Khutba on Necessity of Knowledge

Audio

الحَمْدُ للهِ، الحَمْدُ للهِ الذي خَلَقَ الإِنْسانَ، وعلّمه القرءانَ والبيان، وأخرجه من ظلام الجهل والكفر إلى نور العلم والإيمان، نَحْمَدُهُ تعالى ونستعينه، ونشكره تعالى ونستغفره ونستغيثه، نعوذ بالله من شرور أنفسنا ومن سيئات أعمالنا، مَنْ يَهْدِ اللهُ فلا مضل له، ومَنْ يُضلِلْ فَلاَ هَادِيَ لَهُ، ونَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللهُ  وَحْدَهُ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ، له الملك وله الحمد، يحيي ويميت، بيده الخير، وهو على كل شيء قدير، ونشْهَدُ أَنَّ سَيِّدَنَا ومولانا مُحَمَّداً عَبْدُه وَرَسُولُهُ، وحبيبه وصفيه، بلغ الرسالة وأدّى الأمانة ونصح الأمّة، النبي الأمي الذي أرسله الله بالهدى والدين الحقّ، بشيرا ونذيرا بين يدي الساعة، صلى الله عليه وسلم وعَلَى آلِهِ وأَصْحابِهِ ومَنْ تَبِعَهم بإِحْسانٍ إِلَى يَوْمِ الدِّيْنِ.  أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَيَا عِبَادَ اللهِ اتقوا الله حق تقاته ولا تموتن إلا وأنتم مسلمون، يا أيها الذين آمنوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَقُولُوا قَوْلًا سَدِيدًا، يُصْلِحْ لَكُم أَعْمَالَكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَمَنْ يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَقَدْ فَازَ فَوْزًا عَظِيمًا، يا أيها المسلمون اتقوا الله فيما أوصى وأمر، وانتهوا عما نها عنه وزجر. قال الله سبحانه وتعالى في كتابه الكريم: هَلْ يَسْتَوِي الَّذِينَ يَعْلَمُونَ وَالَّذِينَ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

Allah says in His Noble Quran, the translation of which is, “Are they the same – those who know and those who do not know?” Last week, when we talked about the extremist mentality that has infected some of our youth in the present age, we mentioned that one of its primary causes was a lack of knowledge. Today, I would like to speak about knowledge as it is something that has become misunderstood. Despite the way that the modern-day educational system is set up, knowledge is not from books, it is from people. It is transmitted from teacher to student, and is much more than an exchange of information. It is as much about their example as the facts and ideas they convey The greatest example of this is the Prophet himself. Now, we know that nothing is left out of the Quran – it contains everything that the human being could ever require to live a life pleasing to his Lord. Allah says,

مَا فَرَّطْنَا فِي الْكِتَابِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ

the translation of which is, “We have not omitted anything from the Book.” And yet, the Prophet did not simply convey its ayats to his Companions and leave them to make their own minds up on how to interpret them, but instead demonstrated to them exactly what they meant by means of his own words and actions. He told them, 

صلوا كما رأيتموني أصلي

“Pray as you see me pray”, not, “Pray as the Quran describes” or “Pray as I describe.” The Companions learned their deen by spending time in his company and observing him, not simply by hearing what he had to say. They knew that there was no other way to obtain knowledge, and yet even in their time, there were people who had the opposite view, who thought that the more it passed through men the more it became corrupted, and that pure knowledge was found in the pages of books and not in the hearts of men. Such people only accepted what was printed in their mushafs in black and white and discarded all else. They were the people who came to Ali after Siffin and told him that arbitration was forbidden because Allah says,

إِنِ الْحُكْمُ إِلاَّ للهِ

the translation of which is, “Judgement is only for Allah.” They were the people about whom the Prophet warned when he said,

لا ألفين أحدكم متكئا على أريكته يأتيه الأمر من أمري مما أمرت به أو نهيت عنه فيقول: لا أدري، ما وجدنا في كتاب الله اتبعناه

