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Vol 1 · p 8

Death wakes the heart; the excellence of learning begins

Book 1 · Knowledge كتاب العلم

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The sayings go on. Death wakes a person up to what his heart has lost; then al-Ḥasan, Ibn Masʿūd, Ibn ʿAbbās, al-Shāfiʿī, ʿUmar and others put knowledge above night prayer, wealth and power. Then a new section begins, the excellence of learning: two verses of the Quran, and the first hadith: whoever travels a road seeking knowledge, Allah sets him on a road to Paradise.

اقوال جاری ہیں۔ موت آدمی کو جگاتی ہے اور اسے پتا چلتا ہے کہ اس کے دل نے کیا کھویا؛ پھر حسن، ابن مسعود، ابن عباس، شافعی، عمر اور دوسرے علم کو رات کی عبادت، مال اور اقتدار سے اوپر رکھتے ہیں۔ پھر نیا حصہ شروع ہوتا ہے، سیکھنے کی فضیلت: قرآن کی دو آیتیں، اور پہلی حدیثیں: جو علم کی تلاش میں کسی راستے پر نکلے، اللہ اسے جنت کے راستے پر ڈال دیتا ہے۔

Key terms
  • الحكمةal-ḥikmawisdom
  • الجنةal-jannaParadise
¶ 1 · continued from the previous page

وشغله بها أبطل إحساسه كما أن غلبة الخوف قد تبطل ألم الجراح في الحال وإن كان واقعا فإذا حط الموت عنه أعباء الدنيا أحس بهلاكه وتحسر تحسرا عظيما ثم لا ينفعه وذلك كإحساس الآمن خوفه والمفيق من سكره بما أصابه من الجراحات في حالة السكر أو الخوف فنعوذ بالله من يوم كشف الغطاء فإن الناس نيام فإذا ماتوا انتبهوا

…and his busyness with it have cancelled his feeling, just as overwhelming fear can for the moment cancel the pain of wounds, even though it is there. Then, when death lifts the burdens of the world off him, he feels his ruin and regrets it with great regret, and then it does not help him. That is like what one feels once made safe from his fear, and one who comes to from his drunkenness, for the wounds that struck him while drunk or afraid. So we seek refuge in Allah from the day the cover is removed (kashf al-ghiṭāʾ), for people are asleep, and when they die they wake up.

وقال الحسن رحمه الله يوزن مداد العلماء بدم الشهداء فيرجح مداد العلماء بدم الشهداء

And al-Ḥasan, may Allah have mercy on him, said: "The ink of the scholars will be weighed against the blood of the martyrs, and the ink of the scholars will outweigh the blood of the martyrs."

¶ 2

وقال ابن مسعود رضي الله عنه عليكم بالعلم قبل أن يرفع ورفعه موت رواته فوالذي نفسي بيده ليودن رجال قتلوا في سبيل الله شهداء أن يبعثهم الله علماء لما يرون من كرامتهم فإن أحدا لم يولد عالما وإنما العلم بالتعلم

And Ibn Masʿūd (RA) said: "Hold to knowledge before it is taken up, and its taking up is the death of those who pass it on. By Him in whose hand is my soul, men killed in the way of Allah as martyrs will wish that Allah would raise them as scholars, because of the honour they see given to them. For no one is born a scholar; knowledge comes only by learning (al-taʿallum)."

¶ 3

وقال ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما تذاكر العلم بعض ليلة أحب إلي من إحيائها وكذلك عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه وأحمد بن حنبل رحمه الله

And Ibn ʿAbbās (RA) said: "Going over knowledge together for part of a night is dearer to me than keeping the whole of it alive." And the like is reported from Abū Hurayra (RA) and Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, may Allah have mercy on him.

¶ 4

وقال الحسن في قوله تعالى ﴿ربنا آتنا في الدنيا حسنة وفي الآخرة حسنة﴾ إن الحسنة في الدنيا هي العلم والعبادة وفي الآخرة هي الجنة

And al-Ḥasan said, on His words, Exalted is He: "Our Lord, give us in this world [that which is] good and in the Hereafter [that which is] good" (2:201, Saheeh International): "The good in this world is knowledge and worship, and in the Hereafter it is Paradise (al-janna)."

