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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Questions On Titles Aalim (knowledgeable One) When does one become knowledgeable? When a person realises that what he does not know is far greater than what he knows, he ends up referring to himself as a 'seeker of knowledge'. In fact, what a person knows is immaterial when compared to what he does not know. It is pointless to even compare.

It therefore follows from this that when a person declares himself to be an Aalim, then he is surely an ignorant one as he has yet to even realise that he does not know. He does not even know what it is that he does not know. AL KAFI - H 56, Ch.

3, h4 Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from Muhammad ibn 'Isa from Yunus from Jamil who has said the following: "I heard Imam abu 'Abd Allah, recipient of divine supreme covenant, saying, 'People become of three groups: Scholars, those who learn and garbled ones. We are the scholars. Our followers are the ones who learn.

The rest of the people are garbled ones." On top of this is the statement of Imam Ali (a.s.): Whosoever neglects to say 'I don't know', will fall in the trap of death - Nahj Ul Balagah, Saying 85 (Arabic Version) So the Holy Infallibles (a.s.) are the Ulama (Knowledgeable Ones). Can anyone in his right mind argue with this? I don't think so. Yet the priests go around referring to themselves as Ulama.

In fact, in England, we have an organisation formed by these priests who have named it 'Majlis E Shia Ulama Europe', and most of the resident priests of the Imambargahs of England, as well as the freelancers are members of this organisation. It looks like all these priests have yet to realise that what they know is infinitesimal compared to what it is that they do know, and that they are nothing but seekers of knowledge.

Or is it that they do know and are trying to elevate their status among the people by adopting such titles? So what kind of a scholar is a scholar? AL KAFI - H 45, Ch.

2, h2 (EXTRACT) Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn 'Isa from Muhammad ibn Khalid from abu al-Bakhtari from abu 'Abd Allah, recipient of divine supreme covenant, who has said the following: "The scholars are the heirs of the prophets because the prophets did not leave any Dirham or Dinar (units of money) as their legacy. What they left was certain pieces of their statements.

Those who acquired anything of these pieces of their statements have certainly gained a colossal share. H 52, Ch.