KNOWLEDGE

# Categories of knowledge # Sources of knowledge # ‘Ilm # Knowledge, worship and ethics # Fundamental knowledge and professional knowledge # The Qur’an # The Sunnah # Hadith

The most crucial obligation on you as an individual is to acquire knowledge. This is so because correct knowledge must come before correct action. The opposite is also true, that partial or false knowledge could, and does, lead to wrong or disastrous conduct. Also, action should not be based on blind imitation for this is not the mark of a thinking, sensible human being.

As we shall see more and more, it is impossible for you to be a Muslim, to live according to the requirements of Islam, and at the same time live in a state of ignorance and barbarity.

Our attitude to knowledge is an important part of our worldview. How well we understand and fulfill our role as human beings will depend on:

· the type of knowledge we acquire;

· the sources we depend on and the ways in which we gain knowledge;

· the purposes for which we use our knowledge.

Categories of Knowledge

True and False

To help us know what type of knowledge to acquire, we need to know some of the main ways in which knowledge can be classified. One way is to classify knowledge into that which is true and that which is false. For example, we have seen that there is knowledge of the Creator which can be classified as true and other knowledge which must be regarded as false. It is not worthwhile to spend time acquiring false knowledge except if you want to guide someone away from what is false.

Useful and Harmful

Another helpful approach is to distinguish between that is useful for the well-being of man, his society and environment and knowledge that is harmful for the well-being of man, his society and environment. The distinction between knowledge that is useful and knowledge that is not was made by the noble Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace.

Knowledge that is useful, beneficial and even indispensable for the well being of man includes:

· knowledge of the Creator;

· knowledge of man and his functioning that will bring him closer to the Creator – such knowledge is related to ibaadah or worship;

· knowledge of nature which has been made subservient to man. This includes knowledge of the physical sciences, the use of reason, observation and experimentation to find out how the world works, to gain a knowledge of astronomy for the navigation, agriculture, animal husbandry, medical sciences, oceanography for benefiting from the seas and so on;

· knowledge of history and geography for we are told in the Qur’an to travel through the earth and see what has been the fate of earlier people and civilizations;

· knowledge of the role of prophets and in particular of the last and final prophet, Muhammad, upon whom be peace;

· knowledge of what is right and wrong. Such knowledge is tied to akhlaq or ethics and moral values and underpins the pursuit and practice of all knowledge. (top)

Sources of knowledge

Various type of knowledge are stressed in the Qur’an. Some types, knowledge of the physical world for example, may be gained through the use of the intellect or reason. Other types of knowledge, for example, in relation to the nature of prophesy and the hereafter and man’s destiny, can only be gained from genuine Divine revelation, in particular the Qur’an. The two main sources of knowledge, therefore, are reason and revelation. (top)

‘Ilm

The totally of all true knowledge in Islam is called ‘ilm and a person who knows is called an ‘aalim. It is significant that the word for a legal scholar in Islam or for a physicist or for a philosopher is an ‘aalim. All aspects of ‘ilm are interconnected.

‘Among the servants of God, the only ones who truly stand in awe of Him are those who have knowledge’, says the Qur’an. The knowledge referred to here of course is true knowledge – knowledge that is motivated by worship (‘ibaadah) and controlled by ethical values (akhlaq). (top)

Knowledge, worship and ethics

Knowledge is connected in Islam with worship. The acquiring of knowledge is worship, reading the Qur’an and pondering upon it is worship, traveling to gain knowledge is worship. The practice of knowledge is connected with ethics and morality – with promoting virtue and combating vice, enjoining right and forbidding wrong. This is called in the Qur’an amr bi-l ma’ruuf wa nah-y ‘ani-l munkar.

Knowledge is pursued and practiced with modesty and humility and leads to beauty and dignity, freedom and justice.

The main purpose of acquiring knowledge is to bring us closer to God. It is not simply for the gratification of the mind or the sense. It is not knowledge for its own sake or science for its own sake. Knowledge accordingly must be linked with values and goals.

One of the purpose of acquiring knowledge is to gain the good of this world, not to destroy it through wastage, arrogance and shamelessness in the reckless pursuit of higher standards of material comfort.

Another purpose of knowledge is to spread freedom and dignity, truth and justice. It is not gain power and dominance for its own sake.

We can thus say that:

Knowledge + Power + Arrogance = Tyranny and injustice

Knowledge + Power + Ethic = Justice and freedom

According to this, even if a Muslim by name has knowledge and power and acts arrogantly, he would be creating injustice and tyranny, in the first instance to himself. Conversely, if a person who is not Muslim but has knowledge and power and uses it according to his natural ethical inclinations, he is likely to create a state of justice and freedom.

Obviously, what we may call the reservoir of knowledge is deep and unfathomable. It is a vast and open field that is not limited to the world of nature and observation.

