Knowledge is not held to be blameworthy except for one of three reasons. Firstly, if it leads to the harm of another, it becomes blameworthy, such as magic, talisman, sorcery. These sciences are true no doubt as the Quran testifies. The Sahihs Bukhari and Muslim narrate traditions also that the Prophet of God was once victim of sorcery for which he fell ill. Gebriel informed the Prophet of this matter. The enchantment was taken out from underneath a stone in the bottom of a well. It is a kind of knowledge obtained through the learned men of the precious stones and mathematical calculations of the places and times of the rising of stars.

(2) The second reason is that if a science causes much harm to the acquner, it is blameworthy, such as the science of Astronomy. It is of two kinds, once coals with Mathematics and is connected with accounts. The Quran says: The sun and the moon have got courses reckoned — 55:4. It says again: As for the moon, I decreed stations for it till it changes like an old and crooked palm branch — 36:39. The second kind deals with Astrology, the gist of which is that the future events are indicated by the present causes. Astrology is therefore an attempt to know the course of the laws and ordinances of God in connection with His creations. The Sharia has declared it as blameworthy. The Prophet said: Whenever Taqdir is mentioned, remain silent and whenever my companions are mentioned, remain silent. The Prophet said: I fear three things for my followers after me, the oppressionn of the leaders, faith in Astrology and disbelief in Taqdir (predecree). Hazrat Omar said: Learn Astrology, to conduct you in land and sea and not more. There are three causes for this prohibition. Firstly, it is harmful for majority of the people, because thoughts occur in their minds that it is the stars which influence the course of events and so the stars are to be worshipped: The wise man knows that the sun, the moon and the stars are subjects to the commands of God. The second reason is that Astrology is purely guess work. It has been termed blameworthy because it command is that of only ignorance. Once the Prophet was passing by a man surrounded by the people. He asked: Who is this man? They said: He is a great learned man. The Prophet asked: Of what learning? They said: Of poetry and Arab geneology. The Prophet said: Such a learning which does not do any benefit and such ignorance which does not do any harm. The Prophet said: Learning is of decisive verses or lasting usages (of Prophet) and just ordinances (based on the Quran and Sunnah). It appears from this that discussion about Astrology and the like sciences are useless undertakings.

(3) The third reason that this science is blameworthy is that it becomes of no use to one who acquires it, for example, learning of trivial sciences before the important ones learning of subtleties before fundamentals, Ignorance, however, in some cases is beneficial as is seen from the following story.

A certain person once complained to a physician that his wife was sterile and that she bore no children. The physician left the pulse of the woman and told her that she would die after 40 days. The woman got extremely frightened and gave away all her wealth and lived these forty days without food and drink. After the period, her husband came to the physician and said that his wife did not die. The physician said: Now colhabit with her and you will get an issue. He asked: How will it be? The physician said: I saw that the woman was too fat and that grease was blocking her uterus and that it could not be removed except by fear of death. Then she became lean and fit for conception. It is gathered from this story that ignorance is sometimes good. Ignorance of some branches of knowledge is good and it will be clear from the following Hadis of the Holy Prophet. He said: I seek refuge to God from useless knowledge. So don’t discuss about those learning which have been declared by Shariat as useless. There are many things which, if inquired into, will do harm.

SECOND MATTER: CHANGE OF THE MEANINGS OF SOME WORDS CONNECTED WITH KNOWLEDGE.

The people have changed the original meanings of the words Fiqh, Ilm, Tauhid, Tazkir and Hekmat and have given them the meanings of their own. As a result, they have become now blameworthy.

FIQH (religious learning). It has now the meaning of the science of unusual legal cases, mystery of the minutest details of jurisprudence and excessive debates on them. The man who gives attention to such a science is called now Faqih or jurisprudent. In the first century, it had a different meaning. It was a science of the path of the hereafter and knowledge of the beneficial and harmful matters of soul, knowledge of the meanings of the Quran and the domination of God fear over the heart. This is proved by the words of God in the following verse that they may be expert in religion and may warn their people when they come back to them — 9:193. Fiqh or jurisprudence is that which gives such a warning and fear rather than the details of divorce, manumission, rental etc. God says: They have got hearts but they do not understand therewith — 2:178. Those who were present before the Prophet did not know the details of laws.

Someone asked Sa’ad-b-Ibrahim: Who is the greatest Faqih in Medina? He said:. He who fears God most. This points out to the result of Fiqh. The Prophet once said: Shall I not inform you about a perfect Faqih? The companions said: Yes. He said: a perfect Faqih is one who does not deprive the people of the mercy of God, does not give hope of freedom from punishment, nor makes them lose hope of His mercy, nor discards the Quran in favour of something else. When Anas-b-Malek narrated the following tradition — To sit with those who remember God from dawn to sun-rise is dearer to me than the manumission of four slaves’, the Prophet said: A man cannot become a perfect Faqih unless he makes the people understand about the existence of God and believes that there are several objects in the Quran. Hazrat Hasan Basari said: A Faqih is one who renunciates the world, remains steadfast to the hereafter, is wise in his religion worships his Lord constantly, restrains himself from attacks on the reputation of his fellow Muslims, is indifferent to their wealth and wishes good of the Muslim world. He did not say. One who commits to memory the intricacies of law is Faqih.

ILM is the science of religion, the science of the knowledge of God and His verses. When the Caliph Omar died, Hazrat Ibn Masud exclaimed: Nine-tenths of the science of religion have passed away. The present people used the term Ilm to mean the science of those who can well debate the cases of jurisprudence with their adversaries and those who cannot do that are termed weak and outside the category of the learned men. But what has been said about the excellence of learning and the merits of the learned men apply to those who are versed according to the former meaning.

TAUHID (unity of God). The present meaning of Tauhid is scholastic theology or Ilm Kalam, the knowledge of the methods of argumentation, the manner of confronting adversaries. Tauhid was then the belief that all things come from God and it ruled out all intermediary causes, the belief that good and evil all come from God and that the result of Tauihid is God-reliance. Such people believed that another fruit of Tauhid is to avoid complaints to the people, not to get angry at them and to remain satisfied with the decree of God. Another fruit of Tauhid is the saying of Hazrat Abu Bakr in his illness. The people said to him: Let us call a physician for you. He said: The Physician Himself has given me this disease. In another narration, he said: The Physician said: I certainly do what I wish — 11:109, 85:16 Q.

Tauhid is therefore a precious fruit which is engaged into several husks, the outer husk is distant from the inner. The modern people have taken up the husk and given up the pith. The people have termed it as the science of husk and given up the science of pith. The meaning of the husk of Tauhid is to utter by tongue ‘There is no deity but God’. It is opposite to Trinity of the Christians. The hypocrite Muslims also utter it. The pith of Tauhid is confirmation by heart what the tongue confesses. The heart believes it to be true. This is real Tauhid which is to entrust every affairs of man to God in such a way that his attention is not diverted to any other matter except to God. Those who follow their passion do not conform to this monotheism.

