The Prophet's Reference to Knowledge...

The Prophet's Reference to Knowledge, Intellect, and Ignorance The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) instructed: Learn the knowledge, for to learn it is an advantage, to study it is (a feature of) glorification of God, to search for it is (a sort of) jihad, to teach it (to the ignorant ones) is charity, to instruct it freely is a pious act because it is the sign of the halal and haram. It leads its seekers to Paradise, entertains in loneliness, and associates in estrangement.

It is a guide in joy, a weapon against the enemies, and the beauty of the friends. By knowledge, God raises some people to make them the guides to goodness to the degree that their conducts are taken as examples and their practices as lessons and the angels desire for befriending them. Knowledge is the life of the hearts and the light of the sights. It is the power of the weak bodies.

God takes the bearers of knowledge to the ranks of the beloved ones and grants them the association with the virtuous one in this world and the life to come. Through knowledge, God is obeyed, worshipped, acknowledged, and confessed of His being One. Through knowledge, likewise, relations are regarded and halal and haram are realized. Knowledge is the leader of the intellect. God grants the intellect to the happy ones and deprives the unhappy of it.

The character of the intelligent is that he overlooks the ignorant, pardons the wrongdoers, behaves modestly with the lower-rank ones, and competes with the higher-rank ones for seeking charity. The intelligent thinks before he utters: he will win when he speaks good wording and will be saved when he abstains from speaking evil. He clings to God firmly when he has to encounter a seditious matter; therefore, he stops his hand (deeds) and tongue (words).

He hurries to the virtue wherever he notices it. He never leaves shyness and never shows acquisitiveness. These ten characters distinguish the intelligent. The ignorant wrongs his who associates with him, oppresses him who is less than he is, and attacks (wrongly) him who is higher than he is. He utters without thinking in what he says. He commits sins whenever he speaks and forgets when he keeps silent.

He hurries to every seditious matter that would certainly befall him and neglects and slows down for the virtue. He does not care for the past sins and does not refrain from committing new ones. He slows down from doing charitable acts. He does not care for what passed and what he had lost.