The Characteristics of the Scholars of the Hereafter
There are two types of scholars. The first is one to whom Allah has given knowledge, and who teaches and instructs people without receiving any payment or reward. The birds of the sky, the fish of the sea, the animals of the earth, and the angels of the noble ones pray for him. Despite being as noble and exalted as the companions of the prophets on the Day of Judgment, he is brought before the presence of Allah.
The second type is a scholar who, despite the grace of Allah bestowed upon him with knowledge, is stingy and teaches it to the servants of Allah in exchange for payment. On the Day of Judgment, he is brought in with a fiery iron rod inserted into his mouth, and a guide says: ‘This man is the son of so-and-so. He envied the knowledge that Allah gave him in this world and taught it only in exchange for money and reward.’ People are then made to suffer until they are brought to account.
Even more wretched is the story that is reported: ‘A man who was a follower of Musa (peace be upon him) said: ‘Musa said this, Musa said that, Musa said the other.’ He thus amassed great wealth. One day, Musa (peace be upon him) lost this man and searched for him extensively but could not find any trace. One day, a man came to Musa (peace be upon him) with a rope tied around his neck, and he was a black pig. When Musa (peace be upon him) asked about the man, the guide said: ‘The man you are looking for is this pig.’ Musa (peace be upon him) said: ‘O Lord, turn this pig into a human so that I may ask him why he became a pig.’ When Allah (exalted be He) heard this, He said: ‘O Musa, even if you were to pray for all of Adam’s descendants until now, I would not accept this request. However, I will tell you why I changed his form: ‘He pursued worldly matters along with religion, and thus he became a pig.”
One of the trials of scholars is that they love to speak more than they should. However, in silence, there is safety and peace. Some scholars are so envious of their knowledge that they do not want anyone else to be knowledgeable or to be taught anything. These scholars are in the first layer of Hell.
Some scholars, when the sultans do not listen to them or when their rights are violated, become angry. These are in the second layer of Hell. Some scholars tell their witty stories and profound knowledge only to the rich and powerful, but do not share them with the poor and needy. These are in the third layer of Hell.
Some scholars give false rulings by pretending to be muftis. However, Allah (exalted be He) abhors such fabricated rulings. These are in the fourth layer of Hell. Some other scholars mix the words of Jews and Christians with their own teachings in order to increase their knowledge. These are in the fifth layer of Hell.
Some scholars consider their knowledge a means of superiority, pride, and fame. These are in the sixth layer of Hell. Some other scholars become arrogant and proud, and they avoid listening to sermons. These are in the seventh layer of Hell. My brother, in that case, it is better to remain silent, so that you may defeat Satan by silence. Avoid laughing at inappropriate things and going to places unnecessarily.
“Some people’s praise and reputation fill the East and the West, yet in the sight of Allah, they are no more valuable than the wing of a locust.”
It is reported that a man, after leaving a gathering, presented Hasan al-Basri with a bag containing a thousand dirhams and ten sets of fine clothing from Horasan, saying: ‘This is a gift, and this is for you to wear.’ Hasan said: ‘May Allah bless you, take the gift and the clothing; I have no need for them. Those who sit in such gatherings (on the platform of knowledge) and accept such things from people will, on the Day of Judgment, have no benefit from what they did, and will be brought before Allah (exalted be He) to answer for it.’
It is reported from Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: ‘Do not sit in the gatherings of scholars. If you are to attend the gathering of a scholar, he should be one who invites you to five good qualities and avoids five bad ones. These five good qualities are: closeness to certainty, sincerity instead of showing off, detachment from worldly matters, humility instead of pride, and advice instead of enmity. Allah (exalted be He) says: ‘Karun came forth with all his wealth and splendor. Those who desire worldly things say, ‘If only the wealth given to Karun had been given to us as well. He has great riches.’ In contrast, the scholars of knowledge say, ‘Woe to you! The rewards Allah (exalted be He) gives to the believers are far better.”
Indeed, Allah (exalted be He) has named the people of knowledge as ‘those who prefer the Hereafter to the world.’ ‘Saying that you have done something you did not do is a great cause of wrath in the sight of Allah.’
“How can you advise others to do good when you have forgotten yourself?”
In the story of Noah (peace be upon him), Allah (exalted be He) says: ‘I did not intend for you to differ from me in what I have forbidden you. I do not do what I forbid you to do.’
“Fear Allah, for Allah teaches you knowledge.”
“Fear Allah, and know that…”
“Fear Allah, and listen well.”
Allah (exalted be He) said to Jesus (peace be upon him): ‘O son of Mary, first admonish yourself, and if you do what you advise others to do, then you may admonish others. Otherwise, you will be ashamed of Me.’
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said in a hadith: ‘On the Night of Ascension, I saw a man whose lips were cut with fire shears. When I asked, ‘Who are you?’ he said, ‘We command good and do not do it ourselves, and we forbid evil, but we do it ourselves.’
“The worst of the wicked are the wicked scholars, and the best of the good are the good scholars.”
Evzâi (may Allah be pleased with him) said: ‘The graves complained to Allah (exalted be He) about the stench of the disbelievers. Allah (exalted be He) revealed to the graves that the stomachs of the wicked scholars are even worse than the stench of the disbelievers.’
Fu-daylb. lyaz (may Allah be pleased with him) said: ‘I heard that on the Day of Judgment, the accounts of the wicked scholars will be considered before the accounts of the idolaters.’
Abu Darda (may Allah be pleased with him) said: ‘A single reprimand for the ignorant is better than seventy reprimands for the knowledgeable but disobedient.’