God says: Have you seen such one who takes his passion as God — 25:43Q?. The Prophet said: The worst deity in the sight of God that is worshipped in the world is the deity of passion. Idol worship is also done according to the wishes of passion. For this reason, the soul of such a man inclines towards the religion of his ancestors. Such a man is like one who rises up in the morning and says facing the Ka’ba: I have turned my face towards One who created the heavens and the earth, but he really does not turn his heart towards God and begins the day with a lie. The direction of the Ka’ba is not the direction of God. He who turns his face towards the Ka’ba can’t be called to have turned his face towards God as God is not confined within space and direction. Mind is the mine of Tauhid and its fountainhead. A man of Tauhid turns his mind towards God and not towards any other direction.

ZIKR OR TAZKIR (God’s Remembrance). This is the science of invocation and admonition. God says: Remind them because Zikr or admonition benefits the believers — 51:55Q. There are many traditions regarding the merits of the assemblies of Zikr. The Prophet said: When you pass by the garden of paradise, enjoy yourselves. He was asked: What are the gardens of Paradise? He said: Assemblies of Zikr (remembrance of God). The Prophet said: The angels of God roam in the horizon except the angels of creation. When they see any assembly of Zikr, they accost themselves and say: Come unto your goals. They then come to the place, surround them and hear them, remember God and take lessons. Now the assembly of Zikr means the assembly of lectures wherein the modern lecturers deliver long speeches, tell stories, recite poems and poetries and sing songs. Such was not the practice at the time of the four rightly guided Caliphs.

Story-telling is an innovation. Ibn Omar once came out of the mosque exclaiming: None has sent me out except a story-teller. Hazrat Ali turned out the story tellers from the congregational mosque of Basra. He did not turn out Hasan Basari as he used to deal with the hereafter, contemplation of death, defects of soul, machinations of the devil. Such is the assembly about which the Prophet said: To be present at the assembly of Zikr is better than one thousand rak’ats of prayers, visiting one thousand sick men and attending one thousand funerals. Hazrat Ata said: One assembly of Zikr expiates the sins of seventy assemblies of useless talks. The Prophet once heard three talks from Abdullahb-Rawahah and said: O Abu Rawahah, keep yourself far from ornamental talks. He asked the Prophet one day about the blood money of a child which died in the womb of its mother saying: How shall we pay the blood wit of a child who has taken no food, no drink, nor cried, nor breathed. Such murder is excusable. The Prophet said: are you like the desert Arabs who indulge in ornamental words?

POETRY: As to poetry, its general use in sermons is bad. God says: As to poets, those who go astray follow them. Don’t you find the wondering in every valley and say what they do not do — 26:255? God said: I did not teach him (Prophet) poetry, nor it is becoming of him. Furthermore what is narrated of poetries is sermons comprises mostly of love episodes, descriptions of the beauties of the beloved; the joys of union and pangs of separation. This gives arise to lust and sexual passion more than religious enthusiasm. There are however such poetries which contain wisdom. The prophet also said: There is wisdom in poetry.

HIKMAT: The word Hakim derived from the word Hikmat is now used in the case of physicians, astrologers and those who tell the future of the people by examining hands, but God says about the word Hikmat (wisdom): He gives wisdom whom He wishes Whoever has been given wisdom has been given a great good — 2:272Q. The Prophet said: If a man learns a word of wisdom, it is better than the world and what it contains. Now think what was Hikmat and what it has come to. Now think also of the meaning of many words which have come down to us. One day a man asked the Prophet: Who is the worst creature in creation? The Prophet said: O God, pardon me. On being repeatedly asked, the Prophet replied: They are wicked learned men.

Now you have come to know about praiseworthy and blameworthy sciences and how the intermingled with one another. Now chose either of the two. If you want good, you may follow the path of the ancient sages and saints, and if you want, you may follow the paths of the latter generations. All knowledge which the ancient sages loved have vanished. The Prophet said: Islam began with a few and it will soon return to a few as it began. Goodness to those few. He was asked: Who are those few? He said: Those who purify my Sunnah after the people polluted them and those who revive my sunnah after their death. In another narration: The few are a few righteous people in the midst of many unrighteous men.

THIRD MATTER: HOW MUCH IS PRAISEWORTHY OF THE PRAISEWORTHY SCIENCES?

Knowledge is divided into three parts. One part is blameworthy in whole or in part, one part is praiseworthy in whole or in part and one part is praiseworthy up to a certain limit and beyond that it is blameworthy. Look to the condition of physique. A little of health and beauty is good, but a little of ugly figure and bad conduct is bad: Moderate expense of wealth is praiseworthy but immoderate expense is blameworthy.

(1) The knowledge of which a little or much is blameworthy has got no benefit either in this world or in the next, because, there is such harm in it which is greater than its benefit, for example magic, astrology or talismnics. A valuable life should not be spent uselessly but there are some sciences which have got moderate benefits, but their harms are greater.

(2) The science which is beneficial up to the end is the science of knowing God, His attributes and His works. His laws affecting this world and the hereafter. This is the science which is sought for its own attributes and by which the blessings of the hereafter is gained. To exert oneself to the utmost of one’s capacity to gain it falls far short of what is required, because it is such a sea of which the depth is unlimited. Those who search it are remaining constantly in its shores and edges. The Prophet, the saints and the learned with faith according to their different ranks, power and strength, and according to the decree of God could not even navigate its ends. This is the hidden science which can never be recorded in books. For it, precaution shall have to be taken, efforts shall have to be made and the condition of the learned men of the hereafter shall have to be examined. For this science, a great deal of efforts, purification of mind, renunciation of the world and the following of the Prophets and friends of God are necessary. He who does all these things earns it according to his fate and not to his efforts, but there is no escape from efforts as efforts are the only keys of guidance and there is no other key.

(3) The sciences which are praiseworthy up to a certain limit are those which have been narrated at the time of discussion of Farze-Kafayah. Each has got three limits — first limit up to necessity, second up to moderation and third up to excessive quantity and there is no end of it during life. Beware of the two persons. Either be busy with yourself or be busy after finishing your work with others. Be careful of correcting others before you correct yourself. If you keep busy with yourself, be busy with acquisition of knowledge which is compulsory according to your need, for instance, knowledge of open deeds such as prayer, fast etc. More importance however is the science which everybody neglects, It is the science of heart. Know which of these sciences are bad and which are good as there is nobody who is safe from envy, hatred, pride, self-conceit and such other destructive faults. Performance of these outward deeds is like the external application of ointment to the body when it is stricken with scabies and boils while neglecting to remove the pus by means of surgery. The learned men lay stress upon the outward actions and the learned men of the hereafter remove the impurities of mind.

So you should not engage yourself in Farze Kefayah duties till you are pure in heart and acquire strength to give up open and secret sins. Give attention first to the Holy Quran, then to the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet, then to Tafsirs of the learned men and then to other learnings. Don’t engage your life to the learning of only one branch of education as life is short but the learnings are many. The acquisition of these learnings are weapons for the hereafter. There is no learning which has got no limits of necessity, moderation and perfection. This is applicable also to Had is, Tafsir and Fiqh.

