Seeking knowledge is obligatory

Published: Friday, 26 January, 2007, 10:52 AM Doha Time

Prophet Muhammad sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam said: “Seeking knowledge is obligatory

upon every Muslim.” (Related by Ibn ‘Adiyy, Al-Bayhaqi and Al-Tabarani). Though this
Hadith is known and memorised by most Muslims, the essence, the amount, and the kind of
knowledge referred to in this Hadith remains misunderstood by many. If it is true that the
knowledge incumbent upon every Muslim pertains to religious knowledge, or al-’Ilm al
Shar’i, how deeply does one have to pursue his quest of this knowledge to fulfil his duties
and discharge the learning obligations placed upon him. In other words, what are the
minimum teachings that every Muslim – male or female – is required to know about his
Deen?
A. Types of knowledge in Islam
Muslim scholars classify knowledge into two categories:
1: Obligatory knowledge (fardh ‘ayn): This refers to knowledge of the fundamentals of
Islamic beliefs which every Muslim must know. Seeking this knowledge is an obligatory duty
upon every Muslim. All obligatory knowledge deal exclusively with al-’Ilm al-Shar’i, that is,
knowledge pertaining to Islamic faith, acts of worship, and the necessary transactions in the
daily dealings of a Muslim.
2: Optional knowledge (fardh kifayah): This is not a duty required of every individual, but
rather it falls upon the community as a whole. Hence, if a group of individuals in the
community undertake to acquire this kind of knowledge, all other individuals will be
exempted from this duty, and the whole community will be free from responsibility or
negligence to acquire this kind of knowledge. Examples of such knowledge include studying
Islamic law and other basic sciences, industries and professions which are vital for the
welfare of the society.
Unlike obligatory knowledge, optional knowledge covers part of Islamic knowledge and all
worldly knowledge. The former is called al-’Ilm al-Shar’i al-Kifa’i (optional Islamic
knowledge), while the latter is called al-’Ilm al-dunyawi (worldly knowledge).
a) Religious sciences: These cover all branches of Islamic shari’ah, such as: tafseer
(Qur’anic exegeses), fiqh, hadith sciences (known as mustalah al-hadith or ‘Ilm usul al-
hadith), seerah (the Prophet’s biography), Islamic political science, (As-siyasah al-
shar’iyah), Islamic history, etc.
Each of these sciences may require knowledge of other sciences to cover fully and
comprehensively the substance of the matter studied. For example: tafseer needs Arabic
grammar, Arabic literature, and other linguistic skills; Hadith sciences need the science of
criticism (which looks at the narrators’ credibility, trustworthiness, power of memorisation,
etc), called ‘Ilm al-jarh wat-ta’deel.
b) The natural and applied sciences: These are all the basic sciences, industries and
professions which are of vital necessity for the welfare of the community. Examples of such
fields include: engineering; agriculture, fisheries, food sciences, etc.
Leaders of every Muslim community should always do their best to procure the necessary
number of scholars, professionals and qualified men and women in all fields of optional
knowledge needed by the community. For example, Muslims in a non-Muslim country must
train sufficient number of shari’ah scholars to answer questions raised by members of the
community. They must also prepare enough educators – administrators, teachers and
counsellors to fill the growing needs of Islamic schools in this country. Both male and
female Muslim doctors are needed in every city to care for male and female Muslim
patients, respectively.
From the above discussion, we can fully understand the responsibility that lies upon the
shoulders of Muslims in this continent. Any community which does not take the necessary
steps to satisfy its own needs in all fields of optional knowledge becomes subject to the
punishment of Allah. Consequently, all its members will share the blame and the sins for
their shortcomings.
Minimum requirements for Islamic sciences
First, the understanding fundamentals of Iman: This is also called ‘Ilm Usul ud-Deen
(Fundamentals of Deen), or ‘Ilm al-Tawheed (the Oneness of Allah), or simply ‘Aqeedah
(Islamic faith). Every Muslim must have a general knowledge of all matters pertaining to his
faith. He should have a clear understanding of the Lord he worships, the Prophet he follows
and the Deen to which he committed himself. Needless to say, one should exert the best of
one’s effort to acquire these fundamentals.
Second, understanding Islamic rules and conduct (fiqh al-ahkam): This is also called fiqh
al-’Ibadat (understanding of acts of worship). This field covers all aspects of the Islamic acts
of worship that are necessary for the correct practice of one’s Salat, Zakat, Sawm, and Haj.
It als covers all aspects of family issues, such as marriage, divorce, children’s education, as
well as rules and regulations for one’s business transactions such as, buying, selling,
borrowing lending, etc. A Muslim is obligated to learn from fiqh al-ahkam only matters that
