THE BOOK OF KNOWLEDGE
Being a Translation
with notes
of
Kitab al-‘Ilm
of
Al-Ghazzali’s
Ihya’ ‘Ulum al-Din
by
NABIH AMIN FARIS
SH. MUHAMMAD ASHRAF
LAHORE, PAKISTAN
SECTION VI
On the Evils of Knowledge
and on Determining the Distinguishing Features of the Learned Men of the
Hereafter and those of the Teachers of Falsehood.
We
have already enumerated the excellence of knowledge and of the learned man,
while concerning the teachers of falsehood several important strictures have
been mentioned. These strictures have shown that the teachers of falsehood are
the most severely punished of all men on the day of resurrection. It is
therefore very important to ascertain what distinguishes the learned men of
this world from the learned men of the hereafter. By the learned men of this
world we mean the teachers of falsehood whose sole purpose in pursuing
knowledge is to enjoy the luxuries of this life and to achieve power and position
among its people. The Prophet said, “The most severely punished of all men on
the day of resurrection will be the learned man whom Allah has not blessed with
His knowledge;”1 and again, “No man will be learned unless he puts
knowledge into practice.”2 The Prophet also said, “Knowledge is of
two kinds: formal knowledge which does not go beyond verbal profession - it is
the evidence of Allah against His people and according to it He would judge
them, and genuine knowledge deep-rooted in the heart - this is the knowledge
which is useful.”3 Muhammad also declared, “At the end of time there
will be ignorant worshippers and corrupt learned men.” 4 He also
said, “Acquire not knowledge in order to vie with the learned, dispute with and
silence the insolent, and win favour and popularity among men, for whosoever
would do this would be doomed to Hell-fire,”5 and again “Whoever
would conceal his
1.
See supra; p. 1.
2.
Cf. al-Darirni, Intro. 29:
6.
3.
Ibid, 34:4.
4.
Cf. Hikyat al Awliya, Vol. II pp. 331-2
5.
Cf. ibn-Majah,
Intro., 23:4-5
147
knowledge, would be bridled by Allah with a bit of
fire.”1 The Prophet also said, “Others make me more afraid for your
safety than the anti-Christ (al-dajjal).”On being asked whom he meant, he replied,
“The false teachers.”2 He also said, “Whoever would increase in
knowledge but would not increase in righteousness would increase Allah’s wrath
upon him.”3 Jesus said, “How can you lead the night-travellers along
the way when yourselves are perplexed.”4 These and other traditions
show the gravity of the danger inherent in knowledge and reveal the fact that a
learned man is faced with either eternal destruction or eternal happiness. They
also show that man, by pursuing knowledge, is denied safety unless he attains
happiness as well.
We find in history the same evidence. ‘Umar said, “The
thing I fear most for the safety of this nation is the learned hypocrite.”5
‘Umar was then asked how one could be both learned and hypocritical, to which
he replied, “While his learning does not go beyond verbal knowledge, his heart
remains untouched and his works betray no wisdom.” Al-Hasan al-Basri said, “Be
not one of those who combine the knowledge of learned men and the brilliant
ideas of the wise but conduct themselves the way of fools.”
A
certain man addressed abu-Hurayrah saying, “I want to acquire knowledge but I
fear I shall lose it.” Abu-Hurayrah replied, “To discard knowledge is just the
same as losing it.” Ibraham ibn-‘Uyaynah6 was once asked, “Who is
the man whose remorse will be the greatest?” Ibn-‘Uyaynah replied, “While life
lasts it is the philanthropist who has extended his kindness to the ungrateful:
but at death it will be the learned man who neglected to put his knowledge into
practice.” Al-Khalil ibn-Ahmad said “There are four kinds of men: One is the
man who knows, and knows that he knows – he is a learned man and therefore
follow him. Another is the man who knows, but does not know that he knows - he
is asleep, wake
1. Cf. ibn-Majah, Intro. 24: I: abu-Dawud, IIm, 9.
2. Cf. al-Tayalisi, No. 975.
3. Cf. al-Darimi, Intro. 34: 25.
4. Al-Ghazzali might have combined Luke VI: 39 and VII:
32 into one saying.
5. Cf. Tayalisi, No. 975.
6. C and B, ‘Uyaynah: SM. ‘Uthah, Unidentified.
148
him up. A third is the man who does not know, and
knows that he does not know - he desires to learn, teach him. A fourth is the
man who does not know, and does not know that he does not know - he is
ignorant, reject him.” Sufyanal-Thawri said, “Knowledge summons works and,
unless they respond, it departs.” Ibn-al-Mubarak said, “As long as a man
continues to seek knowledge he remains learned; but the moment he thinks he has
mastered all knowledge, he recedes into ignorance.” Al-Fudayl ibn-‘Iyad’ said,
Three men do I pity: a mighty man who has fallen, a rich man who has become
poor and a learned man who has become laughing stock for the world.” Al-Hasan
al-Basri said, “The penalty which the learned men receive for seeking the world
through works which belong to the hereafter is the death of their hearts.” In
this connexion a certain poet has said:
Strange
to me is he who barters good for evil;
Stranger
still the one who trades his soul for pleasure;
But he
who pays so dear a price as this, to rob
The
earthly joys of others, he is strangest yet.
The
Prophet, referring to the wicked learned man, said, “The learned man will
suffer intense agonies of torture and, in order to increase his pain, will be
made to go all around Hell, displaying himself to the people therein.’’2
Usamah ibn-Zayd3 related that he heard the Apostle of Allah say, “On
the day of resurrection the learned man will be brought forward and thrown into
the fires of Hell where, as a result, his bowels will gush out and he will be
made to carry them round and round all over Hell in a manner similar to that of
a donkey when it turns a mill-stone round and round. Then the people of Hell
will ask him about the reasons of his torture and he will say, “I was wont to
enjoin what is right upon others but failed to do it myself, and to forbid what
is wrong and committed it myself.”4 The learned man will receive a
twofold penalty for his sin because he trespassed
1. A.H. 187/ A.D. 802; see ibn-Khallikan, Vol. II, pp.
157-9.
2. Unidentified. Cf.
next tradition.
3. Ibn-Harithah (A.H. 54/A.D. 674); see ibn-Sa‘d, Vol.
IV, pt. 1, pp. 43-51; Tadhib al-Asma pp. 147-50.
4. Al-Bukhari, Bad’ al-Khalq, 10.
149
wilfully. For this reason
Allah said, “Verily the hypocrites shall be in the lowest abyess of Fire.”1
This, He said, because they have denied Him after they have known Him. Allah
also deems the Jews more wicked than the Christians although the former, unlike
the latter, have not given Allah a son nor said that He was one of three gods.
The Jews, however, have denied Allah despite their knowledge of Him. Allah
said, “They know him even as they know their own children.”2 And
again, “Yet when that of which they had knowledge came to them they believed
not in it. The execration of Allah be on the unbelievers.” 3 In the
course of the story of Bal‘am ibn-Ba’ura,4 Allah said, “Recite to
them the story of him to whom We vouchsafed Our signs and followed them not,
and Satan pursued him and he became one of the beguiled; he is, therefore, like
unto the dog who lolls out his tongue, whether thou chase him away, or leave
him alone.”5 Thus Bal’am was given the Book of Allah but gave
himself instead to lust and was, therefore, likened to a dog. In other words
whether or not he was given wisdom, he would go after lust.
Jesus said, “The teachers of falsehood are like unto a
rock which has fallen into the source of the stream; it neither absorbs any
water itself nor permits it to flow out and reach the plants; or like unto the
pipes which lead into the cesspool: gypsum white on the outside while their
interior is full of refuse and filth: or like unto sepulchres the exteriors of
which are polished and clean but are within full of dead men’s bones.”6
These traditions and historical narratives show that the learned man of this
world will occupy a more inferior position and will receive a more severe
punishment than the ignorant man, while those who will succeed in attaining a
seat in the neighbourhood of Allah are the learned men of the hereafter.
Characteristic of the
learned men of the hereafter are the
1.
Surah, IV:
144.
2.
See Surahs, II; 141; VI: 20.
3.
Surah, II: 83.
4. Balaam the son of Beor: Cf Num, 22, 23, 24.
5.
Surah, VII:
174-5.
6. Cf. Matt. 23:4,27.
150
following.
They should not seek this world through their knowledge because the least of
the learned men should know the insignificance of this life as well as its
sordidness, foulness, and abrupt end in contrast to the greatness of the
hereafter, its permanence, the purity of its happiness, and the majesty of its
dominion. They should know that this world and the hereafter are diametrically
opposed to each other, as hostile as fellow-wives - the more you please the one
the more you displease the other; or as the two scales of a balance - the lower
the one falls the higher the other rises; or as the east and the west - the
more you advance towards the one the farther away you go from the other; or as
two glasses of water, the one is full while the other is empty - the more you
pour out of the one into the other the less water is left in the first. Thus he
who does not realize how insignificant and sordid is this world, how closely
intermixed are its pains and pleasures, and how transient it is, is insane.
Whether it be observation or experience, both testify to the same conclusion.
How then could the person who has no brains be numbered among the learned men?
Again, he who does not realize the greatness and the permanence of the
hereafter, is an unbeliever lacking all faith. And how could the person who has
no faith be learned? Anyone who does not realize that this world is
diametrically opposed to the hereafter and that any attempt to reconcile the one
with the other is an impossible undertaking, is a man ignorant of the laws of
the prophets, and still worse he disbelieves the whole Qur‘an. How then could
he be numbered among the company of the learned? Furthermore anyone who knows
all this, yet does not give the hereafter priority over this world must be a
prisoner of Satan. His lust has vanquished him and his wickedness has triumphed
over him. How then could such a person be considered learned?
Among the traditions of David is the following which
he related having received it from Allah. Said Allah, “The least thing I would
do with the learned man who would neglect My love in favour of his lust is to
deny him the pleasure of communion (munajah)
with Me.” Addressing David again Allah said, “Ask not a learned man who
hath been drunk with the love of this world, about Me lest he blocketh
151
the
road of My love in thy face - such men are highway brigands who rob My people.
O David! If thou findest one who seekest after Me, be thou unto him a servant.
O David! Whoever leadeth a fleeing man back unto Me, the same I shall write
down as a man of sound judgment; and whomsoever I write down as a man of sound
judgment, him I shall never torment.” For this reason al-Hasan al-Basri said,
“The penalty which the learned men receive for seeking the world through works
which belong to the hereafter is the death of their hearts.” For the same
reason Yahya ibn-Mu‘adh said, “Knowledge and wisdom will lose their glory if
through them the world is sought.” Sa‘id ibn-al-Musayyab said, “If you see a
learned man frequenting the houses of rulers you may conclude that he is a
thief” Umar said, “If you see the learned cherishing this world, then entrust
not your religion into his hands because everyone is captivated by what he loves.”
Malik ibn Dinar1 said, “I have read in one
of the books of the ancients that Allah said, ‘The least thing I would do with
the learned man who has given himself to the love of this world is to remove
from his heart the pleasure of communion with Me’.”2
A certain man wrote to a brother of his saying, “You
have been given knowledge; envelop not, therefore, the light of your knowledge
with the darkness of sin lest you be left behind in darkness when the learned
go forward with the light of their knowledge. Yahya bn-Mu‘adh al-Razi used to
say to the learned men of this world, “Ye people of knowledge! Your palaces are
Caesarian,3 your homes are like those of Chosroes,4 your
doors are Tahirid,5 your footwear is like
1.
A.H. 131/A.D. 748-9; see Hikyat al-Awliya’, Vol. II. pp. 357-89;
ibn-Khallikan. Vol. II, nn. 202-3.
2.
See
supra.
3.
After
Caesar (Ar. Qaysar), the generic name which the Arabs apply to the Byzantine
emperors.
4.
Ar. Kisra, the generic name which
the Arabs apply to Persian monarchs.
5.
Probably after Tahir ibn-al-Husayn
dhu-al-Yaminayn (A.H. 207/A.D. 822) As vizir to al-Ma‘mun and as founder of the
Tahirid dynasty in Khurasan, his doors were inaccessible. Cf. al-Baghdadi, Ta’rikh
Baghdad, Vol. IX, p. 345. For his life see ibn-Khallikan, Vol. I, pp.
420-24; Ta’rikh Baghdad, Vol. IX, pp.
353-55.
152
that of Goliath,1 your coaches are like
those of Qarun,2 your home utensils are Pharaonic, your sins are the
same as those of the Jahiliyah days,
and your beliefs are satanic; where then is the Muhammadan law?”
A poet said:
The
shepherd keeps the sheep from harm and hurt;
Who
then would keep them safe by day and night
If they
who watch were wolves instead of men?
Said another:
Ye
learned men of this city of favour,
What
will cure salt which looses its flavour?
One of the gnostics was one asked, “Do you not think
that he to whom transgression is attractive does not know Allah?” To which the
gnostic replied, ‘I do not doubt that he who prefers this world to the
hereafter, does not know Allah.” This latter thing is by far the worse.
Furthermore you should not think that the giving up of wealth would qualify
anyone to join the company of the learned men of the hereafter. Glory is more
harmful than wealth. For this reason Bishr ibn-al-Harith3 related
that a certain Bab4 once told him: “Whenever you hear a man
say, ‘We were told,’ what he really means is, ‘Harken unto me’.” This same
Bishr buried over ten5 baskets full of books used to say, “I have an
urge to relate traditions but not until this urge subsides will I relate.” He
also, as well as others besides him, said,
1. Quranic Jalut, Surah
11, 250.
2. One of the Quranic characters (Surahs XXVIII: 76-82,
XXIX: 38, and LX: 25) Qarun has been identified with Korah of the Bible (Num,
XVI). The Quranic legend is based upon the Talmudie tradition of Korah’s great
wealth, and appears to be also confused with that of Crocsus. See al-Th‘alibi, Qisas al-Anbiya’, pp. 203-207:
G.A. Barton. “Korah”, in The Jewish
Encyclopaedia; D. B. MacDonald, “Karun”, in The Encyclopaedia of Islam.
3.
Known also as al-Hafi
(A.H.227/A.D.842).See ibn-Khallikan,Vol. I,pp. 158-160; al-Baghdadi, Tarikh Baghdad, Vol. VII, pp. 67-80:
4. Literally means “door”; a title given by dervishes to
their great shaykhs.
5. Cf. Tarikh Baghdad,
Vol. VIII, p. 71,1,14, where the number is eighteen.
153
“If you
felt an urge to relate traditions, resist it and keep quite; but if you feel no
urge, go ahead and relate.” This is because the pleasure of the glory of
imparting knowledge and of occupying the position of a guide is greater than all
the joys of this world. Consequently whoever should give in to the urge of his
lust for such glory, the same would be from the children of this world. Thus
Sufyan al-Thawri said, “The temptation to recite a tradition is more insidious
than that of family or wealth.” How then is it possible for people not to fear
its temptation?
The chief of the
Apostles was told, “And had We not stablished thee, thou hadst well nigh
learned to them a little.”1 Sad Sahl,2 “All knowledge,
except that which pertains to the hereafter, is of the earth earthly; and all
work is in vain except it be sincere.” He also said, “All men are dead except
the learned; all learned men are in a state of stupefaction except those who practise their knowledge; all those
who practise their knowledge are conceited except those who are sincere; and
those who are sincere are constantly afraid until they know their fate.”
Abu-Sulayman al-Darani3 said, “If a man
should pursue the study of tradition or get married, or travel in search of a
living, the same has placed his faith in this world.” (By the study of
tradition al-Darani had in mind the study of singular chains of authorities of
(the study of traditions which are of no use for the hereafter). Jesus said,
“How could he who persists in the paths of this world while his destination is
the hereafter, or he who seeks knowledge in order to show off and not for the
sake of following its precepts, be counted among the learned?”4
Salih
ibn-Kaysan al-Basri5 said, “One day I came upon the teachers while they
were
praying Allah to save them from
evil doers who are versed in the law.”
1. Surah, XVII: 76.
2.
Abu-Muhammad Sahl
ibn-‘Abdullah ibn-Yunus al-Tustari (A.H. 283/A.D. 896): see ibn-Khallikan, Vol.
