Acquisition Of Deeni Knowledge And The Evils Of Secularism And Modernism

Hadrat Abdullah bin Mas’ud radiallahu anhu says that if the people of knowledge valued knowledge and placed it in the right hands (i.e. passed it on to those who have the capability of acquiring it and becoming leaders. To teach that which is compulsory, is necessary on every person, but more than the basic with which a person can lead others, should only be taught to those who have the capability); then without doubt, the Jews and the Christians would have become leaders of the time on account of their knowledge. However, they wasted their knowledge on the worldly people in order that they may gain some worldly benefit from them. As a result, they· became wretched and disgraced in the eyes of the worldly people. (This happened because the right of knowledge was that through it the pleasure of Allah should have been sought. By seeking the benefits of this world, they actually disgraced knowledge, the result of which was that they themselves became disgraced. If an aalim does not have any greed and fulfils the rights of the Deen, Allah Ta’ala will automatically put respect in the hearts of the people for him. In the same way, the one who seeks the world through knowledge and does not fulfil the rights of knowledge, Allah Ta’ala disgraces him. Such a person will suffer a loss in both the worlds).

The Hereafter is the Object and Deeni Knowledge is the Key

I have heard Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam saying that the person who makes all his concerns and objects into one object alone, and that is the object of the hereafter (i.e. his aim and object is the hereafter and he continually tries to put this aim in order and leaves all his other aims and concerns to Allah according to the rules of the Shariah), then Allah Ta’ala will fulfill all his aims of this world. In other words, Allah Ta’ala will fulfill all his worldly affairs in a way that will be most beneficial to him. As for the one who is in turmoil on account of sorrow and worldly aims and objectives, Allah will not worry in which valley of this world he will be destroyed.” (here, valley refers to difficulties and hardships). (Ibn Maj ah)

0 Muslim brothers and sisters! Ponder a little and save yourselves and your children from the darkness of ignorance and confine yourselves to the commandments of Allah Ta’ala all the time. When a person devotes himself totally to Allah Ta’ala, then Allah loves him and helps him in many ways. And when Allah becomes a person’s, then what can he be short of? Is there a shortfall of anything in the treasures of Allah? But all these favours can only be attained by obeying Him.

Evil Conceptions Fostered by Secularism Which Brings Upon Us the Wrath of Allah Ta’aala

It is mentioned in a Hadith that whatever can be received from Allah Ta’ala can only be got by obeying Him. These days, the ways of thinking have become so corrupt that religious education is regarded as a drawback and defect. And it is said that by acquiring religious education, what can one achieve besides poverty? Modern culture, modern ways of thinking, following the footsteps of the kuffaar (disbelievers) – all these things have become a source of pride and honour, and are regarded as progress. In actual fact, these are the very things which cause the wrath of Allah to descend daily. At times there is a plague, at times there is a flood of poverty and anxieties, and at times there is a drought. These are only the difficulties of this world. As for the punishment of the hereafter, it will be multiplied manifold. May Allah Ta’ala have mercy on the Muslims.

We do not say that, according to need, worldly knowledge should not be acquired, or that a profession or business be abandoned. What we are saying is that do not remain ignorant of the Deen. Do not destroy the Deen but do everything according to the Shariah. Following the Shariah without knowledge is impossible. It has been experienced that the one who follows the Deen completely also lives a life of honour and comfort. Even a single person will not be found who is extremely pious, and yet is in poverty and living a life of anxiety, contempt and wretchedness.

This world is a place of trials. The actual abode is the hereafter and it is there that one will live forever. It is necessary to make preparations for inhabiting that world, and as for this world, live in it as you would stay in a hotel or lodge.

The Darkness of Modernism

Save yourself and your children from the darkness of modernism. This apparent light of modernism is actually very dark and would destroy one’s Deen. When a person holds on tight to the Deen, he gets the world submissive to him, and he in tum does not even pay any attention to it – as has been mentioned in a Hadith. Hadrat Abdullah ibn Abbas radiallahu anhuma narrates that Allah Ta’ala gave Hadrat Sulayman alayhis salaam to choose between knowledge and kingship. He chose knowledge. Allah Ta’ala gave him knowledge and kingship as well. And He gave him such a kingdom that it became a proverb – when a person wants to exalt a kingdom, he refers to it as Mulk-e-Sulaymani (the Kingdom of Sulayman).

No one will receive a kingdom like his right until the day of Qiyamat, and no one before Sulayman alayhis salaam received such a kingdom. It is obvious that the mastery of Sulayman alayhis salaam over the world was through the barakah of Deen – that he gave preference to know ledge over kingship.

Hadrat Saalim bin Abi al-Ja’d, a great tabi’ee, says: “When my master freed me (he was a slave), I pondered over what occupation I should choose with which I could pass my time. Until now I was fulfilling the orders of my master and all my time used to pass in that. Now that I am free, some other arrangement will have to be made. It came to my mind that I should acquire knowledge, so I did this. One year had not even passed, when the governor of Madinah wanted to meet me, but I did not allow him to come to me. What I mean is that because of a specific reason, I did not meet him even though to refuse to meet him without any special reason is contrary to the Deen and also amounts to disrespect. Anyhow, what I am trying to say is that in this short period my status increased to such an extent that governors began visiting me. And without realizing it, I could not meet them and clearly refused them.” Really, this is the barakah of Deen. Fear of anyone except Allah does not remain in the heart. Whoever fears Allah alone, everything else fears him. Such people do not become disgraced out of greed nor do they become dependent on anyone. Read these themes with full concentration. Both these stories, i.e. the story of Hadrat Sulayman alayhis salaam and Hadrat Saalim, have both been extracted from the book Ihyaa ul-Uloom and its commentary.

Source: Behishti Zewar