Aslam

Praise be to Allah.

The faqeeh is the mujtahid who derives shar’i rulings,

explains the principles of sharee’ah and teaches people the rulings of their

religion. The focus of his specialty is the aims and goals of sharee’ah, the

clear verses of the Qur’aan and achieving sound understanding of what Allaah

wants from His slaves.

This is something that can be done by only a few individuals,

because it requires extensive study of the texts, lengthy study and

examination of the words of the scholars, and intelligence in studying real

life situations and applying the rulings of sharee’ah to them.

As for the narrator of hadeeth, he transmits what he hears of

the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him),

and he delivers what he receives with honesty and sincerity. His main

concern is to convey the hadeeth as he heard it by any possible means, but

he does not concern himself with explaining the meaning of the hadeeth or

deriving shar’i rulings from it, or knowledge of what abrogates and what is

abrogated, or what is general and what is specific. Rather his role is

limited to simply transmitting and narrating.

This task requires precision and care in transmission, but it

does not require knowledge of fiqh or the basic principles (usool) of fiqh.

Imam al-A’mash (may Allaah have mercy on him) described the

work of both the faqeeh and the narrator of hadeeth in detail. He said:

“O fuqaha’, you are the doctors and we are the pharmacists.”

End quote.

Naseehah Ahl al-hadeeth li’l-Khateeb al-Baghdadi

(1/45).

It is no secret that the roles of the doctor and pharmacist

are complementary; they cannot do without one another. Both of them are good

and their influence is important. Islam also confirms that both the faqeeh

and the hadeeth narrator are good and will be rewarded by Allaah, but the

faqeeh (the doctor) is of a higher standing, as he pays attention to

understanding and deriving rulings.

Some scholars derived this meaning from the words of the

Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “May Allaah bless

a man who hears a hadeeth from us and memorizes it so that he can convey it

to others, for perhaps he is conveying it to one who will understand it

better than him, and perhaps the one who conveys knowledge does not

understand it himself.” Narrated by Abu Dawood (3660).

Al-Ramahramzi (d. 360 AH) said: The Prophet (peace and

blessings of Allaah be upon him) differentiated between the one who narrates

the Sunnah and the one who understands it, and he indicated that the one who

understands it is superior, by saying “for perhaps he is conveying it to one

who will understand it better than him, and perhaps the one who conveys

knowledge does not understand it himself.” By affirming the virtue of one,

the virtue of the other is automatically affirmed. For example: Maalik ibn

Anas and ‘Ubayd-Allaah al-‘Umari, or between al-Shaafa’i and ‘Abd al-Rahmaan

ibn Mahdi, or between Abu Thawr and Ibn Abi Shaybah. Fair-mindedness leads

you to determine that both are people of knowledge and virtue; this is the

attitude of fair-minded people that is reached by those who have knowledge

of the truth. End quote.

Al-Muhaddith al-Faadil

(1/169-170).

As for the one who combines both qualities, who understands

the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)

and memorizes what he brought of knowledge, and understands the meanings,

and benefits himself and others thereby, these are the best of all types of

people.

It was narrated from Abu Moosa al-Ash’ari (may Allaah be

pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be

upon him) said: “The likeness of the guidance and knowledge with which

Allaah has sent me is that of rain falling upon the earth. Some of it is

good ground which receives the water and brings forth a great deal of

herbage and grass. Some of it is hard but it retains the water, and Allaah

benefits people by it, and they drink it and give it to their animals to

drink and use it for irrigation and grazing. And another part of it is

barren, it does not retain the water or produce herbage. That is the

likeness of one who gains an understanding of the religion of Allaah, and

Allaah benefits him by that with which Allaah has sent me, and he learns and

teaches others; and the likeness of a man who pays no attention to that, and

does not accept the guidance of Allaah with which I have been sent.”

Imam al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

As for the meaning of the hadeeth, it is likening the

guidance that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)

brought to rain. It says that land is of three types, and the same is true

of people.

The first type of land benefits from the rain and comes back

to life after having been dead, and it brings forth herbage from which

people, animals and plants benefit. This is like the first type of people

whom guidance and knowledge reach: such a person memorizes it and his heart

is brought back to life; he acts upon it and teaches others, so he benefits

from it and benefits others.

The second type of land does not benefit from the rain

itself, but it does something good with it, namely holding the water for

others, so people and animals benefit from it. This is like the second type

of people; they have good memories but they do not have deep understanding

or deep insight by means of which they could derive meanings and rulings,

and they do not strive hard in worship. They memorize it and preserve it

until there comes along one who needs it and thirsts for the knowledge that

they have, a scholar who is able to benefit from it. So he takes it and

benefits others by means of that which they conveyed to him.

The third type of land is the barren land that does not

produce any herbage and the like, and does not benefit itself from the

water, and does not retain it so that others may benefit from it. This is

like the third type of people; they do not have good memories or

understanding or insight. If they hear knowledge they do not benefit from it

or preserve it so that others may benefit. End quote.

Sharh Muslim (15/47-48).

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)

likened the knowledge and guidance that he brought to rain, because of what

each of them bring of life, benefit, nourishment, medicine and all things

that are in people’s interests. This is true of both knowledge and rain.

And he likened people’s hearts to the different types of land

on which rain may fall, because the land is the place that retains the rain,

and all kinds of beneficial plants grow, just as the heart understands

knowledge and bears fruit and manifests blessings and benefits.

Then he divided people into three categories, according to

their readiness to memorize and understand its meanings and derive rulings

from it.

1-People with good memories and

good understanding, who understand and comprehend the meanings, and derive

different rulings, wisdom and benefits from it. They are like the land that

absorbs the water, which is the likeness of the memory, and brings forth a

great deal of herbage and grain, which is the likeness of understanding,

knowledge and derivation of rulings. This is the likeness of the one who is

both a haafiz and a faqeeh, the people who both narrate and understand the

hadeeth.

2-People who are able to memorize

and classify reports, but they are not able to understand the meanings or

derive different types of rulings and benefits from them. They are like

those who read and memorize the Qur’aan, paying attention to the letters and

pronunciation, but they are not able to develop a proper understanding of

Allaah, as ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib said: “Except an understanding that Allaah

grants to His slave concerning His Book.” People vary greatly in their

understanding of the texts of the Qur’aan and Sunnah. Perhaps one person may

understand one or two rulings from the text, whereas another may understand

one hundred or two hundred. They are like the land that retains the water

for people so that they may benefit from it, drinking it or giving it to

others to drink or irrigating crops with it.

These two types are blessed, although the former are of

higher status. This is the bounty of Allaah which He gives as He wills, and

Allaah is the Owner of great bounty.

3-Those who have no share of it,

who neither memorize it nor understand it, who neither memorize nor

comprehend it. Rather they are like the land that is barren and dry, which

neither produces herbage nor retains the water.

They are the ones who are doomed. The first two categories

share the qualities of learning and teaching, each according to what it has

accepted as sound and what has reached it. One may know and memorize the

phrases of the Qur’aan, whilst another knows its meanings, rulings and

sciences, but the third category does not know or teach. They are the ones

who neither benefited from the guidance of Allaah or accepted it. They are

worse off than cattle, and they are the fuel of Hell.

This hadeeth also points to the honourable status and lofty

position of knowledge and teaching, and the wretchedness of those who have

no share of it; it mentions different categories of the sons of Adam with

regard to it – who is doomed and who is blessed; and it further divides the

blessed into those who are the foremost (in faith) and those who are among

“those on the Right Hand” (cf. al-Waaqi’ah 56:8).

This indicates that the people’s need for knowledge is like

their need for rain, or even greater. If they lose knowledge then they are

akin to the land that is lacking rain.

Imam Ahmad said: People need knowledge more than they need

food and drink, because they need food and drink once or twice a day, but

they need knowledge with every breath they take. End quote.

Miftaah Daar al-Sa’aadah

(1/65-66).

So how do you stand with regard to all this? What type of

land are you? Are you the type that will benefit itself and others, so that

you memorize and understand, act upon it and teach it to others? Or are you

one who will preserve it for others so that they may benefit, and the one

who points others towards a good deed will be like the one who does it (in

terms of reward)?

We pray that Allaah will protect you. We think that you are

far above being like the barren land which never holds any water or produces

any vegetation, never memorizing or understanding, but appointing yourself

as judge to decide between the two groups!

Look at your aims and goals; strive hard and set high goals

for yourself. Make yourself memorize and understand, and if you are not able

to do some of it, then at least be one who points others towards good deeds,

and does that which is enjoined upon him.

And Allaah knows best.