Book of Knowledge/III. Chapter
A wise doctor says to the husband: ‘I knew he would not die. Go home immediately and have intercourse with your wife, and she will become pregnant right away.’ The husband is surprised by the doctor’s answer and asks, ‘How can this be?’ The doctor explains the matter as follows: ‘During the examination, I saw that the woman is overweight and that, for this reason, her cervix is closed. These fats can only be melted by the fear of death. Therefore, it was necessary to put her in such a fear. I did exactly that. Now the purpose has been achieved, the fats that covered her cervix have melted, and she is now ready to become pregnant.’ This story informs you about the dangers of some kinds of knowledge, and not only that, but it also clearly and completely conveys the meaning of the following statement of the Messenger of Allah, Muhammad Mustafa (peace be upon him): ‘We seek refuge in Allah from knowledge that does not benefit.’ Take a lesson from this story. Do not delve into the knowledge that the Sharia has prohibited, and strongly avoid it. Cling to the Companions. Do not deviate even slightly from the path of the Sunnah. For the safety of religion and the world depends only on following the path of the noble Companions. The danger is to investigate on your own and to form an independent opinion, deviating from the views of the Companions. By all means, avoid stubbornly arguing with people based on your assumptions, evidence, reason, and personal opinion. Do not say, ‘I am searching for knowledge to learn some things. What harm can there be in thinking about knowledge?’ For the damage caused by independently delving into scientific matters is greater than the benefit.
There are many things that, when you become familiar with them, will drag you into dangers and ruin your afterlife. If Allah’s mercy does not reach you, you will not be able to escape from this disaster and will be destroyed! Know that just as a qualified doctor knows that in treatment methods, no one can predict the subtle methods that may be required, so the prophets, who are considered the doctors of the soul and who know the means of the afterlife, are also familiar with methods that others do not know in this field. Therefore, do not rely on your own reason and think about their profession and change their profession. If you do this, nothing will save you from disaster. There are many people who, when their fingers are injured, try to heal the wound by applying various ointments on their own. However, the doctor may say that the ointment should be applied to another part of the hand. People who do not know how the veins spread throughout the body, their roots, and how they surround the body do not find the doctor’s advice reasonable and object, saying, ‘How can the ointment be applied to another part instead of the wound itself?’
Indeed, in the path of the afterlife, in the subtleties and etiquette of the Sharia, in the beliefs that people are obligated to know, and in the delicate matters, the situation is the same. Reason alone is not sufficient to handle this matter, for it cannot encompass it by its own power. Indeed, there are some strange characteristics in the structures of the minerals, and these characteristics are not within the knowledge of the artisans. For example, no artisan knows the nature of the magnetic attraction in iron. Similarly, the strange things in faith and deeds are means for the purification, cleanliness, refinement, and improvement of the hearts, ensuring that the servants ascend to the spiritual neighborhood of Allah. It is a truth that the benefits derived from Allah’s noble virtues are greater and more significant than those derived from material medicines.
Just as reason cannot suddenly understand the benefits of medicines or predict which medicine is suitable for which illness, and can only understand this after some experiments, similarly, reason is also incapable of finding by itself the things that will benefit a person in the afterlife. There is no possibility of compensating for this helplessness through trial in this matter. If only the dead could return to the world and tell us how to approach Allah, which deeds bring us closer to Allah, and which ones distance us from Him, we would know. Because only they can know and explain which of the deeds and beliefs are beneficial to a person. However, it is not the privilege of anyone to receive answers to all these questions from a dead person. In terms of knowing the truth of the Messenger of Allah and the reality of his signs, the guidance and benefit of reason are sufficient for you.
After that, the task of reason ends, and the most beneficial path for itself is:
Book of Knowledge/III. Chapter
To follow the path of the Messenger of Allah. You can only achieve safety by following this path. This subject can be briefly explained as such. For this reason, the Messenger of Allah said:
Part of knowledge is ignorance, and part of speech is fatigue.
It is a known fact that knowledge is never ignorance. However, here it is used in the sense that ‘it sometimes shows an effect similar to the effect of ignorance in terms of causing harm.’
The Messenger of Allah said:
Little foresight is better than much knowledge.
Among the prophets of great determination, Jesus, son of Mary (peace be upon him), said: ‘There are many trees that have no fruit, many fruits that are not good and even not edible, and many kinds of knowledge that do no good to people.’
Some Changed Terms
The mixing of ugly knowledge with religious knowledge has been made possible by changing the meanings of beautiful words. Conceptual confusion arises from terms that have been diverted from the meanings intended by the pious predecessors and the first generation.
