Acquire religious knowledge...
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Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,
As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)
One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:
First of all i would like to thank you for your great noble work. Barakallah I often print your answers and gave to my friends. Yesterday when i gave this to my friend he said, "i have stop studying these things because i have studied a lot and whenever i study answer of same question from different scholars. i become upset, which is right and which is wrong? so, to avoid this confusion i stop reading. I just know the basics and i dont want to go in detail". Please guide us what should one do in this scenario? my friend also quote this Hadith "Prophet (SAW) said that I (SAW) fear from the time when everybody would try to understand Quran" Please verify its authenticity, if it is Sahih Hadith then what should we do?
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Answer:
Acquire religious knowledge obligatory
In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.
Your Question: ….my friend also quote this Hadith "Prophet (SAW) said that I (SAW) fear from the time when everybody would try to understand Quran" Please verify its authenticity, if it is Sahih Hadith then what should we do?
To the best of our knowledge brother, we have not yet come across any such narration in the authentic and established Sunnah whereby the Messenger of Allah (saws) is quoted to have declared: “I (SAW) fear from the time when everybody would try to understand Quran"
Beloved and respected brother, we remind you as we remind ourselves, that one must be extremely careful when ascribing something to the Noble Messenger of Allah (saws); for those who invent something from themselves and attribute it to the Noble Prophet (saws) will have a grievous penalty indeed!
Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 4.667 Narrated by Abdullah bin Amr
The Prophet (saws) said ‘Whoever tells a lie on me intentionally, will surely take his place in the (Hell) Fire."
Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 1.109 Narrated by Salama
I heard the Prophet (saws) saying, "Whoever (intentionally) ascribes to me what I have not said then (surely) let him occupy his seat in Hell-fire."
Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 8.217 Narrated by Abu Huraira
The Prophet (saws) said, "Whoever intentionally ascribes something to me falsely, he will surely take his place in the (Hell) Fire.”
In absolute contrast to the statement of your friend that one should fear the time when ‘everyone would try to understand the Quran’……. this is what is related in the Quran and the authentic and established Sunnah regarding the obligation of every believer to study the Glorious Quran and acquire religious knowledge:
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 185:
Ramadan is the month in which the Quran was sent
down: this Book is a Perfect Guidance for all mankind and
consists of clear Teachings which show the
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Al-Baqarah verse 174:
Indeed those who conceal the Commands that Allah has sent down in His Book and barter them away for paltry worldly gains, fill their bellies with fire. Allah will not speak to them on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He regard them as pure and there is a painful torment for them!
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 159:
Those who conceal the Clear (Revelations) and Guidance We have sent down, after We have made it clear for the people in the Book, on them shall be Allah’s ‘laanah’ and the ‘laanah’ of those who are entitled to curse!
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 44 Surah Dukhan verse 58:
We have made this Book easy in your own tongue so that they may ponder and take good counsel.
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 43 Surah Zukhruf verses 1-3:
Haa Meem. By this lucid (clear or open) Book. We have made it an Arabic Quran, so that you may understand it.
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 12 Surah Yusuf verse 1-2:
These are the verses of the Book that makes its object perfectly clear. We have sent it down as a Quran in Arabic, so that you may understand it well.
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 16 Surah Nahl verse 89:
We have sent down to you this Book, which makes everything plain, and is a guidance, blessing and good news to those who have surrendered themselves entirely.
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 41 Surah Ha Mim As Sajdaah verse 2-4:
This is a Revelation from the All-Compassionate, the All-Merciful Allah. A Book whose verses are well-expounded, an Arabic Quran for the people who want to understand, and a giver of good news and a warner.
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 18 Surah Kahf verse 1-3:
All praise is for Allah Alone, Who has sent down this Book to His Servant (Mohamed (saws), and assigned nothing crooked to it. This Book says everything directly, so that he may warn the people of the severe chastisement of Allah and give good news to the believers, who do righteous deeds, that they will have an excellent reward.
