبما کنتم تدرسوں(آل عمران:۷۹)
"But be rabbis [scholars of the Lord] because of what you have taught of the Scripture and because of what you have studied."
وَمَا ذٰلِکَ عَلَی اللّٰہِ بِعَزِیْزٍ
وَالسَّــــــــلاَم عَلَيــْـــــــكُم وَرَحْمَــــــــــةُاللهِ وَبَرَكـَـــــــــاتُه
Mrs. Ansari
