When Knowledge is Taken Away from People

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate

Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

We are living in an age of religious celebrity status and people are being overly obsessed with the speakers to a point that they don't see anything except what they want to see. There is a great danger to this attitude.

We have to be careful from whom we take our knowledge or advice regarding the Deen.

The great Taabi’ee Muhammad ibn Sireen (D.110AH) said: “Indeed this knowledge is your religion, so look to whom you take your religion from.”

The individuals who ascribe themselves to giving da’wah, you must investigate them; where did they study and where did they take knowledge from and where did they originate and what is their aqeedah. It is a must that you look at their actions and their effects on the people and what good did they bring about, and what rectification came as a result of their actions. So their conditions must be studied before one is deceived by their statements or outward appearance.

Just because the speakers are popular that doesn't mean they have sound knowledge of Islam or that they are the same person you knew before they became popular. They may happen to be those who Allah has granted the ability to speak in public or in front of a camera. Often the sincere and qualified teachers are mostly hidden from the public eyes and they are the ones we should be seeking to learn our Deen. In matters of religion, we cannot take shortcuts and learn your Deen from Youtube, TV, public forums, quick masjid lectures, Islamic retreats or conventions. You have to start from the basic foundation level.

The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said:

Verily, Allah does not take away knowledge by snatching it from the people, but He takes it away by taking away (the lives of) the religious scholars till none of the scholars remains alive. Then the people will take ignorant ones as their leaders, who, when asked to deliver religious verdicts, will issue them without knowledge, the result being that they will go astray and will lead others astray.

[Bukhari and Muslim]

Imam Al-Qurtubi (rahimahullaah) stated in Al-Mufhim: ‘’This text (proves) that indeed the disappearance of knowledge will not be by way of removing it from the hearts (of the people); but (its disappearance) will be through the death of the scholars. (Then) the ignorant people will remain- those who will occupy the place of the scholars in the (field) of giving verdicts and teaching. They will teach and give verdicts based on ignorance, so ignorance will spread and become manifest.’’ [End of quote]

Then Abdullah Al-Bukhari (may Allah preserve him) said after the above quote: ‘’So if the ‘Sound Sunni knowledge’ is taken away, then acting upon it will be taken away...is that not the case? When ignorance manifests, acting upon it will become manifest; so both knowledge and acting upon (Knowledge) will disappear. Ignorance will manifest and acting upon (ignorance) will become widespread just as Imam Al-Qurtubi (rahimahullaah) clarified in Al-Mufhim.”

The hadith warns us against saying things that we are unsure of, or giving answers without any substance (or proofs) to sincere questioners. Doing so would 1) give wrong information to the questioner and 2) It would mean that we have an ego and pride by not wanting to say ‘I don’t know’. Beware of the hidden shirk.

We should strive and persevere in seeking sacred knowledge. Treasure the knowledge we have and don't forget it by practicing it and teaching it to others. It is important to have humility and respect for Muslim scholars and carriers of knowledge as well as to honor them.

Humility is the foundation of all sublime moral excellence. Its absence in any soul removes any other virtue from the believer except for the superficial qualities.

... وَعِبَادُ ٱلرَّ‌حْمَـٰنِ ٱلَّذِينَ يَمْشُونَ عَلَى ٱلْأَرْ‌ضِ هَوْنًا

The servants of the Rahman (the All-Merciful, Allah) are those who walk on the earth humbly, ...

[Qur'an, Al-Furqan 25:63]

May Allah grant us humility and make the path of knowledge easy for us and increase us in beneficial knowledge. Ameen.

Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wassallam.

And Allah knows best and He alone grant success.

Wassalaam