11. THE CAUSE AND ITS ORIGINATOR
Knowing some people who focus on worship while neglecting the seeking of knowledge (ilm) has made me value and appreciate the virtue of knowledge more. Because worship alone could not make them reach the facts and the reality that is found at the end of the tunnel of worship.
It was reported that once a person called out to someone, ‘O Abu al-WalId, if you were really Abu al-Walid’ as he thought it is piety not to call him the father of a son when he did not have one! If this person looked into the knowledge, he would have realised that the Prophet called Suhayb “Abu Yahya” and named a child “Abu ‘Umayr’.
One of the ascetics said, “I was asked one day to drink some milk but I denied the request and said, ‘it harms me’. Then after some time I stood in front of the Ka’bah and said, ‘O Allah, you know I never associated a partner with you even for a blink of an eye!’ Then I heard a voice saving, ‘Even at the time you were asked to drink milk?”
If this report is assumed true then it would be a form of discipline for him so that he does not attach himself to the causes, while forgetting the One who generated the causes, otherwise recognising the cause [without overlooking the One who made the cause] was reported from the Prophet of Allah who said, “I still feel the pain caused by the poisoned meal I ate at the time of Khaybar every year and this year it will cut off the vein to my heart.” He also said, “There is no money that benefited me as much as did the money of Abu Bakr.”
From amongst the ascetics is a group who believes that reliance on Allah means to overlook all the causes and means, which is a belief that demonstrates how ignorant they are because the Prophet sought the means, thus he hid in the cave to escape the disbelievers, consulted the doctor when he was sick, put on the armour in wars, dug the trench to avert the attack of Quraysh, sought refuge with al-Mufim Ibn ‘Adi though he was a disbeliever, and said to Sa’d (radhiy Allahu ‘anhu), “Leaving your heirs with sufficient funds is better than leaving them in need for others’ charity.”
However, at the same time, to consider the causes and means while forgetting the One who created and generated the causes and means is also wrong.
All this darkness of ignorance (zulma al-jahl) can vanish by the light of knowledge.
Thus, whoever walks in the darkness of ignorance or in the ally of desires will surely be astray and misguided.
(source: al-Hafiz Abu’l-Faraj ibn al-jawzl [d. 597AH] “CAPTURED THOUGHTS being” a translation of his masterpiece ‘Sayd al-K hatir)
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