are related to Ibadah (worship) he need to perform; and rules of a particular transaction he
wants to undertake. For example, if a Muslim has not reached the age for prayer or fasting,
he does not have to learn about them though he may be encouraged to do so. Also, if one
does not have the necessary means to perform Haj, one does not need to learn its rituals
until one becomes able to undertake the Haj journey.
By learning those two branches, a Muslim will know His Lord by all His beautiful names and
Most High attributes. He will renounce all imperfections that ignorant and deviant people
attributed to Allah. He will know the status, function and rights of the Prophets and, thus, will
not elevate them to a divine status, nor will he degrade them to a status that does not befit
their prophethood as many heretics had done. He will follow a similar course when dealing
with other required beliefs, such as the belief in the Angels, the Books, the Predetermined
Decree, the Last Day, the punishment in the grave, etc. On the other hand, before
performing any act of worship, a Muslim should know the requirements, the conditions and
the desirable actions pertaining to that act. Hence, He will never practice any act of worship
or undertake any transaction not sanctioned by the Qur’an or Sunnah.
Just by contemplating the Islamic knowledge of Muslims today, the reader can realise how
much those two disciplines, which are required of every Muslim, have been neglected, if not
totally ignored. Unfortunately, there are many Muslim professors, doctors, and engineers,
who hold the most advanced academic or professional positions in their respective
institutions, yet do not possess the minimum knowledge of the Islamic sciences. Ironically,
while it takes only a few weeks or even a few days to acquire the obligatory Islamic
knowledge, it may take at least two years to obtain a basic degree in any worldly field.
Though these brothers and sisters are to be thanked and encouraged for their worldly
endeavour, they are undoubtedly sinful due to their shortcomings in learning the required
Islamic knowledge.
Every Muslim should know that once he has corrected his beliefs and Ibadah, through
knowledge, and cleansed his devotions from any type of Shirk (ie, showing off, pleasing
others besides/other than Allah, etc), he can aspire and hope for his reward from Allah
subhanahu wa ta’ala. Indeed, it is through knowledge and sincerity that one can enter
paradise. This is how we can understand the Hadith of our beloved Prophet sallallaahu
'alaihi wa sallam, “Whoever adopts the path of seeking knowledge, Allah eases for him the
way to Paradise.” (Related by Ahmad, Al-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah, and Al-Darami).
Muslims should teach what they learn
A Muslim who has learned the requirements of his individual duties is responsible for
disseminating the knowledge he has acquired to his family members first; then to his
friends, coworkers, neighbours, etc. Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala says, “O you who believe!
Ward off from yourselves and your families a Fire (Hell) whose fuel is men and stones...”
(Al-Tahrim, 66:6). The only way to save one’s family members from Hell is to teach them the
Islamic obligations and instruct them to observe them consistently.
The Messenger of Allah sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam also emphasised this responsibility. He
said, “Every one of you is a steward and is accountable for that which is committed to his
charge. The ruler is a steward and is accountable for his charge, a man is a steward in
respect of his household, a woman is a steward in respect of her husband’s house and his
children. Thus, everyone of you is a steward and is accountable for that which is committed
to his charge.” (Related by Al-Bukhari and Muslim). The following Hadith is a strong
reminder for anyone of us whom Allah has blessed with some Islamic knowledge: “Whoever
is asked about a knowledge that he knows about and then hides it and keeps it away, he
will be bridled on the Day of Judgment with a bridle of fire.” (Related by Ahmad, Abu Dawud
and Al-Trimidhi).
Choice to study further
Whether one who has acquired the requisite knowledge and committed himself to
spreading it, will further his study or be content with that level is left to his decision. One
should realise, however, that not all people possess the aptitude and diligence to enter the
depths of Islamic knowledge, for this is a favour that Allah gives to whomever He pleases.
Nevertheless, one should keep in mind the virtues and merits of disseminating the
knowledge of Islam. The Prophet sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam said, “Allah and His angels
and the creatures of Heavens and earth, even the ant in its dwelling and the fish in the sea,
do send Salat to the one who teaches people (good) beneficial knowledge.” (Related by Al-
Tirmidhi). The Salat of Allah is His mercy that he bestows on His slaves; the Salat of the
angels and other creatures is to ask Allah to forgive these servants.