Chapter I: Acquisition of Knowledge
the period, her husband came to the physician and said that his wife did not die. The physician said: Now cobabit with her arid you will get an issue. He asked: How will it be? The physician said: I saw that the woman was too fat and that grease was blocking her uterus and that it could not be removed except by fear of death. Then she became lean and fit for conception. It is gathered from this story that ignorance is sometimes good.
Ignorance of some branches of knowledge is good and it will be clear from the following Hadis of the Holy Prophet. He said: I seek refuge to God from useless knowledge.
So don't discuss about those learning which have been declared by Shariat as useless. There are many things which, if inquired into, will do harm.
SECOND MATTER
CHANGE OF THE MEANINGS OF SOME WORDS CONNECTED WITH KNOWLEDGE.
The people have changed the original meanings of the words Fiqh, Ilm, Tauhid, Tazkir and Hekmat and have given them the meanings of their own. As a result, they have become now blameworthy.
FIQH (religious learning). It has now the meaning of the science of unusual legal cases, mystery of the minutest details of jurisprudence and excessive debates on them. The man who gives attention to such a science is called now Faqih or jurisprudent. In the first century, it had a different meaning. It was a science of the path of the hereafter and knowledge of the beneficial and harmful matters of soul, knowledge of the meanings of the Quran and. the domination of God fear over the heart. This is proved by the words of God in the following verse that they may be expert in religion and may warn their people when they come back to them-9:193. Fiqh or jurisprudence is that which gives such a warning and fear rather than the details of divorce, manumission, rental etc. God says: They have got hearts but they do not understand therewith-2:178. Those who were present before the Prophet did not know the details of laws.
Someone asked Sa'ad-b-Ibrahim: Who is the greatest Faqih in Medina? He said: He who fears God most. This points out to the result of Fiqh. The Prophet once said: Shall I not inform you
46 THE BOOK OF WORSHIP Vol-I