“Do not let any of you be found reclining on his bed, saying, when he hears of something I have commanded or forbidden, ‘I do not know about this. We only follow what we find in the Book of Allah.’”
Throughout the time of the tabi’in and the tabi’i tabi’in, knowledge continued to be transmitted through people. The tabi’un learnt by spending time in the company of the sahaba and observing them, not by memorising Quran and hadith, and as did the tabi’u tabi’in from the tabi’in. What was transmitted silently was as important as what was transmitted verbally. Thus was knowledge of the deen kept alive. It was passed on, it was inherited. The Prophet said, 

العلماء ورثة الأنبياء

“The ulama are the inheritors of the Prophets.” And as we know, those who inherit from you in the deen are your nearest family, those who typically grow up with you in your household and spend a majority of their time in close proximity to you. But there always existed this counter current, those people who continued to believe that acquiring the bits of information was enough. But now, instead of limiting it to the Quran itself, they expanded this to the Quran and Sunna, and would argue with people on the basis of hadiths as well as on the basis of ayats of Quran. This still did not make them ulama. Imam Malik, one of the greatest muhadithin of any age, a man whose love and respect for the words of the Messenger of Allah was so great that he would not teach them without first doing wudu and putting his finest clothes, said,

كثير من هذه الأحاديث ضلالة، لقد خرجت مني أحاديث لوددت إني ضربت بكل حديث منها سوطين وإني لم أحدث به

“Many of these hadiths are sources of misguidance. Indeed, there are hadiths I have narrated that I wish I had never narrated and, for each one of which, I wish I had been whipped two times.” In other words, taking them at face value without understanding their context may lead you astray, just as would happen if you followed certain ayats of the Quran without having recourse to the Sunna. The only protection lies with the people of knowledge. Abdallah ibn Wahb, the famous student of Imam Malik and a man considered himself to have reached the level of ijtihad, said, 

لولا أن الله أنقذني بمالك والليث لضللت. 

“If it were not for the fact that Allah saved me through Malik and al-Layth, I would have gone astray.”

فقيل له: كيف ذلك؟ فقال: أكثرت من الحديث فحيرني ، فكنت أعرض ذلك على مالك والليث، فيقولان: خذ هذا، ودع هذا

“How so?” he was asked. He replied, “I learnt so many hadith that they started to confuse me. So I read them out to Malik and al-Layth and they told me which ones to take and which ones to leave.” That understanding, that discrimination, that he got through sitting with Malik and Layth was what made him an alim, for the path to knowledge is through seeking out and sitting with the ulama. It is only then that you can get that direct connection to the Sunna and therefore a direct connection to the Book of Allah. The Prophet said,

مَن زار عالما فكأنما زارني…ومن جالس عالما فكأنما جالسني، ومن جالسني في الدنيا أجلسه الله معي يومَ القيامة في الجنة

“If you visit an ‘alim, it is as if you have visited me, and if you sit with an ‘alim, it is as if you have sat with me; And Allah will sit whoever sits with me in this world with me in the Garden on the Day of Rising.” This has always been how knowledge of the deen has been kept alive and passed down from generation to generation, through company and example. The alim has always had an unbroken chain of transmission linking him back to the Prophet. But now, with the advent of the internet and the mass printing of books, information has become freely available to one and all. We have hadith at our fingertips that were unknown to even Imam Malik and suddenly we all think we are alims. We hear what great fuqaha have said about particular matters and declare them to be wrong, based not on something we have been taught but on something we have read. We respect the degree from the famous university more than ijaza passed from teacher to student. We elevate information and denigrate the ulama, the very opposite of the approach of the salaf of this umma. The great tabi’i, Ibrahim an-Nakha’i said,

لو كانت الصحابة يتوضأون إلى الكوعين لتوضأت كذلك وأنا أقرأها:"إلى المرافق"

“If I had found the Companions only washing their arms as far as their wrists in wudu, I would have done wudu in the same way even though I recite ‘As far as your elbows”.” The blatant disregard and contempt for the people of knowledge in this age is the tendency that has allowed Boko Haram, the Shabab, the Wahabiyya and ISIS to thrive. If we want to rid ourselves of this sickness that has befallen our umma, we must regain our love and respect for the people of knowledge and go to them to learn our deen, not just books. It is only then that we will have success.

