The ruling on seeking knowledge for other than the sake of Allah
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
The questioner says: There is a hadith, the meaning of which is: "Whoever seeks knowledge for other than the sake of Allah, he will take his place in the Fire." She says: Since I decided to complete my university studies, and that was also my father's wish, thoughts would come to me during my studies to not complete them, but I resolved strongly to complete them to fulfill my father's wish and bring him joy by doing so. Does the ruling of the hadith apply to me?
Answer:
You must repent to Allah. It is obligatory to seek knowledge for the sake of Allah; this is the obligation. It is not permissible to seek knowledge for a job or to please so-and-so or so-and-so. Rather, it is obligatory that seeking knowledge be for the sake of Allah. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: We ask Allah for safety.
The point is: It is obligatory for the believer in all his acts of worship, including seeking knowledge, to learn for the sake of Allah; so that he knows his religion; so that he understands his religion; so that he knows what Allah has made obligatory upon him and what Allah has forbidden upon him. Jobs are secondary, but the purpose is to learn so that he gains understanding in the religion; so that he knows what Allah has prescribed for him; so that he knows what Allah has made obligatory upon him and what Allah has forbidden upon him, so that he is upon clear understanding in his religion.
The presenter: Your Eminence, what do you advise students of knowledge, male and female, regarding equipping themselves with Islamic knowledge?
The Shaykh: My advice to everyone is to take care in seeking Islamic knowledge, and to gain understanding in the Qur'an and the Sunnah, and to ask about what is difficult. And if he learns other matters regarding worldly affairs along with this, there is no harm. But let him focus on gaining understanding in the religion. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih Muslim 1037a, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sahih Muslim 2699a Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you and bless you.
The questioner says: There is a hadith, the meaning of which is: "Whoever seeks knowledge for other than the sake of Allah, he will take his place in the Fire." She says: Since I decided to complete my university studies, and that was also my father's wish, thoughts would come to me during my studies to not complete them, but I resolved strongly to complete them to fulfill my father's wish and bring him joy by doing so. Does the ruling of the hadith apply to me?
Answer:
You must repent to Allah. It is obligatory to seek knowledge for the sake of Allah; this is the obligation. It is not permissible to seek knowledge for a job or to please so-and-so or so-and-so. Rather, it is obligatory that seeking knowledge be for the sake of Allah. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Three are the first of the people for whom the Fire will blaze: a man who learned knowledge to be called a scholar, and who gained understanding to be called a jurist
ثلاثة هم أول من تسعر بهم النار: رجل تعلم العلم ليقال له: عالم، وتفقه ليقال: فقيهThe point is: It is obligatory for the believer in all his acts of worship, including seeking knowledge, to learn for the sake of Allah; so that he knows his religion; so that he understands his religion; so that he knows what Allah has made obligatory upon him and what Allah has forbidden upon him. Jobs are secondary, but the purpose is to learn so that he gains understanding in the religion; so that he knows what Allah has prescribed for him; so that he knows what Allah has made obligatory upon him and what Allah has forbidden upon him, so that he is upon clear understanding in his religion.
The presenter: Your Eminence, what do you advise students of knowledge, male and female, regarding equipping themselves with Islamic knowledge?
The Shaykh: My advice to everyone is to take care in seeking Islamic knowledge, and to gain understanding in the Qur'an and the Sunnah, and to ask about what is difficult. And if he learns other matters regarding worldly affairs along with this, there is no harm. But let him focus on gaining understanding in the religion. 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 خيرًا يفقهه في الدينhe who treads the path in search of knowledge, Allah would make that path easy, leading to Paradise for him
من سلك طريقًا يلتمس فيه علمًا سهل الله له به طريقًا إلى الجنةThe presenter: May Allah reward you and bless you.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.