The Islamic Scholarly

Tradition:
The Legacy of the Anbiya

The beginning
Sayyidina Rasul Allah (sws)
said:

Inni buithtu
mualliman
(Verily, I have been sent as a
teacher.)

Al-Ulamau warathatul Anbiya

The superiority of the religious scholar
over the devout worshipper is like the
superiority of the moon over the
other heavenly bodies. The
religious scholars are the heirs of
the prophets. The prophets leave
no money as a bequest, rather they
leave knowledge. Whoever seizes it
has taken a bountiful share.
(Narrated by S. Abu Darda (ra) by Ahmad, Abu Dawud,
Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah)

Sayyidina RasulAllah
(sws) said:
The similitude of the religious
scholars on earth is that of the
stars in the sky, by which
[people] are guided through the
darkness of the land and sea. If
the stars are extinguished, even
the guides might stray.
(Narrated by S. Anas (ra) by Imam
Ahmad)

The legacy of
Sayyidina
RasulAllah (sws)
Pure revelation
A Pure and noble heart

Certainly did Allah confer [great] favor
upon the believers when He sent among
them a Messenger from themselves,
reciting to them His verses and
purifying them and teaching them the
Book and wisdom, although they had
been before in manifest error. (3: 163)

The Maqasid of
Nubuwwah:
1.

YATLU ALAYHIM AAYAATIHI: TO

RECITE THE VERSES

YUZAKKIHIM: TO TEACH THEM THE

WAYS OF TAZKIYYA
3. YUALLIMUHUM UL-KITAB: TO TEACH
2.

THEM THE BOOK

4.

HIKMAT: MEANS THE WISDOM AND

KNOWLEDGE ON HOW TO LIVE AS
A COLLECTIVE LIFE AND
ESTABLISH THIS DEEN ON EARTH

TWO REASONS WE HAVE

LOST OUR CONNECTION
WITH THIS TRADITION
1.

WE HAVE LOST THE QADR OF

SACRED KNOWLEDGE

2.

WE DO NOT HAVE QADR OF

SCHOLARS: PEOPLE OF
KNOWLEDGE

2 approaches to Islamic
Learning and Scholarship:
Knowledge- based approach
Ideology-based approach

Knowledge vs. Ideology

Based on Ilm
Read first, then position
Do not disagree until

understood
Others may be valid
also
Long and difficult

Based on Aql

Start with their own Ray

Do not agree until understood

Only we are valid

Short and easy

The Ahl al-Ilm

So ask the people of the message if you

)do not know. (16:43

Say, "Are those who know equal to

)those who do not know?" (39:9

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.
(9:122)

Some definitions
Fiqh
Usul al-Fiqh

Fiqh:
Root letter s> f-q-h
Literal Meaning > to understand/

understanding
Related Word > tafaqquh > to

understand deeply

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. (9:122)

So we see
Virtue and merit of Fiqh
Mustaqil mehnat is required
Not everyone will do this activity- taifa, nafrMajority > went for jihad, minority > stayed

back
Rest of sahaba i.e. mujahidin sahaba also

did ittiba of the fuqaha sahaba

Usul al-Fiqh (Sources

of Law)
Literal > Plural of Asl
Sources, bases, methodologies, principles
Terminological definition > sources of

Islamic Law
1. Quran
2. Sunnah
3. Ijma
4. Qiyas

More on the Sources

of Knowledge
Sources

Revelation
(Wahy)

Recited
(matlu)

Not
recited
(ghayr
matlu)

Not
Revelation
(Ghayr
Wahy)
Opinion of
One/ Few
(fard/
baz)

Opinion of
many
(kull)

warathatul Anbiya
Tafseer of
Mufassireen
e.g. Ibn-e-Abbas
(RA)
Ibn-e- Katheer

Legal rulings of
all the four
schools as valid
e.g.
Hanafi/Shafii/Ha
nbali/Maliki

Hadith gradings as
per the the scholars
of usul-e-hadith
e.g. Sahih, Hasan,
Dhaeef, Mauzoo'

Aqaid as laid out

by the
mutakallimeen

Meaning of Hadith
as extracted by the
Muf. Muhadth. and
Fuqaha
e.g. Sahih Bukhari,
other well-known
books of Hadith

Ways of
Tazkiyyah of the
Auliya-ekamileen and
sualiheen