Who is an acceptable source for learning?

The Exalted in Might and Forgiving said, “Only those fear Allah, from amongst His slaves, who have knowledge” [Fatir(35):28].

No matter how long you’ve been in the field of seeking knowledge, at whatever time after the Companions, one is always confronted with the question of trustworthiness. People are always asking, “Should I take knowledge from so-and-so?”

And quite rightly so. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah send prayers upon him and grant peace) did say, “Then keep away from every one of those sects even if you have to bite upon the root of a tree until death overtakes you in that condition.” (Bukhari‎, ‎English‎ trans.,‎ ‎‎[‎vol‎.‎‎4‎‎ ‎no‎.‎‎8‎‎0‎‎3‎‎] ‎and‎ ‎‎[‎vol‎.‎‎9‎‎ ‎no‎.‎‎2‎‎0‎‎6‎‎]‎‎, ‎Muslim‎ ‎‎[‎no‎.‎‎4‎‎5‎‎5‎‎3‎‎]‎). But then how to get knowledge?

A line that I can never forget was that of a bro. who had been part of the Islamic Society for a year (back in Manchester Uni). We were out for a kobeda when he said to me, “So brother: what are you?” I replied, knowing deep down what he was trying to get at, “A Muslim?”

He said, “Yes, yes, I know – but what are you ‘from the inside’?” We laughed then, but it really summed up for me the state we’re in.

It seems that as soon as you get a bit deeper into Islam you’re hit with the issue of deciding between groups. So the neutral guy is asking, “Is this guy really going to give me true Islam? Or will he be coloured by his allegiance to his ‘school of thought’/ ‘party’/ ‘group’/ ‘charity organization’/ ‘da’wah organization’/ ‘mosque’/ ‘the scholars’, etc. Even worse, does he think he is Allah’s gift to mankind and the best independent thinker that has ever been born? Will he have the capacity to be fair and accept counter-arguments which carry weight on their merit, or will he tow the “party-line” knowing inside he doesn’t have a clue?

Then there is the flip-side: me - myself. Do I have the capacity to judge the truth in his argument? And many, on this count, go into following an accepted school of thought (i.e. taqleed), conceding that they don’t know all the answers and don’t want to end up astray because they took the liberty to pick-and-mix.

My objective here is not to discuss whether taqleed is good or bad. No.

I am just a “vehicle for insights”; a term found in the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah send prayers upon him and grant peace) - I quote it later down.

What I want to share with you are some Qur’anic verses and Authentic Hadith and simply pose the question: What is knowledge? And then what is an acceptable source of knowledge?
Indeed, I do have some of my own thoughts about these things. But I will leave that, Allah willing, to the next blog along with the question: am I right or am I mistaken? I may be relating what is true – but have I been just?
To proceed: Allah’s Book contains the following verses:

And if you obey the majority of those upon the earth, they will mislead you from the way of Allah . They follow not except assumption, and they are not but falsifying. [al-An'aam(6):116]

…Say, "Is it the two males He has forbidden or the two females or that which the wombs of the two females contain? Inform me with knowledge, if you should be truthful" [al-An'aam(6):143].

...Then who is more unjust than one who invents a lie about Allah to mislead the people by other than knowledge? Indeed, Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people” [al-An'aam(6):144].
…Say, "Do you have any knowledge that you can produce for us? You follow not except assumption, and you are not but falsifying" [al-An'aam(6):148].

For that is Allah , your Lord, the Truth. And what can be beyond truth except error? So how are you averted? [Yunus(10):32].

Say, "Are there of your 'partners' any who guides to the truth?" Say, " Allah guides to the truth. So is He who guides to the truth more worthy to be followed or he who guides not unless he is guided? Then what is [wrong] with you - how do you judge?" And most of them follow not except assumption. Indeed, assumption avails not against the truth at all. Indeed, Allah is Knowing of what they do. [Yunus(10):35-36]

[The People of the Book say,] “And do not trust except those who follow your religion.” Say, “Indeed, the guidance is the guidance of Allah. [Do you fear] perhaps one is given the like of what you have been given or that they would [thereby] argue with you before your Lord?” Say, “Indeed, the bounty is in the Hand of Allah – He grants it to whom He wills. And Allah is all-Encompassing and Wise” [Aal-e-Imran(3):73].

