ACTION IS NOT POSSIBLE EXCEPT WITH KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

There can be no righteous deed in the absence of knowledge ( 'ilm )
and understanding of the law ( fiqh ), as 'Umar ibn Abdul-Aziz (the
grandson of 'Umar ibn Al-Khattab, and a righteous Khalifa) used to
say:
"Whoever worships Allah withoutknowledge corrupts more than he benefits."
And, as in the statement of Mu'adh ibn Jabal (a companion ofthe Prophet):
"Knowledge is the imam of action, and action is a corollary toit."
This is obvious: intentions and actions which are not based on
knowledge are ignorance and going astray, and following of hawaa , as
we have said before. This is the difference between the people of
Jahiliya , and the people of Islam. Thus, knowledgeof the Ma'ruf and
the Munkar are absolute necessities as are the ability to distinguish
between them, and knowledge of the condition of those to be ordered
and forbidden is also essential.
For optimum benefit, enjoining and forbidding should be performed on
the Straight Path. The Straight Path is the shortest route, and the
one which leads tothe attainment of the sought-after goal.