May Allāh have mercy upon the one who said ‘ignorance is a disease that kills, and its cure lies in two things in the same form of prescription, a text from the Book of Allāh or from the Sunnah, and the doctor of all of that is the scholar who fears Allāh.’ Knowledge of Allāh, knowledge of the ghayb (unseen), and knowledge of what pleases Allāh; that is what will benefit us. Ignorance is a chronic illness that kills, it kills the soul, it kills individuals, and it kills populations—for it is a chronic disease. The Messenger of Allāh said, ‘The cure for ignorance is to ask’. Knowledge is to be obtained, implemented, and given importance. When you read through the narrations of the Companions and the histories, you will find many of them begin with the statement ‘Allāh benefitted me with a ḥadīth that I heard from the Prophet…’ A Ṣaḥābī in a situation of fitnah, saying, ‘I avoided a fitnah because of a ḥadīth of the Messenger, that Allāh benefited me with.’

In a time of fitnah, confusion, and mad difficulties you are in need of that which will benefit you. It is this knowledge that saved the young man from the Dajjāl, who refused to submit to him even after he brought his mother and father to life before him. You see here that knowledge of a matter can help you in severe times of fitnah. You will find in many narrations of the Companions and the Salaf stating ‘By the grace of Allāh, it (knowledge) prevented me from entering fitnah’, and in the evidence of the young boy, it prevented him from being deceived. The Prophet and the Companions were concerned about knowledge, concerned with their tongues and the use of their limbs and eyes for fear they would fall in the fire.