It is impossible for anyone to gain anything more than a fraction of what there is to know in the short span of one life. We must therefore decide what is most important for us to know to go about acquiring this knowledge. (top)

Fundamental Knowledge and Professional Knowledge

It may be convenient to divide knowledge into two parts:

1. Fundamental or Essential knowledge. This is knowledge which everyone must have to fulfill his natural functions as a human being, i.e. the functions of being a Muslim;

2. Professional knowledge. Knowledge which a person would need in order to earn a living. This would require knowledge of a particular discipline or skills. The choice of profession may be decided by a person’s individual talents and interests or the needs of his community, both the choice of profession and the manner in which it is conducted are also shaped by aspects of fundamental knowledge.

Fundamental knowledge

1. From what we have learnt in the previous chapter, the Qur’an is out most important link with reality. You must therefore acquire a knowledge of the Qur’an and its essential guidance.

2. You need to have a knowledge of the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad. This is because his Sunnah is the practical method or path for implementing Islam. The Sunnah includes what the noble Prophet said, what he did and what he agreed to.

3. In order to really understand the Qur’an, you need to acquire a knowledge of Arabic. A sufficient knowledge if Arabic is also necessary in order to perform abligatory duties like Salaat or Prayer.

4. From the Qur’an and the Sunnah you need to have a knowledge of the Shari’ah or the Islamic Moral and Legal System which regulates man’s actions. We need to know the sources of the Shari’ah, its purposes and how it categorises life’s transactions, that is, what is lawful (halaal) and what is unlawful (haraam) and the principles and values that govern each.

Let us look at each of these briefly in turn. (top)

The Qur’an

The Qur’an is now the only authentic way to come nearer and closer to your Creator. It tells you of Him, of His attributes, of how He rules over the cosmos and history, of how He relates Himself to you, and how you should relate to Him, to yourself and to your fellowmen and to every other being.

Read, understand, follow

Your obligation to the Qur’an are mainly three: to read, to understand it and to follow it.

At the outset, you should realize and treat the process of reading, understanding and following the Qur’an as a single unified process.

Reading the Qur’an

You need to learn to read the Qur’an in its original Arabic, correctly, fluently and beautifully. At the beginning you may not understand what you read. However, reading the Qur’an knowing that it is the word of God is certainly one of the best ways of remembering Him. It will bring you closer to Him and give you psychological peace. You should read the Qur’an daily. It is better to read regularly, even if is only a small portion, than to read long parts but only occasionally. Aim to read the whole Qur’an at least once every year in addition to reading it once during Ramadan, the month in which it was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad.

The Qur’an should not be read in haste. You need to memorized the opening chapter, the Faatihah, since it is an essential part of Prayer, and some other portions as well. Memorizing should not be mechanical, ritual act. Memorizing makes the Qur’an flow on your tongue, reside in your heart and dwell in your mind. ‘One who has nothing of the Qur’an inside him is like a desolate or ruined house’ said the noble Prophet. He also said that the person whose recitation and voice is most beautiful is the one who, when you hear him recite, you think he fears God.

Understanding the Qur’an

To understand the Qur’an properly, you should understand Arabic. This could be a life-long process but a start has to be made. This you may do through self-study, joining a study circle or pursuing a course of study at an institution.

It is advisable to have a reliable and experienced teacher in this regard, to take you through the language and the specialised knowledge that is required to understand the Qur’an in some depth.

However, you need to remember that ‘the people who understood the Qur’an most and benefited from it the greatest were its first hearers. They were men and women – merchants, farmers, shepherds, camel riders, nomads and labourers. They did not have at their elbows great libraries of books relating to Qur’anic sciences. Yet they were the most successful in understanding the Qur’an. This is because they took the message of the Qur’an to their heart and lived it. This approach ought to be and is available to every person. How much you understand depends on your sincerity and the amount of effort you put into it.

Side by side with understanding the grammar, structure and vocabulary of the Qur’an, you could benefit a great deal from the many translations that are available. You need to understand that all translations are limited and can never convey the full force, power and great richness of the original. A word like Rabb might be translated as Lord for example when it means also Owner, Sustainer, and Cherisher.

Following the Qur’an

As you read and understand what you read, you need to respond emotionally and in practice to the words of the Qur’an:

· When you hear God’s name and His attributes, your heart should be filled with awe, gratitude, love and other appropriate feelings.

· When you read of God’s messengers, your heart should have an urge to follow them, and an aversion for those who opposed them.

· When you read of the Day of Judgement, your heart should long for Paradise, and tremble at the very thought of Hell-fire.

· When you read of disobedient persons and nations who went astray and earned God’s punishment, you should intensely dislike being as they were.

· When you read of the righteous whom God loves and rewards, you should be eager to be like them.

· When you read of the promises of good and honour in this world, of forgiveness and mercy, of His pleasure in the Hereafter, let your heart be filled with a desire to work for them and deserve them.