Shabbi said: ‘On the Day of Judgment, some of the people of Paradise will visit the people of Hell and ask, ‘Why were you placed in Hell when Allah (exalted be He) placed us in Paradise because of your teaching and upbringing?’ They will reply, ‘We commanded good but did not do it ourselves, and we forbade evil but did it ourselves. That is why we are in Hell.’
Haatem al-Asamm (may Allah be pleased with him) said: ‘On the Day of Judgment, the greatest regret will be felt by the scholar who taught others and they were saved, but he himself did not act upon what he taught and was destroyed.’
Malik ibn Dinar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: ‘When a scholar does not act upon what he knows, his advice and admonition is like a raindrop slipping off a dry rock, vanishing from the hearts.’
“O one who preaches to people! You are the one who commits the sins, for you have done what you forbid others to do. By my life, you have committed all of them. Those who desire the world are many, but your desire for it is even greater.”
“Avoid trying to prevent others from committing sins that you yourself have committed, for this will be a great sin for you.”
Ibrahim ibn Edhem said: ‘I saw a stone in Mecca with the inscription, ‘Turn me over and take a lesson from me.’ When I turned it over, I saw written on the back, ‘How can you ask me for what you do not act upon, when you yourself do not know it?”
Ibn Semmak said: ‘There are many who remember Allah (exalted be He) but are heedless themselves. There are many who terrify people with Allah (exalted be He) but are themselves rebellious against Him. There are many who draw close to Allah (exalted be He) but are themselves distant from Him. There are many who invite people to Allah (exalted be He) but themselves flee from Him. There are many who read the Quran but have distanced themselves from the verses of Allah (exalted be He). (These people do not take any share for themselves or take a lesson from it.)’
Ibrahim ibn Edhem said: ‘We spoke openly, we did not fall into error, but we committed errors in our actions. We did not beautify them.’
‘When showiness comes, humility disappears.’
Mekhul, quoting Abdur-Rahman ibn Ganem, said: ‘Abdur-Rahman said: ‘Ten companions told me: While discussing knowledge in the mosque of Kuba, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) came and said, ‘Read as much as you like, but Allah (exalted be He) will not reward you unless you act upon what you know.”
Jesus (peace be upon him) said: ‘Those who do not act upon their knowledge are like women who commit adultery in secret and then give birth openly. On the Day of Judgment, Allah (exalted be He) will disgrace all those who do not act upon their knowledge in front of all creation.’
Mu’adh (may Allah be pleased with him) said: ‘Avoid the sins of scholars, for scholars have a great position among people, and they are taken as examples. When they commit a mistake, others follow them, and all fall into error.’
Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: ‘When a scholar commits a mistake, the entire world falls into error with him.’
Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) also said: ‘There are three causes for the corruption of the times, and one of them is the mistake of scholars.’
Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: ‘A time will come when sincerity will no longer remain in people, the pleasure of faith will be destroyed, and then neither the teacher nor the student will benefit from knowledge. The hearts of scholars will be like salty, barren land. Just as raindrops will not benefit such land, the drops of knowledge will not awaken any feeling in the hearts of scholars. This is the time when the hearts of scholars are inclined toward the love of the world and prefer the world over the Hereafter. At that time, Allah (exalted be He) will close the sources of wisdom upon them and extinguish the lights of guidance in their hearts. In that time, if you were to look at the scholars of that time, you would see that their tongues express fear of Allah, but their deeds show corruption. In those days, their tongues are rich, but their hearts are poor. I swear by Allah (exalted be He) that the reason for this is that the desires of both the teachers and the students are not for the pleasure of Allah.’
The Torah and the Gospel say: ‘Do not seek knowledge unless you act upon what you know.’
Huzayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: ‘You are in a time when one of you, if he acts upon nine-tenths of what he knows and neglects one-tenth, will be destroyed. A time will come when only one who acts upon one-tenth of what he knows will be saved. Because in that time, those who act upon knowledge will be very few.’
It is known that a scholar is like a judge. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said about judges: ‘Judges are of three kinds. The first is one who judges with knowledge and justice. This judge is among the people of Paradise. The second is one who judges with knowledge or without knowledge, but with oppression. This judge is among the people of Hell. The third is one who judges not by the command of Allah (exalted be He), but by other things. This judge’s place is in Hell.’
Ka’b (may Allah have mercy on him) said: ‘In the last times, there will be scholars who will invite people to asceticism, but there will be no asceticism in themselves. They will frighten people, but there will be no fear in themselves. They will forbid people from seeking the company of the great, but they themselves will distance themselves from the great. They will speak about the world, but they will approach the rich and turn their backs on the poor. They will treat women like men, and treat knowledge like women. If they see their friends with others, they will become angry. These are the oppressors and the enemies of Allah (exalted be He).’
The Prophet (peace be上) said: ‘Indeed, it is certain that a person who is very busy with knowledge and neglects action will be destroyed. How can this be? The Prophet (peace be upon him) said in response: Satan says, ‘Learn knowledge, but there is no need to act upon it. He always encourages knowledge and discourages action. As a result, the person dies without acting upon it.’
Seriyyu’s-Bakati said: ‘When the apparent knowledge is hidden, and a person who leaves it to perform worship, I asked the reason for this. The answer was: In a dream, someone said to me, ‘May Allah destroy you, how long will you waste this knowledge?’ I replied, ‘How can I waste it? I am constantly reading and memorizing it.’ The man said,