I, p. 389.
3.
A.H. 234/A.D. 849-50; see
ibn-Khallikan. Vol. I, pp. 494-95 Yaqut, Buldan,
Vol. II, p. 536.
4.
Cf. Luke 9:62.
5. A.H. 144 A.D. 761: see ibn-Qutaybah, p. 245; Tadhkirat al-Huffuz, Vol. I, p. 140.
154
Abu-Hurayrah related that the Apostle of Allah once said, “Whoever would seek knowledge with which men draw near to Allah and would use it to attain some earthly desire would not on the day of resurrection find his way to Paradise.”1 Allah also described the teachers of falsehood as those who would expend their knowledge in order to devour this world and described the learned men of the hereafter as humble and ascetic. Thus He said concerning the teachers of falsehood, “Moreover, when Allah entered into a covenant with those to whom the Scriptures were given, (and said), ‘Ye shall surely make it known to men and hide it not,’ they cast it behind their backs, and sold it for a sorry price! Vile is that which they purchase.’’2 And concerning the learned men of the hereafter Allah said, “Among the people of the Book are those who believe in Allah and in what hath been sent down to you and in what hath been sent down to them, humbling themselves before Him. They barter not His signs for a mean price. These! their recompense awaiteth them with their Lord.”3 One of the Fathers said, “On the last day the learned men will be judged with the prophets while the judges will be judged with the magistrates.” By judges is meant every jurist who intends to seek the world through his knowledge.
Abu-al-Darda’ related that he had heard the Prophet
say, “Allah revealed to one of the prophets saying, ‘Say unto those who study
jurisprudence for a purpose other than religion and to those who acquire
knowledge for a purpose other than that of doing according to it, say unto them
that they appear before people in sheep’s clothing but inwardly they are raving
wolves. Their tongues are sweeter than honey but their hearts are more bitter
than colocynth. They act deceitfully against Me and scorn Me. Verily I shall
confront them with temptations which would confound even the wise.”4
Al-Dahhak5
related on the authority of ibn-‘Abbas that the
1.
Ibn-. Majah; Intro.,
23: 3.
2.
Surah III 184.
3.
Surah III: 198-99.
4.
Cf. Matt.
7: 15, 15: 8.
5.
Probably ibn-Sufyan. one of the
Companions; see Tahdhib al-.Asma’ p.
321.
155
Apostle of Allah once said, ‘The learned men of this
people are two. First, he whom Allah has given knowledge which in turn he
freely placed at the disposal of his fellowmen, taking from them nothing in
return and charging no price for it. He shall be blessed by the birds of the
air, the fish of the sea, the beasts of the earth and by the guardian angels1
He will, on the day of resurrection, appear before Allah as a noble lord and
will join the company of the apostles. Second, he whom Allah has given
knowledge which he withheld from his fellow men, using it to enrich himself,
the same will on the day of resurrection be bridled with a bit of fire while a
crier will raise his voice among the crowds and say, ‘Behold this man, Allah
gave him knowledge but he withheld it from his fellowmen and used it to enrich
himself.’ He will continue to be tormented until all men are judged.”2
More drastic than this is what has been related concerning a certain man who
was in the service of Moses and went around saying, “Moses, the friend of
Allah, has told me,’ “Moses, the confidant of Allah, has told me,” “Moses the
intimate of Allah, has told me” and so on until he became very wealthy. Then he
disappeared and Moses began to inquire about him in an attempt to find him.
Finally there came to Moses one day a man leading a pig with a black rope tied
to its neck. As the man stood before Moses the latter said, “Knowest thou such
and such a man?” To which the visitor replied, “Yes I do. He is this pig.” On
seeing that Moses exclaimed, “O Allah! I beseech Thee to transform this creature
into his former state in order that I may ask him why and how such a thing has
come upon him.” But Allah declared unto Moses in a revelation saying, “Not even
if thou callest upon Me by what Adam hath called would I grant thy request.
Nevertheless I shall tell thee why I have brought this upon him. It is because
he was wont to use religion to gain the world.”
Still more drastic than either is what is related on the authority of Mu‘adh ibn-Jabal who heard the Prophet say, “Among the afflictions of the learned man is to prefer talking to listening.
1.
Ar. al-Kiram al Katibun; cf supra, p. 87. They are also known as al-Hafazah.
2.
Cf. ibn-Majah,
Intro. 24: 1.
156
Talking involves
embellishments and accretions, and those given to it are not safe from error,
while in silence is safety and wisdom.”
Among the learned are those who would guard their
knowledge and dislike the idea of sharing it with others -these will occupy the
first depth in Hell. There are others who are in the habit of regarding their
knowledge as equivalent to power and position; and if they are ever
contradicted or slighted they become infuriated - these will occupy the second
depth in Hell. Others confine their knowledge to the circles of nobility and
wealth and deem the poor classes unworthy of it - these will occupy the third
depth in Hell. Others appoint themselves judges and hand down faulty opinions -
these will occupy the fourth depth in Hell. Other learned men employ in their
discourses Jewish and Christian arguments in order to make their erudition seem
great - these will occupy the fifth depth in Hell. Others regard their
knowledge as something virtuous and honourable and continually dwell on it
before men-these will occupy the sixth depth in Hell. And finally there are the
learned men who are the victims of vanity and conceit. Whenever they preach
they upbraid, and whenever they are admonished they show resentment - these
will occupy the seventh depth in Hell. Therefore O brother, observe silence,
for through it you will overcome Satan. Do not laugh without cause and do not
move without direction.
According to another tradition we are told, “Verily
man may possess a reputation extending over East and West; but before Allah it
would not amount to the weight of the wing of a mosquito.”
It has been related that a certain man from Khurasan
who had attended one of the circles of al-Hasan al-Basr came back after the
meeting with a bag containing five thousand dinars and ten garments of the
finest silk and said, ‘O abu-Sa‘id, here is some pocket money and a change of
clothes.” In answer al-Hasan said, “May Allah save thee. Gather up the money
and thy garments for I have no need for either. Verily he who occupies a
position like mine and will accept from people such things as thou has offered,
will on the day of resurrection meet Allah in dishonour.”
157
It has also been related on the authority of Jabir1
that he heard the Apostle of Allah say, “Do not attend the circle of any
learned man except him who would call upon you to relinquish five things in
favour of five others, namely to relinquish doubt in favour of belief,
hypocrisy in favour of sincerity, worldliness in favour of asceticism, pride in favour of
humility, and enmity in favour of love.”
Allah said, “And (Qarun) went forth to his people in
his pomp. Those who were greedy for this present life said, ‘Oh that we had the
like of that which hath been bestowed upon Qarun! Truly he is possessed of
great good fortune. But they to whom knowledge had been given said, ‘Woe to
you! The reward of Allah is better for him who believeth’.”2Thus
Allah identified the people of learning as those who prefer the hereafter to
this world.
Another characteristic expected of learned men is that
their works should not contradict their words. In fact they should not demand
anything unless they are ready to be the first to do it. Thus Allah said, “Will
ye enjoin what is right upon others, and forget yourselves?”3 And
again, “Most hateful is it to Allah that ye say that which ye do not.”4
Allah said again in the story of Shu‘ayb,5
“I will not follow you in that which I myself forbid you.”6 And
again, “But fear Allah and He will give you knowledge.”7 Allah also
said, “Fear Allah and know...”8 and
again, “Fear Allah and hearken....”9 Said Allah to Jesus, “O thou
son of Mary! Warn thyself and when thou art warned, warn the people. Otherwise
thou shouldst be ashamed of Me.” 10
The Apostle of Allah said,
“The night I was carried to heaven, I passed by several people whose lips were
being cut off with scissors of fire.
1.
Ibn-‘Abdulah al-Ansari, (A.H.
78/A.D. 697); see ibn-Qutaybah, pp. 156-57.
2.
Surah,
XXVIII: 79-80.
3.
Surah, II:
41.
4.
Surah, LXI:
3
5.
One of the prophets mentioned in
the Qur’an. See Surahs VII: 83,86,
88,90, see; XI: 85, 89, 93, 97: XXVI: 177; XXIX: 35.
6.
Surah, XI: 90.
7.
Surah, II: 282.
8.
Surah, II: 190.
9.
Surah, V:
107.
10. Cf. Luke 4: 23.
158
On asking them who they were, replied, ‘We were
learned men who were wont to enjoin good but do it not and to forbid evil but
commit it ourselves”1 He also said, “The destruction of my people is
brought about by a wicked learned man and an ignorant worshipper. The worst
people are the wicked learned men and the best are the good learned men.”2
Al-Awza‘i3 once said, “The sarcophagi4
of the unbelievers complained to Allah of
the stench of the corpses they contain. Thereupon Allah revealed unto them
that the stench of the corpses of the teachers of falsehood would be worse.”
Al-Fudayl ibn-’Iyad once said, “I have been informed that on the day of resurrection the wicked learned men
will be brought to judgment before the idolators.” Abu-al-Darda’ said, “Woe
once to him who doth not know, and woe seven times to him who doth know but
doth not do accordingly.” Al-Sh‘bi also said, “On the day of resurrection a
group from the people of Paradise will confront a group from the people of Hell
and ask them, ‘What caused you to be thrown into Hell when we were admitted
into Paradise through your instruction and teaching?’ To which the latter will
reply, ‘We were wont to enjoin good but do it not and to forbid evil but commit
it ourselves’.”
Hatim
al-Asamm5 said, “No one on the day of resurrection would be more
sorrowful than he who had taught men knowledge which they put in practice and
which he himself neglected; consequently they were saved through him and he was
doomed.” Malik ibn-Dinar said, “If the learned man does not do according to his
knowledge, his words will fail to penetrate the hearts of his hearers just as
the dew fails to soften the rocks.”
1. Cf. Hikyat al-Awliya Vol. II, p. 387.
2. Ibid., Vol. I, 242.
3. ‘Abd-al-Rahman ibn-’Umar, founder of the Awza‘i system
in Syria. He worked in
Beirut and d.
A.H. 157/A.D. 774. See ibn-Khallikan, Vol. I, pp. 492-93.
4. Ar. nawawis pl. of nawas
from Gr.
5. A.H. 237/A.D. 851-52.
See ibn-al-‘Imad al-Hanbali, Shadharat
al-(Dhahab fi Akhbar man Dhahab (Cairo, 1350), Vol. II, p. 87; al-Sha‘rani,
al-Tabaqat al-Kubra (Cairo, 1343), Vol. I, pp. 68-69.
159
The poet said:
Thou
chidest them for that which thou thyself dost do;
Advice thou givest and then thyself the sin commit
And
scoff the love of life while loving it more than they.
And
another said:
The same transgression, shame upon thy head.
Ibrahim ibn-Adham’ said, “While in Makhah, I came
across a stone on which was inscribed, “Turn me over and thou shalt have
warning’. Thereupon I turned it over and lo and behold I found inscribed on it,
‘If thou actest not according to thy present knowledge, why then shouldst thou
seek new knowledge’?” Ibn-al-Sammak2 once said, “Many are they who
remind others of Allah while they themselves forget Him; who frighten others of
Allah while they trespass against Him; who draw others near to Allah while they
themselves are far from Him; who call others unto Allah while they themselves
flee from Him; who read Allah’s Holy Books while they themselves deviate from
His way!” lbraham ibn-Adham also said, “In speech we are always careful to use
a language free of error, but when it comes to deeds we commit errors and fall
short of the ideal set before us.” Al-Awza‘i said, “When boasting asserts
itself, humility disappears.”
Makhul3
related that ‘Abd-al-Rahman ibn-Ghanam4 said, “Ten of the Companions
of the Apostle of Allah told me, ‘As we were studying one day in the mosque of
Quba5 the Apostle of Allah came
1. A.H. 161/A.D. 778; see ibn-‘Asakir, Vol. II
(Damascus,1330), pp. 167-96; al-Kutubi,
Fawat al-Wafayat (Bulaq, 1283), Vol. I, pp. 3-4.
2. A.H. 183/A.D. 799. See ibn-Khallikan, Vol. II, pp.
296-97.
3. Al-Shami. (A.H. 113/A.D. 731). See ibn-Qutaybah,p.230,
ibn-Khallikan, Vol. II, pp. 585-86. He is also known as al-Dimashqi.
4. A.H. 78/A.D. 697, see ibn-Sa‘d. Vol. VII, Pt. 2, p.
152; Tadhkirat al-Huffaz Vol. I, p.
48.
5. A village two miles south-east of al-Madinah. Its
mosque is celebrated in Islam and is said to have been the mosque of piety
(al-taqwa).
160
upon us and said: You may
study whatever you wish, but Allah will not reward you unless you do according
to that knowledge’.”1 Jesus said, “The parable of him
who acquires knowledge but does not accordingly, is like the parable of the
woman who has secretly committed adultery and, on becoming pregnant, her sin
becomes known. So it is with him who does not do according to his knowledge; on
the day of resurrection he will be openly disgraced by Allah.” Mu’adh ibn-Jabal
said, “Beware of the learned man’s error, which because of the exalted position
of its perpetrator, is emulated by men.” ‘Umar said, “Through the error of a
learned man a whole people may be led to error.” “Three things will bring about
the end of time; one of these three is the error of the learned man.”
Ibn-Mas’ud said, “There will come a time wherein the sweetness of hearts will
become salty. At that time neither he who possesses knowledge nor he to whom it
is imparted will reap any benefit therefrom. The hearts of the learned men will
be like the saline land; the rains of heaven will fall upon it but fail to make
it fresh.” This will take place when the hearts of learned men incline after the love of this world and give it
preference over the hereafter. Then will Allah rob men of the springs of wisdom
and will extinguish the lights of the true faith in their hearts. When you meet
the learned among them he will protest before you his fear of Allah while trespassing
and sin are evident in his deeds. How fat then are the tongues and how lean the
hearts. Verily, by Allah - there is none but He - this would not have been so
if the teachers had taught for the sake of Allah and the students had studied
for His sake.”
The following is written in both the Bible and the
Gospel, “Seek no new knowledge unless you have put into practice what you
already know.” Hudhayfah2 said, “You are in a time wherein anyone
who will neglect a tenth of his knowledge will surely perish; but the time will
come wherein anyone who will put into practice a tenth of his knowledge, the
same will be saved because the idle are numerous.”
1. Hikyat al-Awliya, Vol. I, p. 236.
2.
Ibn-al-Yaman al-Sahabi (A.H.
36/A.D. 657). See ibn-Qutaybah, pp. 134-35
161
What is true of the learned men is true of the judges
concerning whom the Prophet said, “There are three kinds of judges: One judges
justly with knowledge; the same will inherit Paradise. Another judges unjustly
whether or not he has knowledge; the same will roast in Hell fire. A third
judges contrary to the ordinances of Allah; the same will also roast in Hell
fire.”1 K‘ab2 said, “At the end of time there will be
learned men who will urge people to abjure this world while they themselves
renounce it not; they place the fear of Allah in the hearts of men while they
themselves fear Him not; they forbid men to seek the favour of those in
authority while they themselves curry favour with them; they prefer this world
to the hereafter, slander everyone, associate with the rich and avoid the
company of the poor, they are jealous of one another concerning knowledge and
fight over it as women fight over the love of men; the anger of one of them is
aroused if his companion would talk to another besides himself. Verily they are
the enemies of the Merciful One.”
The Prophet said, “Verily Satan may bait you with knowledge.” When asked how would that be, Muhammad replied that Satan would say to you, “Seek ye knowledge and do nothing until ye master it.” Then will man continue to seek knowledge and defer action until he finally dies having done nothing.
Sirri al-Saqti said, “A certain man who was
overzealous in mastering all esoteric knowledge suddenly withdrew from the
world and devoted his life to worship. Thereupon I asked him why he had done
so. To which he replied, “I saw in a dream someone say unto me, ‘How long will
you persist in wasting knowledge?’ I replied, ‘Verily I shall study and
preserve it.’ He said, ‘The preservation of knowledge lies in putting it into
practice.’ Consequently I dropped seeking knowledge and bent myself on work and
action.”
1.
Al-Tirmidhi, al-Ahkam,
1; ibn-Majah, al-Ahkam, 3.