¶ 5

وقيل لبعض الحكماء أي الأشياء تقتني قال الأشياء التي إذا غرقت سفينتك سبحت معك يعني العلم وقيل أراد بغرق السفينة هلاك بدنه بالموت

And a sage was asked: "Which things should one acquire?" He said: "The things that, if your ship sinks, swim with you," meaning knowledge. And it was said: by the sinking of the ship he meant the ruin of one's body by death.

¶ 6

وقال بعضهم من اتخذ الحكمة لجاما اتخذه الناس إماما ومن عرف بالحكمة لاحظته العيون بالوقار

And one of them said: "Whoever takes wisdom as a bridle, people take him as a leader (imām); and whoever is known for wisdom, eyes look at him with respect."

¶ 7

وقال الشافعي رحمة الله عليه من شرف العلم أن كل من نسب إليه ولو في شيء حقير فرح ومن رفع عنه حزن

And al-Shāfiʿī, Allah's mercy be on him, said: "Part of the nobility of knowledge is that everyone who is linked to it, even in some small thing, is glad; and whoever has it taken from him is sad."

¶ 8

وقال عمر رضي الله عنه يا أيها الناس عليكم بالعلم فإن لله سبحانه رداء يحبه فمن طلب بابا من العلم رداه الله عز وجل بردائه فإن أذنب ذنبا استعتبه ثلاث مرات لئلا يسلبه رداءه ذلك وإن تطاول به ذلك الذنب حتى يموت

And ʿUmar (RA) said: "O people, hold to knowledge, for Allah, glorified is He, has a cloak that He loves. Whoever seeks a chapter of knowledge, Allah, Mighty and Majestic, clothes him in His cloak. If he then commits a sin, He asks him three times to turn back, so as not to strip him of that cloak of His, even if that sin draws out with him until he dies."

¶ 9

وقال الأحنف رحمه الله كاد العلماء أن يكونوا أربابا وكل عز لم يوطد بعلم فإلى ذل مصيره

And al-Aḥnaf, may Allah have mercy on him, said: "The scholars have almost become lords; and every might that is not made firm by knowledge ends in humiliation."

¶ 10

وقال سالم بن أبي الجعد اشتراني مولاي بثلثمائة درهم وأعتقني فقلت بأي شيء أحترف فاحترفت بالعلم فما تمت لي سنة حتى أتاني أمير المدينة زائرا فلم آذن له

And Sālim ibn Abī al-Jaʿd said: "My master bought me for three hundred dirhams and freed me. I said: By what trade shall I earn? So I took up knowledge as my trade. A year had not passed before the governor of the city (al-madīna) came to me to visit, and I did not give him leave to enter."

¶ 11

وقال الزبير بن أبي بكر كتب إلي أبي بالعراق عليك بالعلم فإنك إن افتقرت كان لك مالا وإن استغنيت كان لك جمالا

And al-Zubayr ibn Abī Bakr said: "My father wrote to me in Iraq: Hold to knowledge, for if you become poor it will be wealth for you, and if you become rich it will be beauty for you."

وحكى ذلك في وصايا لقمان لابنه قال يا بني جالس العلماء وزاحمهم بركبتيك فإن الله سبحانه يحيي القلوب بنور الحكمة كما يحيي الأرض بوابل السماء

And that is related among the counsels of Luqmān to his son. He said: "My son, sit with the scholars and press close to them with your knees, for Allah, glorified is He, brings hearts to life by the light of wisdom as He brings the earth to life by the downpour of the sky."

¶ 12

وقال بعض الحكماء إذا مات العالم بكاه الحوت في الماء والطير في الهواء ويفقد وجهه ولا ينسى ذكره

And one of the sages said: "When the scholar dies, the fish in the water and the birds in the air weep for him; his face is missed, and his memory is not forgotten."

¶ 13

وقال الزهري رحمه الله العلم ذكر ولا تحبه إلا ذكران الرجال

And al-Zuhrī, may Allah have mercy on him, said: "Knowledge is male (dhakar), and only the males among men love it."

