Knowledge

God hath said, describing the servants (ulama): “Of those who serve God only the servants fear Him” (Qur’an, 35:25). The Prophet said: “To seek knowledge is obligatory on every Muslim man and woman.” He said, “Seek knowledge even in China.”

Hazrat Ali Hajveri (ra) has declared in Kashf-al-Mahjub, “All veils are the result of ignorance.” As soon as it is annihilated, they vanish, and the life is made equal in rank to the life hereafter.

Knowledge is immense, and life is short; hence, Muslims must learn all the sciences, such as Astronomy, Medicine, Arithmetic etc., so much as it is requisite for acting rightly to abstain from what is injurious. Allah condemns those who learn useless knowledge (Qur’an: 2-96). Hazrat Muhammad (SAW) said, “I take refuge with Thee from the knowledge that profiteth naught.” Knowledge should not be separated from action. Hazrat Muhammad (SAW) also said, “The devotee without divinity is like a donkey turning a mill” because the donkey goes round and round over its tracks and never makes an advance. Hazrat Ali Hajveri has quoted Abu ‘L-Sari’ Mansur b. Ammar, who has proclaimed

The whole humanity may be reduced to two types:

Hazrat Ali Hajveri (ra) has explained that following the worship of the former is discipline (riyadat) while following the latter is sovereignty (riyasat). The former must be occupied with self-development, while the latter shall become more involved with society and become a genuine leader. The former may practice devotion to attain a higher status in the eyes of Allah, while the latter has already achieved it. The first tool is ‘mujahida’, self mortification, and the second is ‘mushahida,’ contemplation.

A student may go through three stages on his way to knowledge:

A knowledge leader must not store knowledge and keep it tightly knotted to oneself, as narrated in The Kashaf-al-Mahjub about Hazrat Junaid Baghdadi (ra) that he was ordered by Hazrat Muhammad (SAW), “ O Junaid, speak to the people, for Allah hath made thy words the means of saving a multitude of mankind.” It reflects the importance of the dissemination of knowledge. A leader must be certain of their knowledge and deliver it with such a conviction that it may inspire contemplation in students, whether it concerns particular information about an object or a process.

Abu Abdullah Muhammad b. Ali Al-Timidhi, who is famous for his conversations with Khizr, has said, “Anyone ignorant of the nature of servantship (ubbudiyat) is yet more ignorant of lordship (rubbubiyat).” Knowledge of the nature of lordship depends on having the right principles of servantship and is not perfect without it. One must learn to follow before one intends to lead. The ultimate knowledge is the knowledge of Allah, and in order to reach that, people must free themselves from the contamination of worldly attributes.

Abu Bakr Muhammad b. Umar Al-Warq has classified knowledge leaders into three categories:

As such, the modern ranking could be distributed among teachers, government officials, and religious scholars. He explained, “When the divine are corrupt, piety and religion are vitiated; when princes are corrupt, livelihood is spoiled; and when the dervishes are corrupt, morals are depraved.” It creates a vicious cycle of corruption in the society. The corruption of divines rests in covetousness – longing for status and money; that of the princes in injustice, and that of dervishes in hypocrisy. When teachers lack piety, they also lack the right knowledge, and when they get associated with the rich and influential in society, they fall into the pit of lust, ensnaring religious scholars who lack faith and conviction. They all support cruelty and injustice, and the society begins to deteriorate. Only when knowledge leaders realize their responsibility will society flourish.

Abu` Bakr of Trimidh has said, “People who are unable to purify one’s heart and indulge in verbal discussion of knowledge (kalam) become heretics (zindiqs), and those who are concerned about the principles and laws (fiqh) but are unable to control their selves from violating it are the ‘wicked.’ They have the power of intelligence and passion, and they shall exploit it to gain worldly power and fame and mislead the followers”. Lack of positive religion and morality arises from negligence (ghaflat).

Yahya b Mu’`adh al-Razi has said, “Avoid the society of three types of men:

Negligent servants

those who have set their hearts on worldly gains and assist governors and tyrants. They are clever enough to seduce others in futile discussions, raising subtle points and attacking authorities of religion. Their job is to erase social discord and conflict, leading the truth to confusion. They are least bothered to reach a consensus. People who value themselves more than society are negligent; they are not deficient in knowledge but in embracing duty towards people.

The Hypocrites

Though they proclaim themselves to be the scholars of the Qur’an, they would only appreciate what has been according to their desire, even if it is evil, and blame everything that they dislike, even if it is beneficial, like the critics who often criticize Qur’anic laws on issues of polygamy, inheritance, or punishment awarded at disobedience of Laws. Their will lacks total submission to the will of Allah; their intellect lacks full comprehension of divine laws, and they do not merge well with Allah. Seeking always praise and distinction, they want to establish their unique identity.

Ignorant Pretenders

The people who have never been associated with a spiritual director (pir) nor learned a discipline from a Shaykh but without any experience have thrown themselves among the people and dare to tread the restrained path.

The Object of Knowledge

The object of knowledge should be to know God and His commandments. Knowledge of Time (ilm-e-waqt), and of all outward and inward circumstances of which the due effect depends on “time”, is incumbent upon everyone. This is of two types: Primary and Secondary. The external division of primary class consists in making the Muslim’s profession of faith; the internal division consists in the attainment of true cognition. The external division of secondary class consists in practice of devotion; the internal division consists in rendering one’s intention sincere. The outward and inward aspects cannot be divorced. The exoteric aspect of Truth without the esoteric is hypocrisy, and the esoteric without the exoteric is heresy. So with regard to Law, mere formality is defective, while mere spirituality is vain.

The knowledge of the Law (sharia’t) has three pillars

The Knowledge of Truth (Haqiqat) has three pillars

Knowledge of the Essence

involves recognition on the part of one who is reasonable and has reached puberty, that God exists externally by His Essence, that He is infinite not bound by Space, that his Essence is not cause of evil, that none of His creatures are like unto Him, that He has neither wife nor child, and That He is the Creator and Sustainer of all that your imagination and intellect can conceive.

Knowledge of the Divine

Attributes requires you to know that God has attributes existing in Himself, which are not He nor a part of Him, but exist in Him and subsist by Him, e.g. Knowledge, Power, Life, Will, Hearing, Sight, Speech, etc.

Knowledge of the Divine Actions

is your knowledge that God is the creator of mankind and all of their actions, that He brought the non-existent universe into being, that He predestines good and evil and creates all that is beneficial and injurious.

Knowledge of the Law

involves your knowing that God has sent us Apostles with miracles of an extraordinary nature; that our apostle Hazrat Muhammad (SAW), is a true messenger, who performed many miracles, and that whatever he has told us concerning the Unseen and the Visible is entirely true.

Further Links

Learn more about purpose of knowledge seeking: P | A | Beneito: The Time of Deeds and the Time of Spiritual Knowledge – Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi Society