From a lecture by Sheikh Omar Bakri Muhammad [April 2008]
The ulema are in the hadith, “wa rasatul anbiyyah” (the inheritors of the prophet), and it is quite a noble position and status, for someone to be conveying what the prophets brought.
There are two types of ulema:
1) Waratun naboowah: those who inherit the prophethood
Allah with them preserves the deen and the ummah
2) Those who follow the path of the priests and rabbi’s
They cause mischief in the deen and trade with it a small price.
That is why the salaf and classical scholars used to warn the people from the second category and those who stand outside the gates of the rulers.
Abdullah Ibn Masoud, Sufyan at thawri and Hudayfah bin Yamaan said, “Be careful from those scholars who stand in front of the gates of the ruler.”
Another saying which is famous among the salaf is, “If you see a scholar at the gates of the ruler watch out and save your deen from him.” And, “They do not take any share from the dunya unless they pay for it twice from their own deeds.” Recorded in Kitaab Niyhatul Irad, by Imam Abshihi and Kitaab Al Aqd al Fareed.
Why? Because it is compromising the deen.
Why the rulers give money to the scholars:
a) to gain his praise
b) to gain his silence
From that angle the inheritors of the prophets like Abu Hanifah, Imam Nawawi, Imam Shaafi, Imam Malik etc. those ulema they are those whom Allah has preserved by their deeds. And there is another type of aalim who goes down on the path of the priests and rabbi’s and starts to save money and hold the gold and silver.
And Allah described those people saying, “O believers there are a lot of priests and rabbis they eat the wealth of the people in a haram way, those who divert people from knowing the right path, those who hoard the gold and silver and do not spend it for the sake of Allah, give them the glad tidings of a severe punishment.” [EMQ 9:34]
Imam Ahmed said, “The one who starts to follow the prey he will lose a lot of good time and the one who lives in a village he will be a man that neglects his duties and the one who goes to the rulers he will have fitnah.”
Imam Ahmed also said, “The one who comes closer to the ruler he will become further to Allah.”
By Allah if the aalim was good even the lions and tigers will be terrified from him.
The conclusion is the following: if the aalim is rabbani (fears Allah) he will be respected and there will be no pharoah’s and they will be terrified. If he is a corrupted aalim then the people of the heavens and earth will hate him.
Imam Uzaai said, “The graveyard complains to Allah from the foul smell of the bodies of the kuffar and that the cemetery cannot take it anymore, Allah revealed to the grave and said, “The bellies of the bad scholars are fouler than that smell.””
Imam Uzaai is a great Imam and aalim and he quote the hadith of Muhammad (saw), “On the day of judgement they will bring a man who will be thrown in the hell-fire and all his insides will come out of his tummy and he will go around with that discharge like the donkey goes round a grinder. And the people will say, “O man didn’t we enter jannah from the knowledge you teach us?” And he will reply, “Yes, I used to command good and never used to do it and I used to forbid evil and I used to do it.”
Allah says, “Recite upon them about the one whom we gave the knowledge and then he left it. If We wished we could have elevated him with that knowledge, but he chose to stick to the dunya, but his example is like a dog, if you go to him he pants but if you leave he pants.” That is an example of a parable of those who disbelieve in Allah.” [EMQ Araf: 175]
So Allah told that whether he relaxes or not he is always panting.
The people of ilm if they keep it and protect it and do not distort it and convey and act upon it the ilm will protect them, but if they do not there will be nothing that will protect them.
If they elevate the ilm the ilm will elevate them and if they humiliate the ilm the ilm will humiliate them.
Imam Ahmed would always reject any gifts sent to him and would say, “I do not want any favour given to me (in case it is used against me).”
Imam Ahmed sent his own son to buy bread and when the one who owned the shop asked him who he was he said, “I am the so and so son of Imam Ahmed.” And instead to put food on the plate he filled a piece of bread with silver and gold and said take it to him. Imam Ahmed opened it and found the gold and silver and told his son to return it and the owner asked why and his son replied, “My father does not take gifts from the people because he does not feel he is entitled for it.”
He never wanted to receive gifts because he was afraid that people may say he gave a certain fataawah because of a gift he received.
Imam Ahmed said, “Have zuhd (not wanting to attain something) in the dunya and Allah will love you and have zuhd about anything the people have in their own hands and the people will love you.”
At the time of Imam Ahmed the Khalifah Ma’mun adopted that the Qur’an was created and he brought Imam Ahmed and found that he differed and said he would be punished if he did not stop and then he passed away and Khalifah Mu’tasim came into power and even tortured Imam Ahmed because he believed the Qur’an was not created. Khalifah Al Waathiq Billah succeeded Mu’tasim.
Imam Ahmed spent 18 months in prison because of his stance.
