Imaam Ibn Qudaamah Al-Maqdisi rahimahullaah Said:
Know verily that, praiseworthy knowledge is divided into two categories;
♦ Extremely appraised knowledge.
This field of knowledge has to do with knowing Allah Ta’ala, His attributes, His Acts and His wisdom behind the importance of the Hereafter compared to the worldly life.
This knowledge is extremely needed in itself because it directs one to Allah and the Hereafter.
♦ Knowledge which is not completely praiseworthy but it is recommended to be sought to a certain degree:
This kind of knowledge is among the knowledge we classified as ‘Furudu Al-kifaayaat’.
This knowledge comprises those communal duties Muslims are required to observe; if a sufficient number of people seek this knowledge, the remainder with be excused.
However, if none of them seek it, all people will be sinful. Examples of this knowledge are medicine and mathematics.
In summary, one should try to be among one of the two set of people;
Either one occupies himself with rectifying and purifying his soul and to hasten towards the greater journey which is the Hereafter, or he should try to guide others after rectifying himself from all forms of evil acts.
Also, one should beware of occupying himself with guiding others while he himself is lacking a lot and his deeds is full of evil. Then his case will be like one who has scorpion in his cloth and at the same time is trying to chase away flies from someone else and this sounds foolish.
One should hasten to purify his own soul from all forms of diseases be it covetousness, envy, pride and showing-off etc.
In addition, one should start first with Fardu A’yn before Fardu kifaaya.
And in seeking u’lumu Ash-sharia, one should start with the Qur’an first, followed by Hadith, Tafsir, usuul Al-fiqh etc.
However, one should not spend all his life trying to make research on a single science of the Deen without knowing other sciences. Rather, one should struggle to perfect every aspect of the Deen. And one should know that knowledge is very vast and complex but the span of life is very short.
Thus, one should hasten for the best in terms of knowledge before death.
Allaahu A’alam
Baarakallaahu feekum
