The Quran believes in the respect and equality of all human kind but it announces the superiority of the

class of educated people. The Quran says: Are the educated and uneducated equal? In Sura The Heifer the Quran declares the superiority of Adam in these words: And He taught Adam, the names of all things; then He placed them before the angels and said: Tell me the names of these if you are right. They said: Glory to Thee: of knowledge we have none save Thou hast taught us, in truth it is Thou who art perfect in knowledge and wisdom. (2:30-32). The angels and Satan failed in the test of knowledge. Hence the vicegerency was assigned to Adam. Knowledge made him superior to all creatures. The first word of the revelation deals with the importance of knowledge. In Sura Al-Alaq it is said: Read in the name of thy Lord who created. There is another verse of the Holy Quran asking the Prophet (P.B.U.H) to pray: Lord increase my knowledge. The importance of knowledge is manifest at different places in the Quran. The Quran says that we send the Prophets to teach people wisdom. It further says that only the people of knowledge fear God. In Sura Heifer the Quran says: But the best of provisions is right conduct so fear me, O ye that are wise. (2:197).

The Arabic word Olilalbab (The men of mind), has been used in the Quran maintaining that the verses of the Quran are for the men who cogitate. The animals share humans in sex and stomach. They do not share the humans in intellect. The humans are superior to the animals because of the mind. If we negate the element of rationality from human they are nothing more than cattle and chattel. The Quran time and again says: Why dont you meditate. Hence we see that the Quran is a Book of wisdom and exhorts to pick up the glistening pearls of wisdom. Besides the Quranic emphasis on education we find many sayings of the Holy Prophet on this subject. A drop of sweat of the brow of a thinker is better than the thousand blood drops of the martyr, is a famous Hadith of the Holy Prophet. The Prophet further said: Attain knowledge from the cradle to the grave. Then the Prophet said: Acquire knowledge even if you have to travel to China. In another Hadith the Prophet said: Acquiring of knowledge is obligatory to every Muslim male and female. The Holy Prophet once issued the orders of release of those prisoners of war who could teach

the Muslim children. Hazrat Ali, in his book entitled Nehjul Balaga emphatically stressed on the significance of knowledge saying that the one who cognizes his Self, cognizes his Lord. In a poem Hazrat Ali has beautifully portrayed the significance of knowledge saying: The beautiful dress does not reflect beauty. The beauty is the beauty of knowledge and morals. The one whose father dies is not an orphan, The real orphan is he who brings bad name to his tribe.

Islam believes in the mastery of matter and mind. In Surah Al-Jathiya in verse # 13 the Quran says: For you (God) subjected all that is in the heavens and on the earth, all from Him. Behold! In that are signs for people who reflect. The message of God makes us to ponder over the natural objects. It is a scientific enquiry and research, which are made obligatory. The Greek philosophers gave importance to abstractions. Their method of inquiry was deductive. The Muslims introduced the Inductive method, which is analytical and scientific. Dr. Maurice Bucaille in a book entitled, The Bible, The Quran and Science proves that Islam is a scientific religion emphasizing on the need of scientific inquiry.

There are four gates of knowledge, Perception, Intellect, Intuition and Revelation. Perception deals with five senses and enhances material research. It provides us information on the matter and the properties of matter. Scientists use this method. Philosophers, Logicians and Jurists use intellect to solve the problems. The mystics and poets are endowed with the boon of intuition. The Prophets have been given the special and chosen duty of reformation through the gift of revelation. Islam ordains to use all these methods for the benefit of humankind. The antonym of Ilm (knowledge) is Jehl (ignorance). The Quran at a place says that turn your back to the ignorant. It means that we should not strike our head with the stony walls of illiteracy and ignorance rather we should educate the uneducated lot. An eminent

Muslim political thinker Al-Mauwardi in his book entitled The leadership and Politics writes that four characteristics are essential for a Muslim ruler or leader, Knowledge, Piety, Justice and Administration. Eminent British philosopher Bertrand Russell in his book entitled Education and Social Order writes that tolerance is the first step towards learning. The real knowledge makes us tolerant, civilized and rational. In Islamic jurisprudence no one can become Faqih (Jurist) without sound intellectual background. Whether some one is a scientist, a ruler, a leader or a jurist, knowledge is the basic requirement for these positions. Islamic conception of education teaches us to be the master of matter and mind to serve the human kind.

