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Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have Mercy on him) said: The nobility of knowledge is in accordance with the nobility of what is learned from it, how strong and firm its proofs are, how necessary such knowledge is, and how beneficial it is. And there is no doubt that the loftiest and greatest subject of knowledge is Allāh – besides Whom none deserves to be worshipped, the Lord of the worlds, the Sustainer of the heavens and the Earth – and there is no doubt that knowledge of Allāh, His Names, Attributes, and actions is the noblest and loftiest of knowledge, just as He is the Noblest of all in comparison to anything else that can be known and studied.
Just as knowledge of Him is the noblest of all knowledge, He is the basis of all knowledge. Just as everything in existence depends on Allāh for its own survival and existence, every type of knowledge depends on Him in a similar fashion. So, knowledge of Him is the basis of all knowledge since He is the Lord, Owner, and Sustainer of everything.
There is no doubt that complete knowledge of something created requires knowledge of the one who created it, just as knowledge of something that was brought about requires knowledge of what brought that thing about. Everything that exists besides Allāh depends for its existence on Him - just like a product depends on its producer, and an action depends on the one carrying out the action. So, knowing Allāh, His Attributes, and actions means that one will automatically come to know what exists besides Allāh. This is because He is the Lord and Owner of everything, and knowledge of Him is the basis and source of all other knowledge. So, the one who knows Allāh will know other than Allāh, and whoever is ignorant of Allāh will be ignorant of anything besides Him, as Allāh said:
{“And do not be like those who forgot Allāh, and He then caused them to forget themselves…”} [1]
Reflect upon this verse and you will find that it contains a great and noble meaning, and this is that whoever forgets his Lord will end up forgetting himself, and will not know the reality of himself or his interests. He will be made to forget what leads to his health and success in life, and will end up becoming incapacitated and lost, just like a wild animal. In fact, the animals might even be more aware of what is in their interests than him due to the fact that they remain firm upon the bit of guidance that was provided to them by their Creator. He, on the other hand, rebelled against the fitrah that he was formed on and forgot his Lord, and was thus made to forget himself, his soul, its characteristics, what completes it, what purifies it, and what satisfies it during its life.
Allāh says:
{“…and do not obey he whose heart We have made heedless of Our remembrance and who follows his own lusts, and whose affair has been lost.”} [2]
He forgot his Lord, and therefore lost his affair and his heart. So, he is unable to grasp what is in his best interests, or what completes and purifies his heart and soul. Instead, his heart is divided, and he is confused, lost, and misguided.
The point is that knowledge of Allāh is the foundation of all knowledge, and it is the foundation for the slave knowing what will make him happy, complete, and fulfilled in this life and the next. Ignorance of Him leads to one being ignorant of himself, his interests, what completes and purifies him, and what leads him to success. So, knowledge of Him is happiness for him, and ignorance of Him is pain and anguish.
There is nothing for the slave that is better, sweeter, or more relaxing or delightful to his heart and livelihood than loving his Creator, constantly remembering Him, and striving to Please Him. This is the completeness that the slave cannot achieve otherwise, and this is why the Creation was Created, the Revelation was revealed, the Messengers were sent, the heavens and Earth were established, Paradise and Hell were put forth, laws were legislated, the Sacred House was built and made a place of pilgrimage and this is why Jihād was commanded, and an abode of eternal punishment and torture was prepared for the disbelievers. This great matter is why the Creed was established, the Qiblah was ordained, and it is what all the affairs of the Creation revolve around.
There is no way to enter all of this except through the door of knowledge, as love of something is an extension of knowledge of it, and those who love Allāh most are those who know Him best. So, whoever knows Allāh will love Him, and whoever knows this dunya and its people will lose interest in them. So, knowledge is what opens this great door, which is the secret of the Creation and Ordainment.” [3]
So, the student of knowledge should start with what he is and always will be most in need of – knowledge of Allāh, His Names, Attributes, and actions. So, if he receives his share of knowledge of Allāh, he is then to move on to knowledge of the Qur’ān and Sunnah upon the methodology of the first generation of this Ummah (may Allāh be Pleased with them), so that he would be able to properly relay from the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him).
Ibn al-Qayyim also said: “Relaying on behalf of the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) is of two types: through a mediator, and without a mediator. The Companions - those who were foremost – took their knowledge without a mediator, and they withstood the test of time. So, nobody from the Ummah can ever hope to catch up to them. However, the successful one is he who follows the same straight path they were on, traverses their firm methodology, and stays away from anything that can drag him off of this path left or right, as this will cause him to wander in loss in a desert of deadly traps. So, what possible good thing can such people not be the first to rush to?
By Allāh, they drank the best, sweetest, and purest water from the fountain of life, and they supported the foundations of Islam. They did not leave anything unexplained for those who came after them. The opened people’s hearts with the justice of the Qur’ān and faith, and they conquered regions with the swords and spears of Jihad, and they transmitted to the Tābi’īn that which they received in pure form from the light of Prophethood. Their isnād in this was from the Prophet (peace be upon him), from Jibrīl, from the Lord of the worlds, and it was the highest isnād in quality and authenticity. They said ‘this is the trust of our Prophet left with us, and we have given you this trust, and this is what our Lord has entrusted and obligated upon our Prophet and us, and we will entrust it and obligate it upon you.
