[On the 22nd of November 2023, the renowned Ḥadīth scholar Dr Ḥamza al-Bakrī visited Madani Madrasah and imparted advice to the students. At the end of his short speech, I asked the honourable guest a question to which Shaykh responded as well. One of our students (M Aḥmadzay) made notes of the discussion which are presented here. Mahfuz]
It is known that the Prophets and Messengers do not leave behind material inheritance; rather, their inheritance is divine knowledge which Allah bestows upon His chosen slaves. This is an immense blessing and mercy from Allah upon students of knowledge and as such, it necessitates gratitude, as Allah says ‘if you are grateful, I will certainly increase your provisions’.
When students utter prayers seeking an increase in knowledge, mere lip service will not suffice, instead one must acknowledge the knowledge Allah has already given them and express gratitude for it, in order to receive more. Gratitude is a condition to being granted an increase in provisions. The heart must also accept the blessing of knowledge.
One of the qualities which Allah praised His Prophet ﷺ with is that ‘He has taught you what you did not know and Allah’s favour upon you is great’. The Prophet ﷺ then transmitted this knowledge to us, as stated in the Quran ‘Certainly Allah has favoured the believers, as He has sent to them a Messenger from amongst them to recite upon them His verses, purify them and teach them the Book and wisdom’.
After acceptance, a student must implement the knowledge they are bestowed with, either through individual acts of worship or reaching out to the community through teaching. Teaching in and of itself is a great responsibility, and one for which the student of knowledge is held accountable on the day of judgement. Some variations of the Ḥadīth which mentions the punishment for individuals who will be thrown into the hellfire for the lack of sincerity in their actions, refer to a scholar who withheld knowledge from the people.
One of the most interesting aspects of this method of study (Dars-e Nizāmī) is the way in which knowledge is passed down from teachers to students such that it spans across several generations. This indicates that the curriculum is a trusted one well beyond its infancy. This (Dars-e Nizāmī) is a curriculum which has been tried and tested, producing senior scholars and pioneers in the field such as Imām Anwar Shah al-Kashmīrī, Shaykh Muḥammad Banūrī, Muftī Muḥammad Taqī Usmānī – all graduates of this curriculum.