Generally speaking, the Arabic word for knowledge is 'ilm, which, in most cases, indicates to Islamic knowledge or matters related to Shereeah (Islamic Law). Although, some of the Quranic verses in this article refer to Islamic knowledge, yet they are general in their meaning, and thus can be used to refer to learning in general. The importance of education is a none disputable matter. Education is the knowledge of putting one's potentials to maximum use. One can safely say that a human being is not in the proper sense till he/she is educated. This importance of education is basically for two reasons. The first is that the training of a human mind is not complete without education. Education makes man a right thinker. It tells man how to think and how to make decision. The second reason for the importance of education is that only through the attainment of education, man is enabled to receive information from the external world; to acquaint himself with past history and receive all necessary information regarding the present. Without education, man is as though in a closed room and with education he finds himself in a room with all its windows open towards the outside world. This is why Islam attaches great importance to knowledge and education. When the Quran began to be revealed, the first word of its first verse was 'Iqra' that is, read. Allah says, (what means): "Read! In the Name of your Lord Who has created (all that exists). He has created man from a clot (a piece of thick coagulated blood). Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous. Who has taught (the writing) by the pen. He has taught man that which he knew not" [Quran, 96: 1-5]

Education is thus the starting point of every human activity. Allaah created man and provided him with the tools for acquiring knowledge, namely hearing, sight and wisdom. Allaah says (what means): "And Allaah has brought you out from the wombs of your mothers while you know nothing. And He gave you hearing, sight, and hearts that you might give thanks (to Allaah)" [Quran, 16:78] A knowledgeable person is accorded great respect in many prophetic narrations. Because of the importance of knowledge, Allaah commanded His Messenger to seek more of it. Allaah says (what means): "and say: `My Lord! Increase me in knowledge" [Quran, 20:114] The Prophet made seeking knowledge an obligation upon every Muslim, and

he explained that the superiority of the one who has knowledge over the one who merely worships is like the superiority of the moon over every other heavenly body. He said that the scholars are the heirs of the Prophets and that the Prophets, may Allaah exalt their mention did not leave behind any money, rather their inheritance was knowledge, so whoever acquires it has gained a great share. Furthermore, the Prophet said that seeking knowledge is a way leading to Paradise. He said: "Whoever follows a path in the pursuit of knowledge, Allaah will make a path to Paradise easy for him." (Al-Bukhaari) For example the Quran repeatedly asks us to observe the earth and the heavens. This instills in man a desire to learn natural science as well. All the books of Hadeeth have a chapter on knowledge. In Saheeh Al-Bukhaari there is a chapter entitled "The virtue of one who acquires learning and imparts that to others." Islam calls us to learn all kinds of beneficial knowledge. Branches of knowledge vary in status, the highest of which is knowledge of Sharee'ah (Islamic Law), then other fields of knowledge, such as medicine, etc. This is the knowledge (Sharee'ah) with which Allaah honoured His Messenger ; He taught it to him so that he might teach it to mankind: "Indeed, Allaah conferred a great favour on the believers when He sent among them a Messenger (Muhammad) from among themselves, reciting unto them His Verses (the Quran), and purifying them (from sins by their following him), and instructing them (in) the Book (the Quran) and Al-Hikmah [the wisdom and the Sunnah of the Prophet (i.e. his legal ways, statements and acts of worship)], while before that they had been in manifest error" [Quran, 3:164] How great importance is attached to learning in Islam, can be understood from an event in the life of the Prophet . At the battle of Badr in which the Prophet

gained victory over his opponents, seventy people of the enemy rank were taken prisoner. These prisoners of war were literate people. In order to benefit from their education the Prophet declared that if one prisoner teaches ten Muslims how to read and write, this will serve as his ransom and he will be set free. We can freely say that this was the first school in the history of Islam established by the Prophet himself with all its teachers being non-Muslims. Furthermore, they were all war prisoners. On the one hand Islam places great emphasis on learning, on the other, all those factors which are necessary to make progress in learning have been provided by Allaah. One of these special factors is the freedom of research. One example of it is that in Makkah, the birthplace of the Prophet Afterwards the Prophet dates were not grown. migrated to Madeenah, the city of dates. One day the

Prophet saw that some people were atop the date trees busy in doing something. On being asked what they were engaged in, they replied that they were pollinating. The Prophet suggested them not to do so. The following year date yield was enquired them of the reason. They told suggested them to

considerably very low. The Prophet

him that the date crop depended on pollination. Since he

do otherwise, they had refrained from that. The Prophet then told them to go on doing as they used to, and that, "You know the worldly matters better than me." (Al-Bukhaari) Also we should know that there is no goodness in knowledge which is not confirmed by actions or words which are not confirmed by deeds, Allaah the Almighty says (what means): "O you who believe! Why do you say that which you do not do? Most hateful it is with Allaah that you say that which you do not do" [Quran, 61: 2-3] Knowledge brings a great reward. The one who points the way to something good is like the one who does it. When the knowledgeable person dies, his reward with Allaah does not cease when he dies, rather it continues to increase so long as people benefit from his knowledge. The Prophet said: "When a man dies, all his deeds come to an end except for three an ongoing charity, beneficial knowledge or a righteous child who will pray for him." (Muslim) On other side, a person without knowledge is like someone walking along a track in complete darkness. Most likely his steps will wander aside and Satan can easily deceive him. This shows that our greatest danger lies in our ignorance of

Islamic teachings in the first place and in our unawareness of what the Quran teaches and what guidance has been given by the Prophet .