[Sho’aib] said, "O my people, have you considered: if I am upon clear evidence from my Lord and He has provided me with a good provision from Him... ? And I do not intend to differ from you in that which I have forbidden you; I only intend reform as much as I am able. And my success is not but through Allah . Upon him I have relied, and to Him I return.

“And O my people, let not [your] dissension from me cause you to be struck by that similar to what struck the people of Noah or the people of Hud or the people of Salih. And the people of Lot are not from you far away.” [Hud(11):88-89]

And they did not become divided until after knowledge had come to them - out of jealous animosity between themselves…[Ash-Shura(42):14 and other places].

They ask you, [O Muhammad], about the bounties [of war]. Say, "The [decision concerning] bounties is for Allah and the Messenger." So fear Allah and amend that which is between you and obey Allah and His Messenger, if you should be believers [al-Anfaal(8):1].

O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. And if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger, if you should believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is the best [way] and best in result [an-Nisaa`(4):59].

And whoever opposes the Messenger after guidance has become clear to him and follows other than the way of the believers - We will give him what he has taken and drive him into Hell, and evil it is as a destination [an-Nisaa`(4):115].


There are then some ahaadith that are generally accepted as authentic:

“Spread from me even if it is an Ayah. And narrate from the Bani Isra`eel, and there is no problem with that. And whoever attributes a lie to me intentionally, then let him choose his place from the Hellfire.” [Bukhari, Ahmed, Tirmidhi]

We have from Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, the People of the Book used to recite the Torah in the ‘Ibraani language, and they used to make tafseer of it for the People of Islam. So the Messenger of Allah, may Allah send prayers upon him and grant peace, “Do not affirm the People of the Book and do not belie them, and say, ‘We believe in Allah and what was revealed to us [and what was revealed to Ibrahim…]’ the verse [al-Baqarah(2):136]. [Bukhari]

The Hadith about the prisoner of Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) ends with the following: “…Then I let him go. The next morning the Messenger of Allah, may Allah send prayers upon him and grant peace, ‘What did your prisoner do yesterday?’ I said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, he claimed he would teach me some words by which Allah would benefit me so I let him go.’ He said, ‘What were they?’ I said, ‘He told me that when you retire to your bed, then recite the ayat-ul-kursi from its start to the end of the verse Allahu laa Ilaaha illaa Huwa al-Hayyul Qayyum. And he told me that there will not cease to be a guardian over you and no Satan will not come near you until you wake up in the morning…and the Messenger of Allah (may Allah send prayers upon him and grant peace) said, ‘He told you the truth while he is a liar. That was a Satan.’ [Bukhari records ta'leeqan (incomplete chain) but in Fathul-Bari, ibn Hajar mentions that an-Nasa'i, al-Ismaa'ili and Abu Nu'aim have completed its chain from various ways - also al-Albaani declares it saheeh]

In the Khutbah in the Farewell Hajj, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah send prayers upon him and grant peace) stated, “Indeed, the present should inform the absent for it may be that some to whom it reaches are more insightful regarding it than those who actually hear it” [Wording from Bukhari, a mutawatir hadith].

“May Allah make radiant the face of a man who hears my statement then he understands it and memorizes it and spreads it, for he may be a carrier of an insight to one who has more understanding than him.” [Tirmidhi, Abu Dawood, Nasai, ibn Majah, Ahmed, Darimi]

“[Upon you is be truthful.] Indeed, the truth leads to Paradise and a man tells the truth until he becomes a Siddeeq; and indeed falsehood leads to transgression, and indeed transgression leads to the Fire, and a man speaks falsely until he is written with Allah as a Kadhdhaab.” [Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi and similar in ibn Majah and Ahmed]

My 'story' that ties these evidences together insha'Allah in a later blog - I'll welcome your inferences in the meanwhile as thinking about something before hearing an answer will insha'Allah be better. Even the Allah, the Mighty and Wise, waited for things to settle in the hearts by revealing the Qur'an over time.