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The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: Seeking knowledge is an obligation upon every Muslim man and woman.
تعليم المتعلمal-Zarnūjīفِي مَاهِيَّةِ الْعِلْمِ وَالْفِقْهِ وَفَضْلِهِ
On the Nature of Knowledge, Fiqh, and Their Excellence
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Know that it is not obligatory upon every Muslim to seek every branch of knowledge; what is obligatory is to seek the knowledge relevant to one's circumstances.
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As it is said: The best knowledge is knowledge of one's present state, and the best action is to guard one's present state.
وَيُفْتَرَضُ عَلَى الْمُسْلِمِ طَلَبُ مَا يَقَعُ لَهُ فِي حَالِهِ، فَإِنَّهُ لَا بُدَّ لَهُ مِنَ الصَّلَاةِ، فَيُفْتَرَضُ عَلَيْهِ عِلْمُ مَا يَقَعُ لَهُ فِي صَلَاتِهِ بِقَدْرِ مَا يُؤَدِّي بِهِ فَرْضَ الصَّلَاةِ.
It is obligatory upon the Muslim to seek knowledge relevant to his circumstances. Since he must pray, it is obligatory upon him to know what pertains to his prayer to the extent needed to fulfil the obligatory prayer.
وَكَذَلِكَ فِي الصَّوْمِ، وَالزَّكَاةِ إِنْ كَانَ لَهُ مَالٌ، وَالْحَجِّ إِنْ وَجَبَ عَلَيْهِ، وَكَذَلِكَ فِي الْبُيُوعِ إِنْ كَانَ يَتَّجِرُ، وَكَذَلِكَ فِي سَائِرِ الْمُعَامَلَاتِ وَالْأَحْرَافِ.
Likewise for fasting; and zakāt if he has wealth; and ḥajj if it is obligatory; and likewise for commercial transactions if he is a trader; and likewise for all other dealings and trades.
وَكُلُّ مَنِ اشْتَغَلَ بِشَيْءٍ مِنْهَا يُحَرِّزُ عَلَيْهِ عِلْمُ مَا يُفْتَرَضُ عَلَيْهِ فِيهِ.
Everyone engaged in any of these must acquire the knowledge that is obligatory for him in it.
قِيلَ لِمُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْحَسَنِ رَحِمَةُ اللهِ عَلَيْهِ: لِمَ لَا تُصَنِّفْ كِتَابًا فِي الزُّهْدِ؟ قَالَ: قَدْ صَنَّفْتُ كِتَابًا فِي الْبُيُوعِ. يَعْنِي مَنِ اكْتَسَبَ مِنَ الْحَلَالِ وَعَزَلَ عَنِ الشُّبُهَاتِ وَالْمَكْرُوهَاتِ فَهُوَ الزَّاهِدُ الْحَقِيقِيُّ.
It was said to Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan, may Allah have mercy on him: Why do you not write a book on asceticism? He said: I have written a book on commerce. Meaning: whoever earns from the lawful and avoids doubtful and disliked matters is the true ascetic.
وَشَرَفُ الْعِلْمِ؛ بِكَوْنِهِ وَسِيلَةً إِلَى الْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَى، الَّذِي بِهِ الْمَرْءُ يَسْتَحِقُّ الْكَرَامَةَ عِنْدَ اللهِ، وَالسَّعَادَةَ الْأَبَدِيَّةَ.
The nobility of knowledge lies in its being the means to piety and God-consciousness, by which a person deserves honour in the sight of Allah and eternal felicity.
تَعَلَّمْ فَإِنَّ الْعِلْمَ زَيْنٌ لِأَهْلِهِوَفَضْلٌ وَعُنْوَانٌ لِكُلِّ الْمَحَامِدِوَكُنْ مُسْتَفِيدًا كُلَّ يَوْمٍ زِيَادَةًمِنَ الْعِلْمِ وَاسْبَحْ فِي بُحُورِ الْفَوَائِدِتَفَقَّهْ فَإِنَّ الْفِقْهَ أَفْضَلُ قَائِدٍإِلَى الْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَى وَأَعْدَلُ قَاصِدٍهُوَ الْعَلَمُ الْهَادِي إِلَى سُنَنِ الْهُدَىهُوَ يُنْجِي مِنْ كُلِّ الشَّدَائِدِفَإِنَّ فَقِيهًا وَاحِدًا مُتَوَرِّعًاأَشَدُّ عَلَى الشَّيْطَانِ مِنْ أَلْفِ عَابِدٍ
Learn — knowledge is a crown that you wear, A mark of the noble, refined and rare; Grow every day, let your insight rise, Dive in oceans where wisdom lies. Seek out fiqh — it straightens your way, Guides your heart so you don't go astray; Leads to truth and a life upright, Keeps your goal and your aim in sight. It is light on the path when the road gets rough, A shield when trials start getting tough; One true scholar, grounded and real, Outweighs a thousand who bow and kneel.
