Islamic

Knowledge.
The Prophet (‫( صلى ال عليه و سلم‬
said: “Whomsoever Allah
wants good for he makes him
understand the religion”.
‫بسم ال الرحمن الرحيم‬
In the Name of Allah the Most
Beneficent Most Merciful.
What is Islamic Knowledge?
• Generally, knowledge refers to understanding any
issue, specific or general, in the manner by which
it supposed to be understood.
• Islamic knowledge therefore refers to having the
correct understanding of issues which the
Qur’an and the Sunnah have dealt with.
• The scholars have divided Islamic knowledge into
three broad categories:
• Aqeedah (‫( (العقيدة‬Worship)
• Fiqh (‫((الفقه‬Jurisprudence)
• Suluuk (‫((السلوك‬Behaviour)
Virtues of Seeking
Knowledge
• Those who have knowledge truly fear Allah.
• Whoever seeks knowledge Allah makes the way to Jannah
easy for him.
• Allah raises the people of knowledge over those who are
ignorant.
• Allah ordered the Prophet (‫صلى ال عليه و سلم‬to ask for an (
increase in knowledge and he didn’t order him to ask for an
increase in anything else.
• Everything in the heavens and the earth makes Du’a for the
seeker of knowledge.
• The seeker of knowledge is able to distinguish between
truth and falsehood in trying times.
Branches of Islamic
Knowledge
• There are two matters that a student must
take into consideration when he/she wants
to seek Islamic knowledge:
• The Goal (‫(المقصود‬: Understanding Aqeedah,
Fiqh and Islamic Conduct according to the
Book of Allah and the Authentic Sunnah.
• The means (‫(الوسائل‬: The student must study
the sciences that serve as a means to
understand the goals that were previously
elaborated.
Aqeedah (‫( العقيدة‬
• Aqeedah refers to what one believes and acts
upon.
• The scholars of Islam have said that this science
pertains to the study of the six points of Imaan
which are:
• Belief in Allah
• The Angels
• The Books
• The Prophets
• The Day of Judgment
• Divine Decree
Aqeedah (‫(العقيدة‬

• Other scholars such as Shaikh Amaan

Al Jaami (‫ (رحمة ال عليه‬divided this study
into three categories:
• Knowledge of Allah (‫(إلهيات‬
• Knowledge of the Messengers (‫(النبوات‬
• Belief in unseen matters (‫(الغيبيات‬
Aqeedah (‫( العقيدة‬

• Matters to note:
• In order to understand issues of
Aqeedah one must take from the
Qur’an, the Sunnah and the
Consensus of the Companions.
• There is no room for difference of
opinion in Aqeedah.
Fiqh (‫(الفقه‬
• Fiqh refers to the knowledge of Islamic
rulings according to its clear evidences
from the Qur’an and the Sunnah.
• The Ulama have divided it into two
categories:
• Fiqh Ul Ibaadaat :(‫ (فقه العبادات‬This refers to
the pillars of Islam
• Fiqh Ul Mu’aamalaat (‫(فقه المعاملت‬: This refers
to other matters in jurisprudence.
Fiqh (‫(الفقه‬
• Note well:
• The evidences of Fiqh are from the
Qur’an, the Sunnah and Ijmaa’
(consensus). When Ijtihaad (‫ (الجتهاد‬is
needed then Qiyas (‫ (القياس‬is utilized.
• There is room for differences of
opinion once those differences do
not oppose clear evidences.
Suluuk (‫(السلوك‬
• This refers to the behaviour and manners
of the Muslim and is divided into three
main categories:
• Manners with Allah: Meaning to fear him in
secret and in public.
• Manners with Oneself: This is done by
following up an evil deed with a good
deed.
• Manners with Others: To be courteous and
kind to the people.
Other branches of
knowledge
• As for the branches of knowledge which
are a means to understanding Islam they
are:
• The Arabic Language.
• The Science of Hadeeth(‫( مصطلح الحديث‬
• The Science of Jurisprudence (‫(أصول الفقه‬
• The Science of Tafseer (‫(أصول التفسير‬
• These sciences give the student of
knowledge fundamental principles by
which he would be able to source
authentic information and understand it.
The Pillars of Seeking
Knowledge
• The Pillars of Seeking Knowledge are as follows:
• Sincerity (‫(الخلص‬
• Good Manners (‫( الخلق الفاضلة‬
• Diligence (‫(الحرص‬
• Intelligence (‫( الذكاء‬
• Patience(‫( الصبر‬
• Money (‫(المال‬
• A Teacher’s guidance (‫( إرشاد الستاذ‬
• Keeping good company (‫( الصحبة‬
• Seeking knowledge for a long period of time ( ‫طول‬
‫( الزمان‬
Sincerity(‫(الخلص‬
• Sincerity is defined as the oneness of Allah in
intention.
• It is upon the student to seek knowledge in order
to get closer to Allah. This is because any worship
that is done for other than him is rejected.
• His intentions should be the following:
• To raise ignorance from himself and others.
• To act upon the knowledge he has learnt.
• To defend Islam against those who oppose it from
the Kuffar and the Ahlul Bid’ah (the people of
innovation).
Sincerity (‫(الخلص‬
• If a student is sincere it will manifest itself
in certain ways:
• Action upon knowledge.
• Taking knowledge from those who are
above and below him.
• Being humble to the general people.
• Saying I don’t know
• Listening attentively when others are
speaking about the branches of
knowledge.
Sincerity (‫(الخلص‬

