Intellectual dishonesty Part 1: From Juhaal to ‘Ulemaa overnight

A common problem found in the west amongst the Muslims is the inability to recognize Islaamic scholarship. I’ve noticed this through my stay in the west that many of the youth in particular will ascribe Islaamic scholarship to people who are not deserving of it or even those who are ones who cause more harm when speaking than if they were to remain silent. I’ve decided to divide this reminder into parts to make it easy on those who take their time to read and sincerely understand the matter of seeking knowledge from the correct sources.

Imaam Aboo Muhammad Ibn Hazm al-Andaloosee said:

لا آفة على العلوم وأهلها أضّرمن الدخلاء فيها وهم من غير أهلها ، فإنهم يجهلون ويظنون أنهم يعلمون، ويفسدون ويقدّرون أنهم يصلحون

((There is nothing more harmful to the branches of knowledge and its people than those who enter themselves into it and they are not from its people. They are ignorant and yet they think they have knowledge, they cause corruption whilst thinking they are correcting the affairs ))

At-Ta’aalum wa Athaaruhu ‘alal Fikr wal Kitaab, p. 7

Looking at it from this angle, we come to realize the importance and the relevance of the statement of the Messenger of Allaah صلى الله عليه وسلم:

العلماء ورثة الأنبياء

((The scholars are the inheritors of the Prophets))

(See Kitaab al ‘Ilm of Imaam Ibn Khuthaymah)

Popular speakers amongst the western Muslims try to justify their credentials and try to make it seem like they are at the status of “Shaykh” or “‘Aalim” or “Imaam” and allow the common people to refer to them as such!

But seeing the intensive Shakhsiyyah applied by the youth and many of the Muslims in the west, I was compelled to remind the Muslims about what the ‘Ulemaa of Ahlus Sunnah have said concerning this issue.

The ‘Ulemaa of Ahlus Sunnah since the time of the Sahaabah and the Taabi’een used to place great care into “where” their knowledge came from. Amongst those who have spoken about this issue was Muhammad ibn Seereen al-Ansaaree from amongst the Aa’imah of the Taabi’een who had met 30 of the Sahaabah.

However, this principle has been outlined in the statement of Allaah:
فَاسْأَلُوا أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إن كُنتُمْ لا تَعْلَمُونَ

((Ask the people of knowledge if you do not know))

Ibn Rajab reported that Imaam Maalik said to his companions:

اتق الله وانظر ممن تأخذ هذا الشأن أي العلم

((Fear Allaah and look to whom you take this affair from, meaning knowledge))

So whenever people use the excuse “He’s attacking the speaker to avoid attacking the points he’s making”, it is not something that can be applied as a debate tactic to discredit the other person’s arguement. It is not that one takes a personal attack towards the speaker or the person who puts himself out to speak. As those who study in the sciences of the deen, particularly Hadeeth, will not see this from that direction. Rather the direction of questioning the person’s credentials is a matter of authenticating the person’s understanding and position to deliver the points or the matter in which they speak of. This is why many of the ‘Ulemaa of the past would mention issues of people’s studying and their credentials. This is why some of the Scholars of Hadeeth would say “He is Majhool” (Unknown). And many of those, like ‘Abdullaah ibn al-Mubaarak, considered this as an aspect of the deen.

Imaam Muslim also recorded (1/16) that ‘Abdullaah bin Mubaarak said:

الإسناد من الدين ولولا الإسناد لقال من شاء ما شاء

((According to me, the Isnaad is from the religion, if it was not for the Isnaad, whoever wished could say whatever they wished.))

And just look at the efforts of Shu’bah bin al-Hajjaaj in traveling vast distances to verify whether fulaan had heard from fulaan!! Was this effort in vein or was it that this methodology of authenticating the credentials of a person is an ascpect of this religion?

One of the many errors in the mentality of the Muslims and their youth is that they have a shaky methodology in this authentication. It is strange when a person justifies his “status” and “credentials” to speak about the Deen of Allaah by a few months of “study” with (unnamed?) scholars in Makkah and Madeenah or elsewhere that he is then easily taken by the people as a ‘Aalim. And when a person uses this to justify his credibility to continue speaking about knowledge then this attempt is nothing more than intellectual dishonesty. For example he may not name any of the ‘Ulemaa in Makkah and Madeenah or elsewhere and when he sat with them and what was his status while he sat with them and what he studied with them and more importantly whether they established permission for him to teach that particular material.

So it may be that a person can claim “I sat in the duroos of Shaykh So-and-so” but the reality remains that he was just from the common folk who would sit down during the duroos and not as students of these Mashaayikh but then they use this as something to establish their credibility to speak about the deen and call the people to themselves. And how many of the people have we seen take part in this deceptive methodology? Such that the Salaf used to question the people about the times they would sit with so and so that they may verify if so and so was present in that time and place.

What must be understood is that even the Janitors of the Masjid will sit in the duroos of these ‘Ulemaa. But from their humbleness, they do not return to their home countries and take the Minbar and speak walhamdulillaah. The students who attend the Al-Baseerah Seminars (http://www.seekknowledge.org) where they sit with over 30 of the Kibaar al ‘Ulemaa including the grand Muftee, Shaykh ‘Abdul-Azeez Aal ash-Shaykh and some of the senior scholars such as Shaykh ‘Abdullaah al-Ghudyaan or Shaykh Wasee’Ullaah ‘Abbaas al Hindee, will not claim to be more than small students of knowledge. So it is strange that people who sat for “a few months” or let it be even a few years, take themselves or even allow the people to refer to them as Shaykhs or Imaams.

I will continue this discussion in part two…

~ by abulhaarith on December 4, 2008.