Raf' al-Ilm
The Lifting of Knowledge
کتاب العلم
Gentlemen! Today there is a big debate among some ignorant scholars whether a prophet equal to or like the Messenger of Allah ﷺ can be born or not? The ignorant say that he can be born. Those who understand the world say that God is the One who created the prophets. He created Hazrat ﷺ Himself. What is lacking in God's power, but when God made Hazrat ﷺ Khatam-un-Nabiyyin and declared that no prophet will come after him. If any prophet were to be born, then God's word would have to be false. God forbid! The ignorant is he who considers the first to be the first and the last to be the last, yet considers the possible after the last.
قَالَ اللّٰهُ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى: اِسْتَحْوَذَ عَلَيْهِمُ الشَّيْطٰنُ فَاَنْسٰهُمْ ذِكْرَ اللّٰهِ - (سورة مجادلة - آيت ١٩)
Allah Blessed and Exalted said: "Satan has overcome them and made them forget the remembrance of Allah." (Surah Mujadalah - Ayat 19)
Vocabulary: اِسْتَحْوَذَ; overpowered, overcame. - عَلَيْهِمْ; upon them. - اَنْسٰهُمْ; made them forget. - نِسْيَانٌ; to forget. - اَنْسٰى; made to forget. -
Translation: Allah Blessed and Exalted says: "Satan has surrounded them, overcome them and made them forget the remembrance of God."
Who are these people? These are the people who have made taking false oaths their habit and by deceiving Muslims with their sweet talk, they boast about their policy. What punishment has Allah Almighty fixed for them? They will always remain fuel for Hell and as long as they live in the world they will be the selected companions of Satan. In accordance with the verse: "Neither did we meet God nor the idol, we neither belonged here nor there."
وَقَالَ اللّٰهُ تَعَالَى: إِنَّ الَّذِيْنَ لَايَرْجُوْنَ لِقَاءَ نَا وَرَضُوْا بِالْحَيٰوةِ الدُّنْيَا وَاطْمَأَنُّوْابِهَا وَالَّذِيْنَ هُمْ عَنْ اٰيٰتِنَا غٰفِلُوْنَ - أُولٰئِكَ مَأْوٰاهُمُ النَّارُ بِمَاكَانُوْا يَكْسِبُوْنَ - (سورة یونس - آیت ٧ ، ٨)
And Allah Almighty said: "Indeed, those who do not expect the meeting with Us and are satisfied with the worldly life and feel secure in it, and those who are heedless of Our signs - For those their refuge will be the Fire because of what they used to earn." (Surah Yunus - Ayat 7, 8)
Vocabulary: لَايَرْجُوْنَ; do not keep hope. - لِقَاءَ نَا; to meet Us or to meet each other. - رَضُوْا; رَضِيَ، يَرْضٰى رِضَاءً وَرِضْوَانًا; to be pleased. - اِطْمَأَنُّوْا; became satisfied, they found peace. - مَأْوٰاهُمْ; their abode. - اٰوَىٰ يُؤْوِيْ; to give refuge, give place. - مَأْوٰى; place to stay, abode. - يَكْسِبُوْنَ; they earn, they acquire. -
Translation: Allah Almighty says: Undoubtedly those who have no hope of meeting Us and have become pleased with the worldly life and they have found peace in this (world) and those who are heedless of Our signs. The abode for them is Hell. (Why?) Because of their deeds and earnings.
کتاب العلم
عَنْ عَبْدِ اللّٰهِ بْنِ عَمْرِو بْنِ الْعَاصِ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُمَا قَالَ قَالَ رَسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ "إِنَّ اللّٰهَ لَا يَقْبِضُ الْعِلْمَ اِنْتِزَاعًا يَنْتَزِعُهُ مِنَ النَّاسِ وَلٰكِنْ يَقْبِضُ الْعِلْمَ بِقَبْضِ الْعُلَمَاءِ حَتّٰى إِذَالَمْ يُبْقِ عَالِمٌ اِتَّخَذَ النَّاسُ رُؤُسًا جُهَّالًا فَسُئِلُوْا فَاَفْتَوْا بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ فَضَلُّوْا وَاَضَلُّوْا" - (اَخْرَجَهُ الشَّيْخَانِ وَالتِّرْمِذِىُّ تیسیر)
Vocabulary: لَا يَقْبِضُ; does not take away, does not extract. - اِنْتِزَاعًا; snatching. - لَمْ يُبْقِ; will not remain. - جُهَّالٌ plural of جَاهِلٌ; ignorant, unlettered. - فَسُئِلُوْا; then they were asked (they will be asked). - فَاَفْتَوْا; then they gave fatwa. -
Translation: Abdullah bin Amr bin al-As (RA) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said that surely Allah will not take away knowledge from the people by snatching it, but He will take away knowledge by taking away the scholars (meaning the scholars will die), until when no scholar remains, people will make the ignorant their leaders. Then questions will be asked of them, so they will give fatwas without knowledge. - They themselves will go astray and will lead others astray. - (Narrated by the two Sheikhs, meaning Bukhari and Muslim, and by Tirmidhi and also in Taysir)
Gentlemen! Ignorance rules in the present era. They don't know Arabic, they have not studied the Ahadith and have started giving fatwas. Hazrat ﷺ has said: "They themselves will go astray and will lead others astray."
