Is knowledge better, or jihad in the path of Allah?
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The questioner : Is knowledge better, or jihad in the path of Allah?
The Shaykh : Jihad is of two kinds.
The questioner : I mean by jihad fighting in the path of Allah.
The Shaykh : Fighting is of two kinds.
The questioner : Fighting the enemies of Allah.
The Shaykh : Fighting is an individual obligation and a collective obligation, and likewise knowledge is of two kinds: an individual obligation and a collective obligation. If you compare an individual obligation with a collective obligation, there is no doubt that the individual obligation takes precedence over the collective obligation, and vice versa.
Now, when you say "knowledge," do you mean that which is an individual obligation, or that which is a collective obligation? And when you say "fighting," do you mean the individual obligation or the collective obligation? This must be clarified for the answer to be clear; otherwise, this is just general talk.
The questioner : Let us specify. We say: Is jihad in Afghanistan now better, or is knowledge for the young men who are still at an early age in their commitment and in repentance and turning back to Allah?
The Shaykh : I do not want to answer this question directly, because I want those who ask questions to understand their own situations.
Is this knowledge that you described for the young men an individual obligation for them, or a collective obligation?
The questioner : Knowledge?
The Shaykh : Yes, is this knowledge that you described for the young men an individual obligation or a collective obligation?
If you say it is an individual obligation, then a comparison is necessary. If you say it is a collective obligation, then you have already received the answer. Is that clear?
The questioner : Yes, we see that it is an individual obligation for them, because they fail in some matters and in some jurisprudential issues and fundamentals in this field.
The Shaykh : This does not make it an individual obligation, because the individual obligation in knowledge is that without which the Muslim's creed and his worship in general are not valid.
So, it is sufficient for the Muslim to know the worship that he is obligated to perform. For example, if he is poor, he is not obligated to know the rulings of zakah and the rulings of Hajj and the like. But if he is poor and wants to pray, and it is necessary, then he must know the rulings of prayer. But to study knowledge in all its branches because he wants to become a student of knowledge or a scholar one day, that is not an individual obligation. The individual obligation is what is necessary for every Muslim, and this is not that. Is that clear?
The questioner : Okay, so does your statement that those who go to jihad imply that they lack knowledge of jihad? Do they lack the jurisprudence of jihad? If so, would it then be an individual obligation for them?
The Shaykh : No, the details of the rulings of jihad are the responsibility of the commanders, not every individual among the mujahideen, because there are no new rulings in jihad that pertain to every individual among the mujahideen. But there are new rulings regarding the group, and the group is the responsibility of the commanders. And on that basis, I say the answer in this case differs depending on the opinion regarding jihad in Afghanistan.
The Shaykh : Jihad is of two kinds.
The questioner : I mean by jihad fighting in the path of Allah.
The Shaykh : Fighting is of two kinds.
The questioner : Fighting the enemies of Allah.
The Shaykh : Fighting is an individual obligation and a collective obligation, and likewise knowledge is of two kinds: an individual obligation and a collective obligation. If you compare an individual obligation with a collective obligation, there is no doubt that the individual obligation takes precedence over the collective obligation, and vice versa.
Now, when you say "knowledge," do you mean that which is an individual obligation, or that which is a collective obligation? And when you say "fighting," do you mean the individual obligation or the collective obligation? This must be clarified for the answer to be clear; otherwise, this is just general talk.
The questioner : Let us specify. We say: Is jihad in Afghanistan now better, or is knowledge for the young men who are still at an early age in their commitment and in repentance and turning back to Allah?
The Shaykh : I do not want to answer this question directly, because I want those who ask questions to understand their own situations.
Is this knowledge that you described for the young men an individual obligation for them, or a collective obligation?
The questioner : Knowledge?
The Shaykh : Yes, is this knowledge that you described for the young men an individual obligation or a collective obligation?
If you say it is an individual obligation, then a comparison is necessary. If you say it is a collective obligation, then you have already received the answer. Is that clear?
The questioner : Yes, we see that it is an individual obligation for them, because they fail in some matters and in some jurisprudential issues and fundamentals in this field.
The Shaykh : This does not make it an individual obligation, because the individual obligation in knowledge is that without which the Muslim's creed and his worship in general are not valid.
So, it is sufficient for the Muslim to know the worship that he is obligated to perform. For example, if he is poor, he is not obligated to know the rulings of zakah and the rulings of Hajj and the like. But if he is poor and wants to pray, and it is necessary, then he must know the rulings of prayer. But to study knowledge in all its branches because he wants to become a student of knowledge or a scholar one day, that is not an individual obligation. The individual obligation is what is necessary for every Muslim, and this is not that. Is that clear?
The questioner : Okay, so does your statement that those who go to jihad imply that they lack knowledge of jihad? Do they lack the jurisprudence of jihad? If so, would it then be an individual obligation for them?
The Shaykh : No, the details of the rulings of jihad are the responsibility of the commanders, not every individual among the mujahideen, because there are no new rulings in jihad that pertain to every individual among the mujahideen. But there are new rulings regarding the group, and the group is the responsibility of the commanders. And on that basis, I say the answer in this case differs depending on the opinion regarding jihad in Afghanistan.