theQaryah - 2- Knowledge

Selected Readings by Topic from

The Authentic Portion of al-Imaam as-Suyootee’s
Short Encyclopedia of Hadeeth Extracts and the Supplement He Added to it

English translation along with brief explanatory notes

2- Knowledge{1}

🔊 Notes:

{1} In the introductory remarks for the explanation of Kitaab al-‘Ilm (the Chapter about Knowledge) in Saheeh al-Bukhaaree, al-Imaam al-Haafith ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy upon him) remarked, “Knowledge in this context refers to knowledge about Islaam’s teachings, which enables every individual who is responsible before Allaah for his own actions to know about what the directives of his religion require of him in terms of his acts of worship as well as his interactions with others; and to know about Allaah, Allaah’s attributes, and all that is obligatory towards Allaah in terms of complying with His directives and exalting Him above all imperfections. All of that revolves around Tafseer (knowing the Qur’aan’s meanings), Hadeeth (knowing what has been narrated from the Prophet Muhammad, may Allaah mention him with commendation and grant him protection), and Fiqh (understanding the directives of Islaam from its texts).”

References: Fath al-Baaree, before no. 59.

2.01- Virtues of knowledge, those who impart it, and those who acquire it

سَلُوا اللهَ علمًا نافعًا وتعوَّذوا بالله من علم لا ينفع.

[2.01-(01)] “Beseech Allaah{1} for knowledge that is beneficial{2} and seek refuge with Allaah{3} from knowledge that is not beneficial.”{4}

🔊 Notes:

{1} The instruction to “beseech Allaah” shows the necessity of seeking from Allaah everything that is to one’s benefit, since a person will not truly acquire such things unless Allaah grants those to him and guides him to all that assists him in attaining them.

{2} “Knowledge that is beneficial” can be understood to mean all that benefits a person in matters of his religion, matters of this world, or matters of the hereafter. As for some of the important books that can assist a person in that regard, a pertinent comment was made by al-Imaam ath-Thahabee (may Allaah have mercy upon him) in which he said, “We implore Allaah for beneficial knowledge. Do you know what beneficial knowledge is? It comprises knowledge that descended in the Qur’aan, knowledge that was explained by Allaah’s Messenger through his words and actions (may Allaah mention him with commendation and grant him protection), and knowledge that has not been prohibited. Allaah’s Messenger (may Allaah mention him with commendation and grant him protection) said, ‘If a person is averse to my Sunnah, he is not from me.’ Therefore, my dear brother, you must be diligent in contemplating the Book of Allaah, and in carefully studying Saheeh al-Bukhaaree, Saheeh Muslim, and Sunan an-Nasaa’ee, as well as the two books Riyaad as-Saaliheen and al-Athkaar which are both by an-Nawaawee. When you do that, you would succeed and attain your objectives.” An-Nawaawee is an alternate pronunciation of an-Nawawee, may Allaah have mercy upon him and upon all the scholars of Islaam.

{3} The instruction to “seek refuge with Allaah” shows the necessity of seeking Allaah’s protection against everything that is to one’s detriment, since a person will not truly be protected from such things unless Allaah grants him protection against those things and guides him to stay away from them.

{4} “Knowledge that is not beneficial” can be understood to mean all that does not benefit a person in matters of his religion, matters of this world, or matters of the hereafter. This could refer to types of knowledge that cause harm in any of those realms, and it could also refer to knowledge of what is correct that is not accompanied by acting in compliance with it.

References: at-Tanweer: 6/408; Siyar A‘laam an-Nubalaa’ 19/340; Murshid Thawil-Hijaa 22/403; Saheeh al-Jaami‘, no. 3635; Siraaj, no. 239.

مَن يُرِدِ اللهُ به خيرًا يُفَقِّهْهُ في الدين.

