The Importance of Religious Insight!

 بسم الله الرحمن الرحیم

وَ مَا كاَنَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ لِيَنفِرُواْ كَافَّةً  فَلَوْ لَا نَفَرَ مِن كلُ‏ِّ فِرْقَةٍ مِّنهُْمْ طَائفَةٌ لِّيَتَفَقَّهُواْ فىِ الدِّينِ وَ لِيُنذِرُواْ قَوْمَهُمْ إِذَا رَجَعُواْ إِلَيهِمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَحذَرُونَ(التوبه - ۱۲۲

Yet it is not for the faithful to go forth en masse. But why should not there go forth a group from each of their sections to become learned in religion, and to warn their people when they return to them, so that they beware? (Transltn: Qara’ei)

صاحبان ایمان کا یہ فرض نہیں ہے کہ وہ سب کے سب جہاد کے لئے نکل پڑیں تو ہر گروہ میں سے ایک جماعت اس کام کے لئے کیوں نہیں نکلتی ہے کہ دین کا علم حاصل کرے اور پھر جب اپنی قوم کی طرف پلٹ کر آئے تو اسے عذاب الٰہی سے ڈرائے کہ شاید وہ اسی طرح ڈرنے لگیں  (ترجمه مولانا مرحوم ذیشان حیدر جوادی صاحب)

This ayah, among many of its messages, reflects upon the importance of seeking knowledge of religion and spreading it so that the Muslim society could make regular progress in their knowledge and practice…

حدیث:

۱. الكافي ج : 2 ص : 130

عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ الْقَاسَانِيِّ عَمَّنْ ذَكَرَهُ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ الْقَاسِمِ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع قَالَ

إِذَا أَرَادَ اللَّهُ بِعَبْدٍ خَيْراً زَهَّدَهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَ فَقَّهَهُ فِي الدِّينِ وَ بَصَّرَهُ عُيُوبَهَا وَ مَنْ أُوتِيَهُنَّ فَقَدْ أُوتِيَ خَيْرَ الدُّنْيَا وَ الْآخِرَةِ وَ قَالَ لَمْ يَطْلُبْ أَحَد....

The idea of this saying from Imam Sاdeq AS in Al Kafi is that:“Whenever Allah wants to benefit one of His servants He; makes him uninterested in this world, gives him deep knowledge and knowhow of the religion , and gives him insight of the weaknesses of this world (dunya); and whoever is blessed with these qualities has been granted the benefits of both; this world and the hereafter….”

أمالي الصدوق 60  المجلس الرابع عشر

َدَّثَنَا الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ هَاشِمٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَيْمُونٍ عَنِ الصَّادِقِ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ آبَائِهِ ع قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص

مَنْ سَلَكَ طَرِيقاً يَطْلُبُ فِيهِ عِلْماً سَلَكَ اللَّهُ بِهِ طَرِيقاً إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ فَإِنَّ الْمَلَائِكَةَ لَتَضَعُ أَجْنِحَتَهَا لِطَالِبِ الْعِلْمِ رِضًى بِهِ وَ إِنَّهُ لَيَسْتَغْفِرُ لِطَالِبِ الْعِلْمِ مَنْ فِي السَّمَاءِ وَ مَنْ فِي الْأَرْضِ حَتَّى الْحُوتُ فِي الْبَحْرِ وَ فَضْلُ الْعَالِمِ عَلَى الْعَابِدِ كَفَضْلِ الْقَمَرِ عَلَى سَائِرِ النُّجُومِ لَيْلَةَ الْبَدْرِ وَ إِنَّ الْعُلَمَاءَ وَرَثَةُ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ إِنَّ الْأَنْبِيَاءَ لَمْ يُوَرِّثُوا دِينَاراً وَ لَا دِرْهَماً وَ لَكِنْ وَرَّثُوا الْعِلْمَ فَمَنْ أَخَذَ مِنْهُ أَخَذَ بِحَظٍّ وَافِر‏.

The idea of this saying from Imam Sadeq AS narrating a hadith of Rasool Allah (Peace and Blessings be upon him and his progeny), in Amali of Sheikh Sadooq, is that:
“One who goes on a path, seeking knowledge in that, Allah takes him to a path towards paradise, surely the angels spread their wings for the seeker of knowledge out of likeness for him. And it’s (a fact) that surely everyone who is in the skies and on the earth, even the fishes of the sea, seek forgiveness for the seeker of knowledge. And the distinction of a knowledgeable person (an ‘alim’) over an ‘abed’ (a worshiper) is like the superiority of the full moon (of the fourteenth night) over rest of the stars. And the knowledgeable persons (the scholars) (ulema) are the heirs of the Prophets (pbut) because the Prophets (pbut) do not leave behind gold and silver coins; they leave behind knowledge; so whoever takes from it, has taken a large share”