asalamualikum...
*Who are the scholars and from whom should knowledge be taken?*
by *Shaykh Ahmed Muhammed Al-Munayee حفظه الله*
on Sunday, June 18, 2006
http://www.albaseerah.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1910
*The Virtue of Knowledge*
Indeed Allaah عز و جل has favoured knowledge. He سبحانه و تعالى has
mentioned the virtue of knowledge in His Book – the Noble Qur’aan and in the
Sunnah of His Messenger صلى الله عليه و سلم. He سبحانه و تعالى has also
mentioned the People of Knowledge. The Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم has
encouraged the acquisition of knowledge, and this is also found in the Book
where Allaah سبحانه و تعالى explains the station of the People of Knowledge
and their status. Allaah سبحانه و تعالى mentions in the Qur’aan:
يَرْفَعِ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنكُمْ وَالَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْعِلْمَ
دَرَجَاتٍ وَاللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ
*{…Allâh will exalt in degree those of you who believe, and those who have
been granted knowledge. And Allâh is Well-Acquainted with what you
do.}*[Al-Mujaadilah 58:11]
Allaah سبحانه و تعالى orders the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم to seek an
increase in knowledge:
وَقُل رَّبِّ زِدْنِي عِلْماً
*{…and say: "My Lord! Increase me in knowledge."}* [Taa Haa 20:114]
Also, Allaah سبحانه و تعالى poses a particular question when dealing with
the virtue of knowledge and the People of Knowledge, He asks:
قُلْ هَلْ يَسْتَوِي الَّذِينَ يَعْلَمُونَ وَالَّذِينَ لا يَعْلَمُونَ
*{…Say: "Are those who know equal to those who know not?"…}* [Az-Zumar 39:9]
This is a rhetorical question, meaning ‘no, they are not equal’.
The Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم said: *“Indeed for the ‘Aalim (scholar)
everything in the heavens and the earth seek forgiveness for him and the
fish in the sea, and the virtue of an ‘Aalim over the servant is like the
virtue of the moon on a full-moon night over the rest of the heavenly bodies
and the Scholars are the inheritors of the prophets and indeed the prophets
do not leave behind as inheritance dinaar nor dirhaam, they leave behind as
inheritance the knowledge, so whoever takes from it then he has grasped an
abundant fortune.”*[1] Collected by Abu Dawuud, At-Tirmidhi, ibn Maajah, ibn
Hibban, Haakim who authenticated it.
Ibn Hibban mentions that this is a clear explanation of the status of the
scholars in that they, and not other than them, are the ones who carry and
convey the knowledge of the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم. So, the scholars
then, are the inheritors of the prophets, and the knowledge that they
inherit is the knowledge of the Deen – knowledge of the Book and the Sunnah
of the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم and not the other types of knowledge.
There is an abundance of knowledge available, but what is intended in terms
of knowledge, and the acquisition that is encouraged is *knowledge that is
taken from the Book and the Sunnah* of the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم.
The Shaykh حفظه الله continues his discussion on knowledge by mentioning the
hadith from Muawiyah bin Abi Sufyaan رضى الله عنهما that the Prophet صلى
الله عليه و سلم said: *“Whoever Allaah wants for him good he gives him
understanding of the Deen.”* [2]
For those people who Allaah intends good for them, He gives them
understanding of the Deen, whereas for the *duniyaa* (present life), Allaah
سبحانه و تعالى give the *duniyaa* to those whom He likes as well as those
whom He dislikes. As for knowledge, He only gives it to those whom He loves.
We ask Allaah عز و جل to make us of those whom He loves.
>From Imaan Ahmad[3] in his Musnad from the hadith of Anas رضى الله عنه that
the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم said: *“Indeed the example of the scholars
in the earth is like that of the stars in the sky, one is guided by them in
the darkness of the land and the sea.”*[4]
The scholars are not all at one level but those who attribute themselves to
legal knowledge are on different levels and in different stages. A mistake
that should not be made is to deal with them as though they are all at the
same level because they are at various levels and different ranks regarding
their knowledge of the Book and the Sunnah and the concern that they have
for it and their fear of Allaah سبحانه و تعالى and the tranquility and
humility that they have. The aim here is to clarify their levels from the
perspective of their knowledge of the Book and the Sunnah.
*Levels of the People of Knowledge**Mujtahid al-Mutlaq* – Those absolute in
their *ijtihaad* (judgment).
The highest level of the People of Knowledge is the *mujtahid al-mutlaq*.
They are those who are absolute in their *ijtihaad* (independent opinion or
judgment) in the issues of Islaamic law. They are very well aware of the
different issues concerning our Deen. What distinguishes this group is that
they know the evidences for each issue from the statements of the Prophet
صلى الله عليه و سلم, the Sahaabah (companions) and those after them (from
the Salaf).
When looking at the situation that is presented to them, they consider the *
daleel* (evidence) that they have, and based on the evidence, they deal with
each particular situation as it presents itself. These are the
*mujtahidoon*(those that make
*ijtihaad*) *without exception*. They themselves are a source of references
for the Ummah. When difficulties arise, this is the group of scholars that
the Ummah returns to, in every time and place. This is the *mujtahid
al-mutlaq* – those who are absolute in the areas of *ijtihaad*, meaning that
they are not just restricted to only one aspect of learning.
--
Masjid Ahlul-Quraan wa As-Sunnah of New york
http://www.seekknowledge.org
http://www.albaseerah.org
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