2.
AI Ahbar (A.H.
32/A.D. 652-3). See ibn-Qutaybah, p. 219; M. Schmitz, art. “K’ab al-Ahbar” in Encyclopaedia of Islam.
162
Ibn-Mas’ud
said, “Knowledge is not the prolific retention of tradition, but rather the
fear of Allah.”1
Al-Hasan al-Basri said, “You may study whatever you wish, but Allah will not reward you unless you do according to that knowledge. Verily the concern of the insolent is the retention of tradition and that of the learned men is wisdom.” Malik ibn-Anas said, “Verily the seeking of knowledge as well as the imparting of it is good, provided the intentions are also good. Above all seek your daily provision of knowledge and let nothing else interfere.” Ibn-Mas‘ud said, “The Qur’an was revealed in order that men may direct their lives according to its teaching. But instead you have made the study of it your life work. There will also come a time when some will attempt to modify it - these are not the worthy among you”. The learned man who does not do according to his knowledge is like a sick man who prescribes treatment for others, or like a hungry and half starved man who works out delicious menus of food but cannot taste them. Describing a similar thing Allah said, “But woe be unto you for what ye utter (of Allah)”.2 And according to a tradition the Prophet said, “Of the dangers which threaten my people I fear nothing except the error of the learned man and a hypocrite discussing the Qur’an.”3
Another characteristic expected of the learned man is
that he be concerned with the acquisition of knowledge, useful in the hereafter
and conducive to good work (ta’at). He
should avoid those branches of knowledge which are of little use and which lend
themselves to disputation and argument: Thus he who shuns the science of
practical religion and takes to disputation is like a sick man suffering from
many diseases who meets a clever physician, and despite the fact that the time
is precious and limited, he wastes it in inquiring about the properties of
drugs and medicines and about the curiosities of the medical profession and
neglects the all important question of his own affliction. This certainly is
the limit of insolence.
1. Hikyat al-Awilya, Vol. I, p.131.
2. Surah XXI: 18.
3. Cf. al-Darimi, Intro., 23.
163
It has been related that a certain man came to the
Apostle of Allah and said, “Teach me some of the strange facts of knowledge.”
To which the Apostle replied, “What hast thou done with the beginning of
knowledge?” “But what is the beginning of knowledge?” the man retorted. The
Prophet replied, “Hast thou known the exalted Lord?” “Yes”, said the man. “And
what hast thou done for Him?” “Oh well,” replied the man. “And has thou know
what death is?” added the Prophet. “Yes”, replied the man. “And what hast thou
prepared for it?” inquired the Prophet, “Oh well,” protested the man. Thereupon
the Prophet said, “Go thou first and do these things and then come and we shall
teach thee some of the strange facts of knowledge.”
The knowledge acquired should be like that which Hatim
al-Asamm, the disciple of Shaqiq al-Balkhi1 learned from his
teacher. Thus it is said that Shaqiq once asked Hatim how long he had been in
his company. Hatim replied, “Thirty-three years.” Shaqiq then said, “And what
have you learnt during this period?” “Eight things,” replied Hatim. Thereupon
Shaqiq exclaimed, “Verily we are Allah’s and unto Him is our return. I have
spent my life trying to teach you but you have learnt only eight things!” Hatim
replied, “Frankly I have learnt nothing else and I do not like to lie about
it,” Shaqiq then said, “Well, out with these things and let me hear them.”
Hatim then said, “I looked around and beheld that every man has something or
someone whom he loves and with whom he remains until the hour of death arrives,
at which time they part. Consequently I made charity the object of my love so
that when the hour of death arrives the object of my love accompanies me to the
grave.” “Thou hast done well, Hatim,” said Shaqiq, “let us now hear the second
thing thou hast learnt.” Hatim replied, “I have pondered over the words of
Allah when he said, “But as to him who shall have feared the majesty of the
Lord, and shall have refrained his soul from lust, verily, Paradise - that
shall be his dwelling place,’2 and have come
1.
According to ibn-Khallikan,Vol.
I,p.404, Shaqiq, died in A.H. 153/A.D.770; while according to ibn-ul ‘Imad
al-Hanbali, Shadharat al-Dhahab fi Akhbar
man Dhahab (Cairo,1350), Vol. I, p. 341, he died in A.H. 194/A.D. 810.
2.
Surah,
LXXIX: 40-11.
164
to know
that the words of Allah are the truth. Consequently I have mortified myself and
suppressed lust until my soul found its abode in the obedience of Allah.
Thirdly, as I looked around the people I found that everyone treasures and
exalts whatever valuable things he possesses. I then turned to the words of
Allah, ‘All that ye possess passeth away but that which is with Allah abideth’,1
and began to give unto Allah whatever valuable things fell into my hands.
Fourthly, as I looked around I saw that everyone places his trust in wealth,
descent, honour, and lineage - things which on examination I found to be empty.
I then pondered over the words of Allah, ‘Verily the most honourable of you in
the sight of Allah is the most pious of you,’2 and immediately
turned with all my soul to piety in order that I may become honourable before
Allah.
“Fifth, I looked around and beheld these people
slandering and cursing one another, all because of jealousy. Then I turned to
the words of Allah, ‘It is We who distribute their subsistence among them in
this world’s life,’3 and consequently I abjured jealousy and
extended my love to all realizing that man’s lot is from Allah. As a result I
dislike people no more.
“In the sixth place, I saw men oppress and fight one
another. Whereupon I turned to the words of Allah, ‘Verily Satan is your foe;
for a foe then hold him.’4 Accordingly I took Satan for a foe and
ceased to hate people.
“The
seventh thing I learnt was the following: As I looked around I saw that
everyman was running after bread, and debasing himself and committing all
manner of unlawful things in the effort to gain his end. Then I recalled the
words of Allah, ‘There is no moving thing that moveth upon the face of the
earth but its provision is from Me.’5 Realizing that I was one of
those moving things whose provision is from Allah, I devoted myself to the
things which are Allah’s, and entrusted my fate into His hands.
1.
Surah, XVI:
98.
2.
Surah, XLIX: 13.
3.
Surah, XLIII:
31.
4.
Surah, XXXV:
6.
5.
Surah, XI: 8.
165
“The eighth thing which I learnt was this: I looked
around and found that every man has placed his trust in something created - one
in his possessions and another in his wealth, a third in his profession and the
fourth in his health. In short all created beings placed their faith in things
which are like themselves created. I then turned to the words of Allah, ‘And to
him who putteth his trust in Him will Allah be all-sufficient,’1 and
from that moment on I placed my trust in Allah, verily He is all-sufficient.”
Then Shaqiq said, “O Hatim, may Allah prosper thee.
Verily I have examined the Pentateuch, the Gospels, the Psalms, and the great
Qur’an and found that all goodness and religion centre around these eight
things; whoever would practise them would conform to the teachings of these
four books.”
No one bothers about the acquisition of this type of
knowledge or even acknowledges its existence except the learned men of the
hereafter; while the learned men of this world apply themselves to those
branches of knowledge which help to gain for them wealth and position,
neglecting all the knowledge which Allah sent the Prophets with to impart in
this world.
Al-Dahhak ibn-Muzahim2 once said, “When I
was young the learned men used to teach one another piety, but nowadays they
learn nothing but scholastic wrangling (kalam).”
Another
characteristic expected of the learned man is that he be not disposed to
indulgence in his food and drink, and luxury in his dress, furniture, and
housing. Rather he should prefer economy in all things, emulating thereby the
blessed Fathers. He should be more readily satisfied with the least of
everything, and the closer he draws to penury the closer he draws to Allah and
the greater will his rank be among the learned men of the hereafter. This is
attested by the story related about Ibrahim al-Khawwas3 who was a
friend of Hatim al- Asamm Said Ibrahim
1. Surah, LXV: 3.
2.
A.H. 102/A.D. 720-21; see
ibn-Qutaybah, p. 232.
3. A.H. 291/A.D. 904; see al-Baghdadi, Tarikh Baghdad, Vol. VI, pp. 7-10;
al-Sha‘rani, Vol. I, pp. 83-84.
166
“Once upon a time I and three hundred and twenty
pilgrims arrived at al-Rayy in the company of Hatim. We were all headed to
Makkah for the pilgrimage. The men had their woollen cloaks but lacked both
provisions and provision bags. On arriving at al-Rayy we came upon a merchant
of abstemious habits who loved the poor and therefore offered us shelter and
food for the night. In the morning our host asked Hatim whether or not he had anything
to do because he wanted to call on a certain sick jurist in the town. Hatim
replied ‘Visiting the sick is meritorious, and hearkening unto the learned is a
form of worship. I shall therefore accompany you.’ The sick jurist was Muhammad
ibn Muqatil,1 the judge of al-Rayy. As they arrived at the gate of
his mansion they beheld a great and imposing palace. This made Hatim wonder and
say (to himself), ‘Such a palace is the property of a learned man!’ On being
admitted they entered the palace and lo, they were in the midst of an imposing
wide, and spacious house with luxurious curtains and draperies. But Hatim still
wondered. They then stepped into the hall in which the patient lay on a soft
mattress. Over his head stood a lad waving a fan. While Hatim remained standing
the merchant sat down beside ibn-Muqatil and inquired about his condition.
Noticing that Hatim was still standing, ibn-Muqatil motioned him to take a seat
but Hatim declined. Ibn-Muqatil then inquired whether or not Hatim wanted
anything done for him, to which Hatim replied, ‘Yes I wish to ask you a
question.’ ‘Ask’, said ibn-Muqatil. Hatim replied, ‘Sit up that I may ask
thee.’ Ibn Muqatil sat up and Hatim proceeded to ask him saying, ‘From where
did you get your learning?’ ‘From trustworthy reporters who related their
knowledge to me directly,’ said ibn-Muqatil. ‘And wherefrom did they get
theirs?’ asked Hatim. ‘From the Companions of the Apostle of Allah,’ replied
ibn-Muqatil. ‘And wherefrom did the Companions get theirs?’ asked Hatim. ‘From
the Apostle of Allah,’ replied ibn-Muqatil. ‘And the Apostle?’ inquired Hatim.
‘From Gabriel who got his from Allah,’ replied ibn-Muqatil.
‘Tell me then,’ said Hatim, ‘in
that which Gabriel received from Allah and transmitted to the Apostle who in
turn passed it on to his
1. Unidentified.
167
Companions who conveyed it to trustworthy reporters
who in turn gave it to you, did you hear of any learned men who advanced in
worth before Allah because he led a life of luxury in his house and because his
wealth exceeded that of a prince?’ ‘No’, said ibn-Muqatil. ‘What have you
learnt then from those trustworthy reporters?’ asked Hatim. To this ibn Muqatil
replied, ‘I have learnt that he who renounces this world and seeks the next,
showing love to the poor and preparing for the hereafter, will be favoured by
Allah.’ Hatim then exclaimed, ‘The example of whom have you followed, that of
the Prophet and his Companions and their virtuous followers or that of Pharaoh1
and Namrud 2, the first to employ gypsum and bricks in masonry? You
teachers of falsehood, the ignorant man who is rabidly desirous of the
pleasures of this world would see you and those of your kind and would say to
himself that if the learned men lead such a life, there is no reason why he
should not do the same.’ Having said this, Hatim left, and ibn-Muqatil’s
sickness became more acute. The details of the incident soon spread among the
people of al-Rayy and they informed Hatim that al-Tanafisi3 in
Qazwin was more extravagant. Hearing this Hatim proceeded to Qazwin and on his
arrival, called on al-Tanafisi and addressed him saying, ‘May Allah have mercy
upon you, Sir; I am a non-Arab (a’jami) who
wishes you would teach me the elements of my religion and the commencement of
my prayer, namely, how to perform the ceremonial of ablution preparatory to
worship.’ Al-Tanafisi rose up (to demonstrate the ceremonial) while Hatim
watched. Al-Tanafisi performed the ablution applying water thrice to those
parts of his body which, according to the ritual, should be washed, and told
Hatim to perform the ceremonial in the same way. Hatim then said, ‘Could you
please stay where you are until I perform the ceremonial before you and thus
1.
Cf Surahs XXVII:
38, LX: 38; see also al-Tabari, Jami’ al
Bayan (Cairo 1323-30), Vols. XX, p. 49, XXIV, p. 43, where Pharaoh is said
to have been the first to use mortar and brick in masonry.
2.
Al-Tabari, Vol. 1, pp. 217,219,220,252-65,319-25; al-Tha‘alibi,
pp. 68-70; Bernard Heller, art.
“Namrud” in Encyclopaedia of Islam.
3.
Probably abu-‘Abdullah Muhammad
ibn-Ubayd ibn-abi-Umayyah, (A.H. 204/A.D. 819-20); see ibn-S’ad, Vol. VI, p. 277; Tadhkirat
al-Huffaz, Vol. I,pp. 304-5.
168
be sure I have learnt it correctly?’ Thereupon
al-Tanafisi moved aside and Hatim proceeded with his ablution. When he got to
the washing of his arms up to the elbows he applied water four times.
Al-Tanafisi who was watching protested saying, ‘You have been extravagant.’ ‘In
what respect,’ inquired Hatim. ‘In washing your arms four times,’ was the
reply. ‘Great Allah!’ exclaimed Hatim, ‘for the use of an extra handful of
water you think I have been extravagant; but your indulgence in all this luxury
you do not consider to be extravagance!’ Al-Tanafisi then realized that Hatim’s
real purpose was to reprimand rather than to learn. He consequently locked
himself up in his home and saw no one for forty days”
When later Hatim entered Baghdad, its inhabitants came
to him and said, “O abu-‘Abd al-Rahman, you are a stammering non-Arab, yet no
one ever talks to you without being silenced. Hatim replied, “Three
characteristics enable me to overcome my adversary: I rejoice when he is right,
grieve when he is wrong, and endeavour not to act foolishly towards him.” When
Ahmad ibn-Hanbal heard this, he said, “Allah be praised; how great is the
wisdom of this man! Come let us call on him.” When the company got to his
house, ibn-Hanbal addressed him saying, “O abu-‘Abd-al-Rahman, what will insure
salvation from this world?” Hatim replied, “You will not be saved until you
possess four characteristics: Overlook men’s ignorance and spare them yours;
give them from you substance and except nothing from theirs. Not unless you do
these will you be saved.”
“He then proceeded to al-Madinah where he was welcomed
by its inhabitants. Addressing them he said, ‘which city is this?’ They
replied, ‘The city of the Apostle of Allah.’ He then asked, ‘Where is the
palace of the Apostle of Allah so that I might go and worship in it?” ‘He had
none,’ they replied, ‘all he had was a modest house half buried in the ground.’
Where then are the palaces of his Companions?’ ‘They had none either,’ was the
reply, ‘all they had were modest houses half buried in the ground.’ Thereupon
Hatim said, ‘Men, this, then, is the city of Pharaoh.’ Infuriated they brought
him before the governor and said, ‘This foreigner says that this is the city of
Pharaoh.’ The governor asked Hatim why he had said such a thing
169
and the latter replied, ‘Be patient with me please. I
am a foreigner, a stranger in this city. When I arrived in it I inquired whose
city it was and was told that it was the city of the Apostle of Allah. I then
asked where his palace was? Hatim then recalled the whole story and in
conclusion quoting the words of Allah, ‘Ye had in the Apostle of Allah a good
example,’1 said, ‘Whose example have you then followed, that of the
Apostle of Allah or that of Pharaoh, the first to employ gypsum and brick in
masonry?’ Hearing that, they released him and let him alone.” This then is the
story of Hatim al-Asamm. Other stories from the lives of the Fathers concerning
their disregard for physical comforts and the use of ornaments will be related
in due course.
The truth of the matter is that the use of permissible
things for ornament is not unlawful although its practice develops a fondness
for it which is hard to undo. Persistence in it is not possible except through
practices which will inevitably lead to committing sins such as adulation,
compromise, and hypocrisy as well as to other prohibited offenses. It is,
therefore, wise to avoid these things because whoever indulges in the luxuries
of this world would never be safe. Had safety been compatible with indulgence
in luxury, the Prophet would not have been insistent on renouncing this world
and all its pleasures even to the extent of taking off the embroidered shirt2
and removing the gold seal-ring whenever he delivered a sermon (khutbah),3 which thing will be discussed later.
