THE NARRATION OF ALI
In this regard, Abu Nu’aym and others record on the authority of Kumaylibn Ziyad; from `Ali (radiyAllahu `anhu) who said,‘People are of three categories: the erudite and wise scholar; a student of knowledge traversing the path to salvation; and the confused rabble, following anyone, bending along with every wind, not enlightened by the light of knowledge and having no firm support,’then after talking about the superiority of knowledge, he proceeded to say,‘Here,indeed here – pointing to his chest – there is knowledge, if only I could find bearers for it. All I have found are people who are quick to comprehend but untrustworthy, they exploit the religion for worldly ends, they try to use the proofs of Allah against His Book, and His favours to lord over His servants.
Or I have found people, devoid of insight, blindly following the People of Truth, having no capacity to receive it, and misgivings piercing their hearts at the first appearance of doubt; none of these deserve it.
Or I have found people passionately addicted to pleasures, continuously succumbing to their lusts.
Or I have found people with a propensity to amassing wealth and hoarding it; these are not worthy of being callers to this religion, father they are more akin to grazing cattle.
Thus knowledge passes away with the passing away of those who carry it. O Allah! Indeed the earth will never be devoid of one who stands firm for Allah with clear proofs.Therefore,Allah’s clear proofs and signs will never be abolished. Such people are few in number but have the greatest standing with Allah.Through them Allah asserts His proofs amongst their contemporaries and cultivates them in the hearts of those like them. Through them knowledge launches forward and unveils the true state of affairs, they are then able to bear with ease what the opulent find burdensome and take comfort with what engenders consternation in the ignorant. They live in this world with their bodies but their souls are attached to heavenly matters,they are the ambassadors of Allah in his lands and His callers to His religion. O how I desire to see them!’ (Abu Nu’aym, vol.1, pg. 79.)
In this narration, the Leader of the Believers (radiyAllahu ( anhu) has divided the bearers of knowledge into three categories:
1) Those who are given to doubts, having no insight, misgivings piercing their hearts at the first occurrence of doubt causing them to fall into confusion and disarray, and then into innovation and misguidance.
2) Those who are given to following their lusts and he divided these into two categories
a) Those who seek after this world by exploiting their religious knowledge, making it a tool to acquire some worldly lot.
b) Those who seek after this world without knowledge and they are of two types,
i) Those who desire only the pleasures and lusts of this world.
ii) Those who desire to amass and hoard worldly wealth.
None of these are worthy of being callers to the religion, rather they are like cattle and this is why Allah, Most High, compared those who were given the Tawrah and failed to carry it with donkeys carrying books. (cf. al-Jumuah (62): 5) He has also compared the evil scholar who has abandoned the signs of Allah, clung firmly to this earth, and followed his desires with a dog.(cf. al-A’raf(7): 175-176 ) Dogs and donkeys are the worst of animals and the most astray.
By Ibn Rajab Al-Hanbali & Imam Al-Ajurri
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