On the other hand, if we are blessed with the light of knowledge we will be able to see plainly the clear path of Islam at every step of our lives. We shall also be able to identify and avoid the dangerous paths of disbelief, Shirk (associating with Allaah) and immorality, which may cross it. And, whenever a false guide meets us on the way, a few words with him will quickly establish that he is not a guide who should be followed. Knowledge is pursued and practiced with modesty and humility and leads to dignity, freedom and justice. The main purpose of acquiring knowledge is to bring us closer to our Creator. It is not simply for the gratification of the mind or the senses. It is not knowledge for the sake of knowledge. Knowledge accordingly must be linked with values and goals. One of the purposes of acquiring knowledge is to gain the good of this world, not to destroy it through wastage, arrogance and in the reckless pursuit of higher standards of material comfort. Six etiquettes of learning lbn Qayyim Al-Jawziyyah said: "There are six stages to knowledge:

Firstly: Asking questions in a good manner. Secondly: Remaining quiet and listening attentively. Thirdly: Understanding well. Fourthly: Memorising. Fifthly Teaching. Sixthly- and it is its fruit: Acting upon the knowledge and keeping to its limits." Conclusion According to Quranic perspective, knowledge is a prerequisite for the creation of a just world in which authentic peace can prevail. In the case of countrys disorder or war the Quran emphasizes the importance of the pursuit of learning, Allaah says (what means): "Nor should the believers all go forth together: if a contingent from every expedition remained behind, they could devote themselves

to studies in religion, and admonish the people when they return to them - that thus they (may learn) to guard themselves (against evil)." [Quran, 19:122]

Islamic Conception of Knowledge

One of the distinctive features of Islam is its emphasis on knowledge. The Quran and the Islamic tradition (sunnah) invite Muslims to seek and acquire knowledge and wisdom and to hold men of knowledge in high esteem. In the Holy Quran the word al-Ilm, knowledge, and its derivatives are used more than 780 times. The first few verses that were revealed to our Holy Prophet (SAW) mention the importance of reading, pen, and teaching for human beings: Read: in the name of your Lord who created. He created man from something which clings. Read and your Lord is the most generous. Who taught with pen. Taught man what he knew not..." (96:1-5) In the Islamic traditions, too, there are many words of praise for knowledge and the learned.
Traditions attributed to the Holy Prophet (SAW) in this regard, some of which are quoted below:

It is an obligation for every Muslim to seek knowledge. Seek knowledge even if it be in China. Seek knowledge from cradle to grove. Scholars are the heirs of the prophets. The ink of the learned will be weighed with the blood of the martyrs on the Resurrection Day; and then, the ink of the learned would be preferred to the blood of the martyrs. Anyone who pursues a course in search of knowledge, God will ease his way to paradise. The most learned of men is the one who gathers knowledge from others on his own; the most worthy of men is the most knowing and the meanest is the most ignorant. Acquire knowledge, it enables its possessor to distinguish right from wrong; it lights the way to heaven. O you who carry knowledge around with you; are you only carrying it around with you? For surely knowledge belongs to whoever knows and then acts accordingly, so that his action corresponds to his knowledge. There will be a people who will carry knowledge around with them, but it will not pass beyond their shoulders. Their inner most thoughts will contradict what they display in public, and their actions will contradict what they know. Do not turn your knowledge into ignorance and your surety into doubt. When you acquire knowledge then act in accordance with it and when you achieve surety then proceed with it. Knowledge is accompanied by action. Thus he who knows acts in accordance with it. Knowledge is called through action. Thus if called it responds and if left uncalled it leaves. The lowest form of knowledge is the one which (only) appears upon the tongue while the loftiest is the one made manifest by the organs and the limbs. Verbal Knowledge is of the least value, while practical knowledge is of the highest. The more knowledgeable the man, the more valuable the man. The most complete gift of God is a life based on knowledge. Knowledge gives life to the soul. Knowledge creates fear of God. Practice makes knowledge perfect. The one who engages in business without knowledge of its laws is inevitably dragged into usury. Two types of people will never be satiated, the seeker of knowledge and the seeker of this world. The best companion is satisfaction while knowledge is a noble heritage. Good morals are renewable garments and thought is a clear mirror. There is no virtue in your possession of excessive wealth and offspring rather virtue and merit are (awarded) by greater knowledge and insistence and by your devotion to your Lord.

Some Wise Sayings of Imam Ali (AS) in this regard, which are quoted below:

When a dead person is placed in his grave, four kinds of fire will cover him, but then the prayer will come and put one of them out, and the fast will come and put another one of them out, and then charity will come and put another one out, and knowledge will come and put the forth one out, and it will say: If I had come sooner, I would a have put all of them out, and given you delight for I am with you now, and you'll not see anything else distressing. When Allah wishes to humiliate a person He prevents him from gaining knowledge.

