Which takes precedence: seeking knowledge or calling people to Allah?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Shaykh Muhammad!
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you, O Shaykh. If one of the brothers, O Shaykh, is seeking knowledge, and his group and the people of his village are falling into sins, and most of them may be falling into acts of shirk (associating partners with Allah), O Shaykh, and when you tell him: "Go to your village and convey the religion of Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, with what you have," he says: "I am still seeking knowledge." Is his village an excuse for him, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : We tell him: Seek knowledge first, then go to your village second. How can he call his people to Allah when he does not know?
And what harm has befallen people except from those who speak of what they do not know? Look at the fatwas on the scene, and you will find the most astonishing things from the fatwas of half-knowledge, fatwas that have no control.
And woe to those who rush to issue fatwas! They will be questioned on the Day of Resurrection for saying about Allah what they do not know. Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, said:[Al-A'raf 7:33].
And glory to Allah, if a doctor were to practice medicine on people while he does not know, and many people died by his hand, what would people say about this doctor? Did he do wrong or right?
He did wrong, how wrong! This is regarding the medicine of bodies, so how much more so regarding the medicine of hearts, which is the Shari'ah (Islamic sacred law)?
Then, how strange it is for those who rush to take the lead to be pointed at with fingers and said, "So-and-so is a scholar." My brother, do not rush, be patient. If Allah has decreed leadership for you, you will attain it; otherwise, you will not attain it, and this rushing will only increase your lowliness in the sight of Allah and in the sight of the servants of Allah. Everything written for a person will be fulfilled in his life. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:: Even if only a grain of rice remained of his provision, he would eat it, and even if only a moment remained of his lifespan, he would reach it. So I warn these people who rush to issue fatwas, and I say: Be patient, drink deeply from knowledge, then issue fatwas. And I warn people also from paying attention to their fatwas.
So we tell this man: Read and seek knowledge first, then go to your village. And if it is possible to combine this and that by coming to your village one day of the week and clarifying the truth for them, that is good.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you, O Shaykh. If one of the brothers, O Shaykh, is seeking knowledge, and his group and the people of his village are falling into sins, and most of them may be falling into acts of shirk (associating partners with Allah), O Shaykh, and when you tell him: "Go to your village and convey the religion of Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, with what you have," he says: "I am still seeking knowledge." Is his village an excuse for him, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : We tell him: Seek knowledge first, then go to your village second. How can he call his people to Allah when he does not know?
And what harm has befallen people except from those who speak of what they do not know? Look at the fatwas on the scene, and you will find the most astonishing things from the fatwas of half-knowledge, fatwas that have no control.
And woe to those who rush to issue fatwas! They will be questioned on the Day of Resurrection for saying about Allah what they do not know. Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, said:
Say, "My Lord has only forbidden immoralities - what is apparent of them and what is concealed - and sin, and oppression without right, and that you associate with Allah that for which He has not sent down authority, and that you say about Allah that which you do not know."
قل إنما حرم ربي الفواحش ما ظهر منها وما بطن والإثم والبغي بغير حق وأن تشركوا بالله ما لم ينزل به سلطاناً وأن تقولوا على الله ما لا تعلمونAnd glory to Allah, if a doctor were to practice medicine on people while he does not know, and many people died by his hand, what would people say about this doctor? Did he do wrong or right?
He did wrong, how wrong! This is regarding the medicine of bodies, so how much more so regarding the medicine of hearts, which is the Shari'ah (Islamic sacred law)?
Then, how strange it is for those who rush to take the lead to be pointed at with fingers and said, "So-and-so is a scholar." My brother, do not rush, be patient. If Allah has decreed leadership for you, you will attain it; otherwise, you will not attain it, and this rushing will only increase your lowliness in the sight of Allah and in the sight of the servants of Allah. Everything written for a person will be fulfilled in his life. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
No soul will die until it has completed its provision and its lifespan.
إنه لن تموت نفس حتى تستكمل رزققها وأجلهاSo we tell this man: Read and seek knowledge first, then go to your village. And if it is possible to combine this and that by coming to your village one day of the week and clarifying the truth for them, that is good.