Kitāb al-ʿIlm / Chapter V
It is impossible to encompass it entirely. However, only after attaining this universally recognized standard can one arrive at a correct judgment. How beautifully ʿAlī (may Allah be pleased with him) said: ‘Do not accept the truth because of the person, but accept it because it is the truth. If you value the truth for being the truth, you will also observe who possesses it.’ One must learn the elements that lead to the knowledge of the most beneficial and noble sciences. When we speak of the sciences that must be learned, we mean two elements: a) The nobility of their fruit, as in medicine and religious knowledge; b) The strength of their evidence. The aim of one of these sciences is eternal, while the other pertains to the transient life. Thus, religious knowledge is nobler. There are also sciences such as mathematics and astronomy.
Mathematics, because its proofs are stronger, is nobler than astronomy. But if we compare medicine to mathematics, we would say that, in terms of its outcome, medicine is nobler. However, in terms of evidence, mathematics occupies a more noble place. Yet, the fact that the fruit is more valuable than the evidence indicates its superiority in terms of nobility. Therefore, it is logical and preferable to consider the outcome as more esteemed. For this reason, although it is built more upon theory, the science of medicine is considered nobler than mathematics. From this explanation, it is now clear that the noblest of sciences is the one that teaches knowledge of Allah, His angels, His books, His prophets, and shows the ways leading to this goal.
Therefore, O seeker of knowledge! Do not pursue other sciences with such intensity; let your entire aim be to attain this noblest science! At the beginning of the student’s journey, the goal should be to adorn the inner world with virtues; later, it should be to draw spiritually closer to Allah and to ascend to the companionship of the beings known as the malāʾ al-aʿlā (the highest assembly of angels) and those close to the court of majesty. The student should never, in any way or at any time, pursue rank, wealth, or leadership through the knowledge acquired. Nor should he boast before his peers and fall to the level of the heedless.
Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn
As we have previously stated, the student should, without any doubt, seek what is acceptable for himself, and what he should seek is none other than the knowledge of the Hereafter. He should seek this knowledge, but not despise other sciences. That is, after seeking the knowledge of the Hereafter, he should not look down upon sciences such as fatwa, grammar, and lexicography, saying, ‘Beyond this, there is only fatwa, grammar, and lexicography, and none of these have any value.’
Just as the student should not despise grammar and lexicography, which are related to the Qur’an and hadith, he should not despise other sciences either. We have mentioned what these sciences are when we explained the types of sciences in the section on farḍ al-kifāya (collective obligation), both at the beginning and end of those passages.
Do not think, because we have praised the knowledge of the Hereafter so much, that we despise all other sciences! For those who carry knowledge are like soldiers guarding the borders of the Islamic state. They are like the warriors and sentinels fighting in the path of Allah. Some of these warriors fight on the battlefield, some assist the fighters, some carry water to the combatants, and others guard the army’s baggage—that is, their animals and provisions. As long as none of them depart from the goal of exalting the word of Allah (iʿlāʾ kalimat Allāh), none are deprived of the reward of jihād. The only condition is that the aim should not be merely to obtain booty!
Such are the sciences as well. Indeed, Allah the Exalted says:
Allah will raise those who have believed among you and those who were given knowledge, by degrees. And Allah is acquainted with what you do. (al-Mujādila 58:11)
They are in varying degrees in the sight of Allah. And Allah is Seeing of what they do. (Āl ʿImrān 3:163)
Thus, virtue is relative. The money-changers whom we look down upon when compared to kings are, when compared to street-sweepers, so much more superior. Therefore, do not think that someone who does not reach the highest degree is a worthless person.
Kitāb al-ʿIlm / Chapter V
For the highest rank belongs to the prophets, then to the awliyāʾ (friends of God), then to the scholars who have attained deep knowledge, and then, in degrees, to the righteous.
Whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it, and whoever does an atom’s weight of evil will see it. (al-Zalzalah 99:7-8)
Whoever seeks Allah’s pleasure with his knowledge (whatever the science may be), his knowledge will benefit him, elevate him to the highest stations, and grant him countless rewards.