Knowledge is better than Wealth because of the following seven reasons: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Knowledge is inheritance of Prophets while wealth is inheritance of Firauns (Pharaohs). Knowledge does not diminish (rather increases) with spending, while wealth diminishes with spending. Wealth requires to be protected, while knowledge protects its owner. Knowledge will enter the Kafan (Shroud) while wealth will be prevented from doing so. Wealth reaches both believers and unbelievers (Kafir), while knowledge is reserved only for those who are worthy of it. Knowledge will facilitate passing over the Seraat (Bridge over Hell) while wealth will pore hurdles. People are always in need of scholars while they might not be in need of those possessing wealth. Knowledge is a shield, truthfulness is might, ignorance is abasement, understanding is glory, generosity is success, good behavior causes friendship, he who has knowledge about his time, ambiguous things do not attack him. Whoever attacks a matter without knowledge cuts off his own nose. Verily, knowledge is a lock and its key is the question. Allah does not accept any act without knowledge, there is no knowledge without act, so whoever knows, knowledge leads him to act, and whoever does not act gets no knowledge, but belief is a little of a little. Enough for the fear of Allah is knowledge and enough for self-importance is ignorance. Indeed, the most knowledge of all men in Allah is the most satisfied of them with death.

Some Wise Sayings of Imam Jafar Al-Sadiq (AS) on knowledge:

Explanation of one of the famous Hadith of the Holy Prophet (SAW):

Acquisition of knowledge is incumbent on every Muslim. 1.

2. 3. 4.

Accordingly, the tradition intends to state that at whatever stage of knowledge one May be, he should strive to make further advance. The Prophet means that acquisition of knowledge is obligatory for all Muslims, scholars as well as ignorant men, beginners as well as learned scholars. Whatever stage of knowledge man may attain, he is still like a child entering into adulthood i.e. he should learn things which were not obligatory for him earlier. The tradition implies that a Muslim can never be relieved of his responsibility of acquiring knowledge. No field of knowledge or science is undesirable or detestable in itself; for knowledge is like light and so it is always desirable. The reason that some of the sciences have been regarded as "undesirable" is because of the undesirable effects they produce. The knowledge which is incumbent on every Muslim to acquire is the one that elevates man's position in the next world, and that which brings him the knowledge of his self, his Creator, prophets, messengers of God, elite of Islam, signs of God, doomsday, and whatever causes proximity of God or divergence from the Almighty's way. The levels of acquisition of this knowledge differ from person to person in accordance with their talents, and even in the case of a particular person, the level of attainment changes with his evolution. Therefore, there is no limit to the acquisition of this type of knowledge, and no matter what level one reaches, it is still incumbent on him to attain a higher level (this of course depends on his capacity and patience too).

5.

Is there are two types of knowledge's "religious" and "non-religious"?

In most of the Quranic verses and the Islamic traditions the concept of Ilm (knowledge) appears in its absolutely sense, as can be seen from examples given below:

Say: Are those who know and those who do not know alike? (39:9) (God) taught man what he knew not (96:5) It has been a subject of fundamental importance from the early days of Islam as to which kind of knowledge Islam recommends; is there any specific kind of knowledge to be sought? Some well-known Muslim scholars have counted as praise-worthy only those branches of knowledge which are directly connected with religion. As for other types of knowledge they hold the view that it is up to the community to decide which of them are essential for the sustenance and welfare of the community. We believe that there can be no restriction on the acquisition of knowledge, and, if there were any limitations of this kind, our Holy Prophet (SAW) would have mentioned them. We do not approve the classification of sciences into "religious" and "non-religious". As the Martyr Professor Murteda Mutahhari has rightly pointed out, such classifications may entail the misconception that the "nonreligious" sciences are alien to Islam, and this seems incompatible with the universality of Islam. The religion which claims to bestow full felicity upon mankind. A religion that considers itself self-sufficing cannot estrange itself from the issues which play a vital role in securing welfare and independence for the Islamic society. According to the late Mutahhari: "Islam's comprehensiveness and finality as a religion demands that every field of knowledge that is beneficial for an Islamic society be regarded as a part and parcel of the 'religious sciences'" Some Quranic verses and the Prophet's traditions are explicit in pointing out that knowledge does not mean only learning the principles and laws of the religion. Holy Quran verse: And certainly We gave knowledge to Dawood and Sulaiman, and they both said: Praise be to Allah, Who has made us to excel many of His believing servants. And Sulaiman was Dawood's heir, and he said: O men! we have been taught the language of birds, and we have been given all things; most surely this is manifest grace. (27:15-16) We see that Sulaiman (AS) considers knowing the language of birds as a divine blessing or grace. Holy Prophet (SAW) sayings: Seek knowledge by even going to China, for seeking knowledge is incumbent on every Muslim. Wisdom is the believer's lost property therefore, wherever he finds it, he deserves more than anyone else to have it. Imam ali (AS) sayings: Wisdom is the lost property of believers, then seek it even if it be with polytheists, because you deserve to have it more than they do. Grasp wisdom from whoever offers it to you, see what is said not who Says it.