وَالْعِلْمُ وَسِيلَةٌ إِلَى مَعْرِفَةِ اللهِ وَالْبَقَاءِ؛ وَبِقَدْرِ حُسْنِهِ يَحْسُنُ الْمَرْءُ، وَكَذَلِكَ فِي سَائِرِ الْأَخْلَاقِ: الشَّجَاعَةِ، وَالْجُودِ، وَالصِّدْقِ، وَالتَّقِيِّ، وَالشَّفَقَةِ وَغَيْرِهَا.
Knowledge is the means to knowing Allah and to eternal life; and in proportion to its excellence does a person become excellent. And likewise with other virtues: courage, generosity, truthfulness, piety, compassion, and the rest.
فَإِنَّ الْكِبْرَ، وَالْبُخْلَ، وَالْجُبْنَ حَرَامٌ لَا يُمْكِنُ التَّحَرُّزُ عَنْهَا إِلَّا بِعِلْمِهَا، وَعِلْمُ مَا يُضَادُّهَا فَيُفْتَرَضُ عَلَى كُلِّ إِنْسَانٍ عِلْمُهَا.
For arrogance, miserliness, and cowardice are forbidden, and one can only guard against them by knowing them and knowing their opposites; thus it is obligatory upon every person to know them.
وَأَمَّا تَفْسِيرُ الْعِلْمِ: فَهُوَ صِفَةٌ يَتَجَلَّى بِهَا الْمَذْكُورُ لِمَنْ قَامَتْ هِيَ بِهِ كَمَا هُوَ.
As for the definition of knowledge: it is an attribute by which the thing known becomes clear to the one who possesses it, as it truly is.
وَالْفِقْهُ: مَعْرِفَةُ دَقَائِقِ الْعِلْمِ مَعَ نَوْعِ عِلَاجٍ.
Fiqh is: knowledge of the subtle points of knowledge, combined with a kind of practical engagement.
قَالَ أَبُو حَنِيفَةَ رَحِمَهُ اللهُ عَلَيْهِ: الْفِقْهُ مَعْرِفَةُ النَّفْسِ مَا لَهَا وَمَا عَلَيْهَا.
Abū Ḥanīfa, may Allah have mercy on him, said: Fiqh is the soul's knowledge of what is for it and what is against it.
وَقَالَ: مَا الْعِلْمُ إِلَّا لِلْعَمَلِ بِهِ، وَالْعَمَلُ إِلَّا لِتَرْكِ الْعَاجِلِ لِلْآجِلِ.
And he said: Knowledge is only for acting upon it, and action is only for leaving the immediate in favour of the deferred.
فَيَنْبَغِي لِلْإِنْسَانِ أَلَّا يَغْفُلَ عَنْ نَفْسِهِ مَا يَنْفَعُهَا وَمَا يَضُرُّهَا فِي أُولَاهَا وَآخِرَهَا، وَيَسْتَجْلِبُ مَا يَنْفَعُهَا وَيَجْتَنِبُ مَا يَضُرُّهَا؛ عَقْلُهُ لَا يَكُونُ حُجَّةً عَلَيْهِ فَيَزْدَادُ عُقُوبَةً.
It is therefore incumbent upon a person not to be heedless of what benefits and harms his soul in this life and the next, to draw close to what benefits it and stay away from what harms it — lest his intellect become a proof against him and increase his punishment.
وَقَدْ وَرَدَ فِي مَنَاقِبِ الْعِلْمِ وَفَضَائِلِهِ آيَاتٌ وَأَخْبَارٌ صَحِيحَةٌ مَشْهُورَةٌ لَمْ نَشْتَغِلْ بِذِكْرِهَا كَيْ لَا يَطُولَ الْكِتَابُ.
There are well-known authentic verses and reports regarding the virtues and excellence of knowledge; we have not occupied ourselves with mentioning them so as not to lengthen the book.