10. The student should know the relative value of the sciences in leading to the goal, so that he may prefer the lofty and near over the lowly and distant, and the important over the unimportant. By ‘important’ we mean that which concerns you most, that which is closest to you. What should concern you most is your state in this world and the Hereafter.
As the Qur’an states, and as those who have attained the certainty of direct vision (ʿayn al-yaqīn) have witnessed in their unveilings, if it is not possible to reconcile and unite this world and the Hereafter, remember that for you, one of these will be a guesthouse. The body is a mount, and deeds are the steps taken toward the goal. The goal is nothing other than meeting Allah. Thus, what we have mentioned in this discourse encompasses all blessings, but very few are able to truly appreciate the value of this knowledge.
According to the honor of witnessing the presence of Allah the Exalted and the glory of beholding His beauty, sciences are divided into three ranks. The aim of beholding the Divine Beauty is the vision sought and understood by the prophets. The vision understood by the common people and the theologians is false. We can explain these ranks with the following example: To a slave who is told to go on ḥajj so that he may be freed and become a property owner, it is said: ‘If you perform all the rites of ḥajj, you will be freed and become a property owner. But if, after preparing for ḥajj and setting out, you encounter obstacles on the way, you will only be freed and saved from the calamity of slavery, but you will not attain the happiness of property ownership.’ Such a person is obliged to act in three ways: A. To acquire a mount, prepare provisions and a water-skin; B. To set out from his homeland toward the direction of the Kaʿba; C. To perform the rites of ḥajj in succession, and after completing these, to remove the iḥrām and prepare to return. Thus, for these conditions to be fulfilled, one begins by preparing the means that lead to property and freedom, and continues to the end.
The journey begins in the deserts and continues to the end… One starts from the beginning of the rites of ḥajj and performs them in order to the end. The closeness of someone who has begun to perform the rites of ḥajj to the happiness that awaits him is, of course, greater than that of someone who has just begun to prepare provisions, a mount, and travel arrangements. Certainly, the closeness of one who has begun ḥajj is greater than that of one who has just set out on the journey. And it is a fact that one who has begun to perform the rites of ḥajj is closest to the happiness to come. Sciences are also divided into three sections: I. The section that corresponds to preparing provisions and a mount. This includes medicine, fiqh, and sciences that ensure bodily comfort in this world.
II. The stage corresponding to preparing to cross deserts and long roads. This is to purify oneself by traversing those tremendous spiritual passages that leave a person helpless, except for those who have cleansed their inner selves from the turbidity of evil traits. This state is the sulūk (spiritual journey) of the path. Acquiring the knowledge of this path is just like knowing the direction of the physical road and recognizing the stations along the way.
Kitāb al-ʿIlm / Chapter V
Just as knowing the stations and being familiar with the roads does not benefit before setting out, likewise, it is not possible to traverse the spiritual passages we have mentioned without possessing good character. III. The section corresponding to performing the rites and ceremonies of ḥajj. This section is the knowledge that teaches about Allah, His attributes, His angels, His acts, and all the matters we have mentioned in the section on the knowledge of unveiling (kashf). Learning and practicing these—if it is for the sake of Allah’s pleasure—brings salvation and happiness. Attaining happiness is only possible for those who know Allah, attain His spiritual proximity, and are granted eternal provision and blessings… Those who are prevented from reaching the summit of the degrees of perfection will have only mere salvation and safety.
Indeed, Allah the Exalted says: So as for one who is brought near (to Allah), he will have rest and bounty and a garden of bliss. And as for one who receives his record from his right hand, [it will be said], ‘Peace be upon you.’ (al-Wāqiʿa 56:88-91) One who does not set his aim on the goal and does not strive toward it with the intention of fulfilling Allah’s command and performing his servitude, but instead pursues transient interests, is counted among the People of the Left (Ashāb al-Shimāl) and those who have gone astray. For such people, there is a feast of boiling water and Hell. This is the ḥaqq al-yaqīn (the certainty of truth) accepted by the scholars who have attained deep knowledge in the sciences.
