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Unit 1 · Lesson 1 of 7

Knowledge Is Worship

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Lesson Content

Knowledge is worship: it needs sincerity and following the Sunna, and its fruit is the fear of Allah.

Watch the lesson video first, then study this sheet. It holds everything you need for the lesson quiz and the final exam.

Main points

  • Bakr Abū Zayd calls "knowledge is worship" the root of all roots of the Ḥilya (p. 3).
  • Every act of worship has two conditions: ikhlāṣ (why I learn) and mutābaʿa (what I learn and from whom).
  • Sincerity is broken by seeking fame, rank, money, praise and announcing what one has learned (tasmīʿ).
  • The fruit of beneficial knowledge is khashya: knowledge that reaches the heart brings the fear of Allah (Ibn Rajab, p. 81).
  • Knowledge on the tongue is Allah's proof against its owner; knowledge in the heart is beneficial (al-Ḥasan, Bayān p. 88).

Key words

ArabicTermMeaning
إِخْلَاصIkhlāṣSincerity: doing it for Allah alone
مُتَابَعَةMutābaʿaFollowing the Prophet ﷺ
خَشْيَةKhashyaFear of Allah filled with awe
رِيَاءRiyāʾDoing a deed to be seen
تَسْمِيعTasmīʿTelling people what you learned so they hear
مُرَاقَبَةMurāqabaRemembering that Allah sees you

Key concepts

Two kinds of knowledgeOn the tongue: a proof against you. In the heart: beneficial knowledge.
Three kinds of scholarKnows Allah and His commands (most complete); knows Allah only; knows the commands only (Bayān p. 89).
The hired mournerSame words, same tears: one from the heart, one paid for (Ḥilya p. 3).

Key ayat, ahadith and sayings

وَمَا أُمِرُوا إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ"And they were not commanded except to worship Allah, sincere to Him in religion."al-Bayyina 98:5
إِنَّمَا يَخْشَى اللَّهَ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ الْعُلَمَاءُ"Only those fear Allah, from among His servants, who have knowledge."Fāṭir 35:28
إِنَّمَا الْأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ"Actions are only by intentions."ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb; al-Bukhārī, Muslim
مَا عَالَجْتُ شَيْئًا أَشَدَّ عَلَيَّ مِنْ نِيَّتِي"I have never dealt with anything harder for me than my own intention."Sufyān al-Thawrī; Ḥilya p. 3

Knowledge is worship. Its proof is not a certificate but khashya.

Quiz

8 questions

Test your understanding of this lesson.

1. What does Bakr Abū Zayd call "the root of all roots" of the Ḥilya?
2. What are the two conditions of every act of worship, including seeking knowledge?
3. A student tells his friends after every lesson how many pages he has memorized, so that they hear it. What do the scholars call this?
4. According to Ibn Rajab, what is the particular fruit of beneficial knowledge?
5. Al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī said knowledge is of two kinds. Which knowledge is "Allah's proof against the son of Ādam"?
6. What did Sufyān al-Thawrī say was the hardest thing he ever dealt with?
7. Match each term to its meaning.
Items
Ikhlāṣ
Mutābaʿa
Khashya
Murāqaba
Matches
Fear of Allah filled with awe
Doing it for Allah alone
Following the Prophet ﷺ
Remembering that Allah sees you
8. Put the three kinds of scholar in order, from the most complete to the least.
Knows Allah and knows His commands
Knows Allah but not His commands
Knows the commands but not Allah
Drag items here in correct order

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