Right-Acting Scholars and the Evil Scholars

On Determining the Difference From the Right-Acting Scholars and the Evil Scholars

Shehu Uthman Dan Fuduye’ said in his Siraaj’l-Ikhwaan
: “I say, and success is with Allah, realize O
brothers that the distinction between the scholars of
the religion (`ulama 'd-deen), the people of the
reminder (ahl 'd-dhikr), the helpers of the Merciful
(ansaar 'r-rahmaan) and between the evil scholars
(`ulama 's-sufi), the people of heedlessness (ahl
'l-gala), the helpers of Satan (ansaar 's-shaytana)
are two. They are anyone who gathers together in
himself two descriptions:

[1] knowledge (`ilm); and

[2] fearful awareness (taqwa).

In that case he is among the scholars of the religion,
the people of the reminder and the helpers of the
Merciful.

However whoever has not gathered in himself these two
descriptions is among the evil scholars, the people of
heedlessness and the helpers of Satan.

In the Ajwiba of Muhammad ibn `Abd 'l-Kareem ibn
Muhammad al-Maghili 't-Tilimsaani who died in the town
of Tuat in the year 909 of the hijra(in answer to the
questions of the Amir al-Hajj Abu Abdallah Muhammad
ibn Abu Bakr, known as Askiya).

When he asked him about the distinction between the
above-mentioned people of the reminder who are the
blessings of the earth and the above mentioned evil
scholars the people of heedlessness who are an
affliction upon the people of the earth.

He answered him with the following. "To continue: May
Allah assist us and you concerning His charge,
inviting others to Him and preserving what He had
entrusted to us from His divine law (shari`a). Verily
you questioned me saying, 'From the time that Allah
favored us with Islam, we were afflicted with an
affliction in these lands by the lack of trust from
those who claim to knowledge among the intellectuals
of our country. Their true description is that they
are non-Arabic speaking (`ajami) who do not understand
the language of Arabic except a little of the Arabic
of the people of our country. This little
understanding is with distortions (tas'heef),
misconception (tahreef) and appalling incorrectness of
pronunciation (`ujma `adheema) to the point where they
cannot truly understand the objectives of the scholars
nor the places where their own distortions and
misconceptions occur.

Along with that they possess many books that they
study and tails and narrations that speak about the
religion. They claim that they themselves are the
inheritors of the Prophets (waritha t'l-anbiyya) and
that it is obligatory upon us (yajibu `alaynaa) to
follow them.

Therefore, I am seeking from Allah ta`ala that He will
assist me to carry this heavy burden which the heavens
and the earth refused to carry. I also seek from you
that you may give me a legal decision based upon what
Allah has taught you concerning these intellectuals.
Is it allowable for us (yajuuzu linaa) to act in
accordance with their teachings concerning the
religion of Allah and am I free to follow them
regarding Allah or is that not permissible for me (laa
yahillu lii)? Is it obligatory to search into the
affair of those whom we appoint and follow in the
affairs of the religion? Explain to us the
description of those who can take care of the welfare
of this according to the divine law (shari`an)?'

Realize, may Allah help you, and us that the kingdom
belongs to Allah and there is no victory except from
Allah. Therefore, be a slave to Allah by obeying him
and He will be your Lord by preserving you and helping
you. The reality is that you are an owned slave who
does not control anything. Your Owner and Master has
raised you above many from among His slaves in order
that you may take care of the welfare of their
religious and worldly affairs. So therefore, do not
attempt to be their master nor owner. For in all
those you control you are a shepherd and every
shepherd will be questioned about those under his
control. If you realize that O Amir, then it is
obligatory upon you two issues:

[1] that you push far from you evil people and draw
near to you good people;

[2] that you question the People of the Reminder about
everything under your charge which you do not know its
legal decision and is burdened to carry so that you
may execute it in accordance with what Allah has
revealed.

Allah ta`ala says, "Then ask the people of the
reminder if you do not know." The people of the
reminder are those who have gathered in themselves two
essential descriptions:

[1] knowledge (`ilm); and

[2] fearful awareness (taqwa).

By means of knowledge he would know the difference
between guidance (rushd) and misguidance (gayy). By
means of fearful awareness he would command with
guidance (ya 'amara bi 'r-rushd) and forbid
misguidance (nahyi `an 'l-gayy).

Therefore, do not follow in your religion he whom it
has not been established whether he is a fearfully
aware scholar. For the one whom it has not been
established whether he is knowledgeable, it is feared
that he is astray and will lead others astray by his
own blindness and ignorance. For the one whom it has
not been established whether he is fearfully aware, it
is feared that he is astray and will lead others
astray by his corrupt passions.

Have you not seen Allah ta`ala's words; "O you who
believe truly many among the priests and rabbis devour
the wealth of people unjustly and bar people from the
way of Allah."

It has been related in the Saheeh of Imam Muslim on
the authority of Abu Said 'l-Kauri that the Messenger
of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace
said, "You will follow the pattern (sunna) of those
who went before you, inch by inch and cubit by cubit,
until if they enter into the hole of a lizard, you
will follow them into it." We said, "O Messenger of
Allah! Are they the Jews and the Christians?" He
said, "Who else?!"

This establishes that many of the so-called scholars
and worshippers in this Umma devour the wealth of the
people unjustly and bar them from the path of Allah.
And by means of these scholars and worshippers
corruption has spread throughout the lands.

The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant
him peace said, "My Umma will be destroyed by the
corrupt scholars and the ignorant worshippers." He,
may Allah bless him and grant him peace also said, "I
am not the Dajaal (Anti-Christ) and I am more fearful
for you from something other than the Dajaal." They
said, "From whom O Messenger of Allah?" He said, "From
the evil scholars."

It has been related on the authority of Hudhayfa ibn
'l-Yamaani, may Allah be pleased with him, that the
Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him
peace took a white stone and placed in the palm of his
hand and said, "Truly the religion has become
illuminated like the brightness of this stone." He
then took a hand full of earth and poured it upon the
stone until it was completely covered. He then said,
"I swear by the One in whose hands is my soul, there
is coming a people who will bury the religion just as
I have buried this stone."

Muhammad ibn `Abd 'l-Kareem 'l-Maghili 't-Tilimsaani
continued, “Thus the Book and the sunna and the
consensus of the scholars ('ijmaa`'l-`ulama) have
clarified that many of the intellectuals of this Umma
are actually from among the evil scholars and that
they are more dangerous to the Muslims than all the
corrupt people."

He then said after a little, "If you were to say, 'You
have explained and clarified that many of the scholars
of this umma are not among the people of the reminder
and that they are actually among the evil scholars who
are astray and who lead astray. However many of them
study the Qur'an, the prophetic traditions and spend
much time on the expressions of the Book and the
prophetic traditions. Due to this they claim that
they are among the people of the reminder and deny
that they are among the evil scholars.

Thus by what means can we distinguish between the
people of the reminder and the evil scholars?'

The answer to that, and may Allah give us success in
arriving at the correct answer, is that the spiritual
states of the people of the reminder is in no way
mixed up with the states of the evil scholars -
neither by word or deed.

On the contrary, it is necessary for Allah to make for
every guide from among the people of the reminder
lights upon lights during all the ages of the ages of
mankind as guides to the share of Paradise and as
proofs against the allotment of the Fire.

What makes that clear is that apart of the wisdom of
Allah is that He does not punish a people until He
explains to them what they should be fearfully aware
of.

This is the pattern (sunna) of Allah amongst the first
and the last of mankind – “in order that they may not
say on the Day of Judgment, 'We were ignorant of
that'.”

Apart of Allah's wisdom is that He has placed this
clear warning upon the tongue of human beings from
among the Prophets during the first times and the
people of the reminder during the latter times.

He has made for every guide from among them enemies
from among the guilty (mujrimeen). They are the
devils among men and jinn who deceptively advise one
another with embellished teachings. Thus, it becomes
necessary for there to exist a clear light by which
the truthfulness of the guides can be distinguished
from the lies of the devils.

