Why Knowledge Elevates You Above Everyone
The Virtue of Knowledge in Islam and the Status of Scholars
Summary
This lecture from the Muslim Community Center of Tucson discusses the virtue and importance of knowledge in Islam, focusing on Surah Al-Mujadilah verse 11, which states that Allah raises those who believe and those who have been given knowledge in levels of esteem. Sh. Ali Mashhour explains that knowledge is a prerequisite for valid opinions and actions, and that true knowledge must be based on the Quran, Sunnah, and understanding of the companions. The lecture emphasizes that while all believers are brothers in faith, there are practical differences in esteem and status among people, with scholars of knowledge occupying the highest rank because they cannot be corrupted or infiltrated through superficial means.
Sh. Ali Mashhour uses grammatical analysis of the Quranic verse to show how Allah specifically mentions those with knowledge separately to emphasize their special status. He contrasts the integrity of knowledge-based communities with institutions that rely on symbols and external trappings, using the example of someone infiltrating a papal conclave by wearing a cardinal's outfit. The lecture concludes with the principle that people of knowledge are recognized by their substantive understanding rather than symbols, and that true judgment comes from intentions and actions, not appearances.
Note: This transcript was generated using YouTube's automatic captioning, with AI-assisted cleanup for readability. It may contain inaccuracies due to background noise, audio quality, or limitations of the transcription software — particularly during Arabic recitation. Listener discretion is advised; please refer to the original video for precise wording.
Alhamdulillah. for.
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Continuing where we left off in the book of knowledge. The book regarding the virtues of knowledge in authored by knowledge knowledge is a prerequisite. It is a prerequisite to action and it is a prerequisite to the delight of our era which is opinions and disagreements etc. These things are based and built on knowledge. If a person forms an opinion, this opinion is only existent or valid if it is based on knowledge. Knowledge of the Quran, knowledge of the Sunnah, of the messenger of Allah Sall. Wasam, knowledge of the understanding of the companions to that Quran and Sunnah. If a person does not have knowledge but they have an opinion, they are carrying the opinion of someone else whether they know it or not. Most people don't think this. Most people believe and they're of the opinion that their opinion is their own, that their choices are their own. The only time a person's opinion becomes valid and becomes their own is when they have knowledge. The prerequisite of knowledge. Otherwise, a person is only carrying the opinion of others. In the virtue of knowledge, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tells us the virtue of knowledge. He says subhanahu wa verse number 11.
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For.
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Speech. for men. Now.
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For.
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Here. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala uses a sentence structure is very curious. So the exact translation of this verse verse number 11 of surah mujad he says that which translates to Allah will indeed raise those who believe amongst you and those who have been given knowledge in levels in levels of esteem. Allah will raise us in levels of esteem. What's curious about this? Well, he says, "Allah will, does, and will continue to raise those amongst you who believe and those who have been given knowledge." Those amongst us who have been given knowledge, are they not of those who believe, they're the same, right? Those who amongst us who have been given knowledge, they are part of the group that believe. But Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions them specifically in order to articulate their esteem. In order to articulate their esteem for instance Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says in Bakar he says for.
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Dun.
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For instance, Allah uses the same rhetoric in a lot of places in the Quran. An example of this inah Bakar Allah subhanahu wa'ta'ala says be mindful and diligent in establishing the prayers and the middle prayer specifically. The middle prayer in the correct opinion is part of the prayers but he mentions it after already mentioning it in a general sense. He mentions it specifically in order to articulate what its importance. It's as if I were to say be careful with these groceries and be careful with the eggs. The eggs are part of the groceries, right? Yeah, but what do you understand from this sentence structure? Be extra mindful of the eggs because they are very delicate, right? We use this in our day-to-day speech. And so the point here is that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions those who have been given knowledge amongst us and he mentions the people of belief in general but the people of knowledge specifically as if they are a different breed as if he is speaking about the lions and the men. The regular men they're good but then there's the lions over here. They're very specific type of people amongst us that have very specific esteem and levels. I have a question. Is there a difference between us the believers amongst themselves? Is there a difference between them?
[Arabic recitation]
Yes.
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Right? Allah says, "Aren't the believers the same? Even the messengers, correct? If you said yes, you're wrong. And if you said right yet no, you're also wrong." Meaning in one respect, all the believers are the same. But in another we are vastly different because Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tells us Allah has given esteem to some of you over others. as a human being, as a person having a soul, we're all the same, right? We're all brothers. But that is in a vacuum. In theory, in practice, there's a big difference between us. You cannot treat a king like you treat a peasant. You can't do it. And the idea that there are no kings in Islam is a very faulty idea. This is an idea which was mainly introduced because of communism you know and you know this western propaganda of the freedom fighter. We want the freedom fighter just not in America. We want freedom fighters all over just we don't want any here. Here here we don't want freedom fighters. Right? And so we set the rest of the world on fire. Whilst here we practice a very very very different set of laws. We need to spread democracy throughout the earth. Everyone has a right to choose. Right. Sure. As if we are choosing here. Maybe we're choosing the county commissioner of Puma County. Sure. But lobbyists and organizations and money, that's what chooses. Not elections, not your vote, not your vote, not mine. This isn't a conspiracy theory. It's just not possible for these things to be left up to random chance and the influence of the masses. We don't have that. that would introduce nothing but lawlessness. And so the point here is that is there a difference between people? Absolutely, there's a difference between people. It doesn't mean that a rich man is better than a poor man in belief. No. In belief, the best of us is the strongest of us in belief. However, there is a difference between a king and a peasant. There's a difference between a slave and a free man. There's a difference between a man and a woman. There's a difference between the old and the young. There's a difference between the ambassador and the worker. There's a there's a difference between the master and the apprentice. There is a difference and we embrace those differences, right? And so the point here is that the greatest in esteem amongst us worthy of mention are the people of knowledge. They are at the top of that hierarchy. They cannot be bought. They cannot be paid for. They cannot be urged. They cannot be put onto a bandwagon. If they are truly people of knowledge they transcend by their knowledge that and this is why the people of knowledge they don't wear specific clothes they don't wear specific symbols right so that knowledge is the only thing that proves a person as being part of that community no one can you know swindle his way in. I'll give you a story. We'll end with this.
[Arabic recitation]
You know when whenever a pope dies they have all of the cardinals and the high ranking in the Catholic Church. They all go back to Rome and they sit at the Vatican and they convene and they vote as to who they want the next pope to be, the next person to bless all of the world. So they're giving him the power to be the pope and then he is able to forgive humanity. I don't know how that works but anyways side issue. So while they were having these meetings, these meetings are extremely extremely extremely strict as to who can attend these meetings. There's a lot of speculation and politics going on, the press, the media, none of them are allowed. So all of the cardinals and all of the highranking, you know, people in the Catholic Church come and they this last this last time when they when Pope Benedict left and they were voting in this last one, they had a guy that was not a cardinal. He bought the guard and he bought all the, you know, the red hat and everything. He attended those meetings for more than 20 days and nobody knew that he was not supposed to be there. He sat at the table, he made vote, he voted with them, etc. He was just a guy. I think he was from New Jersey if I remember correctly. How can this happen? How can this community be infiltrated with a Halloween costume? Because that is all it is. It is a position. The person who holds that position does not have to be a person of knowledge in order to sit there. If if a person who is not a person of knowledge were to sit for instance with the council of major scholars in Saudi or and sit at that table in 5 minutes they would immediately know that this person is not supposed to be here immediately because people of knowledge are recognized by people of knowledge. We don't have symbols. We don't have particular colors or garb. We don't have these things so that we don't judge one another based on superficialities. We look at substance and we judge based on substance. These other things they are merely images. As the prophet sallallah.aii wasallam says Allah in judging you does not look to your images nor to your bodies. Rather he judges you based on your intentions.
[Arabic recitation]