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 43 Surah Zukhruf verses 43-44:
So, hold fast to the Book that has been revealed to you, you are surely on the Siraat al Mustaqeem. The fact is that this book is a great honor for you and your people, and soon you shall be CALLED TO ACCOUNT for it.
Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 218 Narrated by Anas ibn Malik
Allah's Messenger (saws) said: ‘The seeking of (religious) knowledge is obligatory for every Muslim.’
Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 249 Narrated by Al-Hasan al-Basri
Allah's Messenger (saws) said: ‘He whom death overtakes while he is engaged in acquiring (religious) knowledge with a view to reviving Islam with the help of it, there will be one degree between him and the Prophets in Paradise.’
Sahih Muslim HadithHadith 6518 Narrated byAbuHurayrah
Allah's Messenger (saws) as saying: ‘He who alleviates the suffering of a brother from the affections of the world, Allah will alleviate his affections from the sufferings of the Day of Resurrection. He who finds relief for one who is hard pressed, Allah will make things easy for him in the Hereafter, and he who conceals (the faults) of a Muslim, Allah would conceal his faults in the world and in the Hereafter. Allah is at the back of a servant so long as the servant is at the back of his brother. He who treads the path in search of knowledge, Allah will make that path easy, leading to Paradise for him and those persons who assemble in one of the houses of Allah (mosques), recite the Book of Allah and learn and teach the Qur'an (among themselves). There will descend upon them tranquillity, mercy will cover them, the Angels will surround them and Allah will mention them in the presence of those near Him. He who is slow-paced in doing good deeds, his (long) descent does not make him go ahead.’
Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 256 Narrated by Abdullah ibn Abbas
The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: ‘Acquiring (religious) knowledge in company for an hour in the night is better than spending the whole night in prayer.’
Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 220 Narrated by Anas ibn Malik
Allah's Messenger (saws) said: ‘One who goes out to search for (religious) knowledge is (devoted) to the Cause of Allah till he returns.’
Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 257 Narrated by Abdullah ibn Amr
Allah's Messenger (saws) happened to pass by two groups (of muslims) in the mosque and he (saws) said: ‘Both of them are good, but one is superior to the other. One group is supplicating Allah and praying to Him. If He so wills, He will confer upon them and if He so wills He will withhold. So far as those who are acquiring the understanding of religion and its knowledge and are busy in teaching the ignorant, they are superior. Verily I have been sent as a teacher.’ He (saws) then sat down amongst them.
The scholars and jurists in Islam are absolutely unanimous in their opinion that the seeking of basic Islamic knowledge is what is known as ‘fard-ayn’ or absolutely obligatory upon each and every sane, adult, muslim.
Your Statement: ….."i have stop studying these things because i have studied a lot and whenever i study answer of same question from different scholars. i become upset, which is right and which is wrong? so, to avoid this confusion i stop reading.
Respected brother, it is only natural that when one studies, accepts and follows a ‘way of life’ which provides guidance on every single aspect of one’s life….be it individual, communal, financial, marital, moral, manners, behavior, relations, law, etc….and this approved ‘way of life’ called ‘Al-Islam’ is followed by billions and billions of people, generation after generation….it is only natural and obvious that there would be some differences of opinion in some small matters of jurisprudence…and that should only be expected.
To unilaterally declare that one has stopped the further acquisition of religious knowledge only because one finds that some scholars and jurists have a difference of opinion on some small matters of the ‘deen’ is not only unwise, but detrimental to one’s growth as a muslim individual and as a nation.
It is only people who wish to shy away from acquiring knowledge who invent and quote such self-invented and self-satisfying ‘hadiths’ to justify their actions!
The Messenger of Allah (saws) declared in truth that the striving to acquire religious knowledge is absolutely obligatory upon each and every muslim, male and female….thus my respected and beloved brother, let no one convince you otherwise!
Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.
Your brother and well wisher in Islam,
Burhan