It has been related that Yahya ibn-Yazid al Nawfali4
once wrote to Malik ibn-Anas saying:
“In the
name of Allah the Merciful the Compassionate. May His blessing be on His
Apostle Muhammad.
From Yahya ibn-Yazid ibn-‘Abd-al-Malik to Malik
ibn-Anas:
I have
been informed that you wear fine clothes, eat choice
1.
Surah, XXXIII:
21.
2.
Ibn-Sa‘d, Vol.
I, pt. 2, p. 152.
3.
Ibid, Vol. I,
Pt. 2, pp. 160-61.
4.
A.H. 165/A.D. 781-82; see
al-Sam‘ani, p. 571 a-b.
170
food,
recline on comfortable couches, and station at your door chamberlains. At the
same time you have assumed the seat of learning and men have come to you from
every direction, selecting you as their imam
and accepting your pronouncements as the final word. Fear then Allah and
humble yourself. I have written to you this letter of advice. No one besides
Allah has seen its contents. Peace be with you.”
Malik wrote back saying:
“In the name of Allah the Merciful the Compassionate.
May His blessing be on
Muhammad,
our Lord, and on His Companions.
From Malik ibn-Anas to Yahya ibn-Yazid:
The peace of Allah be upon you.
“I have received your letter which I accept as the
token of your interest and sympathy, and as the evidence of your refined
character. May Allah bless your piety and reward and prosper you for your
advice. I seek the help of Allah; there is no strength nor power but in Him.
“As
to your charge that we eat choice food, wear fine clothes, station chamberlains
at our door, and recline on comfortable couches, may we state that at times we
do all these but usually beg the forgiveness of Allah. May we, however, add
that Allah said in His Book, ‘Say: What hath prohibited Allah’s goodly raiment,
and the healthful viands which He hath provided for His servants?”1
Furthermore we know very well that abstinence from these things is better than
indulgence in them. At any rate do not neglect us in the matter of writing and
we shall not forget you. Peace be with you.” See, then, the sense of justice
which Malik displayed: he admitted that to abstain from these things was better
than indulgence in them, yet at the same time he handed down the opinion that
they were permissible, and he was right in both. Thus it may be possible for
men of the calibre of Malik, whose sense of justice enabled him to admit the
fairness of such advice, to confine themselves to that which is
1. Surah VII: 30.
171
permissible
without either hypocrisy or deception and without overstepping their bounds and
doing that which is reprehensible. But this is not possible for others, because
to flirt with luxury in those things which are permissible is extremely
dangerous. It is far removed from the fear of Allah which is the quality of the
learned men of Allah. Characteristic of the fear of Allah, however, is to avoid
all manner of risk.
Another characteristic expected of the learned man is
that he keeps away from the magistrates and, as long as he can help it, not to
come near them at all, and rather avoid their company despite any efforts on
their part to seek him out, because the world is attractive and inviting while
the power to dispense with its riches is in their hands. To associate with
them, therefore, would necessarily involve the learned man in seeking their
approval and winning their hearts, although they are unjust and unrighteous. It
is, then, the duty of every religious man to censor them by exposing their
tyranny and decrying their practices. For he who frequents their palaces will
either seek their favour and consequently forget the blessings which Allah has
bestowed upon him, or hold his peace and allow their misdeeds to go uncensored,
thereby courting their favour. He may also undertake to justify their sins and
improve their standing in order to gain their pleasure, which is the limit in
perjury and falsehood. Or he may hope to share their luxury, which is downright
lawlessness. (A discussion of what is permissible to accept from the riches of
magistrates and what is not permissible, especially such things as jobs and
rewards, will be taken up in the Book on the Lawful and the Unlawful). In
short, their company is a source of evil and it is, therefore, necessary for
the learned men of the hereafter to be careful and beware.
The
Prophet said, “He who goeth out to the desert to live becometh hardy and he who
devoteth himself to the chase becometh unmindful, while he who frequenteth the
company of magistrates is led astray.1 And again, “Ye will have
rulers some of whom ye will find out and then reject. He that rejecteth them
will be acquitted and
1. Al-Tirmidhi, Fitan, 69.
172
he that abhorreth them will be saved. But he that
approveth of their ways and followeth their example will be rejected by Allah.”
“Shall we then fight them?” the Prophet was asked. “No”, he replied, “not as
long as they pray.”1
Sufyan al Thawri said, “There is in hell a valley which is not inhabited except by the Qur’an readers who frequent the palaces of the king.” Hudhayfah said, “Expose not yourselves to temptation!” He was then asked, “What temptation?” “The gates of the rulers,” he replied, “into which you enter giving your approval to their lies and praising them for virtues they do not possess.”
The Apostle of Allah also said, “As long as the
learned men associate not with the rulers, they are the deputies of the
Apostles of Allah over His servants. But when they associate with rulers they
betray the Apostles. Beware, therefore, of them and avoid them.” (This
tradition was related by Anas).
Al-A’mash was once told, “You have revived knowledge
through your many disciples.” But he said, “Wait! One-third of these disciples
pass away before its knowledge matures; another, which hangs around the gates
of the rulers, is the worst of all men; while of the remainder only a few
succeed.” For this reason S‘aid ibn-al-Musayyab said, “If you see a learned man
frequent the houses of the rulers, beware of him because he is a thief.”
Al-Awza’i said, “There is nothing more hateful to Allah than a learned man who
frequents the house of a governor.
The
Apostle of Allah also said, “The worst learned men frequent the houses of the
rulers while the best rulers frequent the houses of the learned men.” Makhul
al-Dimashqi said, “He who has studied the Qur’an and mastered the science of
religion yet associates with rulers and flatters them for gain will wade
through a sea of fire in the midst of hell and will cross in that flaming sea
as many steps as he had taken in the company of rulers.”
1. AI-Tayalisi, No. 1595.
173
Samnun1 once said, “How stupid is the
learned man who is continually sought for in his circle but is never found
there; and when the caller inquires about his whereabouts he is said to be at
the governor’s house.” He also said, “I often heard it said that whenever it is
discovered that a learned man is fond of this world, people should immediately
suspect the sincerity of his religion. Finally I began to do the same myself,
so that henceforth I never called on a governor without taking myself to task for
it on my leaving him; I usually found that I was to blame despite the face
that, as you well know, I have always confronted him with rude and harsh words
and repeatedly contradicted his wishes. Still more I had hoped to be spared
altogether the humiliation of calling on him, although I have received nothing,
not even a drink of water, from him.” Continuing, Samnun said, ‘Nevertheless
the learned men of our time are even worse than the learned men of Israel: they
tender the ruler cheap advice and tell him the thing which would please. Were
they to remind him of his obligations and of the things wherein lies his
salvation, he would have found them boring, and would have disliked their
visits to him. Yet this would have been their own salvation before the Lord.”
Al-Hasan
al-Basri said, “There lived before your time a man who had embraced Islam at a
very early date and who had enjoyed the company of the Apostle.” (‘Abdullah
ibn-al-Mubarak held that al-Hasan al-Basri had in mind S‘ad ibn abi-Waqqas).
“He did not frequent the company of governors; on the contrary he avoided them
altogether. And so one day his sons pointed out to him that men whose Islam was
not as old as his and who, unlike himself, did not enjoy the company of the
Prophet, frequent the company of governors, and asked him why he did not do the
same. He replied and said, ‘O my sons! Shall I go and stand by a stinking
corpse surrounded by men? By Allah! If I can help it I shall never join them.’
Then his sons said, ‘We shall then die of starvation, father.’ To which he
replied, ‘I would rather starve to death as a believer than die as a fat
hypocrite’.” Al-Hasan then remarked, ‘By Allah he beat them,
l.
Abu-al-Qasim Samnun ibn-Hamzah,
died before A.H. 297/A.D. 909-10; see al-Baghdadi, Tarikh, Baghdad, Vol. IX, pp. 234-37.
174
because he had realized that beneath the sod, the
flesh and the fat of the man rather than his beliefs, decay.” This implies that
those who frequent the company of governors can never escape hypocrisy which is
contrary to faith and beliefs.
Abu-Dharr once said to Salamah,1 “O
Salamah, frequent not the company of rulers because you get nothing of their
wealth without their robbing you of something better of your religion.” As a
matter of fact this constitutes a great temptation which confronts learned men
and places in the hand of Satan a terrible instrument which he can use against
them, especially in the case of the learned man who has a pleasing voice and an
attractive speech. Satan persists in whispering in his ear that through his
preaching and visits to them he may be able to turn them away from injustice
and to induce them to observe the dictates of the law, until finally the
learned man imagines that his visits to governors are an integral part of
religion. However, no sooner does he call on the governors than he begins to
pay them compliments and flatter them with praise and eulogy, wherein lies the
destruction of religion. Thus it is said that when the true learned men acquire
knowledge they go to work accordingly and when they go to work they become
absorbed in their work, and when they become absorbed in their work they lose
their interest in this world, and when they lose interest in this world they
seek the way of Allah, and when they seek the way of Allah they turn their back
and flee from the world.
‘Umar
ibn-‘Abd al-‘Aziz wrote to al Hasan saying, “Peace be upon you. Recommend to me
some on whom I can call for aid to enforce the ordinances of Allah.” Al-hasan
replied, “The people of religion will have nothing to do with you, and of the
people of this world you will have none. Seek, therefore, the noble for they
will not dishonour themselves by committing treason.” If it is the duty of the
people of religion to stand aloof even from such a ruler as ‘Umar
ibn-‘Abd-al-‘Aziz who was the greatest ascetic of his time, how then can it be
fitting for them to seek and associate with other rulers?
1.
Ibn-al-Akwa’, (A.H. 74/A.D.
693-94): see ibn-Qutaybah, p. 615; ibn-Sa‘d, Vol. IV, Pt. 2, pp. 38.41.
174
The early learned men, such as al-Hasan al-Basri,
a1-Thawri, ibn-al-Mubarak, al-Fuadayl,1 Ibrahim ibn-Adham, and Yusuf
ibn-Asbat2, repeatedly censored the learned men of this world, both
Makkans and Syrians, either for their fondness for this world or for
associating with rulers.
Another characteristic expected of the learned man is
that he not be impatient to give his opinion but on the contrary, whenever
possible, think twice and be extremely careful. Only when he is asked about
something which he knows to be explicity expressed in the Qur’an or tradition,
or definitely accepted by catholic consent (ij‘ma’),
or analogy (qiyas), should he
give his opinion. But whenever he is confronted with something about which he
has some doubt, he should say, “I do not know”. If he is asked about something
on which he has formed an opinion through independent interpretation (ijtihad) and speculation (takhmin), he should be careful not to
commit himself but refer the question to someone else who is more capable than
himself. This is wisdom itself because the danger of undertaking independent
interpretation is very great.
According
to one tradition. “Knowledge comprises three parts: the expressed word of the
Qur’an, the observed Usage of the Prophet, and finally a great deal which I do
not know.”3 Al-Sh‘abi said. “I do not possess even the half of all
knowledge.” Therefore the reward of him who will abstain from speech where he
does not know out of respect to Allah will not be less than that of him who
will speak where he knows, because to confess one’s ignorance is the most
difficult thing for man to do. Yet this was the custom of the Companions and
the Fathers. Thus whenever ibn-‘Umar was asked to give an opinion on anything
he used to say, “Go unto the governor in whose hand are the affairs of men and
place the responsibility upon him.” Ibn-Mas‘ud said. “He who would express an
opinion on every
1. Ibn-‘Iyad, (A.H. 187/A.D. 803); see ibn-Qutaybah, p.
256.
2. Died after A.H. 190/A.D. 806; see al-Fihrist, p. 184; al-Sha‘rani, Vol. 1, pp. 52-53.
3. Cf ibn-Majah, Intro. 8.
176
question put to him is truly mad.” And again, “The
refuge of the learned man lies in the words ‘I do not know.’ Whenever he
abandons this refuge he will be bested.” Ibrahim ibn-Adham said, “There is
nothing more formidable to Satan than the learned man who, in both speech and
silence, manifests his knowledge. Of him Satan would say, ‘Behold his silence
is more formidable than his speech’.”
Someone, describing the abdal,1 said, “Only
when gnawed by the pangs of hunger do they eat; only when overcome by lack of
sleep do they rest; and only when the need for speech is imperative do they
speak.” In other words they do not speak unless they are asked and even then
they will not talk if they could find someone to answer for them. If it should
become imperative for them to speak they will open their mouths and reply. They
considered the practice of starting to speak before being asked a manifestation
of a latent lust for flourish.
As
‘Ali and ‘Abdullah ibn-‘Abbas once passed by a man who was addressing a crowd
they said, “This man is saying: ‘Know me O ye people.” Someone has said that to
ask the true learned man a question is as difficult as the extraction of one of
his molar teeth. lbn-‘Umar used to say, “Do you wish to use us as a bridge by
which you could cross over to Hell?” Abu-Hafs al-Naysaburi2 once
said, “The true learned man is he who, when asked a question, would hesitate to
reply lest he be told on the day of resurrection, ‘From whence have
1.
Also budala’, sing. bidi, badal and Badil. A degree in the Sufi
hierarchical order of saints, who, unknown to the masses, participate by means
of their powerful influence in the preservation of the arrangement of the
universe. Others hold that the abdal are
certain righteous men of whom the world is never destitute; when one dies,
Allah substitutes another in his place. They are seventy in number, forty of
whom are in Syria and thirty in other countries. Still another group holds that
they are substitutes for and successors of the prophets and are seven in number.
Through them Allah takes care of the seven climates. They are respectively the
successors of Abraham, Moses, Aaron, Idris (Enoch). Joseph, Jesus, and Adam.
See T’arifat, p. 44; Dict. of Tech. Tetms. pp.164-48; I goldziher, art. “Abdal” in Encyclopaedia of Islam. Cf. also Kashf al-Mahjub, p. 214.
2.
‘Umar ibn-Salim al-Haddad, (A.H.
270/A.D. 883-4); see al-Sha‘rani,
Vol. I, 70-71.
177
you answered the questions (which were put to you)?’’’
Whenever he was asked a question, Ibrahim al-Taymi1 used to weep and
say, “Is it because you could find no one else that you seek me?”
Abu al-‘Aliyah al-Riyahi,2 Ibrahim
ibn-Adham, and Sufyan al-Thawri used to carry on discussions with two or three
men or thereabout, but the moment the number increased beyond that they would
stop their discussion and depart.
The Apostle once said, “I do not know whether ‘Uzayr3
was a prophet or not: nor whether Tubba4 was accused or not;
nor do I know whether dhul-al-Qarnayn5 was a prophet or not.” And
when he was asked about the best and worst spots on earth he replied that he
did not know, and put the question to Gabriel on the latter’s next visit and
Gabriel too declared that he did not know and had to wait until Allah made
known to him that the best spots on earth were the mosques and the worst were
the market-places.6
Ibn-‘Umar
used to reply to one question out of every ten he was asked, while ibn-‘Abbas
used to answer nine and decline to reply to the tenth. There were also, among
the jurists, men who said, ‘We do not know’ more frequently than ‘We know’.
Among these were
1.
Died in prison in A.H. 92/A.D.
710-11, when he was locked up by al-Hajjaj; see al-Fihrist,p. 183;
ibn-Sa‘d, Vol. VI, pp. 199-200; al-Sha‘rani, Vol. I, pp. 35-26.
2.
Rufay’, (A.H. 90 A.D. 709); see
ibn-Sa‘d, Vol. VI, Pt. I, pp. 81-85; iibn-Qutaybah, p. 231; al-Sha‘rani Vol. I,
p. 30.
3.
Usually identified with Ezra the
scribes. See Surah, IX: 30 Jami ‘al-Bayan, Vol. III, pp. 19-21,
Vol. X, pp. 78-79; al-Tha‘alibi, pp. 329-333; Bernhard Heller art. “Uzair” in
the Encyclopaedia of Islam.
4.
