Allaah has set a cause and a way with which, one arrives at anything desired and anything sought after. For a surety, the greatest of all pursuits and the one that holds the most extensive of benefits, is none other than eemaan. Allaah has devised many constituents for it that bring it about and strengthen it, and many causes that increase and develop it. If the servants act on them, their certainty strengthens and their eemaan increases. Allaah has elaborated on these in His Book, as has His Messenger – sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam – in his Sunnah.
1. LEARNING THE BENEFICIAL KNOWLEDGE DERIVED FROM THE BOOK OF ALLAH AND THE SUNNAH OF HIS MESSENGER – SALLALLAHU ALAYHI WA SALLAM-.
Ibn Rajab defines this knowledge, saying: “Beneficial knowledge is to define, accurately and meticulously, the texts of the Book and Sunnah and to understand them.
It is to confine oneself in regard to this, to the reports transmitted from the Companions, their successors and their successors in turn which pertain to the explanation and understanding of the Qur’aan and Hadeeths, as well as the discourse related from them on issues of the lawful, unlawful, zuhd (i.e., asceticism), raqaa’iq (i.e., matters that soften the heart), the (various) branches of knowledge and so on.
Allaah says:
“Allaah bears witness that none deserves the right to be worshipped but He, and the Angels and those having knowledge (also give this witness); (He is always) maintaining His creation with justice…”
(Soorah Aal-Imraan (3): I86)
“But those among them who are well-grounded in knowledge and the believers, believe in what has been sent down to you and in what was sent down before you, and those who establish prayer and give zakaah and believe in Allaah and the Last day, it is they to whom we shall give a great reward.”
(Soorah an-Nisaa (4): 162)
“And those who have been given knowledge see that what is revealed to you from your Lord is the truth, and that it guides to the path of the Exalted in might, Owner of all praise.”
(Soorah Saba (34): 6)
Recorded in the Saheehayn, is the hadeeth of Mu’aawiyah, RadiyAllaahu Anhu, in which he says. ‘The Messenger of Allaah – sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam – said:
“Whomever Allaah desires good for, He imparts upon him understanding of the religion.”
[Related by al-Bukhaaree, (1/164, 6/217, 12,294 Fath) and Muslim, 4/1524]
Related in al-Musnad and other sources, is the hadeeth of Aboo ad Dardaa’, RadiyAllaahu Anhu, in which he says, The Messenger of Allaah – sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam – said:
“He who treads a path in search of knowledge Allaah will direct him to tread a path from the paths of Paradise. The Angels lower their wings for the student of knowledge in approval of what he does. All in the heavens and earth and the fish in the depth of the water seek forgiveness for the scholar, and the superiority of the scholar over the worshipper is like the superiority of the full moon at night over the rest of the stars. Verily the scholars are the heirs to the Prophets. Verily, the Prophets did not bequeath deenars or dirhams. All they left behind was knowledge, so whoever takes it, has indeed acquired a huge fortune.”
[Al-Musnad, 5/196. Also related by Aboo Daawood, 3/317; atTirmidhee 5/49; Ibn Maajah 1/81, ad-Daarimee, 1/98 and ibn Hibbaan, 1/152 (al Ihsaan)]
Thus, the scholar knows his Lord, his Prophet and the commands and boundaries set by Allaah. He distinguishes between that which Allaah loves and is pleased with, and that which He hates and rejects. Thus, he acts in accordance to the commands of Allaah with respect to that which he approaches and refrains from.