أقول قولي هذا وأستغفر الله لي ولكم ولسائر المسلمين من كل ذنب فاستغفروه إنه هو الغفور الرَّحيم

الحمد لله الحمد لله رب العالمين، وأشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له وأشهد أن محمداً عبده ورسوله، صلى الله وسلم وبارك عليه وعلى آله وصحبه، والتابعين وتابعي التابعين ومن تبعهم بإحسان إلى يوم الدين.

أما بعد! فيأيها الذين ءامنوا اتقوا الله ما استطعتم واسمعوا وأطيعوا وأنفقوا خيرا لأنفسكم. يا عباد الله أوصيكم وإياي بتقوى الله وطاعته وأحذركم وإياي عن معصيته ومخالفته. قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: لا يزالُ أمرُ هذه الأمةِ مستقيما لا يضرهم مَن خالفَهم حتى يأتي أمرُ الله.

The Prophet said, “The affair of this umma will continue to be upright, unharmed by those who oppose them, until the Command of Allah comes.” Do not make the mistake of thinking that true ulama no longer exist, or that we live in an age where knowledge is lacking. Knowledge is always there for those who seek it and there are people of knowledge in every age. Our Lord has promised to preserve and protect this deen and this umma.
But while they exist, far too few of them are doing what is required of them. For while knowledge is a tremendous blessing and tremendous gift, it is also a tremendous responsibility. And if they fail in that responsibility, instead of a proof for them, it becomes a proof against them. Never forget that Shaytan was among the most knowledgeable of creation, but rather than acting upon what he knew, he instead let the fact of his knowledge fill him with pride and a sense of personal status and importance, and so refused a direct command from his Lord to bow down to one he considered lesser than himself. His knowledge did not benefit him one iota, because his knowledge was for knowledge’s sake, not for the sake of more closely following the commands of his Lord.
And the same was true of rabbis of the Banu Israel. They were without a doubt learned men, they were without a doubt men of letters, but when they were presented with an ideal opportunity to act on that knowledge, they declined. They knew all of the signs of the Messenger of Allah, and recognised them in him, but deliberately disregarded them and held back from accepting him. That is why Allah says of them,

مَثَلُ الَّذِينَ حُمِّلُوا التَّوْرَاةَ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَحْمِلُوهَا كَمَثَلِ الْحِمَارِ يَحْمِلُ أَسْفَارًا

the translation of which is, “The metaphor of those who were charged with the Torah but then have not upheld it, is that of a donkey loaded with weighty tomes.” Because knowledge only ceases to be lifeless bits of information when it is acted upon. The responsibility for putting into place the parts of the deen that are missing – and there are many including the majority of the financial mu’amalat –  lies with the ulama. It is only then that they truly live up to their name. Sufyan Ibn Uyayna said,

من عمل بما علم فهو العالم، ومن ترك العمل بما علم فهو الجاهل  

“The one who acts by what he knows is an alim. While the one who does not act by what he knows is a jahil.” And if they find it difficult or daunting to do that task on their own, then they must seek out others and transmit to them the correct understanding of the deen. They cannot wait for people to come to them, they must if necessary go out to them, for while it is true that seeking knowledge is one of the obligations of the deen, transmitting knowledge is an even bigger obligation. The mufassirin say, regarding Allah’s words,

يَا أَيُّهَا الرَّسُولُ بَلِّغْ مَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِن رَّبِّكَ وَإِن لَّمْ تَفْعَلْ فَمَا بَلَّغْتَ رِسَالَتَهُ