A certain saint asked a learned man in dream: Tell me the condition of learning about which you held disputation. He said: It has all vanished like scattered dust, Only two rak’ats of prayer at the latter part of night has done me benefit. The Prophet said: No people are misguided after guidance except disputation. Then he read the following verse: They did nothing about you but disputation. Rather they are a contentions people. About a verse — ‘But they in whose hearts there is perversity’ (3:5:) the Prophet said that they are a contentious people about whom God said: Beware of them. The Prophet said: You are living in an age when you receive inspiration for actions but soon a people will appear who will be given to disputation. The worst men to God in creation are given to bitter disputes. He also said: Those who has been given to disputation have not been given actions.

SECTION 4. HARMS OF THE SCIENCE OF POLEMICS AND EVILS OF DEBATES AND DISPUTATIONS.

Know, O dear readers, that after the Prophet, the rightly-guided Caliphs were the leaders of the learned in the science of God. They were the eyes of knowledge and were experienced in the legal decisions. They did not take the help of jurisprudents except in cases where consultation was necessary. They decided on the strength of Ijtihad and their decisions were recorded in their lives. After their death, Caliphate went to those who were not so experienced in legal matters and administrative affairs. They were compelled to seek the aid of jurisprudents. At that time, a band of Tabeyins (successors of companions) were alive and they persisted in following strictly the injunctions of religion. Whenever the Caliphs called them, they fled. But some learned men used to mix with the Caliphs and consequently became humiliated. Therefore there were differences of opinions among the learned men and there grew different Mazhabs or sects as a result. There were argumentation and disputations over the intricate questions of religion. They composed also many works on these subjects. This induced the people to take the controversies and disputations.

THERE ARE EIGHT CONDITIONS OF DEBATES

(1) The first condition is that where debate for search of truth is one of Farze Kefayah duties, one who has not already fulfilled his part in duties of Farze Ain should not engage himself in the debates even for searching truth.

(2) The second condition is that one should not consider debates more important than Farze-Kefayah duties.

He commits sin who does other works leaving aside a more important Farze Kefayah duty. He is like a man who does not give water to drink to people who are thirsty and facing death even though he has got power to do so, beacause he remains then busy in giving lesson of cupping. Once the Prophet was asked When will the people give up enjoining good and fobidding evil? The Prophet said: When flattery will grow in good people among you, kingdom will go to the meanest of you and theology to those who will be corrupt.

(3) The third condition which justifies debate is that the debater should have ability and give decision on his own responsiblility without referring to the opinion of Imam Abu Hanfia or any other Imams. He who has not the ability of independent interpretation should not express his opinion but should refer it to an Imam.

(4) The fourth condition which justifies debate, is that the subject for decision should be about actual cases that crop up, for example, the question of inheritance and not about future cases. The companions also held consutations as questions arose or were likely to arise in order to arrive at truth.

(5) The fifth condition is that debate should be held in private in preference to open meetings in presence of noted people and in grandeur because privacy is more suitable for clear thinking and to examine what is right and what is wrong.

(6) The sixth condition is that the debater should like truth in the same spirit as a lost thing is searched for. He should not mind weather the truth is found by him or by his adversary when Hazrat Omar was once giving sermon, a woman pointed out to him his mistake to which he submitted. At another time, Hazrat Ali was asked a question by a man and he replied. When the man pointed out his mistake, he admitted it.

(7) The seventh condition is that the debater should not prevent his adversary from giving up one argument in favour of another and one illustration in favour of another.

(8) The eighth condition is that debate should be held with such person from whom benefit is derived and who is learned.

From these eight conditions, you will be able to distinguish those who debate for the sake of God and those who debate for other purposes.

THIRD MATTER — EVILS OF DEBATES. The following evils arise out of modern debates.

(1) ENVY: The Prophet said: Envy consumes good deeds as fire consumes fuels. A debater is never free from envy and hatred. Envy is a burning fire. One who falls in it gets punishement in the world. Hazrat Ibn Abbas said: Acquire knowledge wherever it is found and don’t obey the devils who are prone to disputes.

(2) PRIDE: The Prophet said: A believer cannot have pride in him. There is ‘a’Hadis Qudsi in which God said: Grandeur is My cloak and pride is My mantle. I destory one who snatches anything of these two from Me.

(3) RANCOUR: A debater is seldom free from the evil of rancour. The Prophert said: A believer has got no rancour.

(4) BACK-BITING which is likened by God to the eating of carrion (49:12). A debater ascribes to his oppoinent foolishness, ignorance and stupidity.

(5) DECLARATION OF SELF-PURITY. God says: Don’t attribute purity of yourself. He knows best who fears Him (53:33).

(6) SPYING and prying into the secrets of adversary. God says: Pry not (49:12).

(7) HYPOCRISY. A debater expresses his friendship for his adversary outwardly but he cherishes hatred for him inwardly. The Prophet said: When the learned men do not translate their learning into action, when they profess love for one another with their tongue and nurse hatred in their hearts, when they sever the ties of relationship, God sends curse upon them, makes their tongues mute and their eyes blind.

(8) TO TURN AWAY FROM TRUTH. The most hateful thing to a debater is to reject the truth revealed to his adversary and thus he takes to deception and deceit. The Prophet prohibited dispute about useless things. He said: If a man gives up disputation in matters of unlawful things, a garden will be built for him in paradise. If a man gives up desputation in matters of truth, a house will be built up for him in the highest paradise. God said: He is more wrongful than one who devises a lie against God and calls the truth a lie when it comes to him 29:68. God said: Who is more wrongful that he who lies against God and treats the truth when it comes to him as a lie — 39:33?

(9) ANOTHER FAULT OF DEBATE IS SHOW AND FLATTERING the people in an effort to win their favour and to mislead them. Hypocrisy is the greatest disease with which a debater is attacked and it is a major sin.

(10) DECEPTION. Debators and compelled to deception.

These ten evils are the secret major sins arising out of debates and disputations. Besides these major offences, there arise many other guilts out of controversies leading to blows, kicks, boxing, tearing of garments etc.

The learned men are of three classes. One class comprise those who ruin themselves and also ruin others. Another class make themselves fortunate and make other also fortunate. Such learned men call others towards good. The third class learned men call ruin to themselves but make others fortunate.

SECTION 5. MANNERS TO BE OBSERVED BY TEACHERS AND STUDENTS.

These manners comprise ten duties.

