VALUE OF KNOWLEDGE AND SCHOLARS

The book Riyad-un-Nasihin written in Persian [This book is written in Persian by Muhammad Rabhami in 835 Hijri. It is published in 1313 Hijri at Bombay. It has been reprinted for a second time by Hakikat bookstore of Istanbul in 1994.] states the following starting at page 356: The hadith which is written in the book Mirsad-ul-ibad minal-mabda-i ilal-ma'ad [The author of this book Najmaddin Abu Bakr Razi passed away in 654 Hijri.] states, "A person who learns religious knowledge with the intention of obtaining respect of the scholars or with the intention of arguing with the ignorants and becoming famous will not even get the smell of the heaven." It is understood from this hadith that a person who learns religious knowledge for obtaining wealth or ranks or satisfying his animal desires and does not practise according to his knowledge is not an Islamic scholar (alim). Another hadith states the following: "A person who learns for obtaining worldly possessions will gather those worldly possessions but his gain in the Akhirat will be the fire of hell." This type of knowledge does not benefit anyone. It is necessary to escape from this type of knowledge. For this reason the following hadith states, "Oh my Rabb! Please protect me from the useless knowledge." The knowledge which has to be learned by a Muslim is called "Islamic Knowledge." Islamic knowledge is devided into two sections, "Religious knowledge" and "Scientific knowledge" The useless knowledge is also divided into two sections. The first one is the religious knowledge learned by the persons mentioned hereinabove which are said to go to hell. The second type is the scientific knowledge which is not associated with the religious knowledge. [The Ancient Romans' torturing the Jews by throwing them to the lions, the Christians' barbaric attacks against the Muslims at Palestine during the middle ages, mass killing of people in Europe by Hitler and in Asia by Russian and Chinise communists, and British attacks on people by deceiving nations by making them to fight with one another all accomplished by using this second type of scientific knowledge.] Allahu ta'ala says that these monstrous people who are enemies of human beings but advanced in scientific knowledge resemble to donkeys. He specifically says, "They are like donkeys which carry Taurah and New Tastement as their load." These cruel people who possess scientific knowledge but unaware of Islamic knowledge are not in the right path. Allahu ta'ala is not happy with them. The book Kunuz-ud-dakaik incudes the hadith, "The best among you are the ones who learn and teach Qur'an." Mishkat informs a hadith which states, "Every Muslim man and woman must learn (Fard) Islamic knowledge." The knowledge referred by this hadith is the knowledge which Allahu ta'ala consents and approves. Teaching knowledge to people who are not like them is like putting golden chains around the pigs' necks. [ The following hadith was reported in a calendar page dated June 12, 1995 published by Turkiye Newspaper, "The real religious knowledge will be less towards the time of Qiyamat. Ignorant religious men will give fatwa according to their own views and cause people to deviate from the right path."] In another hadith, Rasulullah, peace be upon him, said, "A time will come such that people will run away from the religious men in the same manner they run away from a dead donkey." Their state informs us that the states of human beings will be corrupt and ugly. Because Allahu ta'ala values knowledge. But those stupids who worship the world did not go to school while they were child and when they grow up they were not honored by being in the sohbat of a real religious scholar. Thus they are not afraid of being in danger by not having the necessary knowledge and they do not read and learn from a real religious scholar's book. Their only thought is collecting money and property and capturing a rank. They do not pay attention whether they earn from permissible (Halal) or not permissible (Haram) ways. They do not recognize and distinguish between the right and wrong. They do not appreciate the value of knowledge and the real religious scholars. The real religious scholars' writings and preachings have no value in the sight of these people. In the sight of these people the books and preachings of the real religious scholars is similar to a person who sells perfumes in the market where they sell animals or to a person who sells mirror to blind people. It is also like reading the Taha Surah of the Qur'an to Abu Lahab or filling the pockets of street drifters with perls and precious stones or gifting kohl to a blind person by a smart man whereby a smart man would never do any of these actions. Allahu ta'ala called these type of people as "They are like animals. Even they are lower than the animals." A hadith ash-sharif reported by Anas Bin Malik, may Allahu ta'ala be well pleased with him, stated, "Allahu ta'ala will disgrace a person within the community if he insults a scholar without a just cause. A person who respects scholars will be honored and held high like prophets by Allahu ta'ala." In another hadith, the following was communicated, "If a person while speaking raises his voice higher than the scholar's voice then Allahu ta'ala will disgrace him in this and in the next world. If he feels sorry and repents then he will be forgiven." It is apparent from the foregoing that it is necessary to pay respect toward real scholars.

