Sharh Riyad as-Saliheen by Ibn Uthaymeen — Volume 4 (شرح رياض الصالحين) — Page 122

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

لَكِنَّ أُمُورَ الْآخِرَةِ بَاقِيَةٌ، فَلِمَاذَا تَجْعَلُ الْعِلْمَ الشَّرْعِيَّ الَّذِي هُوَ مِنْ أَجَلِّ الْعِبَادَاتِ وَأَفْضَلِ الْعِبَادَاتِ سُلَّمًا لِتَنَالَ بِهِ عَرَضًا مِنَ الدُّنْيَا؟

The affairs of the Hereafter are everlasting. Why, then, would you use sacred knowledge—one of the most noble and excellent forms of worship—as a means to acquire worldly gain?

إِنَّ هَذَا سَفَهٌ فِي الْعَقْلِ وَضَلَالٌ فِي الدِّينِ، لَا بُدَّ أَنْ تَجْعَلَ الْعِلْمَ الشَّرْعِيَّ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَلِحِمَايَةِ شَرِيعَتِهِ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى، وَرَفْعِ الْجَهْلِ عَنْ نَفْسِكَ وَعَنْ إِخْوَانِكَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ، وَلِلدَّلَالَةِ عَلَى الْهُدَى، وَلِتَنَالَ مِيرَاثَ النَّبِيِّ، لِأَنَّ الْعُلَمَاءَ وَرَثَةُ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ، نَسْأَلُ اللَّهَ أَنْ يُخْلِصَ لَنَا وَلَكُمْ النِّيَّةَ وَيُصْلِحَ الْعَمَلَ إِنَّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ.

This is intellectual folly and religious error. You must dedicate sacred knowledge to Allah, the Almighty, to protect His Sharia, and to dispel ignorance from yourself and your fellow Muslims. Use it to point the way to guidance and to claim the inheritance of the Prophet, for scholars are the heirs of the prophets. We ask Allah to purify our intentions and yours, and to set our deeds aright, for He has power over all things.

وَعَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرِو بْنِ الْعَاصِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ يَقُولُ: «إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَقْبِضُ الْعِلْمَ انْتِزَاعًا يَنْتَزِعُهُ مِنَ النَّاسِ، وَلَكِنْ يَقْبِضُ الْعِلْمَ بِقَبْضِ الْعُلَمَاءِ، حَتَّى إِذَا لَمْ يُبْقِ عَالِمًا، اتَّخَذَ النَّاسُ رُؤُوسًا جُهَّالًا، فَسُئِلُوا فَأَفْتَوْا بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ، فَضَلُّوا وَأَضَلُّوا»، مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْهِ.

Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-Aas (may Allah be pleased with both) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah say, 'Allah does not strip knowledge away from the people by snatching it from them. Rather, He takes it away by taking the lives of the scholars. When no scholar remains, people will turn to ignorant leaders. These leaders will be asked questions and will issue rulings without knowledge, leading themselves and others astray.' This is a consensus-based hadith.

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Vocabulary · المفردات (22 verbs · 54 nouns)

• جَعَلَ — to make
• نَالَ — to obtain
• سَأَلَ — to ask
• أَمْر — matter
• آخِرَة — afterlife
• عِلْم — knowledge