That is, these scholars witness and comprehend Allah the Exalted not with the physical eye, but with spiritual eyes stronger than the physical, and have escaped imitation, not contenting themselves with merely hearing knowledge, but striving to penetrate its meanings and thus attaining lofty degrees. Their state is like that of people who both affirm what is said and know it as essential… Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn The state of those who are not like this is that of those who accept the truth due to its beauty and correctness. Such people have not witnessed the reality and have not reached the degree of certainty. Thus, happiness lies beyond the knowledge of unveiling (mukāshafa); mukāshafa is a blessing attained after passing through the stages beyond the knowledge of practice (muʿāmala) acquired after seeking the knowledge of the Hereafter.
Moreover, the path to erasing ugly traits lies beyond the knowledge of attributes. The way of treatment and the knowledge that shows how to proceed on this path is beyond the knowledge of bodily health and its auxiliary causes. Approaching and cooperating to obtain shelter, food, and clothing only preserves bodily health. This is related to the state, which restrains people through the rules of fiqh on the path of politics and justice. The causes of health fall within the scope of medicine. Thus, knowledge is divided into two: 1. Knowledge of the body; 2. Religious sciences. By this, one who means the science of fiqh by religious knowledge refers to the outward sciences that have become widespread among the people.
Not the inward and very difficult-to-attain ethical sciences. If you ask, ‘Why did you liken the sciences of medicine and fiqh to the provisions and bread of a traveler?’ I answer thus: Know that it is the qalb (the heart—the spiritual center) that takes steps on the path to Allah, not the body. By qalb, I do not mean the piece of flesh that can be held by hand and seen by the eye. The qalb I speak of is a secret from the divine mysteries and cannot be comprehended by the senses. It is one of Allah’s subtle realities (laṭāʾif). Sometimes this subtlety is referred to as the rūḥ (the spirit), and sometimes as the nafs al-muṭmaʾinna (the soul at peace). The sharia calls this the qalb. For the first step of this secret is the piece of flesh called the heart.
Through it, the entire body bears that secret. Lifting the veil of this secret is only possible through the knowledge of unveiling (mukāshafa). However, writing and speaking about this knowledge has not been permitted.
Kitāb al-ʿIlm / Chapter V
Therefore, one who is obliged to speak of it can say no more than this: ‘It is a most precious jewel, far nobler and more honored than all the beings arranged and ordered in the universe, and it is only a command (amr) of Allah.’ Indeed, Allah the Exalted says: They ask you about the spirit (rūḥ). Say: ‘The spirit is of the command of my Lord.’ (al-Isrāʾ 17:85) All creatures are attributed to Allah. But the attribution of the spirit to Allah is more appropriate, more fitting, and nobler than that of other beings. Both in terms of its creation and its being a command, the spirit belongs to Allah. The command is higher than creation. The nafs (the lower self) and the essence that bear the trust of Allah are this spirit, and because it bore this trust, it became nobler and more honored than all that is in the heavens and the earth.
For all other beings shrank from bearing this trust. For they feared the world of command. But let it not be thought that the spirit is pre-eternal just because it is so praised. For one who claims that spirits are pre-eternal is both deluded and an ignorant person who does not know what he is saying. Let us not dwell further on this matter, which is outside our topic. Our aim here is to clarify this: The qalb, which is a divine subtlety, is the only faculty that brings one closer to Allah, for it is of His command. Just as its origin is from the command, so is its return. The body is the mount of the qalb. The qalb moves by means of it. Thus, for one on the ḥajj journey, the camel is what the body is for the qalb on the path to Allah.
The spirit is like the vessel that carries the water the body needs. Therefore, if a science seeks to meet the needs of the body and keep it safe, it is helping the spirit. For the body is the porter of the spirit. It is clear that medicine is such a science. For a person sometimes needs to resort to medicine to preserve bodily health.
Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn Even when alone, a person needs this science. The science of fiqh, however, differs from medicine in this respect: When a person is alone, he does not need it. But man is created such that it is impossible for him to live alone. For he does not have the power to obtain all the means necessary for life by working alone. He cannot farm, bake bread, or obtain other foods produced by cooking, nor can he make clothing, shelter, and all the tools that produce these, by himself. Thus, when human beings mix with their own kind, desires and passions also increase.
For this reason, disputes and conflicts arise among them. Because they are weakened by their quarrels, they cannot resist disasters coming from outside. As a result, they perish. Just as people who have elements contrary to life mixed within them perish… Thus, with medicine, the balance among these conflicting elements is maintained. The balance among external opposing forces is maintained through politics and justice. Knowing the way to maintain the balance of internal elements is the science of medicine. The way to maintain the balance of human states in actions and dealings is the science of fiqh. All this is for the preservation of the body, which is the mount of the qalb. If a person does not struggle with his nafs to reform his qalb, and devotes himself only to the sciences of fiqh and medicine, his situation is like that of someone who buys a mount, feeds and waters it, prepares the water-skin, but after all the preparations does not go on ḥajj.
One who spends his life trying to master the subtleties of words used in fiqh debates is like someone who spends his life making a beautiful water-skin for carrying water on the ḥajj journey, but in return is a pauper all his life. The effort of such people to reform the qalb, which is the instrument leading to the path of unveiling (mukāshafa), and their relation to it, is like the relation of the above-mentioned type of person to those who actually perform the ḥajj journey and its rites.
Kitāb al-ʿIlm / Chapter V
First, strive to understand this well! Then, listen to the advice of one who endures these hardships, devotes sixty percent of his time to understanding them, and escapes the imitation born of mere desire among the common and the elite! This much information suffices to explain the student’s duty. The Duties of the Teacher and the Murshid (spiritual guide) Know that just as a person must act in four ways to acquire wealth, so too must one act in four ways to acquire knowledge! The states of the owner of wealth are as follows: 1) To benefit from the wealth he owns, for he has spent time acquiring it. 2) To desire and accumulate wealth.
Thus, he becomes rich. 3) The desire to spend for himself. In this state, he becomes a beneficiary. 4) To give to others. By giving to others, a person becomes generous and virtuous. This last is the noblest of these states. Knowledge is acquired in exactly these four ways. First, you seek knowledge, then you acquire it. You enrich yourself with knowledge so as not to have to ask others, you enjoy reflecting on the knowledge you have acquired, and above all, there is a nobler state: to teach others, to make what you know beneficial to others. Thus, learning, acting upon what one has learned, and striving to teach what one knows to others elevates a person in the celestial realm.
For such a person is like the sun. He illuminates others as much as he illuminates himself. He is like musk, benefiting others with his fragrance… Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn One who does not act upon what he has learned is like a notebook that benefits others but does not benefit itself from writing, or like a whetstone that sharpens a knife but does not cut itself. He is like a needle that sews clothes for others but remains naked itself, or finally, like a wick that burns and gives light to others but itself is reduced to ashes. As the poet expresses: ‘He is like a wick. The wick burns and gives light to others, but itself is burned to ashes.’
When a teacher begins to teach what he has learned, he takes on a great responsibility. This great duty is the greatest honor of a human being. Therefore, the teacher must know the etiquette and requirements of this noble duty, so that he may be able to preserve this honor! A teacher must be extremely compassionate toward his students. He should regard them as his own children and treat them as such. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: I am to you as a father is to his child. The foremost duty of a teacher is to save his students from the fire of the Hereafter. This is more important than parents saving their children from worldly calamities. For this reason, the teacher’s right over a person is greater than that of the parents.
A father is the means of existence and transient life. The teacher is the one who is the means to the happiness of eternal life. If there were no teacher, the ignorance acquired from the father would lead the child to eternal ruin. (Abū Dāwūd, al-Nasāʾī, Ibn Mājah, and Ibn Ḥibbān, from Abū Hurayra)