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Explanation And Theme Of A Hadith Regarding Islamic Knowledge
Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Whoever seeks knowledge that should be sought for the sake of Allah Almighty, but only to gain some worldly benefit, he will never know the fragrance Paradise on the Day of Resurrection.”
Source: Sunan Abī Dāwūd 3664and also 3 hadith
It was narrated from Ibn ‘Umar that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever seeks knowledge in order to argue with the foolish or to show off before the scholars or to attract people’s attention, will be in Hell.” Narrated by Ibn Maajah (253).
It was narrated from Jaabir ibn ‘Abdillah that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Do not seek knowledge in order to show off in front of the scholars or to argue with the foolish, or to choose the best seat in a gathering because of it, for whoever does that, the Fire, the Fire (awaits him).” Narrated by Ibn Maajah (254).
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever seeks knowledge in order to show off before the scholars or to argue with the foolish or to attract people’s attention, Allah will admit him to Hell.” Narrated by Ibn Maajah (260).
Even though there is some weakness in the isnaads of these 3 hadiths, they support one another. Hence al-Albaani (may Allah have mercy on him) classed them as saheeh
My question is that can you please explain to me that what is the context of the warning of hell related to? as mentioned in hadiths? is it in relation to Riya? or some other Haram aspect? or both? what is the theme and what is the explanation of this hadith?
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Explanation And Theme Of A Hadith Regarding Islamic Knowledge
updated 1 year ago
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If the sole or primary object in gaining knowledge of deen is not the pleasure of Allah but something else, it is not acceptable, but rather punishable. Worldly benefits are considered but not as a primary goal. The difference one can tell when there is a conflict of interest between a worldly benefit and the pleasure of God, the choice determines the primary goal of one’s knowledge.
Debate is an essential part of knowledge, it helps increase knowledge. but if the intention is not the explore the truth but to establish one’s supremacy of one’s scholarship is condemnable.
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@Irfan76 sir once when ghamidi Sahab was asked with the context of RiyaKari (or mushrikaana rawaiiye), that, is taking payment for teaching Islamic information valid?
so he replied that there’s a difference between when a person teaches any Islamic knowledge with the notion of fulfilling any of his religious obligation, or for pleasure of Allah(in short deeni haisyat se). and between a person who does not do this act as ‘deeni haisyat’ or ‘deen par Amal karne ke liye’. In the latter case he can accept payments and he’s just like any other professor teaching in college and taking a fee for delivering information. but the in former case, he cannot do at all, because any act done with the notion of ibadah or for fulfilling Allah’s duty or for his pleasure, is only and only for Allah. and thus he cannot ask money for doing it or any worldly benefit from others by using this notion (that is that he is doing it for Allah).
in example, for the latter case would be a normal college professor, taking a fee for teaching Islamic studies…
the example of former case would be a person who displays a notion that he is teaching someone for the sake of Allah or for his pleasure but what he actually wants is to impress people or earn respect and name, or earn the gifts from people by using and showing off this notion (that he’s doing it for sake of Allah).
so sir my question is that is this same distinction also applicable in the “act of trying to know any religious information”? just as the distinction mentioned above in the “act of teaching religious knowledge/information”?
here’s the question on the live asked by g.sahab
it starts on 15:20.
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This is subjective. The principled answer is given. Now if a person feels not to get any worldly benefits he or she can go with his or her feelings.
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@Irfan76 sir i meant to ask like doing any action in “deeni haisyat” or “Deen pe Amal karne ke Liye” is only to be done for Allah and consciously no other aim is acceptable. (ps. any other unintended worldly benefit that comes for doing that worship, is not a problem)
so sir i only wanted to know that does the action of “knowing any religious information” in and of itself a “deeni/ibadat ka kam” which cannot be done for any other primary aim,
OR it is just like the action of “telling or teaching the information about Islam”, in which the if the notion is of pleasing Allah and doing it for his sake (then it becomes a deeni haisyat act. the violation of which would be when someone presents the show or display that he is actually spreading that knowledge for Allah’s sake, but internally his aim of doing it is in order to win praise and recognition about him being called a pious man)… and in the other hand the same action of “teaching someone Islamic information” can be done without this notion and if the person charges money over it as a return of service, then it’s allowable. (because he’s charging money for his service and not over his own ibadah, where as in the other case the person wants to earn respect in return for his worship).