• The student should not seek

knowledge in order to:
• Debate with the scholars.
• Fool the common people.
• Speak about it in sittings.
• Gain authority over others.
Sincerity (‫(الخلص‬

• Insincerity manifests itself in many

ways:
• Not accepting the truth when it
comes.
• Belittling the common-folk.
• Arguing with the scholars.
• Covering the truth with falsehood.
• Desiring accolades and titles from
others.
Good Manners (‫(الخلق الفاضلة‬
• It is upon the student of knowledge to purify himself from
any blameworthy characteristics when he is threading the
path of knowledge.
• Good manners are the fruits of knowledge that is sought.
• It makes the student successful in seeking knowledge
because of the following:
• The student would respect his/her teachers.
• He/She would have respect for fellow students of
knowledge.
• The people would not run away from him/her but rather
would gravitate toward the student who has noble
characteristics.
) Bad Manners‫(الخلق الذميمة‬
• A student must stay away from
blameworthy characteristics.
• If the student has bad manners the
following would result:
• Lack of respect for his teacher.
• Lack of respect for his fellow students
• Lack of respect for the common people. As
a result of this last point the people may
gravitate to those who are ignorant rather
than those who are knowledgeable.
Diligence (‫(الحرص‬
• A student must be diligent in seeking
Islamic knowledge and this diligence has
three pillars:
• Attending the gatherings of the scholars.
Memorizing, learning, understanding and
revising one’s lessons.
• Making Du’a asking Allah’s help and
guidance in seeking knowledge.
• Avoiding procrastination. The student
should not leave off today’s lesson for
tomorrow.
Intelligence (‫(الذكاء‬
• The student of knowledge must be
someone who is intelligent.
• He must have the ability to
memorize as well as to understand
his lessons.
• This intelligence is divided into two
categories:
• Intelligence that is natural.
• Intelligence that is given by Allah
ta’ala.
Patience (‫(الصبر‬
• Patience refers to restraining oneself from
the disobedience of Allah.
• A student of knowledge is a Mujahid and
hence he must have patience upon four
matters:
• Seeking knowledge.
• Action upon it.
• Calling toward it.
• Being patient toward what may come as a
result of it.
Patience (‫(الصبر‬
• The student must endure hardships while seeking
knowledge. And this is manifested in three ways:
• Traveling in order to seek knowledge. One has to sacrifice
his/her time and energy in order to do so.
• Going from one level of knowledge to the next. Which is
called At Tadarruj (‫(التدرج‬. The student learns the basic
issues before delving into more complex issues. This
requires him to learn for many years
• Having patience with the scholar who is teaching him. For
whomsoever does not taste the humiliation of seeking
knowledge for one hour he will carry the cup of ignorance
for his whole life.
• Having patience to remain a seeker of knowledge. He
should have high hopes one day and none the next.
Money (‫(المال‬

• The student of knowledge should

have money for the following
reasons:
• To make trips to countries where the
scholars are.
• In order that he remains independent
of others who may want to use him
as a ‘rubber stamp’.
The Guidance of a Scholar (‫إرشاد‬
‫(أستاذ‬
• Seeking knowledge under the scholars is
the Sunnah of our Salaf.
• The scholars are the key toward
comprehending the books of knowledge.
• The student of knowledge should try to
travel to countries where the major
scholars are as often as he is able to.
• If he is unable to do so then he should get
recordings of classes taught by the
scholars.
The Guidance of a Scholar (‫إرشاد‬
‫(أستاذ‬
• The scholar should have certain qualities:
• He should be Salafi. Neither an innovator
nor a Hizbi.
• He should be pious
• He should be known to have knowledge in
what he is teaching.
• He should be elderly in age. This is
because he would have more experience
in dealing with issues in knowledge.
Having good Company
(‫(الصحبة‬
• A student of knowledge should have the
following as good company:
• Those who are upon Salafeeyah.
• Those who are pious with good manners.
• Those who are hardworking students of
knowledge.
• Those who share what they have learnt
and are not selfish with what Allah has
given them.
Studying for a long period of
time (‫(طول الزمان‬
• The student of knowledge seeks it from the cradle
to the grave. Imam Ahmad said: “With the inkpot
to the grave”.
• The Ulama have said: If you give knowledge all of
yourself you would only remain with some of it.
• The student doesn’t stop seeking knowledge.
Rather he continues to read, memorize research
and travel in order to do so.
• On returning to his country he should maintain a
connection with the Major Scholars so that he
would be able to ask questions about doubtful
matters.
Conclusion
• Seeking knowledge is incumbent upon every Muslim.
• Muslim brothers and sisters should make effort to come out
to classes where they can gain Islam knowledge.
• They should all act upon the knowledge and call toward it
with understanding and insight.
• Teachers should teach with the intention to take others
from darkness into light.
• They should teach the simple issues of knowledge before
those that are complicated.
• They should maintain a link with the Major Scholars of this
time. Whether through reading their works, listening to
them or having tele-links with them.
• And last and not least. It is a must to be sincere in our
intentions.
• ‫و ال أعلم و صلى ال على نبينا محمد و على اله و صحبه و سلم‬