Allaah - the Most Perfect, the Most High responded to the
supplication of His Prophet Ibraaheem 'alayhis-salaam when he said:
"Our Lord! Send to them a Messenger from themselves, reciting to
them Your Signs, teaching them the Book and the Wisdom and purifying
them. Indeed You are the Most Powerful, the Most Wise." [Soorah al-
Baqarah 2:129].
So Allaah - the Mighty and Majestic - said:
"It is Allaah who has sent to the unlettered people a Messenger from
amongst themselves, reciting to them His Signs, purifying them and
teaching them the Book and the Wisdom, whereas before that, they had
been in clear misguidance." [Soorah al-Jumu'ah 62:2].
So here the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam has been
characterised with two tasks: ta'leem (teaching) and tazkiyah
(purification). In his request, Ibraaheem 'alayhis-salaam mentioned
ta'leem before tazkiyah. However, Allaah - the Mighty and Majestic -
answered him, but by giving tazkiyah precedence to ta'leem.
And Allaah blessed the Believers by sending the Messenger who
carried out these two tasks, so He - the Mighty and Majestic - said:
"As We sent to you a Messenger from amongst yourselves, reciting to
you Our Signs, purifying you, and teaching you the Book and the
Wisdom, that which you did not know." [Soorah al-Baqarah 2:151]
So in this aayah (verse) also, Allaah - the Mighty and Majestic -
mentions purification before teaching. Thus, as is known,
purification is one of the fruits of acting upon knowledge; and that
knowledge causes harm for its possessor if it is not accompanied by
action. Indeed, whosoever increases in knowledge, but does not
increase in taqwaa (piety and obedience to Allaah), then let him be
suspicious about his knowledge.
Imaam Ibn al-Qayyim (d.751H) rahimahullaah - said: "The Scholar who
does not act upon his knowledge, will be punished before the
worshippers of idols."
And our Salaf (Pious Predecessors) used to inherit purification from
each other, as part of good and fine manners. This was due to their
sitting with the Shaykh and accompanying him. So 'Abdullaah ibn
Maslamah al-Qa'nabee (d.221H) said: "We used to sit with Imaam
Maalik and take from his manners and conduct, just as we would take
from his knowledge." 2
However, in the later generations, Sharee'ah knowledge has almost
become restricted to just colleges and universities and sitting in
front of the doctors and teachers for short periods of time. So the
students do not take any benefit from good manners and conduct -
even if those teachers have a share of it. And we often see and hear
about many shortcomings of both the students and the teachers! Thus,
the religion has become weak, yaqeen (certainty of faith) has
dwindled, sabr (patient perseverance) - with its wide Islaamic
understanding - has passed away, as has zuhd (praiseworthy
abstinence from this world) except for those whom my Lord has mercy
upon.
So knowledge alone, without good manners and conduct, will not
produce any fruit in a way that the people can be benefited by its
possessor - from what is seen and what is spoken. And through
seeking knowledge alone, the Muslims will not be saved from
hypocrisy. Rather, seeking knowledge must be accompanied by good
manners and conduct, so that he remains safe, derives benefit and is
saved from sin and its causes, and also from being burdened. This is
attested to by what at-Tirmidhee relates:
The Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam said: "There are two
qualities which do not come together in a hypocrite: Good manners
and conduct, and the understanding of the religion." 3
So in this hadeeth, good manners and conduct are mentioned before
understanding of the religion. Indeed, the greatest and most
valuable fruits of purification are sabr (patience) and zuhd
(praiseworthy abstinence from this world). Whilst the greatest and
most precious fruits of 'ilm (knowledge) is yaqeen (certainty). So
he who gains both patience and certainty, in this way, then he is
one of the leaders of the religion, and this is testified to by the
saying of Allaah - the Most High:
"We made from them leaders, giving guidance by Our Command, because
they had sabr (patient perseverance) and had yaqeen (certainty) in
Out Signs." [Soorah Sajdah 32:24].
So patience is the fruit of purification, whilst certainty is the
fruit of knowledge and teaching. And here also patience is mentioned
before certainty. Shaykhul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah (d.728H) used to
say: "Through sabr and yaqeen leadership in the religion is
attained." 4 Indeed! That is so because he who gains them both, then
he has attained and actualised the two tasks of Allaah's Messenger
sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, and has thus become an inheritor of
the Prophet - and the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam is the
leader of all the leaders.
Finally, we must draw attention to the Fact that the Salafus-
Saaliheen (Pious Predecessors) - may Allaah be pleased with them
all - actualised these two tasks and therefore they acheived
rectification of themselves and rectification of others.
'Abdullaah ibn al-Mubaarak (d.181H) used to say: "The latter part of this Ummah will not be rectified, except by that which rectified its first
part: zuhd and yaqeen."
And zuhd cannot be attained except by means
of sabr, which cannot be attained except through tazkiyah
(purification). And yaqeen cannot be attained except through
purified Sharee'ah knowledge.
So would that we had realised that our misfortune lies in the
absence of these two matters from our lives, and that he who calls
to them, persisting in this and refusing to be pre-occupied from
them by anything else, then he is upon the correct manhaj
(methodology) and upon the Straight Path.