(1) The first duty of a student is to keep himself free from impure habit and evil matters. Effort to acquire knowledge is the worship of mind. It purifies secret faults and takes to God. Prayer is observed by outward organs and as outward purity is not gained except by outward organs, so worship by mind, the fountain head of acquisition of knowledge, cannot be attained without the removal of bad habits and evil attributes. The Prophet said: Religion is founded on cleanliness. So outward and inward purities are necessary. God says: The polytheists are impure 9:28Q. It is understood from this that purity and impurity are not merely external as the polytheists also keep their dresses clean and bodies clean, but as their mind is impure, so they are generally impure. The inward purity is of greatest importance. The Prophet therefore said: Angels do not enter a house wherein there are dogs. Human mind is a house, the abode of angels, the place of their movements. The blameworthy evils like anger, lust, rancour, envy, pride, conceit and the like are dogs. When dogs reside in a heart, where is the place for the angels? God takes the secrets of knowledge to the hearts through the angels. They do not take it except to the pure souls. Hazrat Ibn Masud said: Knowledge is not acquired through much learning. It is a light cast in heart. A certain sage said: Knowledge is God-fear as God said: The learned among the people fear God most.

(2) The second duty of a student is to reduce his worldly affairs and keep aloof: from kith and kin as acquisition of knowledge is not possible in these environments. For this reason, a certain sage said: God has not gifted two minds to a man. For this reason, a certain sage said: Knowledge will not give you its full share till you surrender your entire mind to it.

(3) The third duty of a student is not to take pride or exalt himself over the teacher but rather entrust to him the conduct of all his affairs and submit to his advices as a patient submits to his physician. The Prophet said: It is the habit of a believer not to flatter anyone except when he seeks knowledge. Therefore a student should not take pride over his teacher. Knowledge cannot be acquirred except through modesty and humility. God said: Herein there is warning for one who has got a heart or sets up ear while he himself being a witness — 50:36. The meaning of having a heart is to be fit for receiving knowledge and one who is prepared and capable of understanding knowledge. Whatever the teacher should recommend to the student, the latter should follow it putting aside his own opinion. The people should question only in the matter which the teacher permits him. Here there is an instance of Moses and Khizir Khizir said: You will not ask me anything I do. Still Moses questioned him and for that he separated him.

(4) The fourth duty of a student is that he should first pay no attention to the difference whether about wordly sciences or sciences of the hereafter as it may perplex his mind and he may lose enthusiasm. He should adopt first what the teacher says and should not argue about the different mazhabs or sects.

(5) The fifth duty is that a student should not miss any branch of knowledge. He should try to become perfect in them as all branches of learning help one another and some branches are allied with others. If a man does not get a things, it becomes his enemy. God says: When they do not find guidance they say, it is an age-long lie 46:10 A poet said: A sweet thing is bitter in the mouth of a patient as sweet water is tasteless to a sick man. Good knowledge is acquired according to one’s genius. It leads man to God or helps him in that way. Each branch of knowledge has got its fixed place. He who guards it, is like a guard who patrols the frontiers in jihad. Each has got a rank in it and each has got a reward in the hereafter according to his rank. The only condition required is that the object of acquisition of knowledge should be to please God.

(6) The sixth duty of a student is that he should not take up all branches of knowledge at a time, but should take up the most important one at first as life is not sufficient for all branches of knowledge. A little learing if acquired with enthusiasm perfects the knowledge of the hereafter or the sciences of the worldly usages and the sciences of revelation. The object of the science of worldly usages is to acquire spiritual knowledge. The goal of the spiritual knowledge is to know God. Our object by this knowledge is not that belief which is handed down from generations to generations. Our object for this knowledge is to acquire light arising out of certain faith which God casts in soul. Such light was acquired by Hazrat Abu Bakr. The Prophet said about Abu Bakr: If the faith of the people of the world is weighed with the faith of Abu Bakr, his faith would be heavy. In short, the highest and the noblest of all science, is to know God. This science is like a sea of which the depth cannot be ascertained. In this science, the highest rank is that of the Prophets, then of the friends of God and finally that of those who follow them. It has been narrated that the portraits of two ancient wise men were seen on the wall of a mosque. One of them held a piece of paper in which it was written: If you purify everything, don’t understand that you have even purified one thing till you know God and know that He is the cause of all Causes and the Creator of everything. In the hand of the second man, there was a scroll in which it was writen: I removed thirst before by drinking water and then I have come to know God. But when I have come to know God, my thirst was quenched without any water.

(7) The seventh duty of a student is that he should not take up a new branch of learning till he has learnt fully the previous branch of learning, because it is requisite for the acquisition of knowledge. One branch of knowledge is a guide to another branch. God says: Whoso has been given the Quran recities it with due recitation — 2:15 In other words, he does not take up one learning till he masters the previous one. Hazrat Ali said: Don't conceal truth for men, rather know the truth, then you will be the master of truths.

(8) The eighth duty of a student is to know the causes for which noble sciences are known. It can be known from two things, nobility of its fruit and the authenticity of its principles. Take for example the science of religion as medicine. The fruit of the science of religion is to gain an eternal life and the fruit of the other is to gain a temporary life. From these points of view the science of religion is more noble as its result is more noble. Take up Mathematics and Astrology, the former is nobler because the former is more authentic in its foundations. From this, it is clear that the science of the knowledge of God, of His angels, of His books and of His prophets is the noblest and also the branches of knowledge which help it.

(9) The ninth duty of a student is to purify mind and action with virtues, to gain proximity to God and His angles and to live in the company of those who live near Him. His aim should not be to gain worldly matters, to acquire riches and properties, to argue with the illiterate and to show pride and haughtiness. He whose object is to gain nearness of God should seek such learning as helps towards that goal, namely the knowledge of the hereaafter and the learnings which are auxiliary to it. God said God will raise herewith in rank who are believers and to whom knowledge have been given — 58:11. God said: They have got stages, some lower, some higher. The highest rank is that of the Prophets, then of the friends of God and then of the learned who are firm in knowledge and then of the pious who follow them.

(10) The tenth duty of a student is that he should keep attention to the primary object of knowledge. It is not in your power to enjoy bliss of this world and that of the next world together. This world is a temprory abode. Body is a convenance and the actions run towards the goal. The goal is God and nothing else. All bliss and happiness lie in Him. So give more importance to the sciences which take to that ultimate goal.

There are three kinds of learnings.

(1) One kind of learning is like the purchase of commodities in journey. They are the sciences of medicine, laws (Fiqh) and all other sciences which keep connection with the welfare of the people in the world.

(2) Another class of learning is like the science of travelling in the desert and surmounting obstacles. They purify the mind from evil traits and take it to a high place that does not fall to the lot of any except to those whom God shows favour.

(3) The third kind of knowledge is like the knowledge of pilgrimage and its rules and regulations. This is the science of knowledge of God, His attitutes and the knowledge of the actions of angels. This is the knowledge which can not be gained except by the agnostics who are close to Him. Those who are lower in rank than them will get also salvation. God says As for one who is of those nearest to God, there is happiness, bounty and garden of bliss for him. But as for one who is of the companions of the right hand there is peace for him — 56:87. This is a certain truth which they perceived through contemplations. This is more clear than geeing with eyes. They are confirmed in their faith after seeing for themselves. Others are like those who have got faith but without contemplation and without seeing with their own eyes.

