قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: طَلَبُ الْعِلْمِ أَفْضَلُ عِنْدَ اللهِ مِنَ الصَّلَاةِ وَالصِّيَامِ وَالْحَجِّ وَالْجِهَادِ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ تَعَالَى. (فيض)
Rasūlullāh (sallallāhu alayhi wa sallam) said: “Acquiring knowledge is more superior with Allāh Ta‘ālā than [nāfilah] salāh, fasting, hajj and jihad in the path of Allāh.” (Munāwī Fayd al-Qadīr)
Rasūlullāh (sallallāhu alayhi wa sallam) said: “Acquiring knowledge is obligatory upon every Muslim.” The knowledge mentioned in this hadīth al-sharīf is Ilm-al-Hāl (concise knowledge about fiqh and aqīdah).
It is farḍ al-ayn (individual obligation) upon a person to learn what is necessary for them to fulfil religious and worldly duties. For instance, it is farḍ to learn how to perform wuḍū and salāh. If one intends to trade, they should learn the necessary Islamic trade knowledge so they will not commit harām and sign invalid contracts. If a person has some wealth, they need to know how much zakāt they must pay. If hajj is farḍ upon someone, they need to learn the essential rites of hajj and the method of its performance. Therefore, knowledge on these matters that each individual has to learn depending on his situation (hāl) is called ilm-al-hāl.
Allāh Ta‘ālā decreed that sharī‘ah would be in effect until the Day of Qiyāmah. And the continuation of ahkām (rulings) of Islam solely depends on people teaching and learning Islamic sciences. For that reason, it became farḍ for scholars to teach and for common people to acquire knowledge.
One day, Rasūlullāh (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) delivered a khutbah (sermon). He mentioned some groups of Muslims and praised them. After that, he said: “What is wrong with so and so tribes that they are not teaching the tribes near them the religious rulings they need to know? Why are they not enjoining the good and forbidding the evil? What is wrong with so and so tribes that they are not learning from those near them who have knowledge?
By Allāh, either these tribes teach their neighbours, enjoin them what is right and forbid them what is wrong, and their neighbours learn from them and follow their advice, or I will correct them through punishment.”
In a hadīth al-sharīf, Rasūlullāh (sallallāhu alayhi wa sallam) was reported to have said:
“Verily, Allāh does not withhold knowledge by snatching it away from His servants, but rather He withholds knowledge by taking the souls of scholars until no scholar remains and people follow ignorant leaders. They are asked, and they issue judgments without knowledge. Thus, they are led astray and lead others astray.”
July 26, 2024 Fazilet Calendar