All these sayings indicate that acquisition of knowledge is not confined to learning the principles and laws of religion, because it is quite obvious that China in those days was not the center of theological studies, but it was famous for its industry. Moreover, it is clear that the laws and principles of Islam could not be learnt from atheists or polytheists. Another reason for believing that 'desirable' knowledge is not confined to theological studies or the Shari'ah laws dealing with permissible and forbidden is the invaluable heritage itself left by Muslim scholars of the first few centuries after Hijrah. It is also confirmed by contemporary historians that Muslim scholars have been the torch bearers of science for many centuries, and their works were used as text books in Europe for several hundred years. In fact, a major reason why Muslim scholars assimilated the scientific heritage of other nations was that they did not see any conflict between the goals of science and religion, and were convinced that both religion and science aimed to demonstrate the unity of nature which in turn is an indication of the Unity of its Creator. It was for this very reason that theology and rational and physical sciences made up a conjoint discipline to be taught in theological schools and mosques. Hence we may conclude that the word Ilm as it occurs in the Quran and Sunnah appears in its generic sense rather than referring exclusively to religious studies. On this ground it can be said Islam has only discourage Muslims from preoccupying themselves with any pursuit of such branches of knowledge whose harm is greater than their benefit (like magic and sorcery and games of chance used for gambling). The relevant sayings of the Prophet (SAW) may be noted: The best fields of knowledge are those which bring benefit. O God! Benefit me through knowledge that You have bestowed on me, teach me whatever would benefit me, and increase my knowledge. Imam Ali (AS) is related as having said: There is no good in knowledge which does not benefit. Knowledge is too immense in scope for anyone to be able to learn all of it. So learn from each science its useful parts. There is no division of opinion on the necessity of acquiring knowledge relevant to religious studies. Accordingly, we shall abstain from any further discussion of the subject. Instead, it is worthwhile to concentrate on the question of necessity of learning other sciences in the view of the Quran and Sunnah. In this regard there are a number of arguments which we shall take up immediately. 1- If knowledge of a science is a prerequisite to the attainment of Islamic goal as imaged by the Shari'ah, its pursuit is an obligation (Wajib) since it entails the preliminary condition for fulfillment of a duty prescribed by the Shari'ah. For example, the physical welfare of individuals in an Islamic society is necessary, hence it is a "Wajib kifa'i" for the Muslims to study medicine. Some are of the opinion that in this context the duty to learn any specific science depends on the need of the society for it. For example, in our day, in order to succeed in large scale agriculture or commerce, specialized knowledge of these subjects is necessary. Accordingly, it is a Wajib kifa'i for Muslims to specialize in these fields. Evidently, if Muslims are to restrict their learning's to what has already been established in other countries, in other words, to be satisfied with the minimum of their scientific requirements, they will never

be able to beat the non-Muslim world in scientific progress. 2- The society envisioned by the Quran is an independent society of majesty and magnificence, not one submissive to and dependent on the unbelievers, as can be seen from this verse of the Quran: "...and Allah does not grant the unbelievers any way (of domination) over the believers." (4:141) In order to realize this goal set by the Quran, it is essential that the Islamic society should have cultural, political and economic independence; this in turn necessitates training of specialists of high caliber in every field and creation of the necessary scientific and technical facilities in Islamic societies. It is clear that one of the reasons of decline of Muslim societies in the recent centuries is that they left the study of those sciences to others which they themselves deserved to study most and made themselves dependent on others.
Is worshipping God is only through prayers, fasting and so on?

And I have not created the Jinn and the men except that they should serve Me. (51:56) And that you should serve Me; this is the right way. (36:61) Therefore, the main objective of man should be seeking proximity to God and attaining His consent; and his activities should be focused in this direction. Anything that brings about this proximity or guides in that direction is praiseworthy. Thus knowledge is useful only if it is an instrument for obtaining knowledge of God, and His pleasure and proximity; otherwise knowledge itself is an inscrutable veil (Hijab-e-Akbar), whether it is linked with the sciences of nature or the sciences of the Shari'ah. It is obvious that worshipping God is not only through prayers, fasting and so on. In fact, any move in the direction of proximity to God is considered as worship. One of the means to help man in his way towards God is knowledge, and of course it is only in this case that knowledge can be considered valuable. By the help of knowledge a Muslim can gain proximity to God in various ways and manners. First of all, he can increase his cognition of God. Our great Prophet (SAW) is related as having said: God can be worshipped and served by means of knowledge; bliss in this world and Hereafter comes through knowledge; and adversity of this world and Hereafter lies in ignorance. Secondly, he can effectively help in the advancement of Islamic society and realization of Islamic goals: A tradition has been quoted from our great Prophet (SAW): Should death occur to a man who is learning knowledge with the purpose of reviving Islam, his position in paradise will be (only) one stage below (that of) the prophets. Thirdly, he can guide other people. It is reported from our dear Prophet (SAW) as having said: God will patronize my successors. He was asked. Who are your successors? He answered, those who revive my traditions and teach them to God's servants. Fourthly, he can solve many problems of human society, Our great Prophet (SAW) is quoted as having said: All People are God's family. Among them, God's favorites are those who are more useful to His family. The knowledge employed in the above mentioned ways is deemed to be useful; otherwise, it would not