The royal title of the kings of
the second Himyarite Kingdom (ca. A.D. 300-525, interrupted only by the first
Abyssinian period, A.D. 340-78) that has survived in Muslim literature.
5.
Alexander the Great. Mentioned in
Surah XVII: 82, 85, 93, where he s invested with a divine commission for the
extirpation of impiety and idolatry. Later legend makes him a prophet. See Jami’ al-Bayan, Vol. XVI, PP. 7-12; al-Tha‘alibi, pp. 345-56; E. Mittwoch, art.
“Dhu‘l-karnain” in the Encyclopaedia of
Islam.
6.
Muslim, Masajid, 288.
178
Sufyan
al-Thawri, Malik ibn-Anas, Ahmad ibn-Hanbal, al-Fudayl ibn-‘Iyad, and Bishr
ibn-al-Harith.
‘Abd-al-Rahman ibn-abi-Layla1 once said
that he had met in the Madinah Mosque one hundred and twenty of the Companions
of the Apostle of Allah, not one of whom, on being asked a question or invited
to express an opinion, would answer but would rather have one of his colleagues
spare him the responsibility. And according to another report it was usual for
each one of them, on being asked a question, to refer it to his colleague who
in turn would do the same, and so on, until it had gone all around the
Companions and had finally come back to the first.
It has been related that one of the refugees of the
mosque vestibule (Ashab al-Suffah)2
was given a roasted head of a calf, although he was in a dire need for food he
would not touch it but passed it on to one of his colleagues who in turn passed
it on to another, and so on, until it had finally come back to the first
refugee. See, then, how things have become now very different among the learned
men. Thus the repulsive things have now become desirable and the desirable, no
longer sought.
Attesting to the value of caution in undertaking the
responsibility of giving judgment and expressing legal opinions is the
authentic tradition which says, “People will not be judged except by three: a
governor, a deputy, and an intruder.” Someone has related that the Companions
used to decline four things: the imamate, legacies
1.
A.H. 83/A.D. 702; ibn-Sa‘d, Vol. VII, pp. 74-7; ibn-
Khallikan, Vol. I, p. 492.
2.
Better known as Ahl al-Suf fah. Among the believing
Makkans who had accompanied the Prophet on his migration to al-Madinah and
among those who came from other places, there were some who were destitute,
without means or shelter. They, therefore, encamped under suffah (the northern part of the mosque which was covered with a
roof but had open sides). Here they lived and were provided with food and
clothing by the community and were called the guests of Islam (adyaf al-Islam). In later times they became highly venerated See Hikyat al Awliya ; Vol. I, p.
337, Vol. II, p. 39; Reckendorf, art. “Ahl al-Suffa” in the Encyclopaedia of Islam.
179
(wasiyah), deposits
(wadi ‘yah), and the handing down of
legal opinions (fatwa or futya). Another
said, that among jurists, the quickest to hand down a legal opinion is the
least learned among them, and the most reluctant is the most religious.
The activities of the Companions and their followers (al-tabi‘un)
were confined to five things: reading the Qur’an, building mosques,
glorifying (dhikr) Allah, enjoining
good, and forbidding evil because of what they heard the Prophet say concerning
the son of Adam, namely that, with the exception of three things, all that he
says will be held against him. These three are: to enjoin good, to forbid evil,
and to glorify Allah. Said Allah, “In most of their secret talk is nothing
good; but only in his who enjoineth almsgiving, or that which is right, or
concord among men.”1
A certain learned man saw, in his sleep, one of the
speculative jurists (ashab al-ra‘y) of
al-Kufah and asked him, “What do you now think of your opinions and theories?”
Thereupon the speculative jurist turned his face in agony and said, “We have
neither found it worthwhile nor have we liked its outcome.” Describing such men
abu-Hasan2 said, “Any one of them would readily express his opinion
on problems which would have induced ‘Umar ibn-al-Khattab to summon all the men
who took part in the battle of Badr for consultation.” Except under compelling
circumstance silence continued to be the practice of the learned. We are told
in our tradition, “If ye see a man given to silence and asceticism seek him
because he teacheth wisdom.”
It
has also been said that the learned men are either ordinary men who hand down
legal opinions and are the close friends of rulers or distinguished learned men
who are well versed in theology and the works of the heart and spend their
lives in the solitude of oratories (zawaya)3
throughout the world.
1. Surah, IV: 114.
2.
Ibn-Hasan in B
and C, but more correctly abu-Hasin ‘Uthman ibn-‘Asim ibn-Hasin. (A.H. 128/
A.D. 745-46); see ibn-S‘ad, Vol. VI,
p. 224.
3.
Sing, zawiyah.
180
It was customary to liken Ahmad ibn-Hanbal to the
Tigris from the water of which everyone drew, and Bishr ibn-al-Harith to a
covered well of fresh water visited by a single person at a time. It was also
the custom to describe a certain individual as a learned man, another as one
who disputes (mutakallim), a third as
given to more disputation (kalam), and
a fourth as given more to work (‘amal). Abu-Sulayman
(al-Darani) once said, “Knowledge is closer to silence than to loquacity.” It
was also said, “When knowledge increases loquacity decreases, but when the
latter increases the former decreases.”
Salman (al-Farisi)1 once wrote to
abu-al-Darda’, to whom he had been united by the Prophet in the ties of
brotherhood,2 saying, “O my brother! I have been told that you have
been practising medicine and treating patients. Now if thou be really a
physician, speak, for in that would be assurance and healing. But if thou be
only a practitioner, for Allah’s sake, do not kill any Muslim.” Henceforth
abu-al-Darda gave no more medical advice. Whenever Anas was asked anything he
used to say, “Ask our master, al-Hasan.”3 And whenever men would
inquire of ibn-‘Abbas it was his custom to say, “Ask Jabir ibn-Zayd”,4
while ibn-‘Umar would say, “Ask Sa‘id ibn-al-Musayyab.”
It
has been related that a certain Companion recited twenty traditions in the
presence of al-Hasan al-Basri. He was then asked to explain them but he
demurred and said that he had nothing to add. Thereupon al-Hasan proceeded to
explain them one by one and all were amazed at his excellent commentary and
erudition. Equally amazed, the Companion reached down and picked up a handful
of pebbles and throwing them at the company exclaimed, “How dare you ask me
about learning when you have this great authority in your midst?”
1.
A close Companion of the Prophet.
The date of his death uncertain but is generally placed toward the end of A.H.
35/A.D. 556. See ibn-Sa‘d, Vol. IV
Pt.1, pp. 53-67.
2.
See al-Tirmidhi, Zuhd, 64.
3.
Al-Basri.
4.
Al-Azdi, (A.H. 103/A.D. 721-22);
see ibn-Sa‘d, Vol. VII, Pt.1.,
pp.130-33.
181
Another characteristic expected of the learned man is
that he devotes the greatest part of his attention to esoteric knowledge, the
observation (muraqabah) of the heart, the path of the hereafter
and how to journey thereon, as well as to an abiding faith in finding that path
through self-mortification (mujahadah) and
observation. For self-mortification leads to contemplation (mushahadah), and through the intricate details of the sciences of
the heart fountains of wisdom will gush forth. Books and formal education are
of little help in this field because the wisdom which passes all understanding
is only achieved through self-mortification, observation and watching, the
active fulfilment of outward and inward duties, coming before Allah (julus) in
solitude (khalwah) and bringing the
heart before His presence (hudur) through
pure reflection (fikr) and sole
devotion to Him. This is the key of illumination (ilham) and the fountainhead of revelation (kashf). For while many a student has persisted in his studies but
was unable to go beyond the words he had heard, many have confined their
attention in their studies to what was important and were active in works, and
bent on the observation of their hearts; consequently Allah has blessed them
with wisdom which passes all understanding. For this reason the Prophet said,
“He who would act according to his knowledge would be rewarded by Allah with
further knowledge.” It was also said in one of the books of the ancients, “O
children of Israel! Say not that knowledge is in the heavens; who then will
bring it down to earth? Nor say that it is in the mighty deeps of the earth;
who then will bring up to heaven? Nor say that it is beyond the seas: who then
will bring it across the waves? Verily knowledge is in your hearts. Follow,
therefore, before me in the manner of the angels (ruhaniyun) and adopt the ways of the saints (siddiqun). Then will I pour of My knowledge into your hearts until
they overflow with wisdom.”
Sahl-ibn-‘Abdullah al-Tustari once said, “The learned
men, the worshippers, and the ascetics departed from this life with their
hearts closed; only the hearts of the saints and the martyrs were opened.” He
quoted the words of Allah when He said, “And with Him
182
are the
keys of the secret things; none knoweth them but He.”1 And had it
not been for the fact that the enlightenment of the heart of him who has a
heart with the inner light determines the esoteric knowledge (‘ilm al-zahir) the Prophet would not
have said, “Consult thy heart whenever they should recommend something to thee
and give thee a dispensation to do it.” Then he said on the authority of his
Allah, “The servant will continue to draw near unto Me with supererogatory
works and meritorious deeds (nawafil) until
he wins My favour, at which time I shall be his ears and his eyes.”2
Many are the subtle meanings of the mysteries of the Qur’an which dawn upon the
hearts of those who have devoted themselves to invocation (dhikr) and reflection (fikr),
but are not found in the books of commentary and remain unknown to the best
commentators. Yet when such meanings are revealed to the watchful devotee (murid) and are then brought to the
attention of commentators they would deem them good and would realize that they
are the outcome of the workings of a pure heart and the gracious blessings of
Allah on the high mind which aspires to Him. Similarly the science of
revelation (mukashafah) and the
secrets of the science of practical religion (mu ‘amalah) as well as the subtleties of the passing thoughts (khawatir) of the heart are, each and
every one of them, seas the depths of which are too great to be sounded and can
be traversed by seekers only to the extent to which each of them has been given
the power and the ability to do good. Describing such men, ‘Ali, in the course
of a long conversation, said, “The hearts are like vessels; the best among them
is that which can hold the most of good. Men are of three kinds: divine (rabbani) learned men, seekers of
knowledge for the hope of salvation, and rude ruffians who follow every cry and
are swayed by every passing wind. They follow not the light of knowledge and
stand not on its firm foundation. Verily knowledge is better than wealth; for
while you guard wealth, it is knowledge which guards over you. Knowledge
increases by spending while wealth diminishes therewith. Knowledge is a religion
worthy of acceptance. Through it man is assured of the ability to live in
accordance with the will of Allah in this life and of kindly words from his
fellowmen after his death. Knowledge governs while wealth is governed.
1.
Surah VI: 59.
2.
Al-Bukhari, Riqaq, 38.
With
the loss of wealth its value vanishes and its hoarders are dead even while they
live. On the other hand the learned men will live as long as time shall last.”
Taking a deep breath and pointing to his breast, ‘Ali said, “Herein is abundant
knowledge, but I can find no one to carry it on. Instead I find seekers who I
cannot trust; they exploit religion for worldly gain, employ the gifts of Allah
for fastening their yoke on His saints (awliya), and
exalt themselves therewith over His people. I find men who follow the
righteous but, for the least matter, become the victims of doubt and
scepticism. They have neither understanding nor insight. I find gluttons guilty
of indulgence, easily led in the ways of lust. I find men lured by the desire
to amass wealth and hoard it, who follow their appetite and have closer
resemblance to grazing cattle than to human beings. On my Allah! Thus will
knowledge perish when its people die. But the world will not be destitute of
men who will champion the cause of Allah, some openly in public while others
secretly for fear of persecution, lest the proofs and evidence of existence be
nullified. How many are they and where are they to be found? Such men boast of
the smallest number but in worth they are the greatest. They have no equals
among men; their strength lies in their heart. Through them Allah will preserve
the proofs of His existence until they entrust His testament to their
successors or plant its seeds in the hearts of their fellow-saints. With their
knowledge they attacked the basic problem and arrived at the core of the truth,
penetrating what the pampered have deemed inaccessible and delighting in what
the foolish have feared. They go through this life with bodies, the spirits of
which look for heaven. They are the saints of Allah among His people, His
trustees and deputies on earth, and the missionaries (du‘ah) who summon men to His religion.” He then wept and said, “Oh
how much I long to see them!” What he mentioned at the end is the description
of the learned men of the hereafter, the greater part of whose knowledge is
obtained through works and continued self-mortification.
Another characteristic of the learned man is that he
should be greatly concerned with the strengthening of his faith (yaqin) which is the mainspring of
religion. Said the Apostle of Allah, “Faith is belief in its entirety.”
Acquiring the science of faith is, therefore, indispensable. By this I mean its
rudiments which, when acquired, wi11 open its path for the heart. For this
reason the Prophet said, “Acquire faith.” This means that you should associate
with those who have faith, receiving from them the science of faith, and
persisting in following their example so that your faith may wex strong as has
theirs. Furthermore a little faith is better than much work. Thus when the
Prophet was consulted concerning a man of much faith and many sins and another
who was steadfast in worship but had little faith, he said, “There is none
without sin. But anyone who is intelligent by nature and also has faith will
not suffer from sin, because whenever he sins he will repent and ask
forgiveness. He will then be forgiven and left enough virtue wherewith he will
enter Paradise.” For this reason the Prophet said, “Verily among the things of
which you have been given the least, are faith and patience. Whoever has been
given his share of these two would not care what he had missed of night prayer
and day fasting.” In the testament of Luqman to his son we read, “O my son!
Work is not possible except through faith. Man does not accomplish except in
proportion to his faith, and does not fail except when it wanes.” Yahya
ibn-Mu‘adh said, “Monotheism (tawhid) brings
forth light and polytheism (shirk), fire. The light of monotheism will wipe
out the offences of the monotheism more completely than the fire of polytheism
will wipe out the good deeds of the polytheists.” By the light of monotheism,
Yahya meant faith. Allah also referred to those who have faith in several
places in the Qur’an and pointed out that through faith they receive His
blessings and the happiness of the hereafter.
You may say, “What, then, is the meaning of faith (yaqin), its strength, and its weakness,
since it should first be understood before it can be sought and studied?” Then
you should know that the word (yaqin) is
a homonymous term which two different groups of people apply to two distinct
meanings.
To the philosophers (huzzar) and scholastic theologians (muttakallimun) the terms yaqin
signifies lack of doubt (i.e. certainty). The readiness of the person to
believe a thing falls into four states:
185
The first is where the evidence for believing and
disbelieving is even; it is described by doubt. Thus when you are asked whether
or not Allah is going to punish a certain person whose manner of life is not
known to you, are not prepared to affirm or deny either for both are equally
possible. Such a state is called doubt (shak).
The second state is where you are more inclined to
accept one position while realizing that the contrary is possible. But this
possibility does not prevent you from giving preference to the former. For
example you may be asked whether a certain person whom you know for
righteousness and piety will be punished or not if when he dies he is still the
same? Because of his evident righteousness you are more inclined to believe
that he will not be punished. Nevertheless you admit the possibility that
something which requires punishment may have been concealed in his secret life.
This admission equals the inclination but does not rule out the possibility
that it is the more likely. Such a state is described by the term conjecture (zann).
The third state obtains when one is inclined to
believe a thing so earnestly that he is taken up by it to such an extent that
nothing else seems possible to him and if such a thing ever comes to his mind,
he will refuse to believe it. He does not do this because of any definite
knowledge; for if he would only examine more carefully the first two states,
namely that of doubt and conjecture, he would more readily admit other
possibilities. Such a state is described as a belief approaching certainty (i’tiqad muqarib li-l yaqin), which is
similar to the belief of the common folk in all legal matters (shar‘i ‘at), i.e. they accept as fact
that which is simply hearsay. Thus every group is certain of the authenticity
of its own system (madhhab) and the
infallibility of its own imam or
leader. Should any one member of these groups be reminded of the possibility
that his imam might be mistaken he
would resent it very much and refuse to admit.