By the soul, I don’t mean heart made up of flesh but it is a subtle Sir or secret essence which the bodily senses fail to perceive. It is a spiritual substance from God and has been described sometimes by Nafs, sometimes by Qalb. The material heart is the vehicle for the spiritual essence to remove the veil from it as it belongs to the science of revelation, a science which is withheld from men and there is no permission to discuss it. What is permissible is the discussion that it is a precious jewel and belongs to the world of spirit and not to the world of matter. God says: They ask you about soul. Say: Soul proceeds from the command of my Lord — 17:87. The connection of soul with God is nobler than that of all the bodily limbs. To God belong the creation and the command is the most precious thing which can carry the trust of God. It is nobler than the heaven and the earth and what they contain as the latter refused to bear the trust out of fear of the spiritual world. It has come from God and it will return to God. It is the spiritual substance which drives towards God.

SECOND SUBJECT — DUTIES OF A TEACHER

A man has got four conditions in relation to wealth. A wealthy man at first produces commodities. Secondly he hoards his productions and does not seek the aid of others, Thirdly, he spends it for himself and rests satisfied with it. Fourthly, he spends there from for another to get honour. The last is the best. Similar are the conditions of knowledge. It is acquired like wealth and has got four conditions. — (1) condition of acquisition of knowledge, (2) condition after acquisition of knowledge, (3) condition wherein he will contemplate and enjoy his achievement and (4) condition wherein he would impart his knowledge to others and this last condition is the best. He who acquires knowledge and acts up to it and teaches it to the people is noble to the angels of heaven and earth. He is like the sun which illumines itself and gives light to other things. Such a man is like a pot of musk which is full of fragance and gives fragrance to others. He who teaches knowledge to others but does not himself act up to it is like a note-book which does not benefit itself but benefits others or like an instrument which gives edge to iron but itself has got no edge, or like a needle which remains naked but sews clothing for others, or like a lamp which gives light to other things but itself burns.

A poet said:

“Knowledge without action is like a glowing wick, it gives light to others but itself dies burning.

Whoever takes up the profession of teaching should observe the following duties:

(1) He will show kindness and sympathy to the students and treat them as his own children. The Prophet said: ‘I am to you like a father to his son.’ His object should be to protect the student from the fire of Hell. As parents save their children from the fire of this world, so a teacher should save his students or disciples from the fire of Hell. The duties of a teacher are more that those of parents. A father is the immediate cause of this transient life, but a teacher is the cause of immortal life. It is because of the spiritual teacher that the hereafter is much remembered. By teacher, I mean the teacher of the sciences of the hereafter or the sciences of the world with the object of the hereafter. A teacher ruins himself and also his students if he teaches for the sake of the world. For this reason, the people of the hereafter are journeying towards the next world and to God and remain absent from the world. The months and years of this world are so many stations of their journey. There is no miserliness in the fortunes of the next world and so there is no envy among them. They turn to the verse: “The believers are brethren” — 49:10.

(2) The second duty of a teacher is to follow the usages and ways of the Prophet. In other words, he should not seek remuneration for teaching but nearness to God therefor. God instructs us to say: Say, I don’t want any remuneration for this from you — 9:31. Wealth and property are the servants of body which is the vehicle of soul of which the essence is knowledge and for which there is honour of soul. He who searches wealth in lieu of knowledge is like one who has got his face besmeared with impurities but wants to cleanse his body. In that case, the master is made a servant and the servant a master.

(3) The third duty of a teacher is that he should not withhold from his students any advice. After he finishes the outword sciences, he should teach them the inward sciences. He should tell them that the object of education is to gain nearness of God, not power or richness and that God created ambition as a means of perpetuating knowledge which is essential for these sciences.

(4) The fourth duty of a teacher is to dissuade his students from evil ways with care and caution, with sympathy and not with rebuke and harshness, because in that case it destroys the veil of awe and encourages disobedience. The Holy Prophet is the guide of all teachers. He said: If men had been forbidden to make parridge of camel’s dung, they would have done it saying that they would not have been forbidden to do it unless there has been some good in it.

(5) The fifth duty of a teacher is that he shall not belittle the value of other sciences before his students. He who teaches grammar naturally thinks the science of jurisprudence as bad and he who teaches jurisprudence discourages the science of traditions and so on. Such evils are blameworthy. In fact the teacher of one learning should prepare his students for study of other learnings and then he should observe the rules of gradual progress from one stage to another.

(6) The sixth duty that a teacher should do is to teach his students up to the power of their understanding. The students should not be taught such things as are beyond the capacity of their understanding. In this matter, he should follow the Prophet who said: We prophets form one class. We have been commanded to give every man his rightful place and to speak to men according to their intellect. The Prophet said When a man speaks such a word to a people who cannot grasp it with their intellect, it becomes a danger to some persons. Hazrat Ali said pointing out to his breast: ‘There is much knowledge in it, but then there should be some people to understand it. The hearts of pious men are graves of secret matter.’ From this, it is understood that whatever the teacher knows should not all be communicated to the students at the same time. Jesus Christ said: Don’t hang pearls around the neck of a swine. Wisome is better than pearls. He who knows it as bad is worse than swine. Once a learned man was questioned about something but he gave no reply. The questioner said: Have you not heard that the Prophet said? ‘‘He who conceals any useful knowledge will on the Resurrection Day be bridled with a bridle of fire.” The learned man said: You may place the bridle of fire and go.

If I don’t disclose it to one who understands it, then put the bridle of fire upon me. God said: Don’t give to the fools your property (4:4). There is warning in this verse that it is better to safeguard knowledge from those who might be corrupted by it. To give a thing to one who is not fit for it and not to give a thing to one who is fit for it are equally oppression. A certain poet therefore said: Should I cast pearls before the illiterate shepherds? They will not understand, nor know their worth.

If God by His knowledge sends one with knowledge, I will give my goods to him, and gain his love. He wastes his learning who gives it to one unworthy. He commits sin who witholds it from one worthy.

(7) The seventh duty of a teacher is that he should teach his backward students only such things as are clear and suited to their limited understanding. Every man thinks that his wisdom is perfect and the greatest fool is he who rests satisfied with the knowledge that his intellect is perfect. In short, the door of debates should not be opened before the common men.

(8) The eighth duty of a teacher is that he should himself do what he teaches and should not give a lie to his teaching. Knowledge can be grasped by internal eye and actions by external eye. Many people have got external eyes but very few have got internal eye. So if the actions of a teacher are contrary to what he preaches, it does not help towards guidance, but it is like poison. A teacher is like a stamp to clay and a student is like clay. If the stamp has no character, there is no impression on clay. Or he is like a cane and the student is like the shadow of the cane. How can the shadow of the cane be straight when the cane itself is crooked? God said: Do you enjoin good to the people and forget it for yourselves — 2:44? Hazrat Ali said: Two men have broken my back, the learned man who ruins himself and the fool who adopts asceticism. The learned man misleads the people through his sins and the fool through his evil actions.

SECTION 6. EVILS OF KNOWLEDGE AND SIGNS OF THE LEARNED MAN OF THE HEREAFTER.

