knowledge

[hawwa]

It is clear that the layman needs the scholars to help him with many issues concerning the deen. The thing is, how do we know which scholars to take from? in other words, how exactly do we read the books of knowledge?

Is there only one way (manhaj) concerning how we give dawah etc?

[Abu Ilyas]

As Salaamualkaikum



The thing is, how do we know which scholars to take from?

This is difficult for the layman as it is difficult to know who really has knowledge if one does not have knoqwledge themselves.However, as a general rule, If you see someone at pains to quote Qur'aan and Sunnah then Insha'alalh that is the first and most Important Indication of real Scholarship in my opinion.

in other words, how exactly do we read the books of knowledge?


We should always try to study books with someone knowledgable so we do not misinterpret and make mistakes and not just stick to studying books on our own.There is a good book by Shaykh Bakr abu Zayd entitled "The Etiquettes Of Seeking Knowledge" and he has a section on this topic and he states that there is 'almost a consensus' that it is necessary to learn from a shaykh.That is if you want to become a Scholar or a student of Knowledge yourself, otherwise, ofcourse there is a lot to be gained by reading books especially if there are not many Scholars to learn from in your country.

Allah Knows Best

[slaveofLord_22]

Salaam,

Indeed Maalik Ibn Anas(rahimahullaah) one of the founders of the four mazhabs, said:

"We used to be amazed by the narrating of some people but we will not sit with them and take from their knowledge until we see them weep at Qur'aan."

And one of the taabieen said:
"I would travel for days in search of a scholar who is well known and when i reach him, i observe him for a few days with regards to his prayers(Faraaidh), and if i find him careless in it, I would turn away from him,saying: "For things other than that he will be even more careless."

So, let the seekers of knowledge put their trust in Allaah and sit with those scholars who atleast fulfill the 2 above mentioned qualities and may Allaah save us from the deception of the deceivers.

[ali]

Asalamu alaikum

I will narrate this first athaar by summary from memory since I cant find my source but indeed Ibn Abbas, the mufassir of the Quraan said to some of the tabi'een a very important matter. Someone quoted saying " rasulullah said ......" so the man replied to Ibn Abbass radhiyallahu anhu and said I quote from the rpophet and you dont do or say nothing. So Ibn Abbas told this man "indeed there was a time when one of us (the sahaba) would narrate what the prophet said and we (the sahaba) would HASTEN to hear what he said and take from that. But ever since the fitnah (the splitting of sects like the khawarij first then shia then murjia) to occured then we ask them (those who narrate) to name your men (the men involved in the chain of narration:isnaad) and so who ever in there was from the sunnah then the athar was taken and if the men were from bida (one of those deviant practisioners) then the narration would be left (dropped, abandoned)
I beleive this was or something similar was narrated by Ibn Mubaarak and Mujaahid.

So in reply ya ikhwaan wal ikhwaat, is that in the time of the sahaba then there was no need for critisim or doubt about anyone narrating or teaching about the religion, but when the fitnah happened then those who stuck to the right way clarified with proofs and made certain distinctions for the ummah in order for them to know who was from bida and who was upon sunnah. SOme of those distinctions were like the development of this perfect science called isnaad which was studied and mastered by the tabi'een and the later generations until the many of the hadeeths have been estalished like the six books of hadeeth.

Another distinction that they made was that once the bida appeared these people of knolwedge told and advised the ummah by following the way of their salaf (predessecors). So much of the past people of knowledge advised us with "watch who we take our deen from"

here are some statemens of the past imaams.

Imaam al-Asbahanee said "the sign of ahlu-sunnah is that they follow the salafu-salih (pious predecessors) and ABANDON all that is innovated and newly introdued into the deen" from al-hujjah fee bayaanil-mahajjah
and Abu Haneefa said "adhere to the athar 9narrations) and the tareeqa (way:millah) of the salaf and beware of newly invented matters for all of it is innovation" this is reported by Imaam as-Suyootee in "Sawn al-Mantaq wal-Kalaam"

And since you specifically ask who are those people then Imam as-Saaboonee who was the Imaam, Alaamah, az-Zaahid, al-Mujaddid of his era said "So when you see a man loving Sufyan ath-Thawree, Malik ibn Anas, Imaam al-Awza'ee, Sh'ubah, Ibnul-Mubarak, Abul-Ahwas, Shareek, Wakee (teahcer of Imam Malik) Yahya bin Sa'eed and Abdur-Rahman ibn Mahdee then know he is a person of the sunnah"

So the opposite gos for its opposite. If anyone revile them then it is a sign opposite to the adherence of the sunnah (usually because since these Imaams loved the deen so much and Allah blessed them wiht an ocean of knowledge then they sought to protect it and fight for it against those who opposed it and so those who oppossed it were destroyed by these men which is why they do not like them since the messenger said "It's (the sunnah) night is like its day and no one deviates from it except that he is destroyed" which was the case of all of the oppossers of these men)

So those with ilm are those who stress great imporetance to the hadeeth since Imaam Ahmad said when it was asked to him who is the saved sect he said "if it is not ashaabul hadeeth then i dont know who it is" so those who are in love with the hadeeth and its sciences and are in extremity and blind following to it since it it rasulullah since blind following our nabi is binding on all muslims then this is those who you can take from, From our day today were those who recently passed Imaam Albanee, Shaykh Uthaymin, Bin Baaz, Shaykh Muqbil, and then other like Abdul-Muhsin al-Abadd, Shaykh Bakr Abu Zayd, Zayd ibn Hadee al-Madkhalee, Shaykh Ubayd, Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan, Shaykh Abdul-Azeez aaluShaykh, Abdur-Rahman al-Ghudayaan, Abdul-Azeez ar-Rajihee, Ibn Jibreen, Shaykh Ahmad an-Najmee, Shaykh Rabee bin Hadee and some other in Jordan and India and Pakistan.

SOme of these are Muhadeetheen and their knowledeg and adherence to the sunnah already attested and soem of them are Imaams.

I hope this is more clear than before

asalamu alaikum