[2.01-(02)] “When Allaah wants much good for any person, He grants that person understanding of the religion.”{1}

🔊 Notes:

{1} This means that Allaah blesses the person to be knowledgeable about the Qur’aan and Sunnah, and to have sound understanding of their meanings. It is that knowledge and understanding which enables a person to properly know Allaah, traverse the correct path that leads to Him, and worship Him in the way that He prescribed. Genuine understanding is that which first takes root in one’s heart and is then professed by one’s tongue, it produces reverential fear of Allaah within oneself, and it also induces using one’s limbs to act in compliance with the knowledge that one has been granted. In all situations, a person with this type of understanding makes his primary focus what ultimately leads to the best outcome in the hereafter.
The Arabic word rendered into English as “understanding” in our translation of this hadeeth is “fiqh”, and a person who has “fiqh” is referred to in Arabic as a “faqeeh.” In that regard, it would be useful to note that it was authentically narrated from al-Hasan al-Basree (may Allaah have mercy upon him) that he said, “The faqeeh is indeed none besides the individual who shifts his primary focus away from this world, remains desirous of the hereafter, has insight into the directives of his religion, and remains constant in worshipping his Lord.” (See Sunan ad-Daarimee, no. 302, ed. ad-Daaraanee).

References: at-Tanweer 6/61, 9/415, 10/431; Mirqaatul-Mafaateeh, no. 200; Saheeh al-Jaami‘, no. 6611; Siraaj, no. 261.

مَن يُرِدِ اللهُ به خيرًا يُفَقِّهْهُ في الدين، وإنما أنا قاسِمٌ واللهُ يعطي، ولن تَزالَ هذه الأُمَّةُ قائمةً على أمر الله، لا يَضُرُّهم من خالَفَهم، حتى يأتِيَ أمرُ الله عز وجل.

[2.01-(03)] “When Allaah wants much good for any person, He grants that person understanding of the religion.{1} I am indeed merely someone who apportions, whereas Allaah is the One who grants{2}. Furthermore, the people of this Ummah{3} will continue to be established upon the directives that Allaah prescribed. They will not be harmed in that regard by those who oppose them, all the way until the command of Allaah{4} – the Almighty and Most Majestic – eventually comes.”

🔊 Notes:

{1} Explanation preceded in the notes for the previous hadeeth [2.01-(02)] regarding the initial portion of this hadeeth: “When Allaah wants much good for any person, He grants that person understanding of the religion.” Some additional points to note about this phrase are that it shows that much goodness lies in striving to attain understanding of the religion that Allaah prescribed; and it further shows that acquiring understanding not only requires effort from an individual, it also requires having the gates to knowledge and understanding opened for the individual by Allaah. In that regard, refer also to our translation and notes for “Two Very Short Arabic Poems About Studying Islaam” by our teacher, the esteemed scholar, ash-Shaykh Muhammad ‘Alee Aadam (may Allaah have mercy upon him).

{2} One explanation for the phrase “I am indeed merely someone who apportions, whereas Allaah is the One who grants” is with respect to knowledge. In other words, the Prophet (may Allaah mention him with commendation and grant him protection) conveys the knowledge of Allaah’s directives to everyone while Allaah alone is the One who grants people the ability to comprehend that knowledge, contemplate its meanings, deduce rulings from it, and act in compliance with it. Another explanation for the phrase is with respect to types of wealth such as inheritance, charity, war spoils, and things of a similar nature. In other words, the Prophet (may Allaah mention him with commendation and grant him protection) distributes those things as he is instructed by Allaah, and he neither gives to anyone nor withholds from anyone merely according to his own opinion. Hence, people should not feel displeased or upset within their hearts due to disparities in that regard because it was done according to the instructions given by Allaah.

{3} The expression “the people of this Ummah” in the hadeeth refers to a group of individuals among the Ummah, as mentioned in other authentic ahaadeeth similar to this one. That group of individuals is comprised of those who have knowledge of Islaam and who hold the correct ‘aqeedah (unwavering beliefs) found in the Qur’aan and authentic Sunnah, as understood by the foremost generations of Islaam.
Al-Imaam al-Bukhaaree has a section heading in his Saheeh collection (before no. 7311) in which he said, “Section: the statement of the Prophet (may Allaah mention him with commendation and grant him protection), ‘A group among my Ummah will prevail in remaining established upon the truth’,” and al-Imaam al-Bukhaaree said immediately afterwards, “and they are ahlul-‘ilm (the people who have knowledge).” In addition, al-Imaam at-Tirmithee – who was a direct student of al-Imaam al-Bukhaaree – narrated in his Jaami‘ (commonly referred to as Sunan at-Tirmithee, after no. 2192) that al-Imaam al-Bukhaaree stated that his teacher, al-Imaam ‘Alee ibn al-Madeenee (may Allaah have mercy upon all of them), had said about the aforementioned group among this Ummah, “They are as-haab al-hadeeth (the people who remained in the company of the hadeeth of Allaah’s Messenger, may Allaah mention him with commendation and grant him protection).” Similar remarks have been narrated from various early leading scholars of Islaam.

