Go to media page

Ignorant Scholars

Mawlana Shaykh Hisham Kabbani

1 January 2010 Lefke, Cyprus

Jumu`ah Khutbah

(Partial translation of Arabic khutbah)

We seek refuge in Allah (swt) from our own evil selves and the badness of our deeds. Whomever Allah (swt) guides no one can lead astray and whomever Allah (swt) leaves to go astray there is no guide for him. Alhamdulillah, Who made us Muslims and monotheists and we testify there is no god but Allah (swt) and that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger; Who sent him as the weightiest of Mankind in the Scale and the most eloquent of them in expounding, and the most clear of tongue and highest of stations. And he made clear the path and advised Mankind, Allah's praise on him and on his family and companions, especially on the leaders, the deputies of the Prophet of Allah, on the way of verification, the princes of the believers, their reverences, Abu Bakr, and `Umar and `Uthmaan and `Ali of shining power, and on the remaining Companions and Successors, may Allah be pleased with all of them.

======

O Believers, O mu'mins, we have to remember and to remind ourselves that in this month, which is the beginning of the hijrah year, Muharram, Sayyidina Husayn was killed in Karbala, where he and all of his family were killed. May Allah (swt) bless us with them and bless them and raise them higher and higher.

O Muslims, knowledge is important. There are two kinds of knowledge that Sayyidina Abu Hurayrah mentioned in his long hadith, where he said:

حفظت عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وعائين فأما أحدهما فبثثته وأما الآخر فلو بثثته لقطع مني هذا البلعوم (أخرجه السخاوي والعجلوني وصححاه

hafizhtu min rasulullahi wi`aayn fa amma aahadahuma bathathatahu li 'n-naas wa amma 'l-aakhir law bathathatahu laquti`a minnee haadha 'l-ba`loom

"One knowledge I shared with everyone and the other one I was not able to share it, because if I would have spoken about it they would have executed me and they would have cut my throat."

Sayyidina `Ali (q) said:

العلم يرفع الوضيع والجهل يضع الرفيع.

Al-`ilmu yarfa`u 'l-wadee` wa 'l-jahl yada`u 'r-rafee`

"Knowledge will raise the one who is in a lower level."

If he is a knowledgeable person, studying Islamic studies, Islamic teachings, praising on Prophet (s) and the love of Ahlu ’l-Bayt, Allah (swt) will raise him up. Wa 'l-jahlu yada`u 'r-rafee`, "And the one who is famous, if he is ignorant, Allah (swt) will put you down. So with knowledge Allah (swt) raises you and with ignorance Allah puts you down.

O Muslims! Keep this in your eyes and in your minds. And Sayyidina `Ali (q) said, al-`ilmu khayrun mina 'l-maal, "Knowledge is better than money and wealth." If you have no knowledge, there is no importance for you; even if you own the whole dunya, the whole wealth of this dunya, it doesn't mean anything. What means something is if you have knowledge or not. And that is why you must always be able to follow a guide, that he can guide you through his knowledge to the door of the Prophet (s).

And Sayyidina `Ali (q) said,

العلم يحرسك وأنت تحرس المال

al-`ilmu yahrusuk, wa anta tahrusu 'l-maal,

Knowledge will save and protect you, but with wealth you will always worry," (about saving it or storing it).

And he said,

قصم ظهري رجلان عالم متهتك وجاهل متنسك

qasurra zhahree rajulaan, `aalimu mutahattiq wa jaahilun mutanassik,

Two kinds of people broke my back; a scholar that was proud and rude to people.

Therefore, don't be a rude scholar, be a knowledgeable one who is humble and invites all to your door. People pursue him and this type of scholar is very rare. Alhamdulillah, we were guided to one of them. "And the other is an ascetic who is ignorant." The first one deviates people because of his rudeness, which makes people to leave him and the other who is a dervish makes fatwas without having the knowledge, thus misguiding people also. May Allah (swt) give our shaykh long life, that we will be guided always!

ياجابر! من كثرت نعم الله عليه ، كثرت حوائج الناس اليه (او المخلوقين إليه) ، فان قام بما امر الله عرضها للدوام ، فان لم يعمل فيها بما أمر الله عرضها للزوال والفناء

qaala Jaabir dakhaltu `ala `Aliyyun karramallahu wajhahu wa fee b`adee wajhhih `alaamah,wa qad taghayyar, falamma nazhara ilayya qaala lee yaa jaabir, 'Yaa Jaabir! Man kathurat ni`amullahi `alayh kathurat hawaa'iju 'n-naasu ilayh.' fa in qaama feehaa bimaa amarullaha `aradahaa li 'd-dawaam "fa in lam y`amal feehaa bi amarullahi ta`ala `aradahaa li 'z-zawaali wa 'l-fanaa."

Jaabir (r) said, "I entered the presence of Sayyidina `Ali and found something strange," "his face was changed and he was not happy" "and he looked at me as I entered and said, He said, 'Allah sent people to the presence of a wealthy person because he was generous,"and if he were to spend his wealth fittingly, Allah (swt) would give him more and more and more and his wealth would never end. And if he was not judicious in spending it, Allah (swt) would cause it to be slowly used up.'"

O Muslims! May Allah (swt) keep us at the threshold of sincere and good scholars, who keep us on the way of Islam to the door of Rasulullah (s). If we don’t keep this knowledge and learn it, we will go astray. Look at Allah's (swt) generosity! He sent Jibreel (a) to the Prophet (s) in order to guide his ummah:

أتاني جبريل فقال: بشر أمتك أنه من مات لا يشرك بالله شيئا دخل الجنة.

aataanee Jibreel fa qaala bashshir ummataka annahu man maata laa yushriku billahi shayyan dakhala 'l-jannah.