have any real value: "This is because Allah is the truth and that which they call upon besides Him is the falsehood." (31:30) "And the word of Allah is the highest." (9:40) Our great Prophet (SAW) is related as having said: He who learns knowledge for other than God, and his aim be other than God, will abide in fire (hell). One whose knowledge increases but his salvation does not keep pace with it, his remoteness from God increases. Any knowledge not helping man on his way to Allah is similar to the load of books carried on the back of a donkey. As Martyr Dr. Beheshti puts it: Any area of knowledge as long as it does not become an instrument in the hands of Taghut (non God or anti God) is a means of enlightenment; otherwise knowledge may also become a means of misguidance. The only limit set to the acquisition of knowledge in Islam is that Muslims should seek useful knowledge. Our great Prophet (SAW) is reported as having said: My Lord, save me from the useless knowledge. Any knowledge helping man in performing his God assigned role in this world is useful, o

t is related from Anas ibn Malik in al-Bukhari that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Among the signs of the Hour are the disappearance of knowledge, the establishment of ignorance, the drinking of wine and the appearance of fornication." Abu Hurayra was heard to relate from the Prophet, "Knowledge will be taken away, ignorance and sedition will appear, and there will be a lot of killing." The first of these signs of the deterioration of humanity and approaching end of time is the disappearance of the knowledge which we are commanded to seek in words of Allah, "Say: Lord, increase me in knowledge." (20:114) The importance of knowledge and its consequences is expressed throughout the Qur'an: "Only His slaves who have knowledge fear Allah," (35:28) and "Only those with knowledge will understand it," (29:43) and "And they say, 'If only we had listened or used our intellects we would not have been among the people of the Blaze." (67:10) The list of ayats about this

goes on and on. Without knowledge you will not fear Allah and will not understand, and hence are likely to end up in the Fire. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "If Allah desires good for someone, He gives him understanding in the deen. Knowledge is gained through learning." Abu Dharr pointed to his neck and said, "If you were to put the sword here and I thought that I could finish one sentence which I heard from the Prophet before you finished me, I would say it." 'Ali stated, "Knowledge is better than riches, for knowledge guards you while you guard riches. Knowledge governs while riches are governed. Riches diminish with spending but knowledge increases with it." The people of knowledge are 'the heirs of the Prophets', as the Messenger of Allah said. He also said, "Wisdom adds honour to the noble and exalts the slave until he attains to the level of kings." He also said, "A single faqih is more formidable to Shaytan than a thousand worshippers." This is because the one with knowledge can distinguish between the halal and the haram, and see the perils and machinations of Shaytan and thus avoid the traps he sets. But you must take care with knowledge. Knowledge can be a dangerous thing. Knowledge can be confused with information and knowledge can be misused. Hammad ibn Salama, who was thought to be one of the Abdal, said, "Whoever utters hadith for the sake of other than Allah is deceived by it." A commentator pointed out that knowledge can deceive him because knowledge is like the ferocious lion and hadith is the core of knowledge. This lion can only be overcome through the help of Allah by having fear of Allah and sincere intention. Even if you overcome the lion, you must still be alert because if you ignore and neglect it, it will become unsubmissive. Then the lion will attack its owner and kill him. So knowledge is a dangerous creature requiring great caution and care. This is reflected in what the Prophet said which is reported in al-Bukhari, "Allah will not take away knowledge from His servants, but knowledge will be taken away as the men of knowledge are taken away until there is not a single man of knowledge left. Then people will take ignorant men for their leaders who will be asked something and will give a fatwa (decision) without any knowledge. They will go astray and lead others astray." This does not mean that they do not have libraries of tafsir, hadith and commentaries. Other hadiths and sayings of the Prophet describe people who know the Qur'an by heart, but do not know what it means or what it says. Their knowledge is in the books and on the tongues, and not in the heart or on the limbs.

