When Knowledge Is Taken Away

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

The scholars are the heirs of the Prophets, who have assumed their role in conveying the Message of Islam and calling people to the religion Islam.

The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,

The scholars are the heirs of the Prophets, for the Prophets do not leave behind any dinars or dirhams (i.e., wealth), but they leave behind knowledge. Whoever receives this knowledge receives abundant good fortune. [Reported by al-Tirmidhi]

Allah wills good for the scholars. The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,

Whoever Allah wishes good for, He enables him to understand the religion properly.[Reported by al-Bukhari]

They are the people who truly fear Allah.

وَمِنَ النَّاسِ وَالدَّوَابِّ وَالْأَنْعَامِ مُخْتَلِفٌ أَلْوَانُهُ كَذَٰلِكَ ۗ إِنَّمَا يَخْشَى اللَّـهَ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ الْعُلَمَاءُ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ عَزِيزٌ غَفُورٌ ﴿٢٨

And among people and moving creatures and grazing livestock are various colors similarly. Only those fear Allah, from among His servants, who have knowledge. Indeed, Allah is Exalted in Might and Forgiving. [Qur'an Fatir 35:28]

The honor of the scholars is tremendous. The Lord has made them witnesses to the greatest of truths and has mentioned their testimony alongside His own and that of His angels.

شَهِدَ اللَّـهُ أَنَّهُ لَا إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ وَالْمَلَائِكَةُ وَأُولُو الْعِلْمِ قَائِمًا بِالْقِسْطِ ۚ لَا إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ ﴿١٨

Allah bears witness that La ilaaha illa huwa (none has the right to be worshiped but He) -- and the angels, and men possessed of knowledge -- upholding justice; La ilaaha illa huwa (none has the right to be worshiped but He), the All-mighty, the All-wise. [Qur'an AleImran 3:18]

Allah has raised their status in this world and the next.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا قِيلَ لَكُمْ تَفَسَّحُوا فِي الْمَجَالِسِ فَافْسَحُوا يَفْسَحِ اللَّـهُ لَكُمْ ۖ وَإِذَا قِيلَ انشُزُوا فَانشُزُوا يَرْفَعِ اللَّـهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنكُمْ وَالَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْعِلْمَ دَرَجَاتٍ ۚ وَاللَّـهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ ﴿١١

O believers, when it is said to you 'Make room in the assemblies', then make room, and Allah will make room for you; and when it is said, 'Move up', move up, and Allah will raise up in rank those of you who believe and have been given knowledge. And Allah is aware of the things you do. [Qur'an al-Mujadila 85:11]

They are the most knowledgeable of people about evil and what leads to it, so they warn people of it.

ثُمَّ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ يُخْزِيهِمْ وَيَقُولُ أَيْنَ شُرَكَائِيَ الَّذِينَ كُنتُمْ تُشَاقُّونَ فِيهِمْ ۚ قَالَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْعِلْمَ إِنَّ الْخِزْيَ الْيَوْمَ وَالسُّوءَ عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ ﴿٢٧

Then on the Day of Resurrection He will disgrace them and say, "Where are My 'partners' for whom you used to oppose [the believers]?" Those who were given knowledge will say, "Indeed disgrace, this Day, and evil are upon the disbelievers" [Qur'an al-Nahl 16:27]

وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْعِلْمَ وَيْلَكُمْ ثَوَابُ اللَّـهِ خَيْرٌ لِّمَنْ آمَنَ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا وَلَا يُلَقَّاهَا إِلَّا الصَّابِرُونَ ﴿٨٠

But those who had been given knowledge said, "Woe to you! The reward of Allah is better for he who believes and does righteousness. And none are granted it except the patient." [Qur'an al-Qasas 28:80]

Our salvation is connected to the presence of scholars.

'Abdullah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'Aas said: "I heard the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, Allah does not take knowledge away by taking it away from people's (hearts); He takes knowledge away by taking away the scholars (i.e., when scholars die), and when there is not one scholar left, the people will turn to ignorant leaders who, when they are consulted, will give fatwas without knowledge. They are misguided and they misguide others.'" [Reported by al-Bukhari]

Imaam Ahmad, may Allah have mercy on him, said,

"People need knowledge more than they need food and drink, because they need food and drink two or three times a day, but they need knowledge all the time." Thus the loss of scholars is a great calamity, "...because the death of the entire tribe is less serious than the death of one scholar."

We ask Allah to preserve our scholars and guide the Ummah of Prophet Muhammad, Allah bless him and grant him peace. We ask Allah to forgive our scholars who have left us, have mercy on them, make their graves wide and fill with light, and admit them to a place of honor in the Day of Resurrection. We ask Allah to forgive us and compensate us with good for our loss. O Allah, you are All-Hearing and You answer prayers.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam