Keeping Sincere on the path of Knowledge
By Omar Suleiman | 2026-01-06T17:43:01.040083+00:00 | Topic: Knowledge
Keeping Sincere on the Path of Knowledge
Dr. Omar Suleiman | IOU Webinar
Introduction
First of all, I just want to thank the hosts at IOU for including me on this webinar, for inviting me to be a part of a webinar. It is a great honor to be with you all, mashallah, students from around the world. Each one of you is pursuing their Islamic education for different reasons.
Some of you are pursuing it to enhance your career. Some of you are pursuing it just to help yourself understand the religion better. Some of you are reverts that have just started learning these fundamentals of the religion and advancing in your knowledge of the religion.
Some of you have been Muslim for 20, 30 years, and subhanallah, now you're taking this step in your life to actually go further and pursue an Islamic education. This is all beautiful, and it's the timeless value of ilm, the timeless value of knowledge, and the universal value of knowledge to every believer, every Muslim, no matter what status they occupy, and no matter how advanced they are. And there is absolutely no point in our lives when we ever become independent of this knowledge.
The Nature of Islamic Knowledge vs. Secular Knowledge
Now the key difference between seeking Islamic knowledge as opposed to seeking other knowledge, secular knowledge - and I'll talk about the difference between the two inshallah ta'ala in a little bit more detail - but the core difference is that, you know, usually when you study other forms of knowledge, when you go to a university, when you go to a college and you study science or you study accounting or you study biology or the arts, usually you learn what you have to to pass that class, and then the only time you're going to recall that information later on in life is if you're actually going to need it for your practice.
When it comes to Islamic studies, when it comes to the knowledge of this deen, each and every single component, even if it's mustalah al-hadith, even if it's the wordings in hadith, each and every single component, usul al-fiqh, legal matters in the religion, if it's creed, experiential creed and internalizing the creed, if it has to do with fiqh and if it has to do with hadith, if it has to do with any science in this religion, what you do is you study, you internalize, and then you move on.
And you never allow that which you learn to escape your practice. Otherwise, letting it escape your practice is the easiest way to lose that knowledge, just like any other field of knowledge in life.
And so you're going to have the component of teaching it. And teaching it does not necessarily mean teaching it at a university level or giving lectures online. Teaching it to your students who are trying to learn the religion themselves. Teaching it in your own personal halaqa, teaching it at your Muslim student's group, whatever it may be. Part of retaining that knowledge is teaching it. And then the more essential part of that is to practice upon it inshallah ta'ala.
The Foundation: A Hadith About Harmful Ways of Seeking Knowledge
The hadith that I want to get started on right away is a hadith that's narrated by Ibn Mas'ud (radiyallahu ta'ala anhu). In some forms it is mawquf to Ibn Mas'ud (radiyallahu anhu) which means it is narrated as a saying of Ibn Mas'ud and in some ways it's narrated marfu' to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم), it is a saying of the Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم), where we are taught that seeking knowledge in three different ways is detrimental to our lives, that there are three different ways to seek knowledge in a way that will actually be detrimental in our lives.
The Three Harmful Ways
1. To Turn People's Faces Towards You The first of them is to seek knowledge li yasrifa ilayhi wujuh an-nas - to turn people's faces towards you, and that's the major one, to grab the attention of other people, rather than grabbing the attention of Allah.
2. To Argue with Scholars Number two, to argue with people of knowledge. When you want to learn for the sole purpose of going out and arguing with people of knowledge, so that you can start to shame them or so that you can start to put yourself on their level. And it's very easy to discredit a person or a person's life when they've studied for 20-30 years, when you're able to catch them, or in your eyes catch them on one hadith, for example, and you say, hey, look, I've studied this and this is what this hadith means and so on and so forth.
3. To Shame the Ignorant And the third one is to shame the ignorant, to talk down to somebody, to make someone look bad. If a person is addicted to the rush of "gotcha" and being able to put someone in their place, whether it's online or whether it's in real life, then having knowledge in your arsenal, or what you think is knowledge but is really just information, having that in your arsenal can be very dangerous.
The Connection to False Representation
And so we're warned from these three things. And if you notice, all three of them contain the element of riyah (showing off). They contain the element of showing off and trying to gain the attention of other people.
But at the end of the day, as the narration tells us, at that point, you are basically earning your hellfire. You should choose your place in hellfire at that point. Which is really interesting, because there's another authentic hadith, where the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) talks about choosing your place in hell:
(Bukhari 1291, Muslim 3)
"Whoever lies on my behalf intentionally, let him choose his place in hellfire."
How do you tie these two narrations? Both of them are basically guaranteeing a person hellfire. One of them is a lie in the sense of conveying information that is not true on the part of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم). The other involves conveying the right information but for wrong intentions.
Why is that person choosing their place in hellfire? Because in both cases, you are falsely representing the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم). In the case of fabricating information and then attributing it to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم), you are lying in your words - there is (كَذِبٌ بِالْقَوْلِ - lying in speech).
When you stand up and you actually state information that does come from the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم), though you are likely to skew it if you have the wrong intentions, but if you are someone that is conveying factual information, you are conveying an authentic hadith, but for intentions that are not noble, then you are lying in your actions.
You are falsely portraying yourself as a representative of the Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) because (الْعُلَمَاءُ وَرَثَةُ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ - the scholars are the inheritors of the prophets). So in both of these situations, you are falsely representing the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and what the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) brought forth to save humanity.
The Underlying Spiritual Diseases
And when you tie these two things together, what it tells us is that we have a lot of work to do on ourselves. And usually in tazkiyyah, in spirituality, what we find is that one spiritual disease is indicative of another spiritual disease.
Riyah (Showing Off)
If I am, for example, shaming the ignorant, if I am shaming someone who I believe to be beneath me in knowledge by quoting authentic knowledge, then there is obviously the element of riyah that's already been established. The element of showing off and trying to win over the sight of the people is already evident by me carrying out that action.
However, what also may be the case is that I might have a sense of kibr (pride), which is a far worse disease, which is that I find myself superior to that person, that I actually think that I'm superior to that person, the way that shaytan thought that he was superior to Adam (alayhi salaam).
Hasad (Envy) and Other Diseases
Likewise, if I'm arguing with that alim, I might think - because remember, Iblis's problem with Adam (alayhi salaam) was one of pride and one of envy. So it could be that either I find myself more worthy to be in that person's position than that person is, or I envy the position that that person holds. So I have the disease of riyah, and I also have the disease of hasad (envy).
And of course, turning people's faces towards me - riyah is often a sign of having a true spiritual void inside of you. When you haven't tasted the sweetness of acting solely for the sake of Allah (jalla jalālahu), then you will crave attention from other people.
When you don't know what it's like to do things solely for the sake of Allah (jalla jalālahu), and get the attention from Allah (jalla jalālahu), and the gratification does not come in the form of an announcement, it doesn't come in the form of an award, it doesn't come in the form of a trophy, there's no monetary appreciation, or it's not shown at least, you don't get a certificate. But knowing that you are acting for your Creator, and knowing that your Creator is the one that's watching you at that moment, that is far more gratifying than anything that can be presented to you in this world. But if you haven't experienced that, then you're going to crave attention from other people quite naturally.
And so that's a problem that we have here. And riyah, which is what the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) called (الشِّرْكُ الْخَفِيُّ - the hidden shirk), manifests itself in our lives in various ways.
Practical Signs: How to Detect Sincerity vs. Insincerity
The Difference in How We Listen
So it corrupts our ilm, it corrupts our knowledge, because when we pursue knowledge, I'll tell you the core difference between a person that is sitting and studying for the sake of Allah (jalla jalālahu), as opposed to a person that is studying for the sake of people.
If a person is studying for the sake of Allah (jalla jalālahu), and they're listening to a lecture, or they're reading a book, and they're coming across information that is, for example, an admonishment from the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم), or from Allah (jalla jalālahu) in the Quran, or they come across a story:
When you come across that story, is the first thought that goes through your mind, "How does that apply to me? Am I guilty of the same elements that the party that was being admonished in the story was guilty of?" So you actually start to reflect, as you are listening, as you are hearing, on your own self, on your own life. You actually start to internalize it immediately.
If you're studying for the sake of gaining attention, and if you're really out there just to gain some sort of approval, then more likely what you're doing is you're saying, "Ah, that's a cool detail that I bet no one has heard before. I bet no one has heard this story before. I can't wait to tell this story again."
And so one person is listening with their heart, because they're internalizing the story, or they're internalizing the hadith, or they're internalizing the ayah, or the great aqwal of the salaf, the great
statements of our pious predecessors. And they're thinking about it in their own lives. And then later on when they come to teach, when they come to give that lesson, they give it after having processed it with their hearts.
So they give that sincere advice in return, after they received the sincere advice with their hearts. But some people, right, they might be listening to those stories, listening to those ahadith, and it doesn't go past their minds and their tongues. It never gets processed by the heart, but instead you're already thinking about how to embellish the story, and embellish the hadith, or embellish that ayah or that statement, so that you can give it in a better way, in a way that's going to impact people.
That's very problematic. And again, it starts with readjusting your attitude.
Practical Solutions for Maintaining Sincerity
1. Study Without Recognition
Number one, you have to learn things and apply things without having any recognition for them whatsoever. So there have to be things in your life. You don't just study to teach, because that's very dangerous, but sometimes you study to apply.
You study to practice. So if the only time you read and you study is to put yourself in a position, is to pursue something of this world, when there is an incentive, then that can be quite insincere.
So at times, for example, I'm going to read the Quran, not to extract a tafsir, I'm going to read the Quran to contemplate and do tadabbur, and do tafakkur, and to really have moments of reflection and introspection.
At times, I'm going to read the seerah of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم), not because I need to prepare a lesson on the seerah of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم), but because I just want to have some moments alone with the Prophet's (صلى الله عليه وسلم) seerah.
This becomes very difficult when you are in a position of presenting frequently, almost perpetually presenting, where you no longer read for your own benefit, but you only read for the benefit of others. That's very dangerous, because a lot of times we move straight from learning to preaching, as opposed to learning, practicing and preaching.
2. Apply What You Learn
Number two, especially when you come across acts of worship, and very tangible actions, you really need to find a way to put an effort to apply that in some capacity.
Look, can I not teach about Qiyam al-Layl, for example, if I don't pray Qiyam al-Layl? You should not be teaching about Qiyam al-Layl if you're not applying yourself to include some aspect of Qiyam in your life.
So what that means is, it doesn't mean that I have to be praying all night long to teach the example of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) about his praying all night long, but at least I should have an effort, I should have the intention, I should be trying to apply myself, even if it's not happening, but I should be trying to apply myself, to have some aspect of that in my own life before I preach it to others.
The Example of Imam Hassan al-Basri
There's a very famous incident with Imam Hassan al-Basri (rahimahullah), where Imam Hassan al-Basri was informed about the multitude of slaves, and so he was asked to give a khutbah about the virtue of freeing slaves. And he agreed to it, he saw the problem, he identified that there was a problem in society, and that slaves needed to be freed, and Muslims needed to apply the sunnah of freeing slaves.
And he agreed to it, and he agreed that he would give a khutbah about it, that he would mention it from the minbar. So the khutbah came, and the people that advised him about that, they heard nothing of that sort. Then the next khutbah came, and they heard nothing of that sort.