The terms whose original meanings have changed and taken on other meanings are five:
1. Fiqh
2. Knowledge
120) Abu Dawood, (From Hz. Burayr)
121) Deylemi, (From Abu Derda)
122) Hatib el-Baghdadi
Revival of the Sciences of Religion 3. Tawhid 4. Tazkir 5. Wisdom. Indeed, all these terms you have seen were originally associated with beautiful meanings. People who were familiar with the meanings expressed by these terms were those who had religious values. However, today, all these terms have lost their meanings and have started to be used with incorrect meanings. Pure and simple hearts, upon seeing that these terms are used in bad knowledge, hate and flee from the people who possess them. The first term is Fiqh. This term has not been diverted from its original meaning or used in other meanings; however, they have neglected some details and ignored the wide areas covered by the word. For example, they have used this term in the understanding of the strange branches and subtle reasons of the science of issuing fatwas, and in the detailed discussions and debates about these branches.
If you ask the scholars of our time, they would present those who issue fatwas as the greatest scholars. Whoever has dealt with the most fatwa issues is considered the strongest scholar. However, the science of Fiqh in the time of the Companions was about knowing the subtleties of the path to the afterlife and the afflictions that affect the soul; fully understanding that corrupt deeds and the world are not worthy of being loved; and knowing the blessings of the afterlife and filling the heart with the fear of Allah. The science of Fiqh was only used within this knowledge. The most obvious evidence that Fiqh was used in this meaning is the command of Allah the Almighty: ‘Not all believers are equal in the expedition. But should it not be necessary to warn a person from each tribe so that they learn the religion thoroughly and, when they return to their tribes, they avoid what Allah has forbidden?’ (Tawbah/122) The science of knowledge that warns people and places the fear of Allah in their hearts is called Fiqh.
Book of Knowledge/IIL Chapter
Issues such as divorce, lian, salam, and icare are not related to Fiqh. Because it is not possible to scare the heart with all these. On the contrary, those who deal with these issues have their hearts completely hardened, and as we observe today, the fear of Allah is erased from their hearts. By the way, I swear by the angels and many people that I created them for hell. They have hearts, but they do not understand the truth with these hearts. They have eyes, but they do not see with them. (They do not take lessons). They have ears, but they do not listen to advice with them. These people are more bewildered than animals. Indeed, these are the ones who are unaware! (A’raf/179) The expression in the verse, ‘They do not understand the truth with these hearts,’ refers not to fatwa but to faith.
Here, although the words Fiqh and Fehim have the same meaning, one of them was used in the past and the other is used now. It is likely that the fear they (hypocrites and Jews) feel towards you is greater than the fear of Allah. This is due to their being an ignorant people. (Hashr/13) If we pay attention, Allah the Almighty attributes their fear of Allah and their exaggeration of the power of creation to their limited understanding. So, is this due to not knowing the details of the science of fatwa? Or is it the result of not understanding the true meaning of Fiqh, as we stated earlier? Regarding the religious issues, let us look at the Messenger of Allah’s statement about a group of people who came to him: (These people) are scholars, jurists, and judges. 123) Abu Nuaym, Hilye; Bey haki, Zuhd; Hatib, Tarih, (From Süveyk b. el-Hars)
Revival of the Sciences of Religion Zuhri 124 ‘Who is the most learned person among the people of Medina?’ When asked this question, he answered: ‘The one who fears Allah the most is the best jurist.’ Here, Sa’d (Zuhri) draws attention to the fruits and results of Fiqh. Piety is the fruit of the inner knowledge, not the fatwas and rulings. Therefore, Fiqh can be the name of the inner knowledge. Indeed, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: ‘Shall I tell you the true jurist?’ The noble Companions said, ‘Yes, O Messenger of Allah! Tell us the true jurist!’ Then, the Messenger of Allah replied: ‘The one who does not make people lose hope in Allah’s mercy and does not make them secure from Allah’s punishment and does not cut off their hopes from Allah’s vast mercy, and the one who does not abandon the Quran and cling to other books.’