We have enumerated the excellence of knowledge and learned men, but a great warning has come about the dishonest learned men. For this reason, one should know the differences of the learned men of this world and the learned men of the hereafter. What I mean by the learned man of the world is that his object of learning is to live in ease and comforts and to get honour and prestige from the people. The Prophet said: The most severely punished among men on the Day of Resurrection will be a learned man whom God has not blessed on account of his knowledge. The Prophet said: Nobody can be learned unless he puts his learning into practice. He said: Knowledge is of two kinds — knowledge by tongue which is open proof of God for the children of Adam and the science of soul which is useful. He said: In the latter days, there will be ignorant worshippers and sinning learned men. He said: Don’t acquire knowledge to boast over the learned nor dispute with the ignorant and gain popularity among the people. He who does this will go to Hell. He said: He who conceals his knowledge will be given by God a bridle of fire. He said: I fear most for one who appears as Anti-Christ than Anti-Christ himself. Someone asked him: Who is he? He said: I fear most for the misguided leaders. He said: He whose knowledge is great but guidance less is away from God. Jesus Christ said: How can you guide the night travellers along the right way when you yourself are perplexed? These and other traditions show that a learned man faces eternal happiness or eternal damnation.

SAYINGS OF WISE-MEN

Hazrat Osman said: I fear most for this nation the hypocrite learned men. People asked: How can a hypocrite be a learned man? He replied: He has verbal knowledge, but his mind and his actions are ignorant. Hazrat Hasan Basan said: Don’t be included within those persons who are learned in wisdom and knowledge but are equal to the ignorant in actions. Khalld-b-Ahmed said: There are four kinds of men — (1) One who has real knowledge and knows that he knows. He is a real learned man. (2) One who has knowledge but he does not know that he knows. Be careful of him. (3) One who has no knowledge and knows that he does not know. Such a man is fit to be guided, so guide him. (4) One who has no knowledge and does not know that he knows not. Leave him alone. Ibn Mobarak said: A man is learned till he searches for knowledge. When he thinks that he has knowledge, he becomes ignorant. Hazrat Hasan said: Death of the heart is the punishment of a learned man. The death of the heart is search of the world with the actions of the hereafter. A poet said:

“Woe to one who buys misguidance
in lieu of guidance;
“Woe more to one who buys the world
in lieu of the hereafter;
woe still more to one who fosters irreligion
in lieu of religion.”

The Prophet said regarding a wicked learned man: Some learned men will suffer such intense agonies of torture that the inmates of Hell will seek refuge on seeing their tortures. They are the wicked learned men. The Prophet said: On the resurrection day, a learned man will be brought and will be thrown into Hell. His bowels will gush forth and he will roam with his bowels as a donkey moves round a mill-stone. The inmates of Hell will move along with him and ask: What is the matter with you? He will reply: I used to enjoin the people to do good but I was not myself accustomed to do it. I used to prohibit them evil but I myself used to do it. God says: The hypocrites will remain in the lowest abyss of Hell (4:144) as they refused to accept truth after they acquired knowledge.

There is a story of Bal’am-b-Baura about whom the Quran says: Narrate to them the story of one to whom I revealed My signs. He rejected them. So the devil followed him and he became one of those who were misguided. He is therefore like a dog which lolls out its tongue whether you chase it or leave it alone — 7:175. This has been said about the wicked learned man. Bal’am also got God’s book but he kept himself busy in worldly affairs and was therefore likened to a dog. Jesus Christ said: The wicked learned man is like a rock which has fallen into the source of a stream. It neighter absolves any water itself, nor permits it to flow out and reach the plants. The wicked learned man is also like pipes which come out of a garden full of stenchy smell as it has got graves of dead men. Its outer part is cultivated but its inner part is full of dead men’s bones.

These traditions and historical narratives show that the learned man who is given to lust and worldly love will be disgraced and put to endless tortures and one who is a learned man of the hereafter will get salvation and gain nearness of God.

SIGNS OF THE LEARNED MAN ON THE HEREAFTER

There are many signs of the learned man of the hereafter.

(1) He does not seek the world by his learning He considers the world as insignificant and the hereafter as great and ever-lasting. He considers this world and the next world as diametrically opposed to each other like two hostile friends of a man, or like two co-wives. If one friend or co-wife is pleased, the other friend or co-wife becomes displeased. The two worlds are like two scales of a balance, the lower the one falls, the other rises up higher. Or they are like the east and the west. The more one advances towards the east, the more he goes distant from the west. Or the two worlds are like two pitchers, one is full and another empty. The more you pour water from the full pitcher into the empty one, the more the full pitcher will become less and the empty one more in water. There is defect in the intellect of a man who has not come to know that the happiness of this world will soon pass away, as this matter has been established as true by veritable sights and experiences. He who does not recognise the grave nature and stability of the next world is an unbeliever bereft of faith. He who does not consider this world and the next world as opposed to each other does not know the religion of the Prophets and does not believe the Quran from first to last. Such a learned man is not included within the category of the learned men of the hereafter, he who knows these things but does not love the next world more than this world is in the hand of the devil.

God said in the scripture of David: If any learned man loves his passion more than his love for Myself, My treatment with him is that I deprive him of the pleasure of communion with Me. O David, don’t take the message of God to such a learned man. The world captivated him and he will turn you from My love. Such a man is a robber in the pathway of My servants. When you see such a man who searches Me, he is a true servant. O David, I write one as a man of sound judgement who flees towards Me. I will never punish such a person. For this reason, Hasan Basari said: Death of the heart is the punishment of a learned man and death of the heart means search of this world in exchange of the actions of the next world. Hazrat Ihya-b-Muaz said: When the world is sought by learning and wisdom; his light goes gradually. Hazrat Sayeed-b-Musayyeb said: When you see a learned man frequenting the houses of rulers, he is a robber. Hazrat Omar said: When you see a learned man addicted to this world, disregard him for the sake of your religion, because every learned man is addicted to his object of love.

The saint Sahal Tastari said: Every branch of learning is worldly except the learning of religion which, if put into practice, is next worldly. Every action without sincerity is fruitless. He also said; All are dead except the learned. All learned men are in a state of stupefaction except those who translate their learning into practice. All the learned men who translate their learning into practice are in error except those who are sincere. Those learned men who are sincere are in fear till they come to know their ultimate good end. Jesus Christ said: How can a man be counted as a learned man who persists in the pathways of this world although his journey is towards the next world? The Prophet said: He who searches learning in which there is pleasure of God but by which he seeks worldly honour will not get fragrance of paradise on the Resurrection day. God says of the dishonest learned men: They devour this world in lieu of learning. He described the learned men of the hereafter as God-fearing and given to asceticism. God says regarding the learned men of the world: God took oath from the People of the Book that they would disclose it to the people and would not conceal it, but they threw it behind their backs and sold it for a small price — 3:184. God says regarding the learned men of the next word: There are such men among the People of the Book who believe in what was revealed to them and what has been revealed to you. They don’t sell the verses of God for a small price. Their reward is near their Lord — 3:198.

