The Importance of Knowledge - Sheikh Hafeezullah Khan

The Importance of Knowledge

إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ لِلَّهِ نَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ وَنُؤْمِنُ بِهِ وَنَتَوَكَّلُ عَلَيْهِ وَنَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللَّهُ فَلَا مُضِلَّ لَهُ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ سَيِّدَنَا وَمَوْلَانَا مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ

Amma ba'd. Indeed, the best of speech is the Book of Allah, and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad ﷺ, and the worst of matters are those newly invented, and every newly invented matter is an innovation, and every innovation is misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Fire.

The First Revelation: A Foundation of Knowledge

There is an increase in the acts of shirk and acts of bid'ah among the Muslim community. There is a spread of un-Islamic knowledge and actions in the name of the deen. There are many reasons for this, and one important reason is that we Muslims have not properly understood the nature of our deen.

The first revelation sent upon Muhammad ﷺ was based on these verses that I have just recited. Allah says: "Read in the name of your Lord who created, created man from a clot of blood. Read, and your Lord is Most Bountiful — the One who taught by the pen, taught man what he did not know."

These verses clearly indicate that this deen, which came to save mankind from shirk and from jahiliyyah, is based on knowledge — is based on ilm — from beginning to end, and is not taught with baseless stories and rumors. What we understand from these verses is that in order to understand this deen properly, we need to have knowledge — the knowledge which will benefit us in this world and in the Hereafter.

This topic of knowledge is one which the Arabs at the time of the Prophet ﷺ took very little interest in. So the Quran challenged them: the deen which they follow, based on stories and rumors, is not from Allah. The deen of Allah is based on ilm — knowledge and awareness.

Knowledge in the Quran

The importance of knowledge is not just mentioned in this first revelation. If you look, it is emphasized in every surah of the Quran, directly or indirectly. As Allah says in Surah al-Mujadala:

"Allah will raise in rank those of you who believe and those who have been given knowledge. He is fully aware of all that you do."

In the light of this verse, we can say that Allah is giving success to the person who has faith and knowledge — in this world and in the Hereafter. And it is a fact that until the Muslim Ummah stayed attached to the deen with knowledge, they were successful and powerful. And since they have started to practice the deen without knowledge, we can see that they are degraded and humiliated in this world.

Likewise, Allah says:

"Say: Are those who know equal to those who do not know? Truly, only those endowed with understanding will take heed."

This shows that in Islam, the one with knowledge and the one without knowledge cannot be equal. Because those with the knowledge of the deen worship Allah with full understanding and full awareness. For example, can the person who prays according to the Sunnah be equal to the one who prays just because he saw his parents praying and follows their method? And can the person who knows his Lord — who knows Allah on the basis of knowledge — be the same as the one who doesn't know anything except the name of Allah?

Knowledge in the Hadith

In the hadith also, we see that those with knowledge are given high status. As the Prophet ﷺ said, as reported in Sahih Muslim:

(Sahih Muslim, Book 35, Hadith 6853)

"Whoever takes a path in which he seeks knowledge, Allah will make the path to Jannah easier for him." It means that the one who learns the deen and practices the deen on the basis of knowledge will no doubt be aware of right and wrong, Sunnah and bid'ah, and therefore the path to Jannah will be easier for him.

In another hadith from Sahih Bukhari and Muslim, the Prophet ﷺ said that when a person dies, his link with his deeds is finished except for three things: the ongoing charity, the knowledge which benefits others, and pious children who pray for their parents after their death. This shows that spreading the knowledge of the deen will not only reward a person in this world, but the reward will continue after his death.

(Sahih Muslim, Book 13, Hadith 4005; also Sahih al-Bukhari, referenced therein)

And also, the Prophet ﷺ said — and this is a very well-known and very important hadith:

(Sunan Ibn Majah, Book 1, Hadith 224)

"Seeking the knowledge of Islam is compulsory — not a Sunnah, not mustahab — it is compulsory for every Muslim, man or woman." In explaining this hadith, scholars have said that for every action or deed that is compulsory upon you in Islam, it also becomes compulsory that you seek knowledge about that action or deed. And the knowledge which is compulsory to seek — the one who does not seek it will be sinful.

What Obligatory Knowledge Includes

The compulsory knowledge is the one which contains all the obligations of the deen which we need to know and follow. This includes our aqeedah, our worship, our dealings, and our manners — and the conditions attached to fulfilling them.

For example, having knowledge of the true aqeedah is the first and most important thing. As Allah says to Muhammad ﷺ:

"Know that there is none worthy of worship except Allah." You have to know this first. But unfortunately, many Muslims are ignorant about the true aqeedah — whereas all our worship, all our good deeds, are accepted on the basis of the aqeedah that we have.

In this regard, we must first know, understand, and believe in the attributes and the names of Allah. Because the more we know this, the stronger and more accurate our aqeedah will be. It is not enough to just count the names of Allah on our fingers — it is important to know and believe in them.

