forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah, Most High, from the evils of our
own selves and from our wicked deeds. Whomever Allah guides cannot be
misguided, and whomever He leads astray cannot be guided. I testify
that there is no true God worthy of being worshipped except Allah,
alone, without partner or associate. I further testify that Muhammad
is His slave and Messenger. [1] May Allah's salah and salaam also be
granted to the Prophet's pure family and to all of his noble
companions.
Know, O Muslims, may Allah bestow upon us fromHis Mercy, that
knowledge is the basis for the understanding and application of
Islamic principles and laws. This is in accordance with the sayings of
Allah, the Exalted:
So know [O! Muhammad] that la ilaaha illaAllah [none has the right to
be worshipped but Allah]. [Qur'an, Surah Muhammad (47:19)].
In a related context, the Prophet affirmed that:
" He upon whom Allah intends goodness, He confers upon him a true
understanding and keen insight into the din ," and [in the narration
by Imam Al-Bukhari], he said: " Trulyknowledge is attained by learning
." [4]
Imam Al-Bukhari commented: "So Allah stated that one should acquire
knowledge first, and scholars are the inheritors of the Prophets (i.e.
they inherit knowledge)." He added: "Itis essential to know a thing
first before saying oracting upon it." [5]
Imam ibnul Qayyim said:
"The salaf did not generalize the name "fiqh"except on the knowledge
which is associated with action." He further added: "al-'ilm
Imamul-'amal (Knowledge is the Imam ofactions) and its leader,
andal-'amal is adherent to knowledge and is led by it.Every action
which is not led by knowledge is of no benefit for the one who
initiates it. On the contrary,it inflicts harm upon him, just as some
of the salaf said "Whoever worships Allah without knowledge, the
mischief he causes is more than the goodness he may bring about." He
also stressed that: "Deeds vary with respect to their acceptance or
rejection respectively depending upon their adherence or opposition to
knowledge. Action which is in accordance with 'ilm is an approved
thing, and what opposes al-'ilm is repudiated. Knowledge, therefore,
is the measure and is the test. Allah said:
[Blessed be Allah] Who has created death that He may test you as to
which of you is best in deeds, andHe is al-'Aziz [Who subdues
everything by His Might; the Mighty in His Revenge; the
Unapproachable, none willprevail against Him; none is like unto Him],
al-Ghafur [The One Who is Oft-Forgiving]. [Qur'an, Surah Al-Mulk
(67:2)].
Al-Fudail bin 'Iyad explained that, "The best of deeds are those which
are done with sincerity [seeking Allah's Face] and are upright." They
said, "What is considered sincere and right of the deeds?" He replied,
"Deedswhich are sincere but not correct are not accepted, and if they
are correct but not sincere then they are also not accepted, until
they are sincere and right. In order to be sincere, theymust be done
for Allah alone, and for them to be correct, they must comply with the
[authentic] sunnah. Indeed Allah, MostHigh, says:
Whoever hopes for the meeting of his Rabb let him work righteousness
and associate none as a partner in the worship of his Rabb [Allah].
[Qur'an, Surah Al-Kahf (18:110)].
The doer will not be able to act in a way which comprises both
qualities (sincerity and rightness) except by the way of knowledge.
For if he does not know what the Messenger brought, he willnot be able
to follow him in the straight way. On theother hand, if he does not
know of the One Who deserves to worshipped alone [Allah], he will be
unable to seek Him solely." [6]
In the absolute sense, what is meant by al-'ilm (knowledge) is the
Islamic knowledge, based upon kitaabullah [the Book of Allah, the
Qur'an], and the authentic sunnah in accordance with the understanding
and methodology (manhaj) of as-salaf as-salih Shaykh 'Abdul 'Aziz bin
Baz (hafithahullah: May Allah preserve him) explained: "When
generalized, al-'ilm,pertains to the intended knowledge in the Book of
Allah and the sunnah of His Messenger. It is knowledge of Allah, His
Names and Attributes, knowledge of His rights over His creation, and
what He (subhanahu wata'ala: Far is He removed from every
imperfection, the Most High) has prescribed for them. And it is the
detailedknowledge of the path that leads to Allah; knowledge of the
purpose of our creation, and the final outcome, in the Hereafter,
which the 'ibad/
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