فضيلة التعلم

The excellence of learning (al-taʿallum)

¶ 14

أما الآيات فقوله تعالى ﴿فلولا نفر من كل فرقة منهم طائفة ليتفقهوا في الدين﴾ وقوله عز وجل ﴿فاسألوا أهل الذكر إن كنتم لا تعلمون﴾

As for the verses: His words, Exalted is He: "For there should separate from every division of them a group [remaining] to obtain understanding in the religion" (9:122, Saheeh International); and His words, Mighty and Majestic: "So ask the people of the message if you do not know" (16:43 and 21:7, Saheeh International).

وأما الأخبار فقوله صلى الله عليه وسلم من سلك طريقا يطلب فيه علما سلك الله به طريقا إلى الجنة 1

As for the reports (al-akhbār): his words ﷺ: "Whoever travels a road seeking knowledge on it, Allah makes him travel by it a road to Paradise."1 (The hadith: our translation of Ghazali's wording, here and to the end of the page.)

وقال صلى الله عليه وسلم إن الملائكة لتضع أجنحتها لطالب العلم رضاء بما يصنع 2

And he ﷺ said: "The angels lower their wings for the seeker (ṭālib) of knowledge, in approval of what he does."2

وقال صلى الله عليه وسلم لأن تغدو فتتعلم بابا من العلم خير من أن تصلي مائة ركعة 3

And he ﷺ said: "That you go out in the morning and learn a chapter of knowledge is better than that you pray a hundred rakʿas."3

وقال صلى الله عليه وسلم باب من العلم يتعلمه الرجل خير له من الدنيا وما فيها 4

And he ﷺ said: "A chapter of knowledge that a man learns is better for him than the world and all that is in it."4

وقال صلى الله عليه وسلم اطلبوا العلم

And he ﷺ said: "Seek knowledge… (The hadith continues on the next page.)

Study this page · not Ghazali's text

Quran on this page4 ayat

¶1a «يوم كشف الغطاء», "the day the cover is removed": the Quran's words, not quoted as an ayah.

لَّقَدْ كُنتَ فِى غَفْلَةٍ مِّنْ هَٰذَا فَكَشَفْنَا عَنكَ غِطَآءَكَ فَبَصَرُكَ ٱلْيَوْمَ حَدِيدٌ

[It will be said], "You were certainly in unmindfulness of this, and We have removed from you your cover, so your sight, this Day, is sharp."

Surah Qaaf (50), ayah 22 · Saheeh International

¶4a ﴿ربنا آتنا في الدنيا حسنة وفي الآخرة حسنة﴾: Ghazali quotes the ayah up to «حسنة»; it goes on.

وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَقُولُ رَبَّنَآ ءَاتِنَا فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ ٱلنَّارِ

But among them is he who says, "Our Lord, give us in this world [that which is] good and in the Hereafter [that which is] good and protect us from the punishment of the Fire."

Surah Al-Baqara (2), ayah 201 · Saheeh International

¶14a ﴿فلولا نفر من كل فرقة منهم طائفة ليتفقهوا في الدين﴾: the middle of the ayah.

وَمَا كَانَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ لِيَنفِرُوا۟ كَآفَّةً فَلَوْلَا نَفَرَ مِن كُلِّ فِرْقَةٍ مِّنْهُمْ طَآئِفَةٌ لِّيَتَفَقَّهُوا۟ فِى ٱلدِّينِ وَلِيُنذِرُوا۟ قَوْمَهُمْ إِذَا رَجَعُوٓا۟ إِلَيْهِمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَحْذَرُونَ

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.

Surah At-Tawba (9), ayah 122 · Saheeh International

¶14a ﴿فاسألوا أهل الذكر إن كنتم لا تعلمون﴾: these words end two ayat, word for word, and Ghazali does not say which he means; both are given.

وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ إِلَّا رِجَالًا نُّوحِىٓ إِلَيْهِمْ فَسْـَٔلُوٓا۟ أَهْلَ ٱلذِّكْرِ إِن كُنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ

And We sent not before you except men to whom We revealed [Our message]. So ask the people of the message if you do not know.

