The Importance of Acting in Accordance with One’s Knowledge
Imām Muḥammad ibn Ṣāliḥ al-ʿUthaymīn
[Q]: What is your advice pertaining to acting in accordance with the knowledge one learns?
[A]: It is necessary that one acts by their knowledge, for the fruit of possessing Islamic knowledge is its implementation. Otherwise, were one to not act in accordance with their knowledge, they would be among the first people used to fuel the blazing Fire of Hell on the Day of Judgement.1 It was previously said:
A scholar who doesn’t act upon his knowledge will be punished before the idol worshippers.
Not acting in accordance with one’s knowledge knowledge will result in failure, lack of blessings, and eventual forgetfulness of the Islamic knowledge previously gained, due to Allāh’s saying:
فَبِمَا نَقْضِهِم مِّيثَاقَهُمْ لَعَنَّاهُمْ وَجَعَلْنَا قُلُوبَهُمْ قَاسِيَةً ۖ يُحَرِّفُونَ الْكَلِمَ عَن مَّوَاضِعِهِ ۙ وَنَسُوا حَظًّا مِّمَّا ذُكِّرُوا بِهِ
“So for their breaking of the covenant, We cursed them and made their hearts hard. They change the words from their (right) places and have forgotten a portion of that of which they were reminded.”
(Al-Māʾidah, 5:13)
This forgetfulness mentioned encompasses:
- forgetfulness of the mind,
- forgetfulness relating to action.
Hence, the meaning of the verse is that they have “forgotten” mentally, or it refers to abandonment. This is because the term ‘forgetfulness’ in the Arabic language can refer to ‘abandonment.’
In contrast, if one were to act in accordance with his knowledge, Allāh would further increase him in guidance. Allāh says:
وَالَّذِينَ اهْتَدَوْا زَادَهُمْ هُدًى
“But those who receive (and follow) guidance, He increases them in guidance…”
(Muḥammad, 47:17)
Similarly, He would increase him in taqwá. Thus, Allāh says afterwards (in the same verse):
وَآتَاهُمْ تَقْوَاهُمْ
“…and bestows on them their (works of) piety.”
(Muḥammad, 47:17)
Therefore, if one acts in accordance with his knowledge, Allāh will supplement his existing Islamic knowledge, facilitating his awareness of that which he was previously ignorant regarding. Referencing this, some of the Salaf (pious predecessors) used to say,
“Islamic Knowledge calls out for action so a person will either respond accordingly or it will abandon him.”2
Endnotes:
[1] Refer to the ḥadīth collected by Muslim in his Ṣaḥīḥ:
[2] Kitāb al-ʿIlm: 88-89.
Translated by: Omar ibn Bilal