The Prophet said: God sent revelation to a people: Those who learn jurisprudence for an object other than that of religion and those who search the world with the actions of the next world are like those who wear the dress of goat’s skin before the people but whose hearts are like the raving wolves. Their tongues are sweeter than honey but their hearts are more bitter than colocynth. They deceive Me and scorn Me. I will create such a calamity for them which will perplex even the patient. The Prophet said: The learned men of my followers are of two kinds. Cod gives to one kind learning which they distribute among the people and for which they do not covet anything and they do not sell it for a small price. The birds in the horizon, the fishes in water, all the animals in the world, and the honourable scribes invoke blessings for them. They will come to God being honoured on the resurrection day and they will even get the company of the Prophets.

God gives learning to another kind of men but they are miser to distribute it to the people. They take wealth in its exchange and sell it for a small price. Such people will be brought on the resurrection day with bridles of fire and they will raise up shrieks before all the creatures. It will be proclaimed: They are children of so and so. God gave them learning but they were miser in distributing it to the people and took small price in lieu thereof and property in exchange. Thus they will be punished till God finishes the judgment of account.

A more severe punishment will be meted out to the following kind of people. A certain man was a servant of Prophet Moses. He went round saying: Moses, the chosen man of God told me this. Moses, the confident of God, told me this. Moses, the intimate friend of God, told me this. Saying these, he became rich and then disappeared. Moses searched for him but his whereabouts were not found. Sometime after, a man came to Moses with a pig with a rope tied to its neck. Moses said to him: Do you know such and such a person? He said: Yes, he is this pig. Moses said to him O Lord, turn him into his former position. I shall ask him about his condition. God revealed to him. If you remember Me with what Adam and his successors remembered Me, I shall not accept your invocation. I shall inform you how he was changed to this condition. He searched for the world in lieu of religion.

A more severe narration was reported by Muaz-b-Jabal to the effect that the Prophet had said: ‘One danger of a learned man is that he would prefer talking than hearing, as there is ornamentation and exaggeration in his speech. A speaker is not free from these faults but there is safety and wisdom in silence. There is such a man among the learned who guards his learning but does not like to communicate it to others. Such a learned man is in the first stage of Hell. There is such a man among the learned who is like a king in learning. In other words, if any objection is raised against learning, he becomes angry. He is in the second stage of Hell. There is such a man among the learned who broadcasts his learning and narrates traditions to the rich and not to those who are in need of them. Such a learned man is in the third stage of Hell. There is such a man among the learned who remains busy with legal decisions and commits mistakes and remains satisfied with one who does divine service. Such a learned man is in the fourth stage of Hell. There is such a man among the learned who delivers lectures quoting the sayings of the Jews and Christians to show his learning. Such a learned man is in the fifth stage of Hell. There is such a man among the learned who delivers lectures with pride and self conceit and considers his speech as good and when any other man delivers lectures, he sneers at him. Such a learned man is in the seventh stage of Hell.

There is in Hadis: If a man is praised so much that it fills up what is between the east and the west, it is not valuable to God even like the wing of a mosquito. The Prophet said: Don’t sit with every learned man. Sit with the learned man who calls towards five matters towards faith from doubt, sincerity from show, modesty from pride, love from enmity, and asceticisn from worldliness.

(2) SECOND SIGNS: The second sign of the learned man of the next world is that his words and actions are the same, rather he does not order an action to be done without first doing it himself. God says: Will you enjoin the people to do good deeds but forget them for yourselves — 2:41? God says: It is a hateful thing to God that you say what you do not do — 61:3. God says in the story of Shuaib: I don’t wish to do anything which I myself forbid you — 9:90. God says: Fear God and He will give you knowledge — 2:282. God says: Fear God and you will know — 2:190. God says: Fear God and listen — 55:11. God said to Jesus Christ: O son of Mary, take lessons to yourself and then give admonition to others, otherwise you will be ashamed of Me. The Prophet said: I passed by a party of men in the night of my ascension to heaven. Their tongues were being cut with scissors. I asked them: Who are you? They said: We used to give advice to others for good deeds but we used not to do them. We used to prohibit evil deeds to others, but we used to do them.

The Prophet said: The corrupt learned men and illiterate worshipers will be the cause of destruction of my people. The Prophet Once came to his companions and said: Take to learning as far as possible, but God will not give its rewards till you translate it into action. Jesus Christ said: He who teaches good but does not translate it into action is like a woman who commits fornication in secret and becomes pregnant but when her pregnancy is exposed, she becomes repentant. God will disgrace one before all people on the Resurrection Day who does not act according to his learning. Hazrat Muaz said: Beware of the learned man’s error, because he is the most honoured one among the people and because the people follow his error. Hazrat Omar said: Three things will cause the end of time. One of them is the error of the learned men. Hazrat Ibn Mas’ud said: Soon there will come a time over the people when sweetness of heart will vanish. At that time neither the teachers, nor the taught will get any benefit from learning. The hearts of the learned will be hard like a hard stone. Rains will fall on it from the sky but it will slip away therefrom. The reason is that the hearts of the learned will be addicted to the love of this world in preference to that of the next world. God will then rob them of the fountain of wisdom and extinguish the light of guidance from their hearts. They will say to you by their tongue ‘Fear God’ but sin will be exposed in their actions. Tongue will then become dry and heart hard. The only reason is that the teachers will teach except for the sake of God and the students will learn except for the sake of God. There is written in the Torah and Bible: Don’t search for learning which you do not know till you do what you know. Hazrat Huzaifa said: You are now in an age wherein if you give up one tenth of what you know, you will perish, but there will soon come an age wherein if a man does one-tenth of what he knows will get salvation.

The simile of the learned man is that of a judge. The Prophet said: Judges are of three classes. One class of judges judge with justice and with knowledge of truth and they will go to Paradise. Another class of judges judge unjustly with or without knowledge of truth and they will go to Hell. Another class of judges judge contrary to the laws of God and they will go to Hell. The Prophet said: The devil sometimes will prevail over you on account of knowledge. It was questioned: O Prophet of God, how will it happen? He said: The devil will say: Search for knowledge but don’t put it into practice till you acquire it. So he will remain busy with acquisition of knowledge but will remain without action up to his death and at the time of his death he will have no action. Hazrat Ibn Mas’ud said: The Quran was revealed in order that men may direct their lives according to its teachings. Direct your life according as you read it. There will soon appear such men who will keep it like an arrow and they are not good among you. The learned man who does not act up to his knowledge is like a patient who describes the qualities of a medicine without using it or like a hungry man who describes the taste of a food without eating it. God said: Woe unto you for what you utter. The Prophet said: What I fear most for my followers is the errors of the learned and the arguments of the hypocrites about the Quran.

(3) THIRD SIGN: Another sign of the learned man of the next world is that his mind would be directed towards such learnings as will be useful for the next world and give encouragement to pious deeds. He will avoid those learnings which will bring lesser benefit and wherein there are much arguments. He who shuns the learning of practice and remains busy in arguments is like a sick man who suffers from many diseases, but when he fears death, he goes to an experienced physician and asks him many questions of the qualities of drugs and complexities of medical profession but he does not ask him about his diseases. This is the height of foolishness.