Likewise, we are led into so many false beliefs because of the lack of our knowledge about the life and personality of Muhammad ﷺ. And this leads us towards shirk. The same applies to prayer, fasting, Hajj, and Zakah — brothers and sisters, we must know what is obligatory in these things, what is Sunnah, and what is recommended in each of them. This is all compulsory for every Muslim, man and woman.

But unfortunately, we firstly don't even practice our deen, and if we do, it is without proper knowledge. We just follow whatever we hear or have seen others doing, and we say, "This is the deen." This then gives rise to acts of bid'ah and shirk in the name of the deen.

Our problem also is that we have knowledge of everything going on in this world — we don't miss any newspaper or any news channel, we know about every important person — but when we are called towards seeking the knowledge of the deen, we say we don't have any time, or we say we already know enough. Whereas the reality is that we don't know enough and we need to learn.

There is a phrase in the Arabic language which states: "He who does not know, and does not know that he does not know — he will remain ignorant all his life." And on the basis of this lack of knowledge, he will continue doing what he knows.

How Do We Seek This Knowledge?

So the question is: if we want to learn the deen, how do we go about doing this? Brothers and sisters, it is only through the Book of Allah — the Quran — and the sayings and actions of the Prophet ﷺ — the Sunnah. We are not asking that you become scholars of the Quran or become a muhaddith in the science of hadith. It is sufficient for a Muslim to have enough knowledge with which he can fulfill his obligations towards Allah.

It is true that not everyone can learn everything directly from the Quran and the Sunnah. So what is the solution? The solution is that you refer to those scholars of the deen who have proper knowledge of the Quran and Sunnah. As Allah says:

"Ask the people of remembrance if you do not know." The people of zikr means the scholars who give you answers in the light of the Quran and Sunnah.

Does this mean that we don't benefit from the knowledge of the past scholars and imams? Indeed we must take benefit from their knowledge, because they have done a lot for the deen. However, according to those same scholars and imams, they say that when we come across a sahih hadith from Muhammad ﷺ about any matter, we must follow that.

Submitting Fully to the Sunnah

As Allah says — and this is a very important ayah:

"But no, by your Lord, they will not truly believe until they make you, O Muhammad, judge concerning that over which they dispute among themselves, and then find within themselves no discomfort from what you have judged, and submit in full, willing submission."

In this verse, brothers and sisters, Allah teaches us the solution to when we come across different opinions among scholars and enter into a dispute — we must refer it to the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ. And when we get the sahih Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ in any matter, there are two duties upon us:

First, we should leave no doubts in our minds that become obstacles in accepting that Sunnah. And second, we need to accept it wholeheartedly and act upon it. We cannot say that we know what you are saying is true, but then continue practicing the way that we are used to.

The last thing in this verse — and it is the most important — is that Allah has sworn upon Himself: "But no, by your Lord, they will not truly believe..." It means that if you go according to this verse, only then are you a true believer. Otherwise, you are not.

Fitnas to Avoid on the Path of Knowledge

Another problem is that when we start to learn about the deen, we begin to issue verdicts about it on the basis of our limited study, limited knowledge, and what we hear in lectures. This too is a fitna, and we need to avoid such actions.

There is also another problem: if we do start learning the deen, we think this is just for men — and not for our women. This is the reason why many sisters do actions of bid'ah and shirk, considering them to be the deen, and they also promote and spread these false teachings. You will see that some TV channels which we know spread bid'ah and shirk — their funders are mostly women, and mostly women attend their gatherings. Although the same women never attend a masjid for a salah, call them for a gathering of bid'ah and they participate wholeheartedly.

I want to tell my sisters: remember that on the Day of Judgment, there will be no one to save you — not your father, not your husband, not your son. You will be alone and answerable in front of Allah. And Allah will not ask about any false gathering, any khatam, or such things. Rather, Allah will ask you about your aqeedah and about your prayers. So, do you know which aqeedah and which prayers are correct according to the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ? Do you know the issues related to purification and impurity, about wudu and prayer, and other daily matters?

The answers can only be found in the teachings of the Quran and Sunnah — and not from these false gatherings. May Allah guide us all, insha'Allah.

Conclusion

Our problem is that in this matter, we think that whatever we have learned from our ancestors is our religion. And our second problem — which is found in our community and through which shirk and bid'ah become widespread in our homes and among our children — is the matter of our women. There is a common concept in our minds that it is only necessary for men to seek religious knowledge and for women it is not necessary. This is wrong.

The Prophet ﷺ said that seeking knowledge is obligatory — whether the believer is a man or a woman. Because if you do not give women the opportunity to learn the true knowledge of the deen, they will be inclined towards bid'ah and shirk. And a majority of our women are such that they think these innovations are the deen, and through them they are spreading bid'ah.

So it is better for us that the more we acquire knowledge, the more we are protected from being inclined towards bid'ah. May Allah grant us all the opportunity to seek true knowledge. May Allah grant us the opportunity. Ameen.