عَنْ اَبِى الدَّرْدَاءِ رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ كُنَّا مَعَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَشَخَصَ بِبَصَرِهِ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ ثُمَّ قَالَ "هٰذَا اَوَانُ يُخْتَلَسُ الْعِلْمُ مِنَ النَّاسِ حَتّٰى لَايَقْدِرُوْا مِنْهُ عَلٰى شَيْءٍ فَقَالَ زِيَادُ بْنُ لَبِيْدٍ الْاَنْصَارِىُّ كَيْفَ يُخْتَلَسُ مِنَّا وَقَدْ قَرَأْنَا الْقُرْاٰنَ فَوَاللّٰهِ لَنَقْرَأَنَّهُ وَلَنُقْرِءَنَّهُ أَوْلَادَنَا وَنِسَآنَنَا فَقَالَ ثَكِلَتْكَ اُمُّكَ يَازِيَادُ! إِنْ كُنْتُ لَاَعُدُّكَ مِنْ فُقَهَاءِ أَهْلِ الْمَدِينَةِ ، هٰذِهِ التَّوْرٰةُ وَالْاِنْجِيْلُ عِنْدَ الْيَهُوْدِ وَالنَّصَارٰى فَمَاذَا تُغْنِى عَنْهُمْ" قَالَ جُبَيْرٌ فَلَقِيْتُ عُبَادَةَ بْنَ الصَّامِتِ رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ فَقُلْتُ اَلَا تَسْمَعُ مَايَقُوْلُ اَخُوْكَ أَبُوالدَّرْدَاءِ رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ فَاَخْبَرْتُهُ بِالَّذِىْ قَالَ اَبُو الدَّرْدَاءِ فَقَالَ صَدَقَ اَبُو الدَّرْدَاءِ إِنْ شِئْتَ لَاُ حَدِّثَنَّكَ بِأَوَّلِ الْعِلْمِ يُرْفَعُ مِنَ النَّاسِ الْخُشُوْعُ - يُوْشِكُ اَنْ تَدْخُلَ الْمَسْجِدَ الْجَامِعَ فَلَا تَرٰى فِيْهِ رَجُلًا خَاشِعًا - (اَخْرَجَهُ التِّرْمِذِىُّ - تیسیر)
Vocabulary: شَخَصَ; he gazed. - فَشَخَصَ بِبَصَرِهِ; then he lifted his eyes and gazed, kept looking intently. - يُخْتَلَسُ; is snatched. - ثَكِلَتْكَ اُمُّكَ; may your mother weep for you (this is a word of great affection in Arabic. - Just as some women say may you die, may you perish). - كُنْتُ اَعُدُّكَ; I used to count you, I used to consider you. - فَمَاذَا تُغْنِى; what is the use?
Translation: Hazrat Abu Darda (RA) narrates that we were with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Hazrat ﷺ looked towards the sky for a long time and kept staring at it. Then He said that this is the time when knowledge will be snatched from the people to the point that they will not be able to do anything. Then Ziyad bin Labid Ansari said how will (knowledge) be snatched from us? Although we read the Quran. By God we will read it ourselves and we will teach our wives and children to read it as well. Then Hazrat ﷺ said, may your mother weep for you! O Ziyad! I used to count you among the intelligent people of Medina. These Torah and Injeel are with the people, then what use are they coming to them. Jubair said (hearing this) I went to Ubadah bin Samit and then I said to him, don't you hear what your brother Abu Darda is saying. Then I told him everything that he had said. Ubadah said that Abu Darda spoke the truth and if you want, I can tell you what thing will be lifted first. Humility and submissiveness will be lifted from the people first. It is near that you will go to the Jamia Masjid and there you will not find any person worshipping with humility and submissiveness. (Narrated by Tirmidhi and also in Taysir)
Gentlemen! The prophecy of Hazrat ﷺ is perfectly applying to the people of this era. Humility and submissiveness are completely gone from the hearts. Speeches (taqareer) happen a lot. Their series continues for hours but look at the prayer, it's a "rooster pecking". Here they say "Yalamoon", there they say "Ta'lamoon", Bismillah Allahu Akbar. Ask any gentleman which Surah was read in the first Rakat? Who listened with their heart and who remembers. You will also see such people who will become the Imam and read the Quran very slowly and when they pray alone, they will pray four Rakats in the time of one Rakat with Jamaat. Where is the humility, where is the submissiveness! This is the reason that there is no effect in our prayers. Now there is no blessing in our reciting the Quran. In our time when non-Muslim women brought their children, they would blow on them after reading something and they would become well. Now Muslims also get their children blown upon by those who offer Namaz. The real crying is for this, when do Muslims themselves recite the name of Allah from a true heart? That is why even if they sometimes read, there is no effect. After all, what is the reason for this? God is the same, the Quran is the same! But there is no humility in the heart, no submissiveness! No sincerity! Now how will there be effect. "What comes from the heart, has an effect." Some people think that the evil deeds of the devils have a quick effect but the name of Allah does not. Undoubtedly, without complete conviction, there is no effect from reading. Belief is just belief. The real belief is the soul of Iman. May Allah grant us all complete conviction. Our tongues should have effect, we speak with our heart and Allah Almighty listens. لاحول ولا قوة الا بالله.