{4} “The command of Allaah” in this hadeeth refers to a wind that will come just prior to the end of this world and it will seize the soul of every individual alive at that time who has any eemaan in his heart. After that, only the worst of people will be left and that will be when the Final Hour takes place.

References: Fath al-Baaree, no. 71, 3116, 7311-7312; Mirqaatul-Mafaateeh, no. 200; Saheeh al-Jaami‘, no. 6612; Siraaj, no. 262.

الخير عادةٌ والشرُّ لَجَاجَةٌ، ومَن يُرِدِ اللهُ به خيرًا يُفَقِّهْهُ في الدين.

[2.01-(04)] “Good is continually accepted by the soul{1} while bad is resisted by the soul{2}; and when Allaah wants much good for any person, He grants that person understanding of the religion{3}.”

🔊 Notes:

{1} The phrase “good is continually accepted by the soul” conveys the idea that good things are what the soul – by default – repeatedly returns to and is keen to attain. It also conveys that good is to be accepted by the soul through consistently training the soul to remain that way; and if a person does not have goodness as part of his nature, he must make himself accustomed to saying and doing what is correct according to Islaam’s teachings in order for that to be what his soul becomes accustomed to and continually finds acceptable.
Some scholars have also explained this phrase to mean that good things and the truth from Allaah are always readily accepted by the soul of a person who has genuine eemaan (i.e. holds sound beliefs and performs righteous deeds). Such a person remains steadfast in doing what is dictated by taqwaa (fulfilling Allaah’s commands and avoiding His prohibitions). As a result, that person’s heart and sound intellect would continually accept goodness and truth from Allaah, and that acceptance would be the person’s constant practice.

{2} The phrase “bad is resisted by the soul” conveys the idea that bad things are what the soul should seek to repel from itself and reject. Thus, the soul should feel averse to them, and it should always put up resistance against its own disobedient inclinations as well as the promptings from shaytaan to engage in things that are contrary to Islaam’s teachings. A point that some scholars have noted is that the Arabic term “lajaajah” – which we chose to express in English here as “resisted by the soul” – is related to the Arabic term “lujjah” – waves of the ocean, in this context – which refers to the most perilous element of the ocean. The usage of this term can be understood here to convey the idea that the Prophet (may Allaah mention him with commendation and grant him protection) was strongly cautioning his followers against letting down their resistance, due to the immense danger that lies in becoming accustomed to bad things and being accepting towards them, and Allaah knows best.
Some scholars have also explained the phrase “bad is resisted by the soul” to mean that falsehood and bad things are rejected by the soul of a person who has genuine eemaan. As a result, such things would only end up entering the person’s heart due to the opposition he faces from the disobedient inclinations of his own soul, as well as from shaytaan; and, all the while, the person would continue putting up opposition of his own by resisting those influences and not accepting what they prompt him to do.

{3} “Understanding of the religion” essentially entails understanding the words of Allaah and His Messenger (may Allaah mention him with commendation and grant him protection). That understanding is what leads a person to observe taqwaa (i.e. protect himself from the hellfire by fulfilling Allaah’s commands and avoiding his prohibitions), and observing taqwaa ultimately leads a person to Jannah. See also explanation that preceded in the notes for [2.01-(02)] and [2.01-(03)] regarding the last phrase of this hadeeth.

References: at-Tanweer 6/61; Murshid Thawil-Hijaa 2/267; Mashaariq al-Anwaar al-Wahhaajah 4/309; Saheeh al-Jaami‘, no. 3348; Siraaj, no. 234.

