The knowledge of our religion, this way of life, that was passed down from our Prophet ﷺ, comes with the ability to uphold our deen – that is how a nation of Bedouins in the Arabian desert of little importance at the time became one of the greatest forces on the earth.
Prophet Muhammad ﷺ planted the knowledge he received into the hearts of the sahabah such that it became a guidance that they acted upon – a total way of life. That was success.
In this information age everything is really at
our fingertips, but the overwhelming amount of what we take in means
that we find it hard to actually bring it out in actions. As one scholar said, "Talk is plenty, knowledge is abundant, but application is scarce."
A common enough du’a we make is “O Allah, increase me in knowledge” [Quran, Ta-Ha 20:114] because we want to learn, but we need to start thinking about practicing more.
Knowledge and application (actions) go hand in hand. Imam Ghazali said, "..one third is knowledge, the rest is actions..." But we know a lot, but we do little or nothing with what we know.
Do we not know that we should treat our parents with utmost goodness?
“And your Lord has decreed that you not worship except Him, and to parents, good treatment. Whether one or both of them reach old age [while] with you, say not to them [so much as], “uff,” and do not repel them but speak to them a noble word.” [Quran, Al Isra' 17:23]
Yet most of us do not try to fulfill their needs before they can express them, are harsh in our tone sometimes, and don’t give them enough attention. We know what the ayah says, but we do not apply it completely.
We know that Allah says:
“O you who have believed, seek help through patience and prayer. Indeed, Allah is with the patient.” [Quran, Al Baqarah 2:153]
“And… patience is most fitting…” [Quran, Yusuf 12:18]
Yet we are quick to lose our temper.
That is why this du’aa is so important – as a reminder to ourselves that more important than the books we fill with notes are our deeds that weigh on our Scale, and that we need the help of our Rabb for every little thing. We cannot do it without Him.
Here is a hadith to illustrate the importance of this further: The Prophet ﷺ said,
“On the night that I was ascended up to the heavens, I came upon a people whose lips were being cut off by pliers made from Fire. Every time their lips were severed, they would be brought back and formed again. So I said: ‘O Jibreel, who are these people?’
He said: ‘They are speakers from your
nation, who say words but do not do deeds, and who read the Book of
Allah yet do not act (on it).”‘ [Al Bayhaqi, Hasan]
How many of us are so fearful of the consequences of not acting upon what we learn that we shiver and seek refuge with Allah from not implementing our knowledge?
We are blessed only if we have the ability to apply the knowledge and benefit from it.
How much do we apply compared to what we learn? Some salaf would
increase in their application as each day passed. Be careful not to fall into the group of people who acquire knowledge for reasons other than to please Allah.
In a hadith Qudsi in Tirmidhi and An-Nisa'i, it was narrated by Abu Hurayrah that the first three people to enter Hellfire are a martyr, a scholar and a rich person. As for the scholar, the hadith states:
"...[Another] will be a man who has studied [religious] knowledge and has
taught it and who used to recite the Quran. He will be brought and Allah
will make known to him His favours and he will recognize them. [The
Almighty] will say: And what did you do about them? He will say: I
studied [religious] knowledge and I taught it and I recited the Quran
for Your sake. He will say: You have lied - you did but study
[religious] knowledge that it might be said [of you]: He is learned. And
you recited the Quran that it might be said [of you]: He is a reciter.
And so it was said. Then he will be ordered to be dragged along on his
face until he is cast into Hell-fire..."
The task of gaining knowledge was not an easy one, and so it had more value in the past than it does today.
If you are someone who seeks knowledge but feels like there are areas of your life or your character that need work, this du’aa is for you.
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ عِلْمٍ لَا يَنْفَعُ وَمِنْ قَلْبٍ لَا يَخْشَعُ وَمِنْ نَفْسٍ لَ تَشْبَعُ وَمِنْ دَعْوٍَة لَ يُسْتَجَابُ لَهَ ا
Allahumma inni a’udhu bika min ‘ilmin la yanfa’u wa min qalbin la yakhsha’u wa min nafsin la tashba’u wa min da’watin la yustajabu laha
“O Allah, I seek refuge in You from knowledge which does not benefit, from a heart that does not entertain the fear (of Allah), from a soul that is not satisfied and the supplication that is not answered.” [Sahih Muslim]
Aameen.
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