1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,500 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 2 00:00:03,500 --> 00:00:10,740 “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) 3 00:00:10,740 --> 00:00:16,739 The Splendor of Knowledge and Wisdom. 4 00:00:16,739 --> 00:00:21,739 By Dr. Hamzah Ibn Fa'i' Al Fathi. 5 00:00:21,739 --> 00:00:26,100 May Allah preserve him. 6 00:00:26,100 --> 00:00:29,100 The Impact of Sincerity on Knowledge. 7 00:00:29,100 --> 00:00:36,020 The devout Ibrahim Ibn Adham, may Allah have mercy on him, said: 8 00:00:36,020 --> 00:00:40,020 He who passed away in the year 162 AH. 9 00:00:40,020 --> 00:00:46,270 "Whoever seeks knowledge sincerely, intending to benefit the servants of Allah and himself, 10 00:00:46,270 --> 00:00:50,270 will find obscurity more beloved to him than seeking prominence." 11 00:00:50,270 --> 00:00:53,270 Such a person increases in humility within himself, 12 00:00:53,270 --> 00:00:56,270 in diligence in worship, 13 00:00:56,270 --> 00:01:00,270 in fear of Allah and longing for Him, 14 00:01:00,270 --> 00:01:02,270 and in humbleness toward people. 15 00:01:02,270 --> 00:01:07,269 He does not concern himself with the worldly state in which he wakes or sleeps. 16 00:01:07,269 --> 00:01:14,329 The virtue of sincerity in knowledge is such that its splendor can hardly be described, nor its sweetness fully grasped, 17 00:01:14,329 --> 00:01:20,329 due to the humility, reverence, and love for obscurity it instills in the soul of its possessor. 18 00:01:20,329 --> 00:01:24,329 It feeds him the delight of true faith, 19 00:01:24,329 --> 00:01:26,329 and the gentle character, 20 00:01:26,329 --> 00:01:29,329 which compels him to prefer safety, 21 00:01:30,329 --> 00:01:33,329 and to fear the daunting responsibility of knowledge. 22 00:01:33,329 --> 00:01:36,329 Therefore, he prefers obscurity over fame, 23 00:01:36,329 --> 00:01:38,329 dignity over agitation, 24 00:01:38,329 --> 00:01:42,329 and tranquility over argumentation and disputes. 25 00:01:42,329 --> 00:01:47,549 He strives in his own deeds, acting with sincerity through an abundance of acts of worship, 26 00:01:47,549 --> 00:01:50,549 which nurture and refine the soul, 27 00:01:50,549 --> 00:01:53,549 and remove the arrogance and vanity of the self, 28 00:01:53,549 --> 00:01:57,549 especially through private worship and the night prayer, 29 00:01:57,549 --> 00:02:00,549 which works its effect upon the scholar, 30 00:02:00,549 --> 00:02:02,549 and ignites the flame of sincerity, 31 00:02:02,549 --> 00:02:05,549 making him stand in awe of the greatness of knowledge, 32 00:02:05,549 --> 00:02:10,550 and the risks and burdens that Allah has entrusted within it. 33 00:02:10,550 --> 00:02:12,550 Allah the Exalted said: 34 00:02:12,550 --> 00:02:16,550 “And of men and beasts and cattle, in like manner, divers hues? The erudite among His bondmen fear Allah alone. Lo! Allah is Mighty, Forgiving.” (35:28) 35 00:02:17,550 --> 00:02:20,550 His fear of Allah remains constant, 36 00:02:20,550 --> 00:02:22,550 his reverence is ever-present, 37 00:02:22,550 --> 00:02:25,550 and his vigilance is profound, 38 00:02:25,550 --> 00:02:27,550 as a result of the knowledge he carries, 39 00:02:27,550 --> 00:02:29,550 the Qur'an he has memorized, 40 00:02:29,550 --> 00:02:31,550 the trust he has been charged with, 41 00:02:31,550 --> 00:02:34,550 or the legal rulings through which he might falter, 42 00:02:34,550 --> 00:02:36,550 or in which he might fall short. 43 00:02:36,550 --> 00:02:40,550 Yet, his longing for Allah is intense, 44 00:02:40,550 --> 00:02:42,550 stemming from his deep faith, 45 00:02:42,550 --> 00:02:44,550 his sincerity to his Lord, 46 00:02:44,550 --> 00:02:46,550 his adherence to the guidance, 47 00:02:46,550 --> 00:02:48,550 and his illumination by revelation. 48 00:02:48,550 --> 00:02:52,840 When he appears among people, he is humble and gentle, 49 00:02:52,840 --> 00:02:54,840 such that he does not act arrogantly toward them, 50 00:02:54,840 --> 00:02:56,840 nor does he exalt himself through his knowledge, 51 00:02:56,840 --> 00:02:58,840 or boast of his eloquence, 52 00:02:58,840 --> 00:03:00,840 or speak harshly to them. 53 00:03:00,840 --> 00:03:02,840 Rather, you find him affectionate and merciful, 54 00:03:02,840 --> 00:03:04,840 a kind brother and companion. 55 00:03:04,840 --> 00:03:07,840 He does not display his superiority over them, 56 00:03:07,840 --> 00:03:09,840 as Allah has said: 57 00:03:09,840 --> 00:03:12,840 “The (faithful) slaves of the Beneficent are they who walk upon the earth modestly, and when the foolish ones address them answer: Peace;” (25:63) 58 00:03:12,840 --> 00:03:15,840 He is adorned by his sincerity to Allah, 59 00:03:15,840 --> 00:03:17,840 which makes him ascetic toward the world, 60 00:03:17,840 --> 00:03:20,840 for he is unconcerned with what he wakes or sleeps to, 61 00:03:20,840 --> 00:03:22,840 or what he has gathered or lost of it. 62 00:03:22,840 --> 00:03:25,840 The world is no longer his greatest concern, 63 00:03:25,840 --> 00:03:27,840 nor the limit of his knowledge, 64 00:03:27,840 --> 00:03:29,840 because he has conditioned his soul 65 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:31,840 toward complete sincerity, 66 00:03:31,840 --> 00:03:33,840 humble truthfulness, 67 00:03:33,840 --> 00:03:35,840 and submission to the law of Allah. 68 00:03:35,840 --> 00:03:37,840 Whoever neglects sincerity, 69 00:03:37,840 --> 00:03:39,840 and does not strive to attain it, 70 00:03:39,840 --> 00:03:41,840 will miss the blessings of knowledge, 71 00:03:41,840 --> 00:03:43,840 and its beautiful fruits. 72 00:03:43,840 --> 00:03:45,840 And Allah is the Grantor of success.