13. BENEFICIAL KNOWLEDGE CAUSES BELITTLEMENT OF ONE’S SELF AND ACTIONS
I have seen some scholars (‘ulam a ) behave in a liberal fashion, thinking that their knowledge (ilm) would shield them. Little do they know that their knowledge will act as their enemy! An ignorant person (jahil) is forgiven for committing seventy sins (dhuttub) before a scholar is forgiven for a single sin (dhamb ).
This is because an ignorant person was never exposed to the truth, and a scholar did not behave appropriately with the knowledge he has.
I contemplated about this and found that true knowledge that is: knowing the truth (ma’rifa al-haqq), looking into the ways of early righteous people, and attaining good manners; are not instilled in these people.
Instead, all they know is the terminology of what is lawful and unlawful. This is not beneficial knowledge.
True knowledge is understanding the fundamentals {usul), knowing the One worthy of worship (ma’rifa al-ma’bud), His Greatness {‘azma) and what that demands from us.
It’s about looking into the way of Allah’s Messenger (Sjjg) and his Companions (radiyAllahu ‘auburn), acquiring their manners and understanding what was reported from them. This is beneficial knowledge. It will make the greatest of scholars look down at himself as if he were the most ignorant of those ignorant.
I met one person who spent long periods of time in worship, then stopped. He said, ‘I worshipped Him in a way that no one else has worshipped Him! Now I have become weak.’
I replied, ‘I fear this statement might be enough reason to reject all of his worship, because he believes that he has done a lot. Instead, he should view himself like a beggar. He should not feel he is doing a favour to those giving him charity.’
The reason for this type of behaviour is ignorance (jahl).
Where are such people from senior scholars, like Silah Ibn Ashyam, whom leopards used to run away from? He used to say in his prayer: ‘O Lord! Prevent from me the Hellfire, I am not worthy of asking for Paradise.’
And ‘Umar Ibn al-Khattab (radiyAllahu ‘anhu) used to say, ‘I wish to come out on the Day of Judgment with nothing for me or against me.’
Sufyan said on his death bed said to Hammad Ibn Salma, ‘Do you think someone like me will be saved from Hell?’
And Imam Ahmad said on his death bed: ‘No, not yet.’
I thank Allah that I escaped from the ignorance of such so-called scholars, and those so-called ascetic people. I have looked into the greatness of the Creator and the ways of the great scholars to the point of quieting arrogance and repelling any glorification of a deed.
How could I think highly of my deeds when it was Allah who enabled me to perform it? He made me see things that He did not let others see.
Did I perform these deeds out of my own goodness or because of His Greatness? And how could I thank Allah for His enabling me to give thanks?
What scholar would not belittle himself when looking into the affairs of early scholars?
And what worshipper would hear about worshippers and not pretend to be one? Let alone truly becoming one.
We ask Allah that He grants us knowledge necessary for us to know our true limits so that we are not fond of our actions. We seek that He makes us aware of His Greatness so that our tongues never mention anything pointing to our deeds.
We ask Him to assist us to recognise the defects of our actions so that we gain enough shame from our actions that we are embarrassed of them.
He is indeed near, and answers prayers.
(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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