“O Messenger, transmit what has been revealed to you by your Lord. If you do not, then you will not have transmitted His Message,” that they apply to the umma of the Messenger as much as to the Messenger himself. Qurtubi says in his tafsir of surat al-An’am, 

يجب على من بعد (النبي) من العلماء أن يبلِّغوا الناس ويبيِّنوا لهم ما حرّم الله عليهم مما حَلّ

“It is obligatory on all ulama after the the Prophet to transmit their knowledge to other people and make clear for them what is halal from what is haram.” Too many of them, for whatever reason, are falling short in this task, and so failing their communities and this umma. They must step forward and speak out. We ask Allah to strengthen our ulama and guide them, and make their knowledge useful and beneficial to us and them by enabling them to put it into action and transmit to their fellow Muslims. We ask Allah to increase our ulama in knowledge and understanding and raise up the Muslims by means of them so that we once again can see the deen of Allah uppermost in the land. We ask Allah to increase each and every one of us in knowledge and love and respect for the people of knowledge. We ask that he unable us to listen and pay heed and place us among the ranks of,

الَّذِينَ يَسْتَمِعُونَ الْقَوْلَ فَيَتَّبِعُونَ أَحْسَنَهُ

“Those who listen well to what is said and follow the best of it.”

إِنَّ اللهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ، يَا أَيُهَا الذِينَ آمَنُواْ صَلُّواْ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُواْ تَسْلِيماً. 

اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ وَسَلِّمْ وَبَارِكْ عَلَيْهِ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ  أَجْمَعِينَ. وَارْضَ اللَّهُمَّ عَنِ الْخُلَفَاءِ الرَّاشِدِينَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ وَعُثْمَانَ وَعَلِيٍّ، وعن أم المومنين عائشة التي أمرنا الله في سورة النور أن ندافع عنها، وَعَنْ سَائِرِ الصَّحَابَةِ أَجْمَعِينَ، خُصُوصاً اِلأَنْصَارَ مِنْهُمْ وَالمُهَاجِرِينَ، وَعَنِ التَّابِعِينَ وَتَابِعِي التَّابِعِينَ وَمَنْ تَبِعَهُمْ بِإِحْسَانٍ إِلَى يَوْمِ الدِّينِ.

اللَّهُمَّ اهْدِ وُلَاةَ أُمُورِ المُسْلِمِينَ لِمَا يُرْضِيكَ وَلِاتِّبَاعِ سُنَّةِ نَبِيِّكَ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَهُمْ عَلَى الصِّرَاطِ المُسْتَقِيمِ، وَأَصْلِحْهُمْ يَا رَبَّ الْعَالَمِينَ. 

اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلَى شَيْخِنَا، وَعَلَى أَمِيرِنَا، وَعَلَى جَمِيعِ أُمَرَاءِ وَزُعَمَاءِ المُسْلِمِينَ. 

اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلَى المُسْلِمِينَ فِي هَذِهِ المَدِينَةِ، وَوَفِّقْهُمْ لِمَا تُحِبُّهُ وَتَرْضَاهُ يَا أَكْرَمَ الأَكْرَمِينَ. 

اللَّهُمَّ أَعِزَّ الإِسْلَامَ وَالمُسِْلمِينَ، وَاخْذُلِ الْكُفْرَ وَالْكَافِرِينَ، وَانْصُرِ المُجَاهِدِينَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ. وَاجْعَلْ كَلِمََتَكَ هِيَ العُلْيَا وَكَلِمَةَ الْكُفْرِ هِيَ السُّفْلَى. 

رَبَّنَا ءَاتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقَِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ. 

إِنَّ اللهَ يَامُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالإِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبَى، وَيَنْهَى عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالمُنكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ، يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَّكَّرُونَ، وَلَذِكْرُ اللهِ أَكْبَرُ وَاللهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَصْنَعُونَ. وَقُومُواْ إِلَى صَلاتِكُمْ يَرْحَمُكُمُ اللهُ.