إنما العلم بالتعلُّم، وإنما الحِلم بالتحلُّم، ومن يتحرَّ الخيرَ يُعْطَهُ، ومن يتقِّ الشرَّ يُوقَهُ.

[2.01-(05)] “Acquiring knowledge indeed only comes from putting in the effort to acquire it{1}; acquiring forbearance indeed only comes from putting in the effort to acquire it{2}; when a person endeavours to attain good things, he will be granted them{3}; and when a person endeavours to protect himself from bad things, he will be protected from them{4}.”

🔊 Notes:

{1} “Acquiring knowledge indeed only comes from putting in the effort to acquire it.” Thus, what is considered true knowledge is nothing besides what is attained by way of learning from Allaah’s Messengers and the scholars who are their inheritors. Knowledge does not come about without learning from the sources of Allaah’s directives.

{2} “Acquiring forbearance indeed only comes from putting in the effort to acquire it.” In other words, being forbearing does not come about without urging oneself to be that way, and struggling with one’s soul to embody that quality. Forbearance dictates that when a person has anything happen to him contrary to what he likes, he is to restrain himself from any sort of behaviour that is prohibited by Islaam’s teachings. Forbearance requires knowledge, perseverance, deliberateness, and verifying the accuracy of information. Some of the scholars have commented that no two things combined are better than being pardoning combined with being able to exact retribution; and the finest form of forbearance is that which is exercised when one is in a position if being able to exact retribution from others. Some scholars have also remarked that no two features when put together are better than forbearance along with knowledge, and the worst way in which any type of person can lack any feature is for a person who has knowledge to lack forbearance.

{3} “When a person endeavours to attain good things, he will be granted them.” In other words, when Allaah knows that His servant genuinely wants what is good and he is diligent in seeking to attain it, Allaah will grant that to him since all good lies in Allaah’s hand.

{4} “When a person endeavours to protect himself from bad things, he will be protected from them”, meaning that the person would not need more than the protection that Allaah grants, and Allaah would suffice him in that regard. In addition, a remark that could perhaps be cited in relation to this hadeeth was made by ibn Taymiyyah (may Allaah have mercy upon him) in the context of using words of supplication from the Sunnah rather than ones that are invented. He commented that “it is necessary for an intelligent individual to be diligent in following the Sunnah in that regard; and for anything he thinks to be good out of all the types of things people have invented and claimed to be part of Islaam, he should substitute what is of a similar type from the Sunnah. That is because when a person endeavours to attain good things, he will be granted them; and when a person endeavours to protect himself from bad things, he will be protected from them.”

References: at-Tanweer 4/185; Rawdatul-‘Uqalaa’, p. 197, 202; Iqtidaa’ as-Siraat al- Mustaqeem 2/270; Saheeh al-Jaami‘, no. 2328; Siraaj, no. 231.

طَلَبُ العِلْمِ فَرِيضةٌ على كل مسلم.

[2.01-(06)] “Seeking knowledge{1} is obligatory for every Muslim{2}.”

🔊 Notes:

{1} This entails knowledge about Allaah, our Maker; knowledge about the message brought by His Prophets; and knowledge about prayer and other similar things that are obligatory for every individual who submits to Allaah in Islaam. In other words, it includes the knowledge that is imperative for an individual to have, and which he cannot do without. This is the best explanation given for what knowledge here refers to, and Allaah knows best. In that regard, refer also to our translation for the abridgement of al-Imaam al-Aajurree’s book “The Knowledge of Islaam that is Obligatory to Acquire.”

{2} The “Muslim” (i.e. someone who submits to Allaah in Islaam) was mentioned here because he is someone who accepts and complies with the directives of Islaam that Allaah prescribed. As for someone who does not fit that description, Allaah still wants such a person to accept His religion, and then put all that ensues from it into practice. One of the ensuing things is seeking the aforementioned knowledge.

References: at-Tanweer 7/131, 7/133; Saheeh al-Jaami‘, no. 3913; Siraaj, no. 242.

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