N.B. Al Waathiq eventually retracted from this opinion.
The ulema are in the hadith, “wa rasatul anbiyyah” (the inheritors of the prophet), and it is quite a noble position and status, for someone to be conveying what the prophets brought.
There are two types of ulema:
1) Waratun naboowah: those who inherit the prophethood
Allah with them preserves the deen and the ummah
2) Those who follow the path of the priests and rabbi’s
They cause mischief in the deen and trade with it a small price.
That is why the salaf and classical scholars used to warn the people from the second category and those who stand outside the gates of the rulers.
Abdullah Ibn Masoud, Sufyan at thawri and Hudayfah bin Yamaan said, “Be careful from those scholars who stand in front of the gates of the ruler.”
Another saying which is famous among the salaf is, “If you see a scholar at the gates of the ruler watch out and save your deen from him.” And, “They do not take any share from the dunya unless they pay for it twice from their own deeds.” Recorded in Kitaab Niyhatul Irad, by Imam Abshihi and Kitaab Al Aqd al Fareed.
Why? Because it is compromising the deen.
Why the rulers give money to the scholars:
a) to gain his praise
b) to gain his silence
From that angle the inheritors of the prophets like Abu Hanifah, Imam Nawawi, Imam Shaafi, Imam Malik etc. those ulema they are those whom Allah has preserved by their deeds. And there is another type of aalim who goes down on the path of the priests and rabbi’s and starts to save money and hold the gold and silver.
And Allah described those people saying, “O believers there are a lot of priests and rabbis they eat the wealth of the people in a haram way, those who divert people from knowing the right path, those who hoard the gold and silver and do not spend it for the sake of Allah, give them the glad tidings of a severe punishment.” [EMQ 9:34]
Imam Ahmed said, “The one who starts to follow the prey he will lose a lot of good time and the one who lives in a village he will be a man that neglects his duties and the one who goes to the rulers he will have fitnah.”
Imam Ahmed also said, “The one who comes closer to the ruler he will become further to Allah.”
By Allah if the aalim was good even the lions and tigers will be terrified from him.
The conclusion is the following: if the aalim is rabbani (fears Allah) he will be respected and there will be no pharoah’s and they will be terrified. If he is a corrupted aalim then the people of the heavens and earth will hate him.
Imam Uzaai said, “The graveyard complains to Allah from the foul smell of the bodies of the kuffar and that the cemetery cannot take it anymore, Allah revealed to the grave and said, “The bellies of the bad scholars are fouler than that smell.””
Imam Uzaai is a great Imam and aalim and he quote the hadith of Muhammad (saw), “On the day of judgement they will bring a man who will be thrown in the hell-fire and all his insides will come out of his tummy and he will go around with that discharge like the donkey goes round a grinder. And the people will say, “O man didn’t we enter jannah from the knowledge you teach us?” And he will reply, “Yes, I used to command good and never used to do it and I used to forbid evil and I used to do it.”
Allah says, “Recite upon them about the one whom we gave the knowledge and then he left it. If We wished we could have elevated him with that knowledge, but he chose to stick to the dunya, but his example is like a dog, if you go to him he pants but if you leave he pants.” That is an example of a parable of those who disbelieve in Allah.” [EMQ Araf: 175]
So Allah told that whether he relaxes or not he is always panting.
The people of ilm if they keep it and protect it and do not distort it and convey and act upon it the ilm will protect them, but if they do not there will be nothing that will protect them.
If they elevate the ilm the ilm will elevate them and if they humiliate the ilm the ilm will humiliate them.
Imam Ahmed would always reject any gifts sent to him and would say, “I do not want any favour given to me (in case it is used against me).”
Imam Ahmed sent his own son to buy bread and when the one who owned the shop asked him who he was he said, “I am the so and so son of Imam Ahmed.” And instead to put food on the plate he filled a piece of bread with silver and gold and said take it to him. Imam Ahmed opened it and found the gold and silver and told his son to return it and the owner asked why and his son replied, “My father does not take gifts from the people because he does not feel he is entitled for it.”
He never wanted to receive gifts because he was afraid that people may say he gave a certain fataawah because of a gift he received.
Imam Ahmed said, “Have zuhd (not wanting to attain something) in the dunya and Allah will love you and have zuhd about anything the people have in their own hands and the people will love you.”
At the time of Imam Ahmed the Khalifah Ma’mun adopted that the Qur’an was created and he brought Imam Ahmed and found that he differed and said he would be punished if he did not stop and then he passed away and Khalifah Mu’tasim came into power and even tortured Imam Ahmed because he believed the Qur’an was not created. Khalifah Al Waathiq Billah succeeded Mu’tasim.
Imam Ahmed spent 18 months in prison because of his stance.
N.B. Al Waathiq eventually retracted from this opinion.
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