The fourth state is that of definite knowledge (m‘arifah haqiqiyah) resulting from
evidence which leaves no place for doubt or any possibility of doubt. When
doubt or any possibility of doubt are ruled out of the state of certainty (yaqin) obtains. As an example
186
of this state we may cite the following: When a wise
man is asked, “Is there anything eternal (qadim)
in existence (wujud)?” he will not be able to affirm or deny
the question instantly because the eternal is not perceived by the senses (ghayer mahsus) unlike, for example, the
sun and moon which are so perceived. Furthermore the fact that something
eternal exists is not axiomatic in the same way as the fact that two is greater
than one is axiomatic; rather it is like the fact that the origination (huduth) of anything originated (hadith) is impossible without a cause (sabab), which is also axiomatic but in a different way. It is therefore
the duty of the mind to hesitate to accept spontaneously and intuitively the
existence of the eternal. But there are some who may hear these things and on
such authority accept them without question, and continue to believe them. This
is the belief (i‘tiqad) which
coincides with the state of all the common folk.
There are others who believe only through evidence.
These are told that if nothing eternal exists then all existing things are
originated; and if all existing things are originated then they are originated
without a cause, or some of them are so originated, all of which is impossible
and what leads to the impossible is itself impossible. Therefore, out of sheer
necessity, the mind is compelled to believe in the existence of something
eternal. For there are only three positions: that all existing things are
eternal; that all are originated; that some are eternal and some are
originated. If all are eternal the question will have been answered since all
are held to the eternal. But if all are originated we shall have to accept the
impossible, namely origination without a cause. Consequently the third and
first positions are established. Every kind of knowledge thus obtained is
called certainty (yaqin), whether it has been obtained through
reasoning (nazir) such as that above;
or through the mind instinctively, as the impossibility of any originated
existence without a cause; or through tradition, as the knowledge that Makkah
exists; or through experimentation, such as our knowledge that cooked scammony
is a laxative; or through some evidence, as we have already stated. Both the
philosophers and the scholastic theologians require the lack of doubt before
they use this term. Every part of knowledge which is free from doubt is called
certainty (yaqin). Consequently
certainty is
187
never described with weakness because there are no
degrees in the negation of doubt.
The
second application of the term (yaqin)
is that of the jurists and the Sufis as well as most of the learned men. In it,
no attention is paid to either conjecture or doubt but rather to the fact that
it takes hold of and prevails over the mind so that it is something said that
so and so does not believe in death, although there is no doubt in it, and
another has a strong faith that his livelihood is incoming, although it is
quite possible that it will never accrue. Thus whenever the soul inclines to
the acceptance of anything which prevails over the heart and takes hold of it,
and as a result becomes the ruler and dispenser of the soul either by urging it
to action or by forbidding therefrom, such a thing is called faith (yaqin).
Undoubtedly
all men agree concerning the certainty of death and entertain not the slightest
doubt regarding its imminence. Yet there are some among them who heed not its
approach nor prepare for its advent as though they were not sure of it. Some,
on the other hand, are so obsessed by the fear of death that they have directed
all their attention towards preparation for it, leaving thereby no room for
anything else. Such a state is described as strength of faith. For this reason
someone has said, “I have seen nothing so certain and at the same time so
completely unheeded as death.” In accordance with this terminology faith (yaqin) may be described as either
strength or weakness.
When
we said that it was for the learned men of the hereafter to expend their
efforts in the strengthening of the yaqin
we had in mind both meanings, namely the negation of doubt (i.e. certainty
and the giving of full power and control to the yaqin over the soul until it becomes the dominant ruler over it and
sole dispenser of affairs (i.e. faith).
When
you understand this, you will perceive what we mean when we shall say that yaqin may be described in three
different fashions, as to strength and weakness, greatness and littleness, and
finally clearness and vagueness.
188
As to strength and weakness they are applied to the
second technical meaning of yaqin, (namely faith), in so far as faith
prevails over and takes hold of the heart. The degrees of faith in respect to
strength and weakness are unlimited, and the extent to which people will
prepare for death varies in accordance with the extent to which their faith may
differ in regard to these same terms (namely, strength and weakness).
The existence of varying degrees of clearness and
vagueness within the first technical use of the term yaqin, (namely certainty), cannot be denied. They exist in the
first state, i.e. doubt, as well as in the second, i.e. conjecture. In neither
of these could their existence be denied. Nor could the existence of these
varying degrees of clearness and vagueness be denied even where doubt has been
dispelled. For example you can readily understand that there is a difference
between your belief in the existence of Makkah and that of Fadak,1
or between your acceptance of the historicity of Moses and that of Joshua (Yusha),2 although you do not really doubt either because the
authority for both is tradition. Yet the one is clearer and more vivid in your
mind than the other, because its evidence is greater since more historians have
mentioned it.
The same thing is true of the philosopher (nazir) in connexion with any theory
arrived at through deduction; because what he surmises through the evidence of
one proof is not as clear in his mind as that which he establishes through the
evidence of several proofs, although both are equal in the negation of doubt.
This, however, is sometimes denied by the scholastic theologian who draws his
knowledge from books and hearsay sources and does not take into consideration
what he already knows regarding the variations in those states.
As to littleness and
greatness they relate to the appurtenances (muta‘alliqat)
of the yaqin. For example a
person’s knowledge may
1. A small village about six miles north of Madinah. It
figured in early Muslim history. See Yaqut,
Buldan, Vol. III, pp. 855-58.
2.
Not mentioned by name in the
Qur‘an but it is held that Surah, XVIII: 59 refers to him.
189
be
described as greater than that of another which means that his learning is
greater. For this reason the learned man may be very well versed in all the
contents of the law or in only a part of it.
If you then say that you have understood yaqin, its strength and weakness, greatness and littleness, and clearness
and vagueness in both its meanings as the negation of doubt and as the taking
hold of the heart, and ask what its appurtenance comprise, what the means
whereby it is secured are, and how it can be sought (because unless you know
how and where to seek it you cannot secure it), then you should know that what
the prophets handed down belongs in its entirety to the means whereby the yaqin is secured. For yaqin represents a specific knowledge
while its appurtenances are the bits of information which are contained in the
law, and there is no hope of ever counting them. Nevertheless I shall point out
some which constitute the major appurtenance.
One of these is the belief in the unity of Allah (al-tawhid). It is acknowledged that all
things have come from Allah, the Cause of all causes (musabbib al-asbab), paying no attention to the secondary causes (wasai’t) and acknowledging that they
are all subject to the will of Allah and have no will of their own. He who
believes this has yaqin. If, over and
above his belief, all possibilities of doubt are removed from his heart, then
he possesses yaqin of the first meaning
(i.e. certainty). But if, over and above his belief, a power will prevail over
his heart which will remove from it all anger provoked by the secondary causes
when they fail him, or gratitude to them when they serve him, and will make him
regard these secondary causes merely as instruments in the hand of Allah in the
same way as the pen in the hand of the benefactor when he signs his name, as
well as the hand itself, is an instrument for no one will be grateful to either
the pen of the hand, or be angry at them, rather he will acknowledge them as
two instruments subject to the will of their master, two mediums through which
the will was enforced, then he will possess yaqin
of the second meaning, i.e faith.
The second yaqin
is the nobler of the two and is the fruit of the
190
first as well as its life and value. Thus whenever man
will examine the sun, moon, and stars as well as the inanimate plants, animals,
and all things created, and realize that they are subject to the will of Allah
in the same way as the pen is in the hand of the scribe, and that the eternal
power is the source of all, the power of dependence, contentment, and
resignation will prevail over his heart and he will possess yaqin, becoming free of anger, rancour,
envy, and ill-temper. This is one of the doors which leads to the yaqin.
Another is confidence that Allah will guarantee to all
their livelihood according to His word when He said, “There is no moving thing
that moveth upon the face of the earth but its provision is from Me,”1
and faith that each individual will receive his portion. It also involves a
belief that whatever has been preordained will befall the individual. Whenever
this belief prevails over his heart, he will maintain his integrity while
seeking a living, and neither his stint nor his greed will increase. Above all
he will not regret anything which he missed. Furthermore this kind of faith (yaqin) has fostered several good works (ta‘at) and praiseworthy habits.
Another is to have one’s heart possessed by the idea
that “whosoever shall wrought an atom’s weight of good shall behold it, and
whosoever shall have wrought an atom’s weight of evil shall behold it.”2
In other words it is to believe in reward (thawab)
and punishment (‘iqab) so that
one might realize that the relation of the acts of worship to reward is like
that of bread to satiety, and sin stands in relation to punishment as poison
and venomous vipers stand in relation to death. So just as men, in order to
satisfy their hunger, strive to obtain bread and store it, whether its quantity
is small or large, so must they strive to fulfil all acts of worship, whether
they be few or many. Similarly just as men avoid poisons regardless of the
quantity, so must they avoid all sins, the few and the many as well as the minor
and the major.
The yaqin of the first meaning, (i.e. certainty) is found among all
believers while that of the second meaning, (i.e. faith), is
1. Surah, XI: 8. 2. Surah, XCIX: 7-8.
191
characteristic of the favourites of Allah (al-muqarrabun). The fruits of this
faith (yaqin) are genuine observation
(muraqabah) of the heart in its
moments of groping (harakat), tranquillity (saknat), and passing
thoughts (khatarat), as well as extreme emphasis on piety
and determined resolve to avoid all evils. The stronger the faith the stronger
the resolution and the stronger the effort.
Another is the belief that Allah is constantly
watching you, knowing all the cogitations of your conscience and the hidden
meditation of your inward thoughts and reflections. This is accepted by every
believer who possesses a yaqin according
to the first meaning, namely certainty, or the negation of doubt; but its
second meaning which is the one we have in mind, namely faith, is very scarce
and is characteristic of the saints. Its fruit is to make man in his solitude
as cultured and refined under all conditions as a man in audience with an
exalted king. He fixes his eyes on the king and sits before him in silence,
maintaining a polite appearance in all his doings and carefully restraining
himself from the slightest thing which may violate etiquette. There will be no
disparity between his inward thoughts and his outward deeds because he will
realize that Allah watches his inner life just as men watch his outward
behaviour. Consequently his effort to develop and purify his inner life in
order to make it acceptable before the encompassing eyes of Allah should be
greater than his effort to make his outward behaviour agreeable to men. This
state of faith (yaqin) breeds
modesty, fear, meekness, lowliness, submission, and obedience as well as other
praiseworthy qualities; while these qualities are conducive to many superior
good works (ta’at).
In every one of these examples the yaqin is like the tree; these qualities
of the heart are like the branches which shoot out from it; and the good works
and acts which result from these qualities are like the fruits and blossoms
which sprout out from the branches. The yaqin,
then, is the origin and the foundation, and has more kinds and variations
than we have already mentioned. These we shall discuss in the Quarter on the
Saving Matters of Life. For the present what we have already mentioned is enough.
192
Another characteristic expected of the
learned man is that he be sorrowful, meek, pensive, and silent. The signs of
the fear of Allah should be evident in his appearance, clothes, life,
movements, and poise as well as in his speech and silence. No one will ever
view him without being reminded of Allah. His face will reveal his works for
the eyes of the righteous one reflect his soul. The marks of the learned men of
the hereafter, too, are recognized in their faces1 which reflect
traquility (sakinah), lowliness, and modesty. Thus it has
been said, “Allah has not fitted a man with a garment better than submission
with tranquility. It is the garment of the Prophets and the mark of the
virtuous and the saints and the learned.” On the other hand to chatter and
prate and to indulge in excessive laughter as well as temper and flippancy are
all the outcome of a life of smugness and ease in which man becomes unmindful
of Allah’s terrible punishment and great wrath. It is the practice of the
children of this world who have forgotten Allah rather than that of the learned
men, because, as al-Tustari said, “The learned men are of three kinds. The
first kind are those who know the commandments of Allah but not the Days of
Allah (ayyam Allah);2 they are the judges who rule what is
lawful and what is unlawful. This knowledge does not develop fear. The second
kind are those who know Allah but not His Days; they are the ordinary
believers. The third kind of learned men are those who know Allah as well as
His commandments and Days; they are the saints in whose hearts fear and
humility prevail.” By the Days of Allah al-Tustari meant the unknown
punishments which Allah inflicted and His hidden blessings which He bestowed
upon the preceding ages, and which He will also visit upon the succeeding
generations. Hence anyone whose knowledge encompasses this, his fear of Allah
would increase and his humility would grow.
Hadrat
‘Umar once said, “Acquire knowledge and develop thereby poise, dignity, and
tolerance. Humble yourselves before your teachers and let your students do the
same before you. And be not
1.
Cf Surah,
XLVII: 29.
2.
The Days of Allah (ayyam Allah) are the epiphanies by
which He reveals His perfection. See Dict
of Tech. Terms, p.1545.
193
arrogant
in your learning lest your knowledge encourage ignorance.” It is also said,
“Allah has not given any of His servants knowledge without giving him
tolerance, humility, good nature, and kindliness as well.” Of such is the
useful knowledge.
We also read in history that, “He to whom Allah gives
knowledge, asceticism, humility, and good-nature is foremost among the pious.”
And in tradition we read, “Verily there are among my people men who rejoice
openly at the extent of the mercy of Allah and weep in secret for fear of His
punishment. They live on the earth but their hearts are in heaven; they
themselves are in this world but their minds are focussed on the hereafter.
They live in tranquillity and draw near unto Allah through the means (wasa’il)1
of His grace.” Al-Hasan al Basri said,
“Tolerance is the vizier of knowledge, kindliness its father, and humility its
garment.”
Bishr ibn-al-Harith said, “He who seeks position
through knowledge and approaches Allah while his heart is full of hatred, will
be detested in heaven and in earth.” It is mentioned in the Books of Israel (al-Isra‘i liyat) that a certain wise
man had composed three hundred and sixty works on wisdom and thus earned the
sobriquet al hakim (the wise). Thereupon Allah revealed to the Prophet of Israel at that time saying,
“Speak unto such and such a person and tell him, ‘Thus said the Lord: You have
filled the earth with twaddle but you have not mentioned me in a single word:
therefore I accept nothing of it.” On being so informed,
the wise man repented and, abjuring his twaddle, mixed with the common folk and
roamed the streets befriending all the children of Israel, and humbled himself.
Then Allah revealed to the Prophet saying, “Tell him, now you have gained my
favour.”
Al-Awza‘i related that
Bilal ibn-S‘ad2 used to say, “Whenever you see a policeman you
invoke the protection of Allah
1.
Sing, wasilah, mentioned in Surahs V: 39 and XVII: 59. Cf. Jami‘al-Bayan, Vol. VI, pp. 146-47.
2.
Died during the reign of Hisham
I,(A.H.105-125/A.D.724-43).See ibn-Sa‘d, Vol.
VII, Pt. 2,p.166; also ibn-Asakir, Vol. III, pp. 315-8, where his name appears
as Bilal ibn-Sa‘id.
194
against him, but when you see the
learned man of this world who curry favour with all people and hanker after
position, you do not detest them although of the two the latter are the more
detestable.” It has also been related that the Apostle of Allah was once asked,
“Which works are the best?” He replied, “To avoid evil and persist in the
praise of Allah.” He was then asked, “Who are the best companions?” To which he
replied, “A companion who will help when you ask for aid, and will remember you
when you forget to ask.” “Who, then, is the worst companion?” was the next
question. To which he replied, “A companion who will not remember you if you do
not remind him and will not help you when you ask for help.” He was then asked,
“And who is the most learned man?” The Prophet replied, “He who fears Allah the
most.” “Tell us, then,” they said, “who are the best among us in order that we
might sit at their feet?” The Prophet replied, “Those who would remind you of
Allah whenever they are seen.” They then asked, “And who are the worst?” To
which Muhammad (S.A.W.) said, “Thy forgiveness, O Allah my Lord!” But they
said, “Tell us, O Apostle of Allah.” He then said, “The learned men when they
become corrupt.”1 The Apostle also said, “Those who have been most
apprehensive in this world will, on the day of resurrection, be the most
secure, while those who have wept most will laugh most, and those who have been
saddest will be the happiest.”