Then the third khutbah, Imam Hassan al-Basri gave this khutbah, and he encouraged the people to free their slaves. And subhanAllah, when he gave that advice and he encouraged the people to free their slaves, people were freeing slaves right and left. So the streets were filled with freed slaves.
And he was asked why he waited for three weeks to give that khutbah, when he saw the need three weeks ago. And he said that, I myself didn't own a slave, I didn't have one, nor did I have the money to free a slave. So subhanAllah, he took on an extra effort to go and earn some money so that he could free a slave, so that when he stands up and he preaches, there is some level of practice.
3. Avoid Constant Argumentation
The third thing, and this is very, very, very important, because if you realize two of the three things in the hadith that I started off with, there were three things: turning people towards you, turning people's faces towards you, shaming the ignorance, and arguing with the scholar. Two-thirds of that narration include arguments, argumentation, al-jidal.
Argumentation is not something that a person should pursue. A person should not busy themselves in constant argumentation, in constant bickering, in constant negativity.
SubhanAllah, Allah (azza wa jalla) refers to the society before Islam as a society of jahiliyyah, as a society of ignorance, the days of ignorance. And ilm came, knowledge came, and it was nur, and it was a light. So the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is coming with the message that he came with, and with the example to show us how to apply that message - it is an era of light. It is a light for this world.
How then can knowledge bring us back to the aspects of jahiliyyah, to the days of ignorance? So the traits of jahiliyyah cannot come from knowledge, from true, sincere, authentic knowledge.
And that's why Imam Ahmad (rahimahullah) was asked about a very famous man by the name of Bishr al-Hafi. He was asked about him, and he was told he's not even a scholar. Imam Ahmad (rahimahullah) said, but he has the fruit, the fruit of knowledge, which is humility. The fruit of knowledge is humility.
Knowledge is not supposed to make you more arrogant. Knowledge is not supposed to make you more argumentative. Knowledge is not to give you pride and riyah and showing off. If that is the case, it is not knowledge, it is ignorance that's disguised with information.
The Quranic Warning Against Hypocrisy in Teaching
In Surah Al-Baqarah, Allah says:
"Do you order righteousness of the people and forget yourselves while you recite the Scripture? Then will you not reason?" (Quran 2:44)
Realize Allah, in this ayah in Surah Al-Baqarah, as one of the great mufassireen pointed out, Allah used the quality of forgetfulness, nisyan. You forgot. You forgot yourself. Not that you are slacking, or you're lagging behind yourself, but you've actually forgotten yourself. You're not even thinking about yourself anymore.
When you tell other people to do things, you are completely ignoring your own self, and your own practice, and your own spirituality. (تَنْسَوْنَ أَنْفُسَكُمْ وَأَنْتُمْ تَتْلُونَ الْكِتَابَ - tansawna anfusakum wa antum tatluna al-kitab) "And you're reciting the book, don't you think?"
Then Allah calls you to an action:
"And seek help through patience and prayer." (Quran 2:45)
Apply yourself in patience and prayer. And in some interpretations, sabr here is fasting. So force yourself into fasting and prayer. Increase in your ibadah. Increase in your acts of worship.
So Allah is saying, don't forget yourself when you talk to other people, in whatever capacity that is. Whether you're lecturing your family, or you're lecturing your brothers or your sisters, don't forget yourself. You should at least be consciously thinking about how to apply this yourself, even if you're not applying it at the moment.
The Intention Behind Seeking Knowledge
The Danger of Fame as a Goal
It is not valid for a person, it is not good for a person to say: if someone comes to me and says "I want to study" and I say "why do you want to study?" And they say "so I can give lectures to thousands of people."