j’ Crî ıjl ‘t-*”‘ p^-^’ ,^_>^ (J1 j?J“^ ûrî J^ ^ ^Jj^^ CJ* ^ ö^ Those who mention Allah from the time of dawn until the sun rises are more pleasing to me than freeing four slaves. When Enes b. Malik narrated this hadith, he turned to his companions Zayd b. Eban Rakkaşi and Ziyad b. Abdullah Numayri and said: ‘The gatherings of remembrance that the Messenger of Allah spoke about were not like your gatherings today. In your gatherings, one person speaks for a long time when giving a sermon and advice. However, in the time of the Messenger of Allah, we would gather together, discuss matters of faith, carefully study Quranic verses, become knowledgeable in religious law, and think deeply about the divine blessings that Allah has bestowed upon us due to our knowledge of Fiqh.’ If we pay attention, we can see that Hz. Enes (may Allah be pleased with him) refers to thinking about the Quran, counting Allah’s blessings by understanding them, and calling it Fiqh. ^ ûb^4-j üijiu Sencî asks Hasan Basri a question. After Hasan answers the question, he objects to him: ‘Jurists disagree with your answer. Their answer does not match yours.’ Hasan then shouts angrily: ‘O one who has a mother who is not buried! Have you ever seen a jurist? No, you have not. Because a jurist turns his back to the world, faces the afterlife, continues to worship his Lord, prevents his soul from violating the honor of Muslims, avoids taking the property of Muslims unjustly, and does not shout at the Muslim community without listening to Allah’s commands.’ If we pay attention, Hasan Basri does not mention at all giving fatwas, and he does not say that a jurist is someone who preserves fatwas. I am not saying that the term Fiqh does not include people who know the rulings of apparent laws. However, the term Fiqh does not express only the people of fatwa science; it also includes this matter to some extent. That is all I mean. Because the early scholars have clearly and exclusively attributed this term to the science of the afterlife, rather than the science of fatwa. Revival of the Sciences of Religion From this explanation, it should be understood that the mixing of good and bad knowledge has caused the term Fiqh to be seen only in relation to the science of fatwa, and not in relation to the science of the afterlife and the laws of the heart. The forgers have seen the help of the soul to use this term in the meaning they wanted. Because the inner knowledge is difficult. Acting upon it is even more difficult. Therefore, human nature tends to avoid the inner knowledge. Possessing the inner knowledge does not allow a person to attain power, judgeship, rank, or wealth. Thus, the devil, who sees this opportunity as a gain, has tried to make the term Fiqh, which is originally a beautiful religious term, appear good to the hearts by assigning it to the details. The second term is the term of knowledge. This term was used in the time of the good era to inform about Allah, His verses, and the deeds of His servants. Even when Hz. Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) died, one of the great scholars among the Companions, Ibn Mas’ud, said: ‘Nine-tenths of knowledge has died.’ In order to stop the anger of those opposing this term, Ibn Mas’ud interpreted the term ‘el-ilim’ used with the definite article as ‘knowledge of Allah.’ People of our time have assigned this term to a specific circle, just like the first term. In fact, even people who discuss issues related to fiqh or non-fiqh matters can be described with this term. For example, those who discuss fiqh-related issues in a good and convincing way are seen as real scholars and great people who cannot be surpassed in knowledge, but those who do not engage in discussions and avoid debates are considered very weak people. Just like the first term, the term ‘el-ilim’ is also used in some secondary matters outside its true meaning. However, most of the virtues attributed to knowledge and its scholars are about scholars who are familiar with Allah, His commands, and His attributes. In our time, however, the term ‘scholar’ is used for those who know only the genealogy and the caliphate, and who are considered part of the scholars even by knowing these things. However, these people do not know other sciences such as tafsir, hadith, and jurisprudence. In the end, the corruption of the meaning of this term has caused the destruction of many people who are seeking knowledge. Book of Knowledge/IIL Chapter The third term is the term of Tawhid. This term is used today for those who know the science of theology, understand the path of struggle, know how to ask questions that close the path of criticism of their arguments, and are able to find evidence that can stop their opponents and eliminate them. Some of these people even introduce themselves as people of true Tawhid and justice. Theologians are called Tawhid scholars. However, all the material of the science of theology was unknown in the time of the good era. Not only was it unknown, but if the blessed people who created the good era had seen those who opened the door to the science of genealogy, they might have strongly condemned them. It is a well-known fact that the people will immediately accept the apparent evidence in the Quran with their minds. Therefore, knowing the Quran means knowing the entire science. The great people who lived in the time of the good era understood the things that most of today’s theologians do not understand from the term Tawhid. Moreover, even if today’s theologians understand these meanings, they cannot be fully satisfied with them. The meanings they understood were: ‘To believe in the belief that everything comes from Allah without any cause or intermediary, and to be absolutely convinced that all good comes from Allah.’ This is a very honorable position. The fruits of this level are trust, contentment, and submission to the decree of Allah. Another fruit is the statement of Hz. Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) when he was suffering from a disease that would take him to the eternal world, when he was asked, ‘Shall we bring a doctor for you?’ he said, ‘The doctor who made me sick.’ When another patient was asked, ‘What did the doctor say about this illness?’ the patient answered, ‘The doctor said to me: I am a being who does what I want best.’ These matters will be explained in detail with evidence in the books of Tawhid and trust. For now, let us stop the details here and leave the full explanation for the later pages, and return to our main subject!