Taking the Path of Knowledge: From Prophetic Hadith to the Map of World Civilization

darulmaarif.net – Indramayu, 22 January 2025 | 11.00 WIB

“Whoever takes a path to seek knowledge, Allah will make easy for him the path to heaven.” -Al-Hadith

We often hear the above hadith, and are often displayed on the walls of classrooms, Islamic boarding schools and study rooms. But the question is: have we really taken the “path of knowledge” as intended by the Prophet? Or do we just praise it without actually going through it?

Imam Ibnu Ruslan in Syarah Sunan Abi Dawudwhen explaining the meaning of the hadith above:

And whoever takes the path of seeking knowledge, Allah will admit him to heaven.

Meaning: “Whoever takes a path to seek knowledge, Allah will make easy for him the path to heaven.” (Sunan Abi Dawud; by Imam Abi Dawud Sulayman ibn al-Ash’ath al-Sijistani, tafsir by Izzat al-Da’as and others, Dar Ibn Hazm, Beirut, First Edition, 1418 AH)

‘Lafadz ‘lman is grammatically Arabic in the form of lafadz yang Nakirathus providing a general meaning, covering all types of knowledge. Good religious knowledge fardhu ‘ainsuch as religious obligations, as well as knowledge related to the job or profession you want to pursue. This also includes natural knowledge obligatory kifayahsuch as medicine, mathematics, agriculture and various other sciences needed to prosper world life.’

Sheikh Ahmad bin Husain bin Hasan bin ‘Ali bin Yusuf bin ‘Ali bin Ruslan Ar-Ramly As-Syafi’i explained:

His words, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam: “He seeks knowledge in it” is an indefinite noun, so what is included in it is every knowledge by which he draws himself closer to God Almighty, whether it is an individual obligation, such as religious knowledge, or a requirement of sufficiency, such as medicine, arithmetic, and the like, which are necessary for subsistence and the orderliness of human affairs.
(Ibn Raslan Al-Syafi’i, Explanation of Sunan Abi Dawud)

Meaning: “The words of the Prophet SAW: ‘(people who) seek in it a knowledge’, the word ‘ilman is in the form of nakirah, so it includes every knowledge that can be used as a means to get closer to Allah Ta’ala. Both knowledge that has the status of fardhu ‘ain, such as knowledge about religious affairs, and knowledge that has the status of fardhu kifayah, such as medical science, hisab (mathematics), and the likes of both, namely knowledge that is needed to support livelihood and order. human life.” (Ibn Ruslan As-Syafi’i, Syarḥ Sunan Aby Dawud, Bab al-Ḥatstsu ‘alā Ṭholabil ‘iIlmi)

In Atsar Sahabat, Sayyidina Ali bin Abi Tholib emphasizes the importance of knowledge compared to material possessions. He says:

Ali bin Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, said to Kumayl, O Kumayl, knowledge is better than money. Knowledge takes care of you while you take care of money, and knowledge is the ruler and money is governed. Wealth is diminished by spending, and knowledge is purified by spending.

Meaning: “Sayyidina Ali bin Abi Tholib RA said to Kamil: ‘O Kamil, knowledge is better than wealth. Knowledge will protect you, while wealth, you are the one who protects it.

Science and Reality of the Modern World

If we bring this understanding to today’s context, an anxiety arises: why are non-Muslim nations the most serious about pursuing the path of knowledge, while Muslims are often left behind?

Europe and other developed countries—America, Japan, Korea, even China—make science and research the axis of civilization. Medical technology is developing rapidly, artificial intelligence is penetrating almost all sectors, agriculture is supported by cutting-edge science, and socio-economic systems are constantly being refined through research.

History records that it was this comprehensive understanding of science that gave birth to the heyday of Islam. In the Abbasid era, Bayt al-Hikmah in Baghdad became a center for translation, research and development of knowledge across civilizations. Muslim scientists were not allergic to Greek, Persian and Indian knowledge; they criticize, develop and integrate it with the Islamic worldview.

Al-Khwarizmi in mathematics, Ibn Sina in medicine, Al-Biruni in astronomy and geography, and Ibn Khaldun in social sciences are proof that studying is understood as intellectual worship as well as the foundation of civilization. George Sarton, a historian of Western science, even called this period the “Golden Age of Islamic Science”.

Paradox of the Modern World: The West Inherits the Ethos of Science, Islam Loses Direction

Ironically, in the modern era, the scientific spirit is actually more alive in Europe and non-Muslim countries. Since the Renaissance and the Scientific Revolution, the West has made research, experimentation and rationality the basis of technological and economic progress. Developed countries today allocate large budgets for research and development (R&D), making universities centers of innovation, not just teaching institutions.

Meanwhile, much of the Islamic world lags behind in science, technology and innovation indices. According to the UNESCO report, the contribution of Muslim countries to global scientific publications is still relatively small compared to their demographic and historical potential.

This paradox raises epistemological and theological questions: how is it possible that the people with the first revelation of “Iqra'” are actually left behind in the culture of reading, researching and critical thinking?

The Dichotomy of Knowledge and the Crisis of Community Orientation

One of the main causes of this decline is the narrow dichotomy between “religious science” and “world science”. Some people view world knowledge as secular and not worth worship, while religious knowledge is reduced to memorization and ritual, regardless of social and humanitarian problems.

In fact, the hadith narrated by Ibnu Ruslan actually rejects this dichotomy. Any knowledge—as long as it is intended for goodness and benefit—is the path to heaven. In the perspective of maqashid al-shari’ah (Al-Shatibi, al-Muwafaqat), knowledge that protects the soul, mind, property and human civilization is part of the objectives of the shari’a.

Towards the Reorientation of Science as a Civilizational Worship

Therefore, Muslims today need a major reorientation: placing science and technology as an integral part of collective worship. It is not enough for Islamic boarding schools, madrasas and Islamic universities to only produce experts in worship, but also scientists, technologists, economists and social thinkers who are rooted in the values ​​of monotheism and the benefit of the people.

Pursuing knowledge in the era of artificial intelligence, biotechnology and global crisis is not just a choice, but a historical obligation. Lagging behind in knowledge is not only a worldly problem, but also a failure to fully understand the message of the Prophet SAW.

The hadith about seeking knowledge is an invitation to build civilization, not just to enrich individual piety. Ibnu Ruslan’s interpretation of lafadz ‘ilman opens up the horizon that Islam requires people who have knowledge as a whole—religious, scientific, technological and social.

If Muslims want to contribute to history again, then the road to heaven must again be taken through laboratories, libraries, research rooms and fields of scientific service – as was done by our predecessors in the glory days of Islam.

Hope it is useful. Wallohu a’lam.