In one of his sermons Hadrat ‘Ali said, “My conscience is pledged to Allah although I am a leader. Verily the crops of no one will wither if they were planted with piety, and the roots of no tree will thirst if it were raised with righteousness. The most ignorant man is he who has picked up haphazardly tidbits of knowledge which carried him into the darkness of sin, yet despite this and despite the fact that he has not spent a single day in study, he has been called learned by disreputable and evil men. He would go after quantity not knowing that little knowledge of the right kind is better than a great deal of it which diverts man from Allah. He would drink, as it were, from stagnant and stale waters and engage in diverse activities but to no
1. Unidentified.
195
avail. Then he would sit down to teach men and to
explain to them what is obscure. If, however, he would be confronted with a
weighty problem he would hand down a wordy and redundant opinion which, rather
than remove all ambiguity, would entangle the inquirer in a mess of confusion
similar to a cobweb, and would so baffle him as to make it impossible for him
to determine whether the man is right or wrong. He is rooted in ignorance and
is the victim of diabolical madness. He will not decline to answer that which
he does not know and thus avoid error, nor will he strive to gain a strong hold
on knowledge that through its mastery he may prosper. Through his ignorance
blood is shed, and through his juridical opinions unlawful adultery is rendered
lawful. He is not capable of dispensing with the problems which have been
submitted to him and is not equal to the task which has been delegated to his
care. On such men should fall the worst punishment; they
should bewail and lament their fate while they yet live.”
Hadrat
‘Ali also said, “Hold fast to knowledge when you hear it, and mix it not with
jesting lest it be rejected.” One of the Fathers said, ‘Whenever man jests, his
knowledge is impaired.’ It was also said, “When the teacher is so fortunate as
to possess patience, humility, and good nature, the student’s lot will be
perfect; similarly whenever the student possesses
intelligence, good manners, and keen understanding the teacher will have
nothing more to desire.” In short the qualities which the Qur’an mentions are
indispensable to the learned men of the hereafter because they should study the
Qur’an in order to go about doing good and not to occupy positions of power and prestige. Ibn ‘Umar said, “For a
short period of time it was customary for us to be instructed in the elements of faith before the
Qur’an. Whenever a Surah was revealed
we would learn the lawful things it enjoined and the unlawful things it
forbade, its commandments and its prohibitions, as well as those things at which we had to stop. But I have also seen
men who master the text of the Qur’an before learning the elements of faith.
They would read the Qur’an from beginning to end; yet they would not know what
it commands and what it prohibits, nor those things at which one should stop.
They
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would handle these things and toss them about as
though they were the most inferior dates in quality.” A similar meaning is
expressed in another tradition which reads, “As Companions of the Apostle of
Allah we were instructed in the elements of faith before the Qur’an; but there
shall come after you people who will master the text of the Qur’an before the
elements of faith; they will observe the rules of its reading according to the
different dialects (huruf), but will ignore its precepts and
commandments. They will say, “We read the Qur’an; who could read it better than
we? We have knowledge of it; who has better knowledge of it than we? This shall
be their share.” According to another version, “Those men are the most wicked
among this people.”
It has been said that five qualities inferred from
five verses in the Book of Allah are characteristic of the learned men of the
hereafter. These qualities are fear of Allah, humility, modesty, good nature,
and preference of the hereafter over this world, which is asceticism.
Fear is based on the words of Allah when He said,
“Such only of His servants as are possessed of knowledge fear Allah.”1
Humility finds its authority in the words of Allah when
He said, “Humbling themselves before Allah, they barter not His signs for a
mean price.”2 Modesty finds its support in the following words of
Allah, “And lower thy wing to the believers.”3 Good nature is
inferred from the words of Allah when He said, “Of the mercy of Allah thou hast
spoken to them in gentle terms.”4 Asceticism has its foundation in
the words of Allah when He said, “But they to whom knowledge had been given
said, ‘Woe to you! The reward of Allah is better for him who believeth and
worketh righteousness!”5
When the Apostle of Allah recited the verse, “And whom
Allah shall please to guide, that man’s breast shall be open to Islam,”6
he was asked what it meant and he replied, “When the light is cast into the
heart the latter receives it gladly.” He was then asked,
1. Surah, XXXV: 25. 2.
Surah, III : 198.
3. Surah, XV:
88. 4.
Surah,III :153.
5. Surah,
XXVIII : 80. 6.
Surah, VI : 125.
197
“Has that
any signs?” To which he replied, “Yes. The renunciation of this world of vanity
and delusion, the repair to the hereafter, and the preparation for death before
it arrives.”
Another characteristic of the learned man is to have
most of his study and research directed towards the science of practical
religion (‘ilm al a’mal), especially such influences as would
lead to its corruption, perplex the hearts, stir up doubts and provoke evil,
for the basic idea of religion is to eschew evil. For this reason it was said:
Will surely be ensnared thereby.
The practical works are within reach of all, and the
best of these works is to persist in the praise of Allah in thought and word.
The difficult part, however, is to determine what things will corrupt practical
religion and what things will confuse it. These things are many and its parts
are numerous, while a detailed discussion of it is inevitably long. But the
need for it is very great, because through these corrupting and confusing
influences disaster overtakes the travellers along the path of the hereafter.
The learned men of this world, rather than attending
to the problems of their day, pursue the strangest hair-splitting in judicial
decisions and cases. They take special pains in formulating hypothetical cases
which will probably never take place. But if some of these cases should ever
take place, they will not occur in their own experiences but in those of
others, in which event there will be many capable of handling them. These
pressing problems which they have neglected continue to haunt them night and
day, troubling their thoughts and minds, and perturb them in their actions.
Thus how far removed from happiness is he who neglects pressing and intimate
concerns in favour of the unnecessary concerns, of others, preferring to gain
thereby the approval and the plaudits of men rather than those of Allah. Still
worse, the reprobates of this world call such a person a superior man, a
thorough scholar, and a versatile learned man. But
198
his reward from Allah is that, in this world, he will
gain nothing from men’s approval of him. On the contrary, misfortunes will
overshadow his happiness, and finally he will stand on the day of resurrection
bankrupt, and will be filled with regret when he views the gains of the doers
of good and the success of those who have won Allah’s favour. Truly this is
“the complete ruin”, (which is spoken of in the Qur’an)
Al-Hasan al-Basri said, “It is agreed that the man
whose words bear the greatest resemblance to those of the Prophets and whose
way of life is closest to that of the Companions is he whose words are for the
greater part concerned with inward thoughts, the influences which corrupt works
and perplex minds as well as with the hidden and unknown qualities which
characterize the appetites of the soul.”
Al-Hasan
was also told, “O Abu-Sa‘id! You utter words which are never heard from others
besides yourself. Whence did you get them?” He replied, “From Hudhayfah
ibn-al-Yaman.” Hudhayfah was then asked, “We see that you utter words which are
never heard from any of the Companions besides you. Whence did you get them?”
Thereupon he replied, “From the Apostle of Allah who favoured me therewith.
While others querried him about good, I querried him about evil for fear of
falling therein. As to good, I realize that its knowledge will not escape me.”2
At another time the Apostle said “I have come to realize that he who knows not
evil knows not good.” And according to another version, “People were wont to
ask the Apostle saying, ‘O Apostle of Allah! What is the reward of him who does
such and such a thing?’ and would query him regarding meritorious deeds. But I
used to ask him saying, ‘O Apostle of Allah! What would corrupt such and such a
thing?” When the Apostle of Allah saw that I was continually asking him about
the bane of good works, he favoured me with the special knowledge.”
1. Cf. Surahs XXII: II, XXXIX: 17.
2. Cf Surah II: 7,
XXXIII; 47, LVII: 13. These refer to the “hypocrities”of al-Madinah who
professed to follow Muhammad (S.A.W.) but opposed him secretly.
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Hudhayfah was also specially favoured with
the knowledge of the hypocrites (al-munafiqun), and was unique in his acquaintance with
the science and causes of hypocrisy and the subtleties of temptations. For that
reason Hadrat ‘Umar and ‘Usman as well as the elders of the Companions used to
query him about the ordinary and particular temptations. It was also customary
for him to be asked about the hypocrites, and he would tell how many of them
were still alive, but would not reveal their names. Hadrat ‘Umar used to ask
his advice as to whether he could see in him any traces of hypocrisy, but
Hudhayfah always declared him free of that affliction. Furthermore, whenever
‘Umar was invited to officiate at a funeral he would first look around and see
whether Hudhayfah was present among the mourners, and if he were he would
proceed with the service; otherwise he would refrain. Hudhayfah was also called
the man with the inner feeling (sahib
al-sirr). Thus to take care of
the stations and states of the heart has always been the concern of all the
learned men of the hereafter, because it is the heart which endeavours to draw
near to Allah. Yet this branch of knowledge has now become unknown and
forgotten to the extent that whenever a learned man would address himself to
any part of it, he would be considered odd and unusual, and his efforts would
be branded as the embellishments of preachers. How far and different from that
are the researches which men now carry in the niceties of dialectics and
argumentation! The poet was right when he said:
Many are the roads, but truth is a single path,
And those who tread this way
are few;
They pass unrecognized, their goal unknown,
While slowly and steadily they
press along.
Men do not know for what they
were created,
And most of them fail to see the path of truth.
In short, most men incline toward the line of least
resistance and pursue what is most agreeable to their nature, because truth is
better, its discovery difficult, its attainment hard, and its road rough,
especially as it pertains to the knowledge of the qualities of the heart and to
its purification from blameworthy traits. It is a continual
200
source
of torment to the spirit; he who pursues it is like the person who takes his
medicine and bears its bitterness in the hope of being cured, or like the man
who fasts throughout his life and suffers all the rigors involved in order to
enjoy breaking his fast after death. Yet when was this path ever popular or
attractive? For this reason there were in al-Basrah one hundred and twenty
speakers engaged in preaching and warning, but of those engaged in the science
of religion (‘ilm al yaqin), the study
of the states of the heart and the qualities of the inner self, there were only
six,1 among whom were al-Tustari, al-Subayhi,2 and
‘Abd-al Rahim.3 To the former there always flocked a great and
numberless crowd, while to the latter only a small group which seldom exceeded
ten usually came. Valuable and precious things are not fit except for the
elite, and what is placed at the disposal of the mob is cheap.
Another
characteristic of the learned man is that he should rely in his studies on his
insight and understanding which enlighten his heart, rather than on manuscripts
and books, or the blind acceptance of what he hears from others. Only the
lawgiver, in what he has ordered and said and the Companions, whose deeds
testify that they received their knowledge from the Prophet, should be
emulated. Then when the lawgiver is emulated through the acceptance of his
words and deeds, care should be taken to understand their significance (sirr). The follower performs an act
simply because the lawgiver did it. But the lawgiver did not perform the act
except for some particular significance inherent in it. For this reason the
follower should diligently endeavour to determine the significance of those
deeds and words, because if he is satisfied with the mere retention of what he
hears he is a vessel of information and not a learned man. For this, reason it
was customary to describe a person who was given to the mere retention of
information in his memory, without ever thing to
1. Six in B, three in other copies.
2. Unidentified.
3. ‘Abd-al-Rahman according to B: unidentified.
Al-Ghazzali took these names, just as he had taken a great deal of the contents
of the Ihya’ from the Qut-al-Qutub of Abu-Talib al-Makki. see Qut-al-Qutub (Cairo,1351), Vol. II, p.
32.
201
familiarize himself with its significance and wisdom,
as one of the vessels of information. But he who would remove the veil from his
heart and would allow it to be flooded with the light of guidance would himself
become a leader to be emulated, and therefore should not blindly follow the
example of others. With this in mind ibn-‘Abbas said, “There is no one except
the Prophet whose knowledge is not sometimes followed and sometimes rejected.”
Thus although ibn-‘Abbas had received his knowledge of jurisprudence from Zayd
ibn-Thabit and had studied the Qur’an reading at the feet of Ubayy ibn-K‘ab,1
he later contradicted both in jurisprudence and Qur’an reading, respectively.
One of the Fathers said, “Whatever is handed down to
us on the authority of the Apostle of Allah we accept willingly, but what we
receive on the authority of the Companions we may accept and we may reject. It
is, however, a different story when we consider what we receive from the
followers (al-tabi’un), because they
were men like ourselves. The superiority of the Companions lie in the fact that
they witnessed the circumstances under which the Prophet had lived, and their
hearts were endued with the means of perception. Consequently their first hand
knowledge of these circumstances and their ability to perceive and understand
led them to that which is right in a manner beyond description. The light of
prophecy shone upon them to a degree sufficient to guard them, for the most
part, from error.
Furthermore if dependence on heresay is unsatisfactory
imitation, dependence on books and compositions are worse, because they are a
recent novelty, none of which existed during the time of the Companions and the
early days of the followers (al-tabi’un).
These books were all composed after the year 120 of the Hijrah (A.D. 738)
after the death of all the Companions and most of the followers, and after the
passing away of Sa‘id ibn-al-Musayyab (A.H. 94/A.D. 713),
1.
Famous Qur’an reader (ca. A.H.
32/A.D. 652-3). See ibn-Qutayba pp. 131-2; al-Fihrist,
p. 27, Shams-al-Din al-Jazari, Ghayat
al-Nihayah fi Tabaqat al-Qurra’, ed. Gotthelf Bergstrasser (Cairo, 1933);
Vol. I, pp. 31-2.
202
al-Hasan al-Basri (A.H. 110/A.D. 728), and the most
illustrious of the followers. In fact, the early Muslims disliked books of
traditions and disdained composition for fear that people would become
dependent on those works and thereby neglect to commit their contents to memory
and fail to read the Qur’an, meditate over its meaning and remember its
commands. On the contrary they said, “Commit to memory as we have committed.”
For the same reason Abu-Bakr as well as several of the Companions disliked the
idea of committing the Qur’an in writing in the form of a book saying, “How
shall we do what the Prophets did not do?” Fearing the dependence of the people
on the written copies of the Qur’an, the Companions first decided to leave the
Qur’an uncommitted to writing and have the people learn it from one another
through oral transmission so that they might have no other worry or concern.
Later, however, Hadrat ‘Umar and the other Companions, apprehensive of human
weakness and laziness and fearful that disagreements concerning a word or an
ambiguous (mutashabih) reading might
arise, and having no authoritative origin to consult, advised that it should be
committed to writing. Thereupon Abu-Bakr gave his consent and had the Qur’an
collected into one volume. Nevertheless, Ahmad ibn-Hanbal was critical of Malik
for compiling al-Muwatta’ and used to say, “He originated an
innovation by doing what the Companions did not do.”
It
has been said that the first person in Islam ever to compose anything was
ibn-Jurayj1 who wrote a book on history (al-athar) and the dialects of Qur’an (huruf al-tafasir) which he based on what he had heard from
Mujahid,2 ‘Ata, and the companion of ibn-‘Abbas at Makkah. Then came
the work of Ma‘mar ibn-Rashid al-San‘ani3 which was a compilation of
traditions embodying the customs of the Prophet. This was followed by the Muwatta’ of Malik and the Jami (corpus) of Sufyan al-Thawri.
During the fourth century (of the
1.
Abu-a’-Walid ‘Abd-al-Malik
ibn-‘Abi-al-‘Aziz (A.H. I50/A.D. 767). See ibn-Qutaybah,p.246; al-Fihrist, p. 216; ibn-Khallikan,
Vol. I, pp. 512-13.
2.
lbn-Jabr al-Makki
al-Makhzumi (A.H. 101/A.D. 722-23). See ibn-Sa‘d,
Vol. V, pp. 343-4.
3.
A.H. 153/A.D. 770. See
ibn-Qtaybah, p. 252. al-Fihrist, p. 94, Tahdhib al-Asma, pp.
569-70.
203
Hijrah1),
however, works on scholastic theology (kalam)
appeared while people engaged more and more in argumentation and
refutation. They developed a liking for debate and inclined to anecdotes and to
their use in preaching. Consequently the science of religion (‘ilm al-yaqin) began to disappear and
the science of the heart, research into the qualities of the soul, and the
study of the stratagem of the devil became rare and unknown. All but the very
few ignored them. Then it became the custom to call the arguing scholastic and
the story-teller, who embellished his words with rhymed prose, learned. This
was primarily because laymen made up their audience, laymen who could not
distinguish true knowledge from that which is false, while the acts of the
Companions and their learning were concealed from them and, therefore, they
were unable to refute these men with them. These men, as a result, continued to
enjoy the title ‘learned’ and the inheriting of such appellatives went on. At
the same time the science of the hereafter became forgotten, and the difference
between knowledge and disputation no longer known except to a select few who
were still able to say, whenever they were told that one person was more
learned than another, that the former was more teamed while the other was given
to mere distinguishing between knowledge and the ability to dispute and argue.