· When you read of those who are indifferent to the Qur’an, who turn away from it, who do not accept it, who do not like by it – you must fear lest you be one of them, and resolve not to be.

· And when you hear the summons to obey God and strive in His way, you should be determined to respond and achieve the peace and happiness that come from responding.

The Qur’an in above all a guide to those who are prepared to keep their naturally pure state intact, who are vigilant and act to save themselves from the harm that comes from living against God’s will. Such people are called in Arabic the muttaqiin – those who have taqwa or deep consciousness and awareness of God. Taqwa has been described as the single most important quality of a person mentioned in the Qur’an. Those who posses it live the natural way, the Qur’anic way. (top)

The Sunnah

The word Sunnah means method, example or path. It refers to what the noble Prophet said, did and agreed to.

You need to study the Sunnah, not from the point of view of merely verifying dates and events in his life and the lives of his companions, but to see how beautiful an example the Prophet set in all the full and varied aspects of his life. As you follow the course of his life, you cannot fail to see his complete trust and dependence on God, his truthfulness and sincerity, his constant devotion and struggle to make the word of God supreme, his strength and wisdom, his compassion and concern for the human condition. So noble was his person and example that his companions lived him more than themselves. To so love the Prophet and desire to follow his example should be our main purpose in studying his Sunnah.

Because Muhammad, peace be on him, is the last messenger of God, his life and works have a validity beyond his time. The Prophet’s Sunnah emphasizes the natural needs and dispositions of every human being. The Qur’an makes this clear:

‘He the Prophet enjoins on them that which they themselves sense as right, and forbids them that which they themselves sense as wrong. He makes lawful for them all good things and prohibits for them only the foul, and relieves them or their undue burden and of the many shackles that used to be on them’ (7: 157)

At a straightforward level, we need to know the Sunnah tolearn how to perform the major duties like Salaat, Fasting, and Hajj. To such acts of worship, there can be no addition to or subtraction from the Sunnah. Moreover, without the Prophet’s detailed instructions and example, we would not be able to follow the Qur’an in all respects.

For example, the Qur’an commands us to perform Salaat or Prayer. The Prophet shows us how and commanded, ‘Pray as you see me praying’. There can be no addition to or subtraction from the manner of performing the Prayer.

The Qur’an commands us to perform the Hajj and to experience its benefits. The Prophet shows us how to perform the Hajj and commanded, ‘Take from me your rites in performing the pilgrimage’. The pilgrimage must therefore be performed as he did it with only the variations and allowances as he permitted.

The Qur’an tells us that Muslims are those who use consultation to manage their affairs. The Sunnah shows you how this was and can be done.

The Qur’an commanded us to do good for God loves those who do good. While it gives many ways of doing good, the Sunnah of the Prophet provides more detailed guidance on doing good and the practice of charity or sadaqah.

There are certain things that the Prophet did which were incidental to the place or the time in which he lived. The fact that he, for example, often wore a headcovering or rode a camel, does not mean that all Muslims must wear turbans or ride camel. But when he insisted that the clothes a person wears must be clean and must cover certain parts of the body, or that he must feed water, rest and treat animals with kindness, this is his Sunnah which must be followed.

We therefore need to know from the Sunnah not only what the Prophet did, but why he did it and how he did it.

Because the Sunnah is valid for all times to come, there is scope provided in it for dealing with issues that people at the time of the Prophet did not face. When the Prophet appointed hid companions, Mu’aadh ibn Jabal, as a judge in the Yaman, before Mu’aadh set out, the Prophet asked him:

‘According to what will you judge?’

According to the book of God’

‘And if you find nothing therein?’

‘According to the Sunnah of the Prophet of God’

‘And if you find nothing therein?’

‘Then I will exert myself to form my own judgement’

The Prophet was pleased and said:

‘Praised be to God Who has guided the messenger of His Prophet to that which please His Prophet’.

From the above dialogue, you can see that you may form your own judgement on an issues if there is no relevant text in the Qur’an and the Sunnah and only if your judgement does not go against the Qur’an and the Sunnah. When these conditions are met, you are expected to use your judgemtnt and initiative. (top)

Hadith

What the Prophet said also forms part of his Sunnah. The Hadith are the saying of the Prophet. Knowledge of the authentic saying of the Prophet must form part of the essential knowledge of all Muslims. The Hadith is a vast storehouse of guidance on all aspects of life and reflect the rich and varied life of the Prophet himself.

You may start with a small collection like Nawawi’s Forty Hadith and go on to other major compilations like those of Al Bukhari and Muslim who were two of the great scholars of Hadith. Some of these compilations are now available in computer databases which make it easy to access Hadith on a particular subject.

The study of Hadith require knowledge not only of the text and the circumstances in which they were spoken but also of the transmitters of hadith. This is a highly developed science which is concerned with the soundness of Hadith. In every Muslim community there is need for people to study this science. (top)