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@Irfan76 and sir just can you tell me these 2 examples.
example 1: that if a person tries to know about a portion of Islamic information not because of pleasing Allah or for his sake of using this information to act on religion in a certain matter (i.e like an old age man with no kids knowing about inheritance law) but does it just out of quenching the thirst of curiosity or self pleasure of knowing (just as a person would just try to know about space and aeronautic science, just for quenching curiousity). would it be allowable?
And example 2 ; a young man who wants to do an educational course to get a degree for job ie CSS course. and in that course there is also a subject for Islamic studies under the heading of general knowledge. now the person knows that his intention to know about some religious knowledge that is in that syllabus is not for Allah, but itt is actually to clear the exam of Css so he can become an officer. so would it be allowable?
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There is no problem with the two examples mentioned. This is because the intention is not standing against God or against the pleasure of God. It is not a rival to God.
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@Irfan76 sir like if someone does an action of ibadah for money then it becomes an act rival to God.
but if we look in the second example, the man studied religious knowledge not for Allah but to actually complete course and eventually earn money by being an officer. but this wouldn’t be rival?
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Yes, not a rival to God. The prohibition is to earn money in such a way as comes to the displeasure of God. He is not going to make religious knowledge his profession that he may sell it for some worldly gains.
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@Irfan76 sir i wanted to ask that if someone for example does learn religious knowledge with aim of making it as his profession to make riches, as warned in Hadith above. what category out of the 5 prohibitions will it fall under?
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It is allowed to learn Islamic knowledge as a profession to earn money from. This will be professional service charges like any other profession. There is nothing objectionable in it. This charge of services in not to use anything against God or to ignore God.
You can see that God gives 4 shares out of 5 from the spoils of war to the fighters of Jihad. So services are acknowledged. But if the sole purpose is the get one’s share from Jihad, then this is incorrect
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@Irfan76 yes sir i understand but if someone fully comes under the warning of hadith then where would his sin lie in the category of the 5 category of prohibition. because if such big warning of hell is given them obviously there must be a prohibition hidden in them, so i wanted to know which one of the 5 category would it belong, if for example a person really does fully fall under the warning of Hadith?
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@Irfan76 and sir after you answer the comment above, there’s one hadith
Abu Huraira reported: A man said, “O Messenger of Allah, a man intends to fight for the sake of Allah and he is seeking worldly gains.” The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “There is no reward for him.” The people found that very difficult and they said, “Return to the Messenger of Allah, for perhaps he did not understand you.” The man returned and he said, “O Messenger of Allah, a man intends to fight for the sake of Allah and he is seeking worldly gain.” The Messenger of Allah said, “There is no reward for him.” Then he returned a third time and the Messenger of Allah said, “There is no reward for him.”
Hadith on Anfal: No reward for one who fights only for spoils
sir as we see in this hadith that it was said that there’s no reward for the one who fights for Allah’s cause but also wanting to get benefit from it. so can you explain about what and in which way is this to be understood?
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The words of hadith are not Hujjah as they are indirectly quoted, however, the meaning is accepted if it conforms to the Quran and the established Sunnah. In this Hadith, it seems that the pleasure of God and seeking of worldly gains were equally important for the person in question.
To test it, one can see, if the worldly reward is minus, then a person would do the same if doing it is the demand of Deen, or not. if yes, then getting worldly benefits through a religious service is secondary and thus fine.