On day a man came to the Apostle of God and said: Teach me some of the strange things of knowledge. He asked him What have you done with the beginning of knowledge? The man said: What is the beginning of knowledge? The Prophet replied: Have you known God? He said: Yes, He asked: What have you learnt about this truth? He said: What God willed. The Prophet said: Have you known death? He said: Yes, He said: How have you prepared for it? He said: What God willed. The Prophet said: Go and gain experience of these things first and then I shall teach you some of the strange things of knowledge.

A student should be like Hazrat Hatem Asem who was the disciple of Hazrat Shaqiq Balakhi. He once asked Hatem: How long are you in my company? Hatem said: For the last 33 years. He said: What have you learnt from me during this period? Hatem said: I have learnt only eight things. Shaqiq said: You have not learnt except eight things! He said: Yes, O dear teacher, I have learnt nothing except eight things. I don’t wish to speak falsehood. He said: Describe those eight things to me. Let me hear them. Hatem began to describe them.

First, I looked around and beheld that every man has got an object of love and he lives with that thing until his death. When he goes to the grave, it becomes separate from him. I pondered over the following words of God “We are for God and to Him we shall return.” So I have made good deeds as my object of love. When I will go to the grave, my good deeds will accompany me to the grave. The sage Shaqiq said: O Hatem, you have done well.

Secondly, I have pondered over the following words of God “As for one who fears the majesty of his Lord and refrains his soul from lust, paradise is his resting place — 79:40 Q. I have come to know that the words of God are true. I have tried my utmost to suppress my lust and remained satisfied with obeying the injunctions of God.

Third, I looked around the people and found that everyone values what he possesses. Then I turned to the following words of God: What is with you will end and what is with God will last — 16:98 Q. Then I began to give unto God whatever valuable things fell into my hands.

Fourth, I looked around and saw that everyone puts his trust in his wealth and properties, his name and fame and his honour and glory and found that there is nothing in them. Then I looked towards the following words of God ‘The most honourable of you to God is one who is the most God-fearing among you’ — 49:13 Q. Then I intended to accept God-fear in my life till I am honoured by God.

Fifth, I looked around the people and found them slandering and cursing one another because of envy and hatred and then I looked towards the words of God: It is I who distributed their subsistence among them in this world’s life — 43:31 Q. So I gave up envy and hatred and realised that subsistence comes from God and then I disliked the people no more.

Sixth, I looked to the people and found them ungrateful to one another and even some of them kill others and then I looked towards the following word of God: The devil is your foe and so take him as foe — 35:6 Q. So I took the devil as a foe and ceased to have enmity with the people.

Seventh, I turned to the people and found everyone seeking his livelihood and for that debasing himself and committing unlawful things and then I looked towards the following words of God: There is no animal in the earth of which the provision is not upon God — 11:8 Q. Finding that I am one of the animals whose provision is upon God, I turned towards the duties prescribed by God and entrusted my fate unto Him.

Eighth, I turned to the people and found that everyone placed his trust in something created, some in his wealth, some in his profession, some in his industry and some in the health of his body and then looked towards the following words of God: If a man relies on God, He is sufficient for him — 65: 3 Q. Then I relied on God and He is sufficient for me.

On hearing Hatem, Hazrat Shadiq exclaimed; Hatem, may God prosper you. I examined the Torah, the Bible, the Jabur (Psalms) and the great Quran and found that all these centre round these eight things and he who puts them into practice follows these four books.

In short, the learned men of the hereafter seek and acquire knowledge but the learned men of the world are engaged in acquiring wealth and name and fame and give up those learnings for which God sent the Prophets.

(4) FOURTH SIGNS: Another sign of the learned man of the next world is that he has got no attraction for various kinds of foods and drinks, luxury in dresses, furnitures and houses, but rather he adopts moderate course in all these things following the earlier sages and he is best satisfied with the least of everything. The less is a man attracted towards luxuries, the more he will be close to God and the more he will be in association of the learned men of the hereafter and in rank.

Abdullah-b-Khawas used to keep company with Hazrat Hatem Asem and he said: Once I with 320 pilgrims went to Rayy along with the sage Hatem Asem. We had food stuffs with us and not food. We went to a merchant who was well known for love of the poor. We became his guests that night. He said next day to the sage Hatem: Have you got any necessity with me? I wish now to go to see an ailing theologian. Hatem said: “Visiting the sick is no doubt meritorious but looking after the poor is worship. I will go along with you. The sick man was Muhammad-b-Magatil, judge of Rayy. When we came near his gate, we looked at his lofty and beautiful palace. Hatem thought for a moment and then said: Is this the condition of the house of a learned man? After permission, we entered the house and found it very beautiful and spacious with carpets spread all over the floor and screens of varied colours hanging. The judge lay down on a oft mattress and a servant was standing with a fan near his head. The merchant asked about his health but Hatem stood silent. Being requested to sit, he did not sit but asked the judge: From whom have you got your learning? He said: From the companions of the Apostle of God. He asked him: From whom did the companions learn? He said: From the Apostle of God, He asked: From whom did the Apostle of God learn? He said: From Gebriel and he learnt from God. Hatem asked: Have you found in their learnings that to God the rank of a man whose palace is high and spacious is grater? He said: No. He asked: What then have you found? The judge said: I found therein that a man who renunciates the world, turns his attention towards the next world, loves the poor and proceeds towards the hereafter has got a great rank near God. Hatem said to the judge: Whom have you followed, prophets or their companions, or the pious men, or Pharaoh and Namrud who erected lofty buildings with bricks? The dishonest learned men like you are fools. Then he went away from that place.

Ibn Maqatil’s sickness became thereafter acute and the inhabitants of Rayy came to know what passed between him and Hatem. They said to Hatem: The palace of Tanafusi and Qazawin is more lofty and spacious. Hatem went there on his own accord and said to Tanafusi: May God have mercy on you! I am a foreigner and I wish that you should teach me the elements of my religion and the particulars of ablution. Tanafusi said: Yes, O lad, bring a pot of water. When it was brought, Tanafusi made ablution and washed each limb thrice and said: This is thus Hatem said: I am making ablution in your presence. Then he began to wash each limb four times. Tanafusi said: O Shaikh, you have been extravagant and washed your hands four times. Hatem said: O glorious God, I have been extravagant for washing my hands four times, but you do not consider yourself extravagant for what you are in all these luxuries. Tanafusi then came to know that he had no necessity of learning from him ablution. Thereafter he did not come out to the people for forty days.

Hatem once went to Bagdad and there Imam Ahmad went to see him and asked him: What will ensure salvation from the world? Hatem said: You are not safe in this world unless you possess four characteristics — (1) overlook the ignorance of man, (2) conceal your ignorance from them, (3) seek their good and (4) don’t seek anything from them.