The Da’wah To Islam by Sheikh Ahmad Mahmoud

The discussion of enjoining the ma’roof and forbidding the munkar guides us to the knowledge of the ma’roof and the munkar. Knowledge comes before the order or prohibition; there can be no enjoining or forbidding without knowledge. So what are the Shar’ee limits of knowledge required from the Muslim?

It is self-evident to say that knowledge precedes action. The action must also be according to the Shar’ee knowledge. Otherwise the action will not be worship. Allah 􀀬 has ordered the Muslims to undertake the ma’roofaat, so it is imperative that one has knowledge of these ma’roofaat in order to undertake them. Similarly, He 􀀬 has ordered them to refrain from the munkaraat; hence it is imperative to have knowledge of the munkaraat, so that one can refrain from them.

Thus, worship, obedience and adherence is the origin, and knowledge is necessitated by them, and is for their sake. Knowledge is not required for itself; rather it is for the sake of worship and obedience. He 􀀬 said; “We sent no Messenger, but to be obeyed by Allah’s Leave.” [TMQ 4:64]. As Abdullah b. al-Mubaarak (May Allah have mercy on him) said; “We used to seek knowledge for the sake of knowledge. But knowledge refused to be for anything other than for the sake of Allah.”Worship and obedience are what is intended. Knowledge of these two things is achieved by its minimum limit, which is through taqleed, and are also achieved by its maximum limits, which is Ijtihaad. Both are good as long as the adherence existed and the obedience is realised. The one who prays, maintaining the pillars and conditions of the prayer, and refraining from the things that invalidate the prayer, has established the worship and has performed what he has been commanded to do. However, the fact that he did not perform the worship through Ijtihaad and study means that he missed much goodness; that goodness is the knowledge by which Allah 􀀬 raises the Muslim in degrees. For he established the worship as a muqallid (follower), taking the hukm from the one who has knowledge, is muttaqi (God fearing) and pious in his view. Thus he has the least amount of doubt that what that scholar has said is the most correct and closest to the obedience to Allah 􀀬. Likewise, the one who prays as a muttabi’ ie he takes the hukm from another, but with the knowledge of the evidence, he is also a muqallid. However, he is of better status than the ‘aammi (layman) who takes the hukm without its evidence. Both have taken the hukm from others, and realised the obedience and worship. As for the mujtahid, he is of better status; of more preferable consequence, and of higher degree. He takes the Shar’ee rule by himself and he searches for the evidences and derives from them the hukm of Allah 􀀬 regarding himself.