And give glad tidings to your nation and relay to them that anyone who dies on tawheed and never associates anything with Allah (swt) in worship is going to enter Paradise. (Bukhari)

And all Muslims are guided by this hadith as they never associate partners with Allah (swt).

حديث أبي ذر أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: 'ما من عبد قال لا اله الا الله ثم مات على ذلك الا دخل الجنة...' قلت: وان زنا وان سرق؟ قال: 'وان زنا وان سرق' قلت: وان زنا وان سرق؟ قال: 'وان زنا وان سرق' قلت: وان زنا وان سرق؟ قال: 'وان زنا وان سرق رغم أنف أبي ذر'.

And in another hadith in Bukhari and Muslim, that Abu Hurayrah narrated, "The Prophet (a) said, Jibreel (a) came to me and said, 'Yaa Muhammad, anyone who didn't associate a partner with Allah (s) will enter Paradise.' And I said, 'Even if he stole and committed adultery?' Faqaltu fain zaana wa in saraq? And he said, 'Yes, even so, should he die repentant and without associating a partner with Allah (swt,) he will go to Paradise.'"

قال صلى الله عليه وسلم: (جاءني جبريل عليه السلام، فقال: يا محمد! عش ما شئت فإنك ميت، واعمل ما شئت فإنك مجزي به، وأحبب من شئت فإنك مفارقه، واعلم أن شرف المؤمن قيام الليل، وعزه استغناؤه عن الناس)

And in another hadith, as narrated by Sahl bin S`ad, "The Prophet (s) said, 'Jibreel came to me and said, "Yaa Muhammad, a`sh maa shi'ta fa innaka mayyatun; live as much as you like but one day you are going to leave this dunya; wa ahbab man shi`ta fa innaka mufaariquhu; and love whom you like, one day you are going to leave that one and go; wa a`mil maa shi`ta fa innaka majzi bih; and do whatever you like I am going to reward you; w `alam anna sharafa 'l-mumin qiyaamuhu bi 'l-layl. And you have to know the honor of the mu’min is when he is awake at night praying while others sleep; wa `izzahu istighnaahu `ani 'n-naas and the dignity of a Muslim is when he doesn’t depend on anyone but Allah (swt).'" (Narrated by Bayhaqi in al-Hilya)

O Muslims! Allah (swt) gave us a way out of our problems and a way to be forgiven for our sins, and we ask Allah (swt) to forgive us for sake of Sayyidina Muhammad (s) and those pious sincere ones, the awliyaaullah, may Allah give them long life to guide us!

======

Alhamdulillah hamd al-kaamileen wa 's-salaatu wa 's-salaam `ala sayyidina wa nabiyyina Muhammad wa `ala aalihi wa sahbihee ajma`een. t`adheeman li-nabiyyihi wa takreeman li-fakhaam shaan safiyihi fa-qaala `azza wa jalla min qaa’ilin: inna Allah wa malaaikatahu yusallooona `ala an-nabi. Yaa ayyuhalladheena aamanoo salloo `alayhi wa sallimoo tasleema.

Allahumma salli `ala Sayyidina Muhammad an-naahiy ummatahu `an daar il-jaheem. mafkhar al-`arabiy wa’l-`ajam, mawlaana wa mawla al-`alamayn al-muhtaramayni Sayyidina abi 'l-qaasimi Muhammad.

Ya ayyuhal mushtaqoon noora jamaalihi wa 'l-muhtaajoona shafa`atahu salloo `alayhi, salloo `alayhi wa sallimoo tasleema.

Allahumma salli `ala Sayyidina Muhammadin wa `ala aali sayyidina Muhammad kama sallayta `ala Sayyidina Ibraheema wa `ala aali Sayyidina Ibraheema fi 'l-`alameena innaka hameedun majeed.

Allahumma baarik `ala Sayyidina Muhammadin wa `ala aali Sayyidina Muhammad kamaa baarakta `ala Sayyidina Ibraheema wa `ala aali Sayyidina 'Ibraheema fil alameena innaka hameedun majeed.

Allahumma ighfir li 'l-mumineen wa 'l-muminaat wa 'l-muslimeen wa 'l-muslimaat al-ahya’i minhum wa’l-amwaat w 'aghfir lana wa li-ikhwaana 'Lladheena sabaqoona bi 'l-imaan wa laa taj`al fee quloobina ghillan lilladheena aamanoo rabbana innaka raufu 'r-raheem ya arhamu 'r-raahimeen.

Allahumma ansuruna fa-innaka khayrun-naasireen. allahumma a`izza 'l-islaama wa 'l-muslimeen wa adhilla ash-shirka wa 'l-kaafireen innaka `ala kulli shayyin qadeer wa bi 'l-ijaabati jadeer. wa salla 'Llaha `ala Sayyidina Muhammadin wa `ala aalihi wa ashaabihi ajma`een.

Subhaana rabbika rabbil-`izzati `amma yasifoon wa salaamun `ala 'l-mursaleen w 'alhamdulillahi rabbi 'l-`alameen.

Inna allah yaamuru bil-`adli wa 'l-ihsaan wa eetaaiy dhi 'l-qurba wa yanhaa `anil-fahshaa’i wa’l-munkari wa 'l-baghiy ya’idhakum la`alakum tadhakaroon wa la-dhikrullahi akbar w’Allahu y`alamoo ma tasna`oon.

UA-984942-2