A poem:

You were created from a drop of water, don't forget!

Never hold yourself equal with scholars!

Listen to what ordered Mustafa!

Respecting scholars is respecting me!

Know well that only knowledge and scholars will save human beings from deviating to wrong paths. Without a guide (Rahbar) one can never find the true path. For this reason it is necessary to find the real ahl as-sunnat scholars and then read correct religious books writtten by them. It is written in the "Kahf" surah of the Qur’an that even though the great prophet Moses (Musa), peace be upon him, was in the highest degree of knowledge and was conversing with Allahu ta’ala and drank from the sherbet of love of Allahu ta’ala, he still joined Yusha, peace be upon him, who was a student of Hizir, peace be upon him, in order to learn knowledge from him. Also, Moses (Musa), peace be upon him, despite being a master of logic, still went to learn from Hizir, peace be upon him. This is reported at length in the interpretation (Tafsir) book written by Bukhari, may allahu ta’ala be well pleased with him. Oh my brother! Did you find something more precious than knowledge and scholars so that you are spending your life away with it. Don’t you know that our religion orders us to pay respect to knowledge and scholars and join to the ranks of those who are in the way of Allahu ta’ala. For this reason, do not spend your life away with unnecessary things. The following is reported in a hadith ash-sharif, "There is one degree of difference between a prophet and a scholar who possessess correct knowledge and acts according to that knowledge. This one degree is the degree of prophethood." One should strive to learn knowledge in order to attain this happiness.

A poem,

Oh! The happy person who is learning knowledge!

Do not waste even one minute of your life!

Appreciate the value of this advice!

The sorry will be, the one who does not appreciate!

Story: Imam Abu Yusuf Kadi had a fifteen years old son. He loved his son very much. He died suddenly. He said to his students that they should attend the chores of his dead son because he said he did not want to miss the class of his teacher. After the death of the Imam, some people saw him in their dreams. He was standing accross a large mansion in the heaven. The mansion's height was extending toward the "Arsh". They asked the owner of the mansion and he said that it was his mansion. They further asked how he got that mansion. He answered by saying that he got the mansion because of his love for knowledge as well as his love for learning and teaching it. Oh my brother! In order to be dear (Aziz) in this and in the next world do learn knowledge!

A poem,

To be happy all the time,

To find respect everywhere,

Try to acquire knowledge,

Get used to carrying the crown of knowledge!

Story: The author of the book Riyad-un-nasihin mawlana Muhammad Rabhami states that his teacher Allama Muhammad Jalal Kayini Summa Hirawi's eldest son was a very pious scholar. While he was dying, his father was alongside his bed. After his death, he covered his face and then went to the school and started to teach hadith for a while. After the teaching, he went back and started for the preperation for the burial. A voice coming from the mountains from all directions said, "My son's time of death arrived. He died. Since this was in accordance with the decree of Allahu ta'ala, so I accepted his decree and became content with it. I do not know what else to do. The decree and order of Allahu ta'ala materialized in this fashion." The hadith ash-sharif transmitted by Hasan bin Atiyya, may Allahu ta'ala be pleased with him, stated, "Anyone who is not saddened with a dead of an Islamic scholar is a hypocrite. There is no bigger disaster for human beings then the death of an Islamic scholar. When an Islamic scholar dies, the skies and the occupants of the skies cries for seventy days." When a real scholar dies, an injury occurs in the religion such that the injury continues till the end of the world. The following is reported in another hadith, "A human being is either a scholar or a student in the way of learning knowledge or he is the one who loves them. People other than these three types are like the flies in the stable." Try not to be the one of this forth class!

A poem,

It is the knowledge which saves human beings from hell.

Knowledge is the property no one can take away from you.

Do not ask anything other than knowledge,

Knowledge is the means which provides happiness in the both worlds!

It is written in the "fatwas of Baldaji" that the Imam-i Sadr-us-shahid [Sadr-us-shahid Husamaddin Omar was martyred in 536 at Semarkand.] states, "A person's marriage (nikah) will be dissolved aoutomatically if he makes joke of a real alim (scholar)." Anyone who calls an alim with names like, fool, ignorant, pig, or donkey will be punished with flogging. If he says these by insulting then he becomes a disbeliever and his marriage will be dissolved automatically. Imam-i Muhammad says that saying any kind of word which causes disbelief (kufr) will be treated in the same manner, i.e., he will become a disbeliever and his marriage will be dissolved automatically. Anyone who insults knowledge and the scholars will become a disbeliever. May Allahu ta'ala gave all of us useful knowledge and protect us from non-useful knowledge.