Abu'd-Darda' related that he heard the Prophet say, "Allah revealed to one of the Prophets, 'Say unto those who study fiqh for a purpose other than the deen and to those who acquire knowledge for a purpose other than that of acting according to it, that they appear before people in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravening wolves. Their tongues are sweeter than honey, but their hearts are more bitter than colocynth. They act deceitfully against Me and scorn Me. I will confront them with temptations which would confound even the wise." Ibn Mas'ud stated, "The Qur'an was revealed in order that men may direct their lives according to its teaching. But instead you have made it your life work." Abu Allah ibn 'Ata' said, "Knowledge is dependent upon acting on it." It is just as Imam ash-Shafi'i said, "Knowledge is not what is memorised. Knowledge is what benefits." In other words, that which has results. Hence we can see that knowledge must entail action. 'Umar b. al-Khattab asked Ka'b who the lords of knowledge were. He replied that they are those who act according to what they know. The goal of Muslim knowledge is to seek the pleasure of Allah and to create and maintain an environment in which one can act without hindrance for the pleasure of Allah, worship Allah as He should be worshipped, and follow the commands of Allah and avoid the things He has prohibited. It is exceedingly difficult to put one's knowledge into practice if one is drowning in a sea of usury, bereft of any leadership to show one which way to swim, let alone how to get out. Hence the neccessity of recognising the destructive and haram nature of usury and the fact that amirate is necessary to help implement action by knowledge. Action is necessarily wider than the sphere of the individual. It is also important not to turn Islam into a private religion and divorce it from the arena of political and social action - as the Reformation ultimately did to Christianity by demolishing the political unity of Christendom and replacing it with the nebulous area of private conscience. In fact, this modern Reformationist trend is attempting to insinuate itself into Islam along with the view that if one's private spiritual state is sound - or seems to be sound - then there is no pressing need to carry the business into the social arena. This results in complacency and a gradual weakening of Islam, an erosion of its natural economic, political and social thrust. What was once a small crack soon becomes a vast chasm. Allah says, "You have a good model in the Messenger of Allah." (33:21) The word which Allah uses for model is "uswa" which means an example or exemplar and the root of the word also carries a connotation of healing and consolation. The healing in the root of the word "asa" is a surgical healing. The healing involved is of a surgical

nature. It is cutting away the source of the poison to heal the body. The body in this case is the Muslim Umma which is failing to act upon what it knows. Or indeed, it is failing to act because its so-called leaders are stifling real action and many aspiring leaders are directing people in the wrong direction. The Muslim Umma is definitely a body which is in need of healing. The question is: where is one to find it? The answer is: in the model of behaviour shown by the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, which continued to be practised in Madina where the bulk of Companions were located. 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar said, "When a sedition occurs, if people would only refer the business to the people of Madina, and if they agree on something, then the business would be right. But when a dog barks, people follow it." This is because, as we said, hadith is a lion. The jurist 'Abdullah ibn Wahb said, "The hadith misguide people other than the men of knowledge. If it had not been for Malik and al-Layth, I would have been lost.' He was asked, "How is that?" He replied, "I knew a lot of hadiths and it confused me. I used to present them to Malik and al-Layth and they would say, 'Take this and leave that.'" Hence the stress on following those who KNOW what is meant by the hadith and whether it is acted upon in a general manner or not. 'Umar ibn al-Khattab said, "I forbid by Allah, the Mighty, the Exalted, that a man relate a hadith of action different from it," i.e. than what the practice ('amal) of Madina was. Malik ibn Anas said, "The men of the people of knowledge among the Tabi'un reported hadiths which had been conveyed to them from others and they said, "We are not ignorant of this, but the past action is other than it." Ibn Mahdi said, "Often I will have many hadiths on a particular subject but will find the people of the Suffa, the people of Madina, following something contrary to it. Therefore those hadiths become weak in my opinion." Ibn al-Mu'adhdhil said, "I heard a man ask Ibn Majishun, 'Why did you relate the hadith and then leave it?' He replied, 'So that it will be known that we left it with full knowledge of it." It is worth noting that none of the various seditions and sects which developed did so in Madina because they applied this criterion. The process which they followed is described in a letter of Malik ibn Anas to al-Layth ibn Sa'id: "After he (the Prophet) was gone, the people followed those from among his community who were given authority after him. When something happened to them that they had knowledge about, they carried it out. If they did not have knowledge of it, they asked about it and then took the strongest of what they found concerning the matter in hand through ijtihad helped by recentness of their contact (with the Prophet).

