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"It is indeed not my intention to discourage
young Muslims from the pursuit of knowledge and
learning. To learn is an obligation which is
enjoined upon us from the cradle to the grave. But
what I intend to emphasize here is that however broad
their learning and knowledge may be, they are
bound to heed those who are specialized. The Sharee`ah
has various interdisciplinary branches and usool which
these young Muslims are incapable of knowing and
comprehending and for which they neither have the time
nor the means. Furthermore, I feel obliged to point
out that I do not approve of the tendency
of some youths who abandon the colleges in which they
have enrolled, and in which they have made good
progress and are expected to do well, and seek to
specialize in Sharee`ah. Such people ignore the fact
that to pursue knowledge - and to excel in any
discipline - is fard kifaayah: a collective
obligation. It should also be observed that the
competition between Muslims and non-Muslims for
mastery of the secular sciences is at its highest.
When a Muslim seeks to learn, to excel, and acquire
insight into such sciences for the sake of Allah (SWT)
he is actually performing `ibaadah and jihaad.
Let us remember that when the divine message was
revealed to the
Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam), his earlier
companions had
various professions. The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi
wa sallam) did not aks them to give up their work and
devote themselves to the
study of Islam, except, of course, those who were
entrusted with a
special mission and who had to adjust themselves to
its fulfillment. What I honestly fear is that the
tendency to give up pursueing other disciplines in
order to study and master Sharee`ah may be motivated
by an unconscious covert desire for popularity,
ostentation, and leadership, especially in meetings,
debates and
seminars. Such a desire is not easy to detect, because
Satan has
countless means and inlets into the human soul which
is vulnerable
to temptation, unless that individual is constantly
alert. This means that we should carefully investigate
our thoughts, motivations and strategies; we should
constantly try to find out whether these are impelled
by mundane or spiritual goals. Self-deception is a
snare which confuses motives and blurs clarity of
vision. We should never tire of reminding ourselves of
this Quranic verse: "Whoever holds firmly to
Allah will be shown a Way that is straight"
[3:101].
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