What is your advice for a student who has striven to rectify his intention and striven for sincerity, but has not been able to, and who fears that the hadiths concerning the severe warning for those whose intention is not pure for Allah will come true?
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The questioner : This is a questioner for the program. The questioner says in this question: “O honorable Shaykh, what is your advice for a student of knowledge who has striven to rectify his intention and striven for sincerity, but has not been able to, and who fears that the hadiths concerning the severe warning for those whose intention is not pure for Allah will come true, and who is on the verge of abandoning the pursuit of knowledge? Please guide us in light of this question. May Allah reward you.”
The Shaykh : This is an important question for the student of knowledge, for knowledge is a form of worship, among the best, most noble, and greatest of acts of worship. Allah the Exalted even made it equivalent to jihad in His path, where He said, Blessed and Exalted is He:[At-Tawbah 9:122] The others fight in the path of Allah.
And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih Muslim 1037a
It is obligatory to purify the intention for Allah in the pursuit of knowledge by intending, in seeking knowledge, first, to obey the command of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, for Allah the Exalted said: Al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) said, “He began with knowledge before speech and action.”
Second, he should intend by his learning to preserve the Shari'ah, for the Shari'ah is preserved in the chests of people and preserved in the written book.
Third, he should intend by his learning to protect the Shari'ah from its enemies, for its enemies have been empowered against it since the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was sent until the Hour. So let him intend by seeking knowledge to protect this great Shari'ah.
Fourth, he should intend by it to defend the Shari'ah when someone attacks it. At that point, it is obligatory for him to learn from knowledge the weapon with which he defends it. Indeed, we should say the weapon with which he attacks the enemies of Allah and deals with each person with the weapon suitable to his condition. People differ in this matter. Some people argue in creed, so a person needs to learn the creed with which he defends against false creeds. Some people attack Islam with base morals, so a person must learn noble morals and learn the defects of base morals and their bad effects, and so on.
Likewise, the student of knowledge should intend by his seeking of knowledge to establish the worship of Allah in a manner that pleases Allah, Mighty and Majestic, for a person without learning cannot know how to worship Allah, neither in his ablution, nor his prayer, nor his charity, nor his fasting, nor his Hajj.
He also calls to Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, with his knowledge, clarifying the Shari'ah to people and calling them to adhere to it. Knowledge is, in truth, among the best, most noble, and most beneficial acts of worship. For this reason, you will find Satan eager to prevent a person from knowledge. He comes to him at times saying that if he seeks knowledge, he will be showing off so that people see him and say he is a scholar. Then he desponds and says, “What do I have to do with showing off?” Or he says to him, “Intend by your seeking of religious knowledge something of this world, so that the warning becomes valid for you:” He comes to him with many things that deter him from knowledge. But a person should seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan and proceed on his way, not paying attention to these obsessions that afflict his heart. Whenever he feels what discourages him from knowledge by any means, let him say, “I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan,” and let him say, “O Allah, help me,” and the like. And I say to this student: Proceed on your way, seek knowledge. Let not Satan deter you from the remembrance of Allah or from seeking knowledge. Persist, and you will encounter difficulty and hardship in rectifying the intention, but rectifying the intention is easy. So proceed, O young man, on your way, seek the help of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan.
The questioner : May Allah reward you and bless you, O honorable Shaykh.
The Shaykh : This is an important question for the student of knowledge, for knowledge is a form of worship, among the best, most noble, and greatest of acts of worship. Allah the Exalted even made it equivalent to jihad in His path, where He said, Blessed and Exalted is He:
And it is not for the believers to go forth [to battle] all at once. For there should separate from every division of them a group [remaining] to obtain understanding in the religion and warn their people when they return to them that they might be cautious.
وَما كانَ المُؤمِنونَ لِيَنفِروا كافَّةً فَلَولا نَفَرَ مِن كُلِّ فِرقَةٍ مِنهُم طائِفَةٌ لِيَتَفَقَّهوا فِي الدّينِ وَلِيُنذِروا قَومَهُم إِذا رَجَعوا إِلَيهِم لَعَلَّهُم يَحذَرونَAnd the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
He upon whom Allah intends to bestow goodness, He confers upon him an insight in religion
من يرد الله به خيرا يفقّهه في الدينIt is obligatory to purify the intention for Allah in the pursuit of knowledge by intending, in seeking knowledge, first, to obey the command of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, for Allah the Exalted said:
So know that there is no deity except Allah.
فَاعلَم أَنَّهُ لا إِلهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُSecond, he should intend by his learning to preserve the Shari'ah, for the Shari'ah is preserved in the chests of people and preserved in the written book.
Third, he should intend by his learning to protect the Shari'ah from its enemies, for its enemies have been empowered against it since the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was sent until the Hour. So let him intend by seeking knowledge to protect this great Shari'ah.
Fourth, he should intend by it to defend the Shari'ah when someone attacks it. At that point, it is obligatory for him to learn from knowledge the weapon with which he defends it. Indeed, we should say the weapon with which he attacks the enemies of Allah and deals with each person with the weapon suitable to his condition. People differ in this matter. Some people argue in creed, so a person needs to learn the creed with which he defends against false creeds. Some people attack Islam with base morals, so a person must learn noble morals and learn the defects of base morals and their bad effects, and so on.
Likewise, the student of knowledge should intend by his seeking of knowledge to establish the worship of Allah in a manner that pleases Allah, Mighty and Majestic, for a person without learning cannot know how to worship Allah, neither in his ablution, nor his prayer, nor his charity, nor his fasting, nor his Hajj.
He also calls to Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, with his knowledge, clarifying the Shari'ah to people and calling them to adhere to it. Knowledge is, in truth, among the best, most noble, and most beneficial acts of worship. For this reason, you will find Satan eager to prevent a person from knowledge. He comes to him at times saying that if he seeks knowledge, he will be showing off so that people see him and say he is a scholar. Then he desponds and says, “What do I have to do with showing off?” Or he says to him, “Intend by your seeking of religious knowledge something of this world, so that the warning becomes valid for you:”
Whoever seeks knowledge from what he seeks the Face of Allah, not desiring anything but a portion of this world, will not smell the fragrance of Paradise.
من طلب علما مما يبتغي به وجه الله لا يريد إلا أن ينال عرضا من الدنيا لم يرح رائحة الجنةThe questioner : May Allah reward you and bless you, O honorable Shaykh.