If someone opposed them or said something else which was stronger than the ruling they had made and better than it, they left the former and acted upon the latter. "Then the Tabi'un after them travelled this Path and followed those sunan. Since the business in Madina was outward and acted upon, I have not seen anyone who opposed it because of the inheritance they had received which no one is allowed to plagiarise or lay claim to. If the people of other cities had begun to say, 'This is the action which is in our city and this is what happened in it from those before us, they would not be certain about that." Part of this Path is to be extremely careful about rushing to declare something unlawful (haram): Malik said, " Nothing is harder for me than when I am asked a question about the halal and the haram because this is absolute in the judgement of Allah. I met the people of knowledge and fiqh in our land and if one of them was asked such a question, it was as if death were dearer to him. But I see the people of this time desiring to discuss it and give fatwa. If they had understood what it is that they are heading for Tomorrow, they would have done little of this. As for 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, 'Ali and the best of the Companions, and the best generation to whom the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was sent, when questions came to them, they would gather together the Companions of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and ask. Then and only then would they give a fatwa on it. The people of our time now pride themselves in their fatwas and the knowledge they have. It was not the business of the people nor of those who passed away before us who are followed and on whom Islam is based to say, 'This is halal and this is haram,' but they would say, 'I dislike this' and 'I think this.' But as for the halal and the haram, this is inventing things against Allah" Malik also forbade arguing about the Deen. He said, 'Quarrelling and argument in matters of knowledge remove the light of belief from the heart,' and 'Disputation hardens people's hearts and brings about rancour.' Malik was asked, 'Should a man with knowledge of the Sunna argue about it?' He said, 'No. He should inform people about the Sunna if they will accept it from him. Otherwise he should remain silent.' This does not preclude active discussion of matters of fiqh for the sake of discovering the truth but it does exclude debate for the sake of debate because it leads to a hardening of positions in the heat of argument and condemning one's opponent out of hand. Al-Hasan al-Basri said, "Two innovations have appeared in Islam: a man of bad judgement who holds that the Garden will be the reward only for those who see eye to eye with him, and a man of luxury and extravagance who worships this world. .. Reject these two for they are doomed to the Fire."

So we have three types of people in respect of knowledge: - one who follows true knowledge and applies it; - one who seeks to satisfy his appetites, -and one who seeks to have people follow his opinions. Incidentally, Plato also puts mankind into these three classes according to the element of the soul which prevails in them. As far as truly useful knowledge is concerning, there is the following story of Hatim al-Asamm and the knowledge that he acquired from his teacher, Shaqiq al-Balkhi. It is reported that Shaqiq asked Hatim how long he had been with him. Hatim replied that it had been thirty-three years. Shaqiq then asked, "And what have you learnt during this period?" Hatim said, "Eight things." Shaqiq exclaimed, "We belong to Allah and to Him we return! I have spent my life teaching you and you have only learned eight things!?" Hatim stated, "I have learnt nothing else and I do not like to lie about it." Shaqiq said, "So tell what these eight things are then." Hatim replied, "I looked around and saw that everyone has something or someone he loves and with whom he remains until the moment he dies. Then they part. Therefore I made good actions the object of my love so that when my hour of death comes, that which I love will accompany me to the grave." Shaqiq said, "You have done well, Hatim. So what is the second thing you have learned?" Hatim said, "I reflected on the words of Allah, 'As for the one who fears the station of his Lord and holds his self back from passion, the Garden will be his dwelling-place.' (79:40-41) I know that what Allah said is the truth. Therefore I struggled with myself and strived to repel passion (hawa) until I was well settled in obedience to Allah. "As for the third point, I looked at people and found that everyone treasures and exalts whatever valuable things he has in his possession. Then I examined the words of Allah, "That which you possess will vanish and that which is with Allah will go on" (16: 98) I then began to give to Allah anything valuable which came into my possession so that it would remain in His preservation. "As for the fourth item, I looked around at people and saw that everyone places his trust in wealth, descent, honour and lineage. When I examined these things, I found them to be without substance. Then I considered the words of Allah, "Indeed the noblest of you in the sight of Allah is the one who has the most fearful awareness

(taqwa). (49:13) Therefore I devoted myself to fearful awareness of Allah so that I could have honour in the sight of Allah. "Fifthly, I looked at people and saw them slandering and cursing each other out of envy. Then I examined the words of Allah, "It is We who distribute the livelihood they have in the life of this world." (43:31) So I abandoned envy and I befriended people, knowing that one's portion comes from Allah. Therefore I no longer harbour enmity for people. "Sixthly, I saw men fighting each other and oppressing each other, so I turned to what Allah said, "Shaytan is an enemy to you, so take him for an enemy." (35:6) So I took shaytan alone to be my enemy and strove hard to be on my guard against him because Allah has testified that he is my enemy. Accordingly I ceased to hate anyone else. "The seventh thing was that I saw everyone running after their daily bread and debasing themselves and entering into all sorts of haram things to obtain it. Then I examined the words of Allah, " "There is no creature on the face of the earth but that its provision is Allah's responsibility." (11:8) I knew that I was one of those creatures whose provision is Allah's responsibility, so I occupied myself with what I owe Allah and left my property with Him. "The eighth thing was that I looked at people and saw that they all put their trust in something created - one in his estate, another in his wealth, another in his work and yet another in his physical health. They all put their trust in things which are created just as they are created. I referred back to Allah's words, ""Whoever puts his trust in Allah, He will be enough for him." (65:3) So I placed my trust in Allah and He is enough for me." Shaqiq exclaimed, "Hatim, may Allah make you prosper! I have studied the sciences of the Torah, the Gospel, the Psalms, and the Immense Qur'an and I have found that every variety of good and religion revolves around these eight things. Whoever practises them practises all four books."