12 August 2021
In Pursuit of Allah's Pleasure
By Abu Ousayd Al Islami Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله says darūrah doesn’t permit speaking about Dīn without knowledge, but the scholars say, if the people of knowledge don’t do the kifāyah of clarifying the haqq, the obligation then falls upon the layman to study and speak “with knowledge” due to the darūrah (necessity). Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله wrote: ‘Whosoever speaks about the religion without knowledge is a liar, even if he didn’t intend to lie!’ (Majmu‘ Fatawa (Riyadh: Dar ‘Alam al-Kutub, 1991), 10:449.) Ibn Hazm wrote:
‘Some people who are overcome by ignorance, whose intellects are weak and whose nature is corrupt think they are from the learned, when they aren’t. There is no harm greater to knowledge or the learned than from the likes of such people. For they took a meagre part of some of the sciences, while missing a much larger portion than what they had grasped. Moreover, their seeking knowledge was not a search for knowledge of Allah; exalted is He, nor was their aim to escape the darkness of ignorance. Instead, it was to be one-up on people through showing-off and self-importance, or to attract attention by being cantankerous and stirring-up controversy, or to shamelessly boast about being from the scholars when in reality they are not.
(‘Maratib al-‘Ulum’ in Rasa’il Ibn Hazm al-Andalusi (Beirut: al-Mu’assasah al-‘Arabiyyah, 1983), 4:86.) ‘Whoever seeks knowledge so as to vie with the scholars, or to argue with the foolish, or to attract peoples’ attention, then Allah shall enter him into Hell.’ (Al-Tirmidhi, Sunan, no.2654. The hadith is hasan, as per al-Albani, Sahih al-Jami‘ al-Saghir (Beirut: al-Maktab al-Islami, 1986), no.6382.) Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: la adri nisf al-‘ilm – ‘To say: “I don’t know” is half of knowledge.’ (Al-Bayhaqi, al-Madkhal, no.713.) One of the scholars said: ‘Realise, that to reply with, “I don’t know” doesn’t diminish one’s status; as some of the ignoramuses imagine. Instead, it elevates it. For it is a splendid proof of his lofty rank, strength of his religion, his fear of his Lord, and the purity of his heart.’ (Ibn Jama‘ah, Tadhkirat al-Sami‘ wa’l-Mutakallim (Beirut: Dar al-Basha’ir, 2013), 68.)