You're already getting it wrong. If your intention from the start is to lecture large groups of people and to become famous as a result of your knowledge, you're already getting it wrong. Because the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:
(Abu Dawud 3664)
"He who does not acquire knowledge with the sole intention of pleasing Allah will not even smell the scent of Paradise." (Abu Dawud 3664)
Quality Over Quantity
There's no doubt. There's virtue in teaching. But remember, in our religion and in the way that we understand our faith, it's not about quantity. It's about quality. So when it comes to good deeds, Allah says in Surah Al-Mulk:
"That He may test you [to see] which of you is best in deed." (Quran 67:2)
Not أَكْثَرُ عَمَلًا (most in deed). Not who will have the most good deeds. Who will have the best good deeds.
أَحْسَنُ is different from أَكْثَرُ - "best" is different from "most."
The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) told us that Allah would reward a good deed from ten to seven hundred times to whatever Allah wills. So if I'm teaching one person, one person for the sake of Allah, purely for the sake of Allah, to connect that person to Allah, and I'm very sincere in that, I could be getting the reward because Allah could multiply that good deed millions and millions and billions of times, I could be getting the reward of a person that teaches millions of people.
It doesn't require you to have a large audience. And if you get upset and you get demoralized, or you feel demoralized when you don't find your audience growing, then that's a problem that you have. Because
then it's not about pleasing Allah. It's about pleasing your own self. It's about getting your own rush. So the size of your audience should not matter to you.
The Morning Blessing
The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) says:
(Ahmad 7939, Tirmidhi 1212)
"Allah has blessed my nation in its morning hours." (Ahmad 7939, Tirmidhi 1212)
We have barakah in our morning hours. Make use of the time in the morning. Make use of your early mornings inshallah ta'ala. Even before work if you can. Between Salat al-Fajr and Dhuha if you can. Between Salat al-Fajr and the sunrise. Between Fajr and work.
The Effect of Sins on Knowledge
And this is the famous poem of Imam al-Shafi'i (rahimahullah):
"I complained to Waki' about the weakness of my memory, So he told me to quit sinning. And he told me that knowledge is light, And the light of Allah is not given to a disobedient person."
So sins do affect our pursuit of knowledge, there's no doubt about it. They corrupt the heart, which is the vessel that truly absorbs that knowledge. So a person should quit sinning, a person should try, and we're inevitably going to sin in some ways, but a person should try to purify themselves.
The Three Elements of Worldly Good
In conclusion, Allah tells us in the Quran to seek the best of this world and the best of the next:
"Our Lord, give us in this world [that which is] good and in the next world [that which is] good and protect us from the punishment of the Fire." (Quran 2:201)
Imam Hassan al-Basri (rahimahullah) says al-hasanah fi'd-dunya (goodness in this world) is three things:
- (عِلْمٌ نَافِعٌ - Ilmun nafi') - Beneficial knowledge
- (رِزْقٌ طَيِّب - Rizqun tayyib) - Pure halal sustenance
- (عَمَلٌ مُتَقَبَّلُ - 'Amalun mutaqabbal) - Accepted good deeds
We ask Allah for beneficial knowledge, knowledge that is acquired through sincerity, knowledge that causes us to contemplate on our own selves, knowledge that we teach to the people in a beautiful way and that allows them to apply it within their capacity as well. Knowledge that will lead us to the path of Jannah and not lead us away from Jannah.
Knowledge that will purify our hearts and not increase the diseases within our hearts. We ask Allah to give us pure halal sustenance, sustenance that will take care of us, sustain us and our family, sustenance that does not have any haram in it.
And we ask Allah to give us 'amalun mutaqabbal, to give us accepted good deeds. Deeds that He sees sincerity in, deeds that He is pleased with, deeds that are in accordance with the sunnah of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), that don't contain any form of innovation or any form of deviance within our hearts.
Allahumma ameen
May Allah accept from everyone and may Allah allow us to grow. And may Allah allow the best of our deeds to be the last of them and the best of our states to be the last of them inshallah. So that hopefully we leave this world in (حُسْنِ الْخِتَام - husn al-khitam), in the best of endings and in the best of spiritual states and the best of states in regards to our character and our practice and our knowledge.
Jazakumullahu khayran