Knowledge Mandates Action

[نسيم الفجر]

 

quoted from Imaam Abu Bakr Ahmad bin ‘Alee Al-Khateeb Al-Baghdaadee [Died: 463H] :

QUOTE

I advice you O seeker of knowledge to have a sincere and pure intention in your
search for knowledge, and that you exert yourself in acting upon what it mandates
(from action). This is since knowledge is a tree and action is its fruit. And one can
never be considered knowledgeable so long as he doesn't act upon what he knows.
It has also been stated: "Knowledge is a parent and action is its offspring" and
'Knowledge comes with action, while narrating comes with investigating."
So do not feel satisfied with actions so long as you are lacking in knowledge, nor feel
satisfied with knowledge so long as you fall short in producing actions. Rather,
combine between them both, even if your share two is small.
And there is nothing worse than a scholar whose knowledge the people abandon
because of the corruption of his ways, or an ignorant person lose ignorance the people
accept because of what they see from his worship.
So a little of this (knowledge) along with a little of that (action) is what is lost likely
to save you in the end, when Allaah bestows His mercy upon His servant and
completes His favour upon him. But as for laziness and negligence, love for ease and
comfort, preferring the easy life, showing indifference, and inclining towards leisure
and relaxation, then the results of these characteristics are blameworthy, detestable
and disastrous.

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