Surah An-Nahl (16), ayah 43 · Saheeh International

Hadith and al-ʿIrāqī's verdicts4 hadith
  1. 1

    حديث من سلك طريقا يطلب فيه علما الحديث أخرجه مسلم من حديث أبي هريرة

    Recorded by Muslim from Abū Hurayra (RA).

    In the nine books:

    Sahih Muslim 2699a, from Abū Hurayra, in the words «من سلك طريقا يلتمس فيه علما». The collection's English: "he who treads the path in search of knowledge, Allah would make that path easy, leading to Paradise for him". Also Jami al-Tirmidhi 2646 and Sunan Ibn Majah 225, and inside Abū al-Dardāʾ's hadith, Sunan Abi Dawud 3641 (V1 p5 note 2).

  2. 2

    حديث إن الملائكة لتضع أجنحتها لطالب العلم رضاء بما يصنع أخرجه أحمد وابن حبان والحاكم وصححه من حديث صفوان بن عسال

    Recorded by Aḥmad, Ibn Ḥibbān and al-Ḥākim, who graded it sound, from Ṣafwān ibn ʿAssāl (RA).

    In the nine books:

    Sunan Ibn Majah 226, from Ṣafwān ibn ʿAssāl, in the words «ما من خارج خرج من بيته في طلب العلم إلا وضعت له الملائكة أجنحتها رضا بما يصنع». The collection's English: "There is no one who goes out of his house in order to seek knowledge, but the angels lower their wings in approval of his action." The words «وإن الملائكة لتضع أجنحتها رضا لطالب العلم» are also inside Abū al-Dardāʾ's hadith (Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, Darimi: V1 p5 note 2).

  3. 3

    حديث لأن تغدو فتتعلم بابا من الخير خير من أن تصلي مائة ركعة أخرجه ابن عبد البر من حديث أبي ذر وليس إسناده بذاك والحديث عند ابن ماجه بلفظ آخر

    Recorded by Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr from Abū Dharr (RA), and its chain is "not up to much"; the hadith is in Ibn Mājah in other words. (His wording is «بابا من الخير», "a chapter of good".)

    In the nine books:

    Sunan Ibn Majah 219, from Abū Dharr. The collection's English: "O Abu Dharr! For you to come out in the morning and learn one Verse from the Book of Allah is better for you than praying one hundred Rak'ah, and for you to come out and learn a matter of knowledge, whether it is acted upon or not, is better for you than praying one thousand Rak'ah."

  4. 4

    حديث باب من العلم يتعلمه الرجل خير له من الدنيا أخرجه ابن حبان في روضة العقلاء وابن عبد البر موقوفا على الحسن البصري ولم أره مرفوعا إلا بلفظ خير له من مائة ركعة رواه الطبراني في الأوسط بسند ضعيف من حديث أبي ذر

    Recorded by Ibn Ḥibbān in Rawḍat al-ʿUqalāʾ and by Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr as the words of al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī (mawqūf). Al-ʿIrāqī saw it from the Prophet ﷺ only as "better for him than a hundred rakʿas", in al-Ṭabarānī's al-Awsaṭ with a weak chain, from Abū Dharr (RA).

    In the nine books:

    not in them; al-ʿIrāqī names where it is recorded (above).

Words of the day3 words
Open questions
  • ¶8a «فإن أذنب ذنبا استعتبه ثلاث مرات»: we read Allah as the one who asks the sinner three times to turn back; it can also be read the other way round, the man asking three times to be restored to Allah's pleasure. The words alone do not settle it.
  • ¶10a «أمير المدينة» may mean the governor of Medina itself, or of the city where Sālim lived; we translate "the city".
  • ¶1a «الناس نيام فإذا ماتوا انتبهوا»: Ghazali names no one, al-ʿIrāqī adds nothing, and it is not in the nine books.
  • The sayings on this page (al-Ḥasan, Ibn Masʿūd, Ibn ʿAbbās, al-Shāfiʿī, ʿUmar, al-Aḥnaf, Sālim, al-Zubayr, Luqmān, al-Zuhrī) are not traced by al-ʿIrāqī, who traces only reports from the Prophet ﷺ; we have not looked for them.