UmmHamzah
03-05-09, 10:46 PM
My brothers, the raising and nurturing of individuals does not take place through institutes. Even though there are people who graduate from these institutes who end up being splendid examples, this is not because of the academic education that they receive, even though this education does have an effect. Rather, it is because of his being affected by one of his professors at this institute. He absorbs his religious practice from him before he absorbs any education. He absorbs his cautiousness before he absorbs his knowledge. He is nurtured by his hands before he looks to the books that are held in his hands.
This is why 'Abdullah bin al-Mubarak (may Allah have Mercy upon him) said: "We spent thirty years learning manners, and we spent twenty years learning knowledge,"– the divine manners that are acquired by physically living with these people while the soul is connected to Allah. When these people use the divine scales, Allah uses them to protect society, repel trials from the Earth, make our lives firm and upright, and descend victory and provision to the people.
So long as these examples exist, and so long as those who are like them remain who have become few in our times, so we will see the likes of the righteous Salaf in our times. Because of this, you see upon their faces and in their words the traces of the salihin. You see such wisdom and religiousness that it is as if it came straight from the lamp of Prophethood, as if it were a ray of light that was brought by the Messenger of Allah (sallalahu 'alayhi wasallam). This wisdom was cared for and preserved by the Salaf just as a country might care for its gold in relation to paper money. What is the value of paper money if there is no value for gold, or if there is no economic strength that would give this piece of paper some value in the daily dealings between individuals in societies?
So, they would count in their battles: 'How many of the participants of Badr remain with us? How many of the participants in Uhud are with us? How many from the Trench are with us?' Then, after the entire generation of the Companions went to their Lord, they would say: 'Who is with us who saw the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (sallalahu 'alayhi wasallam)?' They would ask who of the Tabi'in had seen with his own eyes a single individual from this unique generation that was raised by the two noble hands of the Prophethood.
Armies do not win, societies do not thrive, and lives are not perfected except with an abundance of such people. If they are plenty within the society, this is a sign of the help of the Lord of the worlds, and an indication of His Pleasure with this society. As much as a ruler keeps such people around him - consulting them, accepting their decisions, abiding by their teachings – the more that good, tranquility, and security will spread firmly in the society. This is why 'Umar would advise all leaders to surround themselves with the Qur'an recitors and the worshippers. We see that the ruler would have satellites revolving around him: satellites of scholars who would never stopped remembering Allah, never ceased seeking His Forgiveness, and whose sides would never touch a bed since they were remembering their Lord at night while sitting and standing, and they would bring about victory with their supplication. This is how the righteous leaders were. They would surround themselves with their consultants, their scholars, their chosen companions, the best of them who they would live with just as the student would live with his teacher. They would forget that they were rulers or leaders. They held in their hands the most significant of matters.
So, it was as Ibn al-Qayyim said: "If the kings were rulers over the people, the scholars were rulers over the kings." They were the kings of the kings, their teachers, their commanders. Even if this man or leader would lead thousands, he himself had a leader: the scholar who would keep him in check, prevent his evil from reaching the people and his oppression from reaching the oppressed. He would hold their hands back from them, and he would direct them as desired by the Lord of the Earth and heavens.
[The Scales of Allah by the martyred Imam Abdullah Azzam (rahimahullah)]
This is why 'Abdullah bin al-Mubarak (may Allah have Mercy upon him) said: "We spent thirty years learning manners, and we spent twenty years learning knowledge,"– the divine manners that are acquired by physically living with these people while the soul is connected to Allah. When these people use the divine scales, Allah uses them to protect society, repel trials from the Earth, make our lives firm and upright, and descend victory and provision to the people.
So long as these examples exist, and so long as those who are like them remain who have become few in our times, so we will see the likes of the righteous Salaf in our times. Because of this, you see upon their faces and in their words the traces of the salihin. You see such wisdom and religiousness that it is as if it came straight from the lamp of Prophethood, as if it were a ray of light that was brought by the Messenger of Allah (sallalahu 'alayhi wasallam). This wisdom was cared for and preserved by the Salaf just as a country might care for its gold in relation to paper money. What is the value of paper money if there is no value for gold, or if there is no economic strength that would give this piece of paper some value in the daily dealings between individuals in societies?
So, they would count in their battles: 'How many of the participants of Badr remain with us? How many of the participants in Uhud are with us? How many from the Trench are with us?' Then, after the entire generation of the Companions went to their Lord, they would say: 'Who is with us who saw the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (sallalahu 'alayhi wasallam)?' They would ask who of the Tabi'in had seen with his own eyes a single individual from this unique generation that was raised by the two noble hands of the Prophethood.
Armies do not win, societies do not thrive, and lives are not perfected except with an abundance of such people. If they are plenty within the society, this is a sign of the help of the Lord of the worlds, and an indication of His Pleasure with this society. As much as a ruler keeps such people around him - consulting them, accepting their decisions, abiding by their teachings – the more that good, tranquility, and security will spread firmly in the society. This is why 'Umar would advise all leaders to surround themselves with the Qur'an recitors and the worshippers. We see that the ruler would have satellites revolving around him: satellites of scholars who would never stopped remembering Allah, never ceased seeking His Forgiveness, and whose sides would never touch a bed since they were remembering their Lord at night while sitting and standing, and they would bring about victory with their supplication. This is how the righteous leaders were. They would surround themselves with their consultants, their scholars, their chosen companions, the best of them who they would live with just as the student would live with his teacher. They would forget that they were rulers or leaders. They held in their hands the most significant of matters.
So, it was as Ibn al-Qayyim said: "If the kings were rulers over the people, the scholars were rulers over the kings." They were the kings of the kings, their teachers, their commanders. Even if this man or leader would lead thousands, he himself had a leader: the scholar who would keep him in check, prevent his evil from reaching the people and his oppression from reaching the oppressed. He would hold their hands back from them, and he would direct them as desired by the Lord of the Earth and heavens.
[The Scales of Allah by the martyred Imam Abdullah Azzam (rahimahullah)]