The Greatest Deficiency in Knowledge

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Imam As-Sa’di, may Allah have mercy upon him, stated:

The greatest evils of knowledge and its inconsistencies occur as a result of acquainting oneself with the creation without its Creator, acquaintance with effects without the One who created those effects, acquaintance with causes without the One who created those causes, and acquaintance with the paths without their sound goals. The deficiency in this type of acquaintance is numerous, and its harm is great, because indeed many atheists and those deceived by them are skilled in the natural sciences, but they confine themselves to it and are blind regarding its association with its Creator and Causer.

With regard to that which is placed in these natural sciences of wonders and secrets, they see themselves as those who know the wonders of the natural sciences—which none knows besides them—and the secrets which Allāh has placed in nature. Thus, it gives them higher status over others, and they become afflicted with vanity and self-deception. They confine themselves to it, consider it as the final outcome, the purpose, and the goal, and thus great deviation and deficiency in knowledge and intellect occur.

If they knew and affirmed belief in the true Creator and the One Who controls all the affairs of the universe—the One who attached the means and causes to His Qadaa Wal Qadr—and knew that the means and causes are an abode of His perfect wisdom, for indeed Allāh [The Most High] is All-Wise, He placed things in their rightful places, gave the subtle affairs and great affairs an amazing orderly system and a firm association, gave everything that is sought after and every goal a means or cause and a path that will lead to it, and due to this, results and outcomes are based on the strength or weakness of the means or causes, and the strength or weakness of the performer of the deed, and then they bound these means, paths, and outcomes to Allāh’s Qadaa Wal Qadr, their knowledge would have been perfected, and they would have acquired certainty that cannot be acquired by those who have not reached their level. But they are glad (and proud) with that which they know of those paths whose tangible worldly outcomes they know, and they become haughty by way of them. So, the statement of Allāh, The Most High, applies to them:

فَلَمَّا جَاءَتْهُمْ رُسُلُهُم بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ فَرِحُوا بِمَا عِندَهُم مِّنَ الْعِلْمِ وَحَاقَ بِهِم مَّا كَانُوا بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِئُونَ

Then when their Messengers came to them with clear proofs, they were glad (and proud) with that which they had of the knowledge (of worldly things), and that at which they used to mock surrounded them (i.e. the punishment). [Ghaafir 83]

Allāh says:

وَجَعَلْنَا لَهُمْ سَمْعًا وَأَبْصَارًا وَأَفْئِدَةً فَمَا أَغْنَىٰ عَنْهُمْ سَمْعُهُمْ وَلَا أَبْصَارُهُمْ وَلَا أَفْئِدَتُهُم مِّن شَيْءٍ إِذْ كَانُوا يَجْحَدُونَ بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ وَحَاقَ بِهِم مَّا كَانُوا بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِئُونَ

And indeed We had firmly established them with that wherewith We have not established you! And We had assigned them the (faculties of) hearing (ears), seeing (eyes), and hearts, but their hearing (ears), seeing (eyes), and their hearts availed them nothing since they used to deny the Ayat (Allah’s Prophets and their Prophethood, proofs, evidences, verses, signs, revelations, etc.) of Allah, and they were completely encircled by that which they used to mock at! [Al-Ahqaaf 26]

This is the greatest evil consequence of self-amazement and arrogance without exception, and the most perilous path through which many people become beguiled and deceived. Therefore, we ask Allāh to bless us with sound knowledge that is supported by sound intellect, divine text, and sound natural disposition—the beneficial knowledge which the servant knows in all its aspects, and the knowledge which links the subsidiary affairs to their (sound) fundamental principles, and whose means, causes, effects, and outcomes are ascribed to the One Who originated and created them.

It is the knowledge whose possessor does not disassociate the creation from its Creator, neither disassociates its effects from the One Who made them effective, nor disassociates the wisdom, the secrets, and the amazing orderly systems in the creation from the One Who created and perfected them, organised them in perfect order, and brought them into existence after their non-existence.

This is the knowledge that bears the fruits of certainty and through which tranquillity is obtained, and through which happiness and success are attained. It bears the fruits of beautiful manners and righteous deeds, beneficial to both religious and worldly affairs.

An Excerpt from Ad-Dalaa’il Al-Qur’aaniyyah Fee Anna Al-Ulum Wal-A’maal An-Naafi’ah Al-Asriyyah Daakhilatun Fid Deen Al-Islaami. pages 37-40