Aslam

The Opposing qualities are praise-worthy and the fountain heads of all good deeds. To know their real nature belongs to the Science of the hereafter and to know it is compulsory on the part of a learned man of the hereafter. Whoever turns away from it will be destroyed in the hands of the King of kings just as anybodygoing against the temporal rulers arid the la ws of a state would be destroyed. The attention of the jurisprudents with respect to the compulsory sciences is towards the world and the attention of these people is towards the good of the hereafter. If

Vol-I KNOWLEDGE 37

any Faqih is asked about sincerity, God-reliance etc., he would make delay in reply, but as soon as he is asked about divorce arid other matters, he will at once reply and deal with' subtle intricacies.

Among the learned men of practical sciences, those who are God fearing keep attached to the learned men of secret sciences.
As a student sits in school, so Imam Shafeyi used to sty near Shaiban Ray and ask him: How shall I do this work? The people asked Imam Shafeyi: Are you asking questions to a Beduin? He said: T^is man has learnt what we have not learnt. Imarn Ahmad-b-Hambal and Ihya- b-Mayen could not agree on a certajn matter and they therefore went to Maruf Karkhi who was not equal to them in the science of practical religion. They said, to him: The Prophet said: What will you do when yqu will not find a matter in the Quran and Sunnah? He said: Ask the pious men among you and consult them in this matter . We have come to you for this.

Someone saidi The learned men of exoteric knowledge are the ornaments of the world and the state but the learned men of exoteric knowledge are the ornaments of the kingdom and angles. Hazrat Jun'ajd said: My spiritual guide said tq me once:
With whpm do you keep company when you leave my house? I said: I keep company with Mohabasi. He said: Yes, fojjow his knowledge and manner but avoid the subtleties of hj$ scholastic theology and return it to him. When I left him, I heard him say:
May God make yqu first a Muhaddis (traditionist) and then an ascetic (Sufi), but not nrst an ascetic and then a traditionist. Its meaning is that he should acquire first the science of tradition and learning and then become an ascetic and he will fhen get salvation, but he who becomes an ascetic before acquisition of knowledge throws himself into faults.

As to Philosophy, it is not a single branch of science but comprises four subjects. The first subject includes Geometry and Arithmetic, both of which are permissible for those who are firm in faith. The second subject is Logic which is a science of reason, and it states proof, reason and cause. Both these are included within theology. The third subject is the science of Sufism or the science of His being and attritutes of God. This is also included within theology. The fourth subject is Physics of which some

38 THE BOOK OF WORSHIP Vol-I