Relying on worship without learning religious knowledge
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
What is your advice to the one who says that the most important thing is for me to pray, fast, and worship Allah, and that I do not need to learn religious knowledge?
Answer:
How do you know how to pray and fast except through religious knowledge? If you worship Allah in ignorance, that is misguidance. The Christians have intense worship and monasticism, with monasteries and convents, but they are on misguidance, so it does not benefit them. Their worship, prayer, and supplication do not benefit them. Religious knowledge is necessary; it is absolutely necessary.
What is your advice to the one who says that the most important thing is for me to pray, fast, and worship Allah, and that I do not need to learn religious knowledge?
Answer:
How do you know how to pray and fast except through religious knowledge? If you worship Allah in ignorance, that is misguidance. The Christians have intense worship and monasticism, with monasteries and convents, but they are on misguidance, so it does not benefit them. Their worship, prayer, and supplication do not benefit them. Religious knowledge is necessary; it is absolutely necessary.
Source
شرح إغاثة اللهفان من مصائد الشيطان لابن القيم، الباب الثالث في انقسام أدوية أمراض القلب إلى قسمين : طبيعية وشرعية — islamhouse.com (56:47)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.