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@Irfan76 sir i wanted to give you an example and ask a question regarding that
the example is that….. a man who usually studies religion for his own need of following religion, so that he can carry out his religious duties, he studied about religion in whatever his daily life situations require him. he learned namaz, roza and other business dealing rulings, so that he can do his business according to religion. but he didn’t studied any inheritance laws or rulings because he is neither married nor has children, so it didn’t require him to follow religion in that aspect. but nevertheless he comes across a situation where has to give a CSS exam and in exam the syllabus contains knowledge of Islamic inheritance. so at that instance of time, he studies that specific portion/topic of Islamic knowledge (about inheritance) purely out of aim to pass his exams.
the question is…. that is this understanding correct? that the prohibition mentioned in the above Hadith is not on the basis of Riya, or any mushrikaana behavior (like if a person does it then he is actually giving someone/something else the right of Allah). but it is based on, that doing such a thing would be very morally inappropriate because the knowledge of religion is given for religion and a person uses it only for worldly purpose. like if a person uses medical profession not for medically helping people but actually to get sponsorship from pharmaceutical companies. if the prohibition is based on such a rule then the case mentioned in above example would be fine and permissible because he doesn’t always gain religious knowledge for world, only in this instance, did he acquired it for a worldly gain (of passing exam).
because if the prohibition was based on Riya/Mushrikaana behavior then, each and every instance of any piece of knowledge if acquired primarily for any other benefit then it would be have been shirk and Haram. and the case of example mentioned above would be shirk. as using namaz for getting a reputation is shirk, it doesn’t matter if a person prays 50 namaz for Allah but one for reputation, still it’s a shirk (even if it’s that one namaz is all for Allah but a sajdah is done for reputation). so similarly even if a person learns every piece of knowledge of religion for acting on Allah’s religion but even one topic for worldly benefit primarily then it would be shirk.
so the prohibition mentioned above is not on the basis of Riya/mushrikaana rawaiiye but on the basis of not aiming the thing for which the knowledge was revealed
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Since such an intention is not a rival to God and does not go against Him, it is not shirk but a neutral intention. Wordly gains are condemned when one makes them a rival to God.
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@Irfan76 sir how would have this example been a rival to God? i mean if what thing was done in some way would it have made a rival to God situation? if you can tell in example that would helpful
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@Irfan76 and sir the Hadith that i mentioned above about the man going to jihad for Allah and for worldly benefits. and you said it maybe that the worldly benefit and Allah’s pleasure are equally important for him. so sir if they are equally important for him then he would be simply missing out on reward? or in addition to missing out on reward he will be doing shirk as well?
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If one is ready to twist or sell one’s opinion dishonestly to gain the worldly benefit, forsaking what is really told in Deen, here the worldly benefit is rival to God, this is what is sometimes condemned as Dunya in Quran and Hadith literature.
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@Irfan76 sir there was a question about my understanding. that you said that when our primary goal of learning is Allah and we also intend to secondarily seek worldly benefit then it’s okay. what i understand from this is that the prohibition of Hadith, may not be in the context of shirk(as of RiyaKari) that the thing of worship of Allah was used as indirect worship of something else, as happens in RiyaKari. because if the prohibition is based on a similar context of RiyaKari then even doing that thing with a side intention of actively seeking (wanting) a benefit from people by that thing would fall into ambit of Riya. Please note that here I’m not talking about the worldly benefit that comes automatically without the want for it. I’m talking about someone actively seeking or wanting to get that benefit, for example even if a person primarily aims his prayer for Allah, but also in his heart wants that people praise him for prayer, also falls in ambit of Riya (because of wanting to have or intention to have praise from people for it). but a person who prays in masjid, knows that there’s a possibility that someone might look at his prayer and praise, but he does not yearn in heart or want to gain praise from people for prayer at all, and he disregard any thoughts of that people praise him, then it’s totally okay. because he does not yearn for it
but rather this prohibition in this Hadith, is in context that a person instead of fulfilling the right of following religion through it. only and only uses it for twisting and selling religion. and which thing is immorally very wrong. similar examples would be someone buying a Quran only for as a piece of decoration. or a person who never goes to masjid for prayer, but only goes there for chat with a friend, who is usually a keeper of masjid, the type of keeper who stays in masjid all the time usually. a person who opens Quran only for Arabic lessons and never for actually learning religion. in the examples of going to masjid or opening Quran for Arabic lesson, there is nothing wrong in and of itself, but when these things are done only for these purposes then it’s a bad thing because this is not what these things were given for. Quran was not given only to learn Arabic lesson, masjid was not built to only hold up chat meetings. but if these things are actively done along with their real aim meant for those acts then it’s okay.
is my understanding correct sit?
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