In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
“Is he who payeth adoration in the watches of the night, prostrate and standing, bewaring of the Hereafter and hoping for the mercy of his Lord, (to be accounted equal with a disbeliever)? Say (unto them, O Muhammad): Are those who know equal with those who know not? But only men of understanding will pay heed.” (39:9)
The Splendor of Knowledge according to the Sages.
By Dr. Hamzah Ibn Fayi' Al Fathi.
May Allah preserve him.
A Summary of the Nobility of Knowledge.
The scholar Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
He who passed away in the year 751 AH.
If there were no other merit to knowledge
save for drawing near to the Lord of the Worlds,
joining the realm of the angels,
and keeping company with the Highest Assembly,
that would be sufficient honor and virtue.
How much more so, when the glory of this world and the Hereafter is contingent upon it,
and conditional upon its attainment.
If we were to summarize the nobility of knowledge,
it would be as Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, stated:
It is nearness to Allah,
joining the realm of the angels,
and keeping company with the Highest Assembly,
where there is beautiful praise,
a good reputation,
and a great reward.
For this reason, the scholars are the allies of Allah,
and the inheritors of the prophets,
who understand His law and convey His message.
As for their nearness to Allah,
it is caused by their vast knowledge,
and their profound fiqh,
which brings them close to their Creator,
and makes them aware of the path to Him.
They recognize truths of faith and wonders of certainty
that others do not know.
This has made them the people who fear Allah the Exalted most.
Likewise, their companionship with the angels,
in that they watch over them and attend their gatherings,
for teaching and conveying,
protecting them by the help and preservation of Allah,
and praising them in the Highest Assembly.
This motivates the wise
to seize it and hasten toward it,
so that opportunities do not pass them by,
or windows of opportunity vanish.
It is a motivating honor,
and a dazzling glory,
that calls upon everyone with intellect and ambition.
Furthermore,
the honor of this world and the Hereafter is contingent upon it.
For Allah has raised its status,
exalted the word of its people,
preserved their standing,
and caused the great to look toward them.
The wealthy have vied with them,
and have felt constrained by them,
because they observe in them a glory that cannot be bought,
an acceptance that cannot be matched,
and a strength that can hardly be breached,
in those among them who are sincere.
For whoever lives for knowledge with sincerity,
and remains detached from the world,
Allah will raise him,
just as he said:
“O ye who believe! when it is said unto you, Make room! in assemblies, then make room; Allah will make way for you (hereafter). And when it is said, Come up higher! go up higher; Allah will exalt those who believe among you, and those who have knowledge, to high ranks. Allah is Informed of what ye do.” (58:11)
“O ye who believe! when it is said unto you, Make room! in assemblies, then make room; Allah will make way for you (hereafter). And when it is said, Come up higher! go up higher; Allah will exalt those who believe among you, and those who have knowledge, to high ranks. Allah is Informed of what ye do.” (58:11)