So, those Tābi’īn followed them in good upon their firm methodology, and they followed in their footsteps upon the straight path. Then, their followers traversed the same path of guidance, and were guided to the best words and praiseworthy traits. In comparison to those who came before them, they were as the Most Truthful said:
{“A multitude of those will be from the first generations, and a few of those will be from the later times.”} [4]
Then came the leading scholars from the fourth blessed century. So, they followed in their footsteps in everything, inherited from their shining light, and the religion of Allāh was too valuable in their hearts and souls for them to put over it a logical opinion, blind following, or analogy. So, they became known the world over in the best light, and Allāh gave them a truthful tongue amongst all other people.
The first generation of followers proceeded in the footsteps of the companions and rose up upon their firm and rightly guided methodology. They showed no interest in partisanship to individuals, were satisfied with proofs and evidences, traveling on the boat of truth wherever it sailed, and sticking with the correct opinion wherever it roamed. If a clear proof worked its wonders on them, they flew to it as individuals and groups. If the (words of the) Messenger called them to something, they paid full attention and did not ask for further clarification, and his words were so dear to their hearts that they would never put in front of it the word of a single person, or contradict it with an opinion or comparison.” [5]
So, as a seeker of knowledge, you should turn all of your attention to the sciences of the Qur’ān and Sunnah, as knowledge of them is the real knowledge, and to be ignorant of anything else will not really harm you.
Here is the advice of a concerned friend, who sends it to you clothed and shaded in his desire to see good for you, and in the most eloquent and magical of words.
Ibn al-Qayyim says: O you who seeks to save himself
Listen to the words of a loving advisor;
In all of your affairs, hold tightly to Revelation
And not to desirable hallucinations;And give victory to the Book of Allāh and the traditions
That came from the one sent with the Criterion;And strike every denier with the sword of Revelation Just like the Mujāhid would strike over the fingertips;And carry on with truthful zeal
The way of the sincere and brave who are dedicated to Allāh;
And remain firm with patience under the banner of guidance
And if you are harmed in the process, it is for the Pleasure of the Merciful;
And make the Book of Allāh and authentic traditions your weapons
And strengthen your soul; Who will fight and present himself
Or compete on the battlefields? Openly preach what the Messenger came with
And do not fear the lack of helpers; And avoid two garments whose wearers
Will be censured and destroyed;The garment of ignorance that comes with
The garment of partisanship – what terrible clothes!
And decorate yourself with fairness and justice
The best garment to beautify the chest and shoulders;
And make your motto the fear of Allāh and advice of the Messenger
And champion these two matters; And hold firmly to His rope and Revelation
And depend on Him as He deserves…
May Allāh have Mercy on ash-Shāfi’ī, as he said:
Every knowledge other than the Qur’ān is a distraction
Except for ḥadīth and Fiqh;Knowledge is whatever begins with ‘It was narrated to us…’
And everything else is the whispering of Satan…
And Ibn al-Qayyim said: Knowledge is what Allāh, His Messenger
And the Companions said, as they are the most knowledgeable;
And knowledge is not foolish oppositions To the Messenger with the opinion of a person…
So, whoever seeks true knowledge away from what is in the Qur’ān and Sunnah, he is seeking the impossible. Whoever seeks satisfaction by taking from anything else,
he has strayed from the path.They are the way to free and cure yourself from ignorance.
May Allāh have Mercy on the ‘Allāmah Ibn al-Qayyim, who said:
Ignorance is a deadly disease And its cure is in two complimentary things;
A text from the Qur’ān or Sunnah And a nurturing scholar to sweeten them;
And knowledge is of three types, with no fourth And the truth is what clarifies;
Knowledge of the Attributes and actions of the Deity And the Names of the Merciful;
And the commands and prohibitions that are His religion And the reward He gives at the Meeting Day; And this is all in the Qur’ān and Sunnah That came from the one sent with the Criterion;
And by Allāh, nobody speaks with other than them Except that he is hallucinating…
And how great is the saying: O you who wakes up to seek knowledge!
All knowledge is a slave to the knowledge of the Messenger;
You seek the branch to correct a principle How can you be heedless of the greatest of principles?
So, the crux of all knowledge is the Book of Allāh and what came in the second Revelation,
and that is the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
So, stick as firmly as you can to them both, as they are the path to safety, sweetness and relaxation,
the shade on a hot day, and the best prize and reward.
References: [1] al-Hashr; 19.[2] al-Kahf; 28.[3] ‘Miftah Dar as-Sa’ādah’ (1/86)[4] al-Wāqi’ah; 12-13
[5] ‘I’lām al-Muwaqqi’in’ (1/5)
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