Thus did the science of religion wane during those early centuries; but how
about its condition at the present time? Things have come to a point where
anyone who would dare show his disapproval of the present state of affairs
would run the risk of being called insane. It is therefore better for man to
mind his own business and to hold his peace.
Another
characteristic expected of the learned man is that he be extremely careful not
to be swayed by novelties and innovations (muhdathat)
despite the fact that all might agree to follow them, or be deceived by the
universal acceptance gained by innovations which have sprung up since the days
of the Companions. On the contrary he should be diligent in studying the
conditions under which the Companions lived as well as their lives and works.
He should find out to what most of them were given, whether they devoted
themselves
1. A.D. 913-1010.
204
to teaching, writing, debate, law, government,
guardianship of mortmain properties (awqaf),
execution of wills (wasaya), devouring
the substance of orphans, keeping the company of rulers, and currying favour
with them or rather spent their lives in fear, sorrow (huzn), reflection (tafakkur),
self-mortification, observation of the outward conduct and the inner self,
abstinence from both minor and major sins, determination to ascertain the
hidden appetites of the soul and the stratagem of the Devil and the like in the
esoteric sciences.
You should know beyond the shadow of a doubt that the
most learned people of the time and those who are closest to the truth are
those who resemble the Companions the most and who are best acquainted with the
way of the early Muslims, because it were they who transmitted to us our faith
and religion. For this reason, to the charge that he had contradicted some one
by his actions, Hadrat ‘Ali replied, “The best of us are those who are most
persistent in following this faith.” Therefore no one should mind contradicting
the people of his day when he agrees with contemporaries of the Apostle of
Allah. Furthermore men are apt to rationalize whatever they may be doing
because of an instinctive disposition to do that thing, and their flesh does
not allow them to admit that therein lies their loss of Paradise. Consequently
they claimed that there was no access to Paradise except in the doing of it.
For this reason al-Hasan al-Basri, said, “Two innovations have appeared in
Islam: A man of bad judgment who holds that Paradise will be the reward only
for those who see eye to eye with him, and a man of luxury and extravagance who
worships this world; it is the source of all his dissatisfactions and the
fountainhead of all his pleasures; he seeks nothing besides. Reject, therefore,
these two for they are doomed to Hell fire. The average man finds himself
hounded by a sybarite who beckons him to the luxuries of this world on the one
hand, and by a faddist (sahib hawa) who
calls him to follow his whim on the other hand: but Allah has saved him from
both. Aspiring to be like the righteous fathers he inquires about their deeds
and follows in their footsteps. thus qualifying himself for a great reward. Be,
therefore, likewise.”
A tradition has been related on the authority, of
ibn-Mas‘ud
205
with its chain of authorities going back to the
Prophet (musnad), and according to
another version stopping short of the Prophet (mawquf), that the Prophet said, “Of all things, two are best: the
word (kalam) and faith (huda). The best word is the word of
Allah (kalam Allah), and the best
faith is the faith of the Apostle of Allah. And beware of innovations because
of all things, they are the worst. And every innovation is a heresy, while
every heresy is a sin. Verily the end will not be delayed lest you harden your
hearts. Verily whatever was ordained is now impending, and whatever was not
ordained will not occur.”1
In the course of his sermon, the Apostle of Allah
said, “Blessed is he whose concern for his own faults keeps him from meddling
with the faults of others, lives on money which he obtained without sin,
associates with the learned and the wise, and shuns the people of wickedness
and vice. Blessed is he who humbles himself, whose nature has been refined and
whose heart has been reformed, who avoids inflicting evil upon men. Blessed is
he who acts in accordance with his knowledge, who gives away the surplus of his
substance and who withholds whatever is superfluous when he speaks, who lives
within the law and does not overstep its bounds by introducing innovations.”
Ibn-Mas‘ud used to say, “At the end of time good faith
is better than much work.” And again, “You are now in a time wherein the best
among you is he who is quick in the execution of affairs, but you will come
upon a time wherein the best will be the cautious and deliberative, because of
the abundance of misleading things.” Truly he spoke the truth because any one
who does not at the present time stop and think, but follows the crowd and does
what they have done, will perish as they have perished.
Hudhayfah
said, “Strange as it may seem, accepted practices of today are the taboos of a
day gone by, and the taboos of today are the accepted practices of a day yet to
come. As long as you know the truth and your learned men belittle it not, you
will continue to
1. Ibn-Majah, Intro., 7:2.
206
prosper.”
Truly he spoke the truth, because most of the accepted practices of the present
time were taboos during the days of the Companions. Thus among the accepted
practices of our time are decorating and furnishing the mosques, and expending
great sums of money on their ornate construction and fine rugs which were then
considered innovations. These were introduced by the pilgrims, since the early
Muslims seldom placed anything on the ground during prayer. Similarly
disputation and debate are among the most honoured disciples of the day and are
numbered among the best meritorious works (qarubat);
nevertheless they were among the taboos at the time of the Companions. The
same is true of the chanting (talhin) of
the Qur’an and the call for prayer, going to excess in matters of cleanliness
and being over fastidious in matters of ceremonial purity, ruling clothes
unclean on petty and far-fetched grounds, and, at the same time, being lax in
ruling foods lawful and unlawful as well as many other like things.
Ibn-Mas‘ud said the truth when he declared, “You are
now in a time wherein passion is harnessed by knowledge, but there will come a
time wherein passion will have priority over knowledge.” Ahmad ibn-Hanbal used
to say, “They have discarded knowledge and followed strange things. How little
is their learning! Verily Allah is our help.” Malik ibn-Anas said, “In times
gone by people were not in the habit of looking into things as they do
nowadays, nor did the learned men ever say that such a thing was lawful (halal) and the other unlawful (haram). But I have heard them say that
one thing was desirable (mustahab) and
the other undesirable (makruh). In
other words they used to consider the degree to which one thing was desirable
and the other undesirable, while the question of unlawfulness never arose,
because the sinfulness of the unlawful was evident and clear.
Hisham
ibn-‘Urwah1 used to say, “Do not ask the people of this day what
innovations they have originated, because they have prepared an answer for
that; rather ask them concerning the usage of
1.
Ibn-al-Zubayr (A.H. 146/A.D.
763). See ibn-Khallikan, Vol. III,
pp. 132-4.
207
the Prophet for they are ignorant of it.” It was also
the custom of Abu-Sulayman al-Darani to say, “No one who had been inspired with
something good should attempt to carry it out until he finds its confirmation
in the traditions of the Companions. Let him then give praise unto Allah for He
has approved his intentions.” This he said, because every innovation, before
its inception, strikes the ear and takes hold of the heart and cause it to deem
error as truth. To conceal that, man summons the testimony of tradition to his
aid. For this reason, when Marwan1 introduced the pulpit (minbar) into the sanctuary (al-musalla)2 at the time of the feast service,3
Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri4 approached him saying, “O Marwan! What is
this innovation?” Marwan replied, “This is not an innovation. On the contrary
this is better than the practice you advocate because the crowd has become very
big, and I desire to have my voice reach all of them.” But Abu-Sa‘id objected
saying, “By Allah you will never do anything better than the things I know and
advocate. By Allah I shall not follow you in prayer today.” Abu-Sa‘id
disapproved of the action of Marwan because the Apostle of Allah used to lean,
during the sermon of the feast and the prayer for rain (al-istisqa), against a bow or a cane but not against a pulpit.5
Thus we read in the famous tradition, “Whoever will introduce an alien element
into our religion, the same is an evil man.”6 In another tradition
we have, “The execration of Allah and all the angels is upon him who will
deceive my people.” It was then asked, “O Apostle of Allah! Who will deceive
1.
Fourth Umayyad caliph (A.H.
64-5/A.D. 683-5).
2.
A place of prayer outside the
town and mainly in cemeteries. Following the Prophet it was customary to hold
the service of the two feasts (al-idayn),
namely al-Fitr and al-Adha, in such musallas.
See al-Bukhari, al-‘idayn: 6.
3.
Either al-Fitr or al-Adha. The
pulpit, as a part of the equipment of the mosque goes back to Muhammad (S.A.W.)
himself who raised such a pulpit in A.H. 7/A.D. 628-9; see ibn-Sa‘d, Vol.II, Pt. 2, pp. 9-13. For the innovation of Marwan,
see al-Bukhari, al-‘idayn: 6.
4.
Sa‘d ibn-Malik ibn-Sinan (A.H.
74/A.D. 693-4). See ibn-Qutaybah p. 136; Tahdhib
al-Asma’, pp. 723-4.
5.
Cf. al-Bukhari, Istisqa’ : 1, 7, 18; Muslim, Istisqa’ : 1-3: abu-Dawud,
istisqa’ : 7; ibn-Majah, Salah,
86:5.
6.
Cf. abu-Dawud, al-Sunnah: 5.
208
your
people?” The Apostle replied, “He who will introduce an innovation and will
lead men to follow it.”1 The Apostle also said, “Verily Allah had an
angel who cries out daily saying, ‘He who violates the sunnah of the Apostle of Allah will not enjoy the benefit of his
intercession’.”2 The relation of him who transgresses against
religion by introducing into it innovations contrary to the sunnah to him who commits an offence is
like that of him who rebels against the king and attempts to destroy his
government to him who disobeys the sovereign in one particular service. The
offence of the latter may be pardoned but not that of the former.
One of the learned men said, “To ignore what the Fathers have discussed is insolence, and to discuss what they have ignored is ostentatious.” Another learned man said, “Truth is not a light matter: He who oversteps its bounds, transgresses; he who falls short of it, fails; and he who aligns himself with it, is satisfied.” The Prophet said, “Follow the middle position to which the high is levelled down and the low is levelled up.” lbn-‘Abbas said, “Error is sweet to the hearts of its followers.”
Allah said, “Quit those who make their religion a
sport and a pastime.”3 And again, “Shall he, the evil of whose deeds
are so tricked out to him that he deemeth them good, be treated like him who
seeth things aright?4 Thus everything which has been introduced
since the time of the Companions, beyond the demands of need or necessity, is
nothing but sport and pastime
It
has been related that the Devil (Iblis)5 sent his soldiers out at the time of
the Companions, but they returned to him distressed. Thereupon he asked them
what the matter was, to which they replied, “We have never seen the like of
these men; we cannot make any headway against them and they have worn us out.”
The Devil then said, “Verily you will not be able to overcome them, because
they accompanied their Prophet and witnessed the revelation of their Allah. But
there will come after them another group against whom you will
1. Unidentified. 2.
Unidentified.
3. Surah, VI:
69. 4.
Surah, XXXV: 9.
5. From Gr. Six Boyos.
209
prevail.”
When the followers (al-tabi‘un) came
along the Devil sent his soldiers out again among them, but they returned to
him disappointed and said, “We have not seen anybody more amazing than these
men. We trap them into one sin after another but at the end of the day they
begin to beseech the forgiveness of Allah and He answers their prayers and
changes theirs sins into good works.” The Devil replied, “You will never
prevail over these men because of the integrity of their belief in the unity of
Allah and their obedience to the sunnah of
their Prophet. But after them will come others who will delight your hearts.
You will play with them as you wish, and will lead them by the reins of their
passions as you please. If they will ask for forgiveness of Allah He will not
grant their request; nor will they repent so that Allah might change their sins
into good works.”
And so after the first century (of the Hijrah) there came another group of men among whom the Devil kindled
passions, and so tricked out to them their innovations that they deemed them
lawful, and set them up as their religion. They neither asked the forgiveness
of Allah nor repented from their sins. Consequently their enemies prevailed
over them and led them anywhere they desired.
The question may be asked, how did the person who
related this know what the Devil had said especially since no one has seen the
Devil or talked with him? Then you shall know that those whose hearts have been
sanctified have the secrets of heaven made known to them either by inspiration
(ilham) which dawns upon them from
where they know not, or by actual vision (al-ru‘ya
al-sadiqah) in their sleep, or in
their wakefulness, which unfolds to them the mysteries through the
contemplation of types (amthilah), just as in sleep. This is the highest
rank, and is one of the high ranks of prophecy, just as actual vision is one
part of forty-six parts of prophecy.
Beware, therefore, lest your share of this knowledge
be the denial of whatever falls beyond the limits of your own finite mind,
because therein the proud and boastful learned men who claim that they have
encompassed all intellectual knowledge have met their doom.
210
In fact ignorance is better than a mind which calls
for the denial of such things to the saints of Allah. For he who denies the
saints such things is of necessity compelled to deny and reject the Prophets
and will, therefore, be completely outside the pale of religion. In this
connexion one of the gnostics (‘arif un) said,
“Verily the abdal have vanished from
the earth and have concealed themselves from the world, because they cannot
stand the sight of the learned men of the time who in the opinion of the abdal are ignorant of Allah, but in
their own opinion and in the opinion of the ignorant are deemed learned.”
Sahl al-Tustari said, “Indeed one of the greatest sins
is to be unaware of ignorance.” To watch the life of the crowd and hear the
words of the foolish are easier (to the abdal) than all the babel of the so-called
learned.
Furthermore
no words of any learned man who has pursued this world should be heeded; on the
contrary whatever such a man would say should be questioned, because every man
would pursue what appeals to him and would reject whatever does not agree with
his desire. For this reason Allah said, “Obey not the man whose heart We have
made careless of the remembrance of Us, who followeth his lusts, and whose ways
are unbridled.”1 The trespassing laymen are happier than those who
are ignorant of the path of religion but believe that they are learned. For the
trespassing layman admits his shortcomings, asks Allah for His forgiveness, and
repents of his sins, while the ignorant man who regards himself learned
addresses himself to those branches of knowledge which will serve him as means
whereby he will be able to gain this world through the path of religion. He
neither repents of his sin nor asks the forgiveness of Allah, rather he
persists in his sin until death. And since that prevails on most men, except
those who have been rendered infallible by Allah, so that all hope of reforming
them has disappeared, the safest thing for the cautious man of religion is to
seek seclusion (‘uzlah) and solitude
(infirad). This will be discussed in the Book on Seclusion.
1. Surah, XVIII: 27.
211
For this reason Yusuf
ibn-Asbat wrote to Hudhayfah al-Mar‘ashi1, “What do you think of one
who has not yet been able to find anyone to join with him in the praise of
Allah who is not a criminal and companionship with him is sin?” In others words
Yusuf ibn-Abas was not able to find any congenial company; and he was right,
because the company of people is never free of backbiting and gossip or the
necessity of overlooking evil. The best that the learned man can do is either
to benefit others by his knowledge or to benefit himself by the knowledge of
others. Had this poor man but realized that it was not possible for him to
impart any benefit without its being tainted with the blemishes of hypocrisy
and the desire of wealth and position, he would have known that the receiver of
his benefit is bent on making it a means for gaining this world and an
instrument for evil. In that case he would be his aid and accomplice, an
auxiliary who would provide him with his tools and instruments. He would be
like the merchant who would supply the brigands with their swords. For
knowledge is like the sword, its proper use is in the service of good as the
proper use of the sword is in the execution of raids (ghazw). Consequently no merchant is justified in selling his
swords to men from whose conditions he can tell that they will employ his
merchandise to carry out their highway robberies.
These, then, are twelve of the characteristics of the learned men of the hereafter, each one of which represents several of the qualities of the early learned men. Be, therefore, one of two things: either a man who possesses these qualities, or a man who, while acknowledging them admits his failure to live up to them. But never be the third: one of neither possesses these qualities nor admits his failure. Otherwise you will confuse yourself and regard religion only as a means of securing the luxuries of this world, and will liken the lives of the wicked to those of the versatile learned men. Your ignorance and rebellion will land you into the midst of those who are doomed to destruction and despair. We seek refuge in Allah against the deceit of Satan through which many have perished, and we ask to Allah to vouchsafe that we become one of those who are not deceived by this world, nor moved to deny Allah because of their conceit.
1.
A.H. 207/A.D.822; see al–Sha‘rani. Vol I, p.53.
212
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