Characteristics of the Scholars

The scholars that should be followed have certain qualities and characteristics that set them apart from others. These qualities are as follows:

• Memorization of the Qur’aan – from the heart.
• Memorization of the pure Sunnah of the Prophet Õáì Çááå Úáíå æ Óáã – They have knowledge and understanding from the Fiqh of the companions of the Prophet Õáì Çááå Úáíå æ Óáã and the textual evidences from the Book and the Sunnah. They have knowledge of the understanding of the Sahaabah which the Sahaabah took from the Qur’aan and the Sunnah.
• In spite of these scholars having understanding of the Qur’aan and the Sunnah they take the Fiqh of the Sahaabah and utilize it.
• They honour the knowledge of the Qur’aan and the Sunnah of the Prophet Õáì Çááå Úáíå æ Óáã, holding it in high esteem. They also honour the Sahaabah and recognize their station; and they honour those that preceded them in knowledge from amongst the Salaf and considered their opinion also.
• They stop wherever the evidence stops. Once there is evidence they leave aside their own opinions and statements and they adhere to the truth, whatever it may be. Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah ÑÍãå Çááå points out:
  “This group is stationery wherever the daleel (evidence) is stationery and they move with the daleel wherever the daleel moves. Once there is evidence they adhere to it and take it and they go to it collectively and individually.”
  The textual evidences are more magnificent in their hearts than the statements of anyone else. They do not put any analogy or opinion before the textual evidence.
• They are cautious and take their time before passing any type of religious ruling (fatwa) i.e. they are not hasty. Also, they would prefer that someone else passes a religious ruling instead of themselves, if there is another individual. They are also cautious in the area where they have no knowledge on a particular issue. If at a given moment they do not have at the forefront of their mind the evidence for a particular issue they will refrain from answering.
• They are concerned about conveying knowledge and passing it on to others, and also teaching and instructing others in the knowledge that they have been given.
• They are preoccupied with knowledge and putting it into practice.
• When they deal with knowledge – whether conveying it or acquiring it – they start with that which is most important and then that which is important – there is prioritisation. This is done without becoming bored or tired, although it is something that they do constantly.
• They have great concern for the knowledge; and for the areas of Tawheed and the Sunnah – that nothing touches these aspects of our Deen.
• They are the ones who stand in defence of the Qur’aan, the Sunnah, and for the Deen in general.
• They have humility and fear of Allaah and they depend on Him ÓÈÍÇäå æ ÊÚÇáì and they adhere to whatever He commands. Narrated by ‘Awf ibn Maalik al-Asja’ee ÑÖì Çááå Úäå that: “The Prophet Õáì Çááå Úáíå æ Óáã once looked at the sky and he Õáì Çááå Úáíå æ Óáã said “This seems to be the time of the raising up of knowledge,” so one of them said: “O Messenger of Allaah, how is it that knowledge will be raised up and we have the Book of Allaah and we read it and we study it and we teach it to our children?” The Prophet Õáì Çááå Úáíå æ Óáã said: “I used to consider you one of the most knowledgeable people of Ahlul Madinah, didn’t the Jews and Christians have their book with them?[5] Should I not inform you of the first of the knowledge to be raised up?” He Õáì Çááå Úáíå æ Óáã said: “khushoo and the fear of Allaah ÓÈÍÇäå æ ÊÚÇáì until you will not see a person having this type of humbleness in a state of fear in times to come”.”[6]
• They put knowledge into practice, so you find the scholar working with the knowledge that he has from the Qur’aan and the Sunnah, and being concerned about it. They practice the optional acts of worship, not to mention the compulsory acts of eebaadah (worship). They adhere to all these acts of worship, and they stay away from those things that are disliked and should be shunned.
• Their knowledge is in the heart and not on the tongue. Knowledge is of two types:
  1. Knowledge on the tongue – this is the evidence of Allaah ÓÈÍÇäå æ ÊÚÇáì that is used to convey to the people from the Qur’aan and from the Sunnah. The Prophet Õáì Çááå Úáíå æ Óáã mentions in the hadith: “The Qur’aan is an evidence for or against you.”[7]
  2. Knowledge found in the heart – this is the beneficial knowledge. Al-Hasan ÑÍãå Çááå said that “Knowledge is of two types, knowledge on the tongue is the evidence of Allaah against the children of Aadam as comes in the hadith: “The Qur’aan is an evidence for or against you.” and knowledge in the heart is the truly beneficial knowledge.”
• They do not try to find an easy life which goes against the Deen and they stay away from innovations and from discussions which have no basis in the Deen. When Ibn Rajab ÑÍãå Çááådealt with the virtue of knowledge of the Salaf over the Khalaf, this is one of the things that he pointed out as one of the characteristics that they (the Scholars) possess.
• They try to avoid hasty religious rulings or being involved in passing them. This is an aspect of the Deen which the Prophet Õáì Çááå Úáíå æ Óáã had much concern for – persons who pass religious rulings without being properly qualified. One of the reasons that we find the scholars of the past being very cautious is due to their fear of Allaah ÓÈÍÇäå æ ÊÚÇáì and the caution that they had in respect of their Deen, and a desire to free themselves form the responsibility of the fataawa that would be given. For this reason we find that this was the mannerism of the Sahaabah who were chosen to be the Companions of the Prophet Õáì Çááå Úáíå æ Óáã. They used to try and pass on the fataawa to someone else, who might be more knowledgeable in their eyes to pass religious rulings. Sometimes a person would come into Madinah and he would ask a question, and he would be told to go to someone else, and that person would say to go to someone else and he would go to that second individual who would tell him to go to a third, until he would go all around Madinah and return to the first individual. Because of this, we find in regard of the Mufti (the person who passes religious rulings) that he should have certain qualities.