Therefore, Allah made that light for the Prophets in
the form of miracles that break creational norms and
for the people of the reminder in the form of
righteous deeds. For there was no Prophet which Allah
sent to His servants except that He made for him a
clear light which clarified to them that he was upon
the plain truth and showed that those who opposed and
renounced him that they were astray and were leading
others astray.

Likewise, with the people of the reminder of this Umma
until the Day of Judgment because Allah has made them
as guides who establish clear proofs for this Umma
just like the Prophets in past communities.

For this reason it has been narrated that at the head
of every century Allah will send a scholar to the
people who will revive the religion for them.

Therefore it is necessary in every century that there
be a scholar whose spiritual states regarding

commanding good (al-'amr bi 'l-ma`aruuf),

forbidding evil (an-nahyi `an 'l-munkaar),

rectifying the affairs of the people ('islaah 'umuur
'n-naas),

spreading justice amongst them (al-`adl baynahim),

assisting the truth against falsehood (al-haqq `ala
'l-baatil) and

assisting the oppressed against the oppressors
(al-madhluum `ala 'd-dhaalim)

- be completely contrary to the remainder of the
scholars of his time.

In this way, he becomes like a stranger (ghareeb)
amongst them because of the uniqueness of the
attributes of his spiritual state and the few who
resemble him.

It is then that it is made clear to all eyes that he
is among the righteous and that whoever opposes and
renounces him turning people away from him that they
are among the corrupt.

This is true in accordance with the words of the
Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,
"Islam began as a strange thing and it will return a
strange thing. Therefore, joyous bliss to the
strangers among my Umma." It was said to him, "Who are
the strangers O Messenger of Allah?" He said, "Those
who remedy things during the corruption of the times."


Therefore, this trait is the clearest sign of the
people of the reminder whom Allah revives His religion
on behalf of people by means of them.

Among the clearest signs of the evil scholars is that
they do not bring about remedy nor do they leave alone
those who seek to remedy. Their likeness is like a
big rock that sits at the mouth of a river. It does
not drink from the river nor does it allow others to
drink. Each of these evil scholars are more dangerous
to the people than one thousand devils. There is no
news like eye witnessing.

Therefore, if you have not understood what we have
related and if what we have mentioned is problematic
for you, then know that all intellectuals are
classified into three types:

[1] the one whom it is clear to you that he is
knowledgeable (`aalim) and is fearfully aware
(taqiyy).

[2] The one whom it is clear to you that he is not
neither knowledgeable nor fearfully aware.

[3] The one about whom you have doubt (shakkakta).
You do not know whether he knowledgeable and fearfully
aware or not.

The one about whom it is clear that he is
knowledgeable and fearfully aware, then he is from
among the people of the reminder. So question him
about your religion and follow him, for he will help
redeem you and he will suffice you.

Like some one who tells you that he is aware of
something and it becomes clear to you that he is
indeed knowing (`aarif) and trustworthy ('ameen).

The one about whom it is clear that he is not
knowledgeable nor fearfully aware, then he is not
among the people of the reminder. You should not
follow him in anything concerning your religion and do
not question him; like someone who claims that he is
aware of something and it becomes clear to you that he
is not as knowledgeable and trustworthy as he claims.

As for the one about whose spiritual state is not
clear, and you are unawares whether he is
knowledgeable or fearfully aware or not - you should
also keep yourself from him (fa qif `anhu).

Do not follow him in anything concerning your religion
and do not question him even if he were eloquent is
Arabic language (faseehan `arabiyan) and had memorized
all that was gathered in the books (yahfudh jamee`a
maa fi 'l-kutub) - until it becomes clear to you
without doubt that he is indeed knowledgeable and
fearfully aware.

Like someone who claimed that he was knowing and
trustworthy and it was not clear to you whether he was
truthful to his claim or lying (saadiq aw kaadhib).

Therefore, if you have understood this you will never
again be mistaken about the intellectuals in these
times.

Further, it is obligatory (yajibu) upon you to seek
out a scholar from among the people of the reminder
who are to this Umma like the Prophets were to the
communities that have passed.

It is obligatory upon you to rely upon them
(al-`itimaad `alayhim) and to rush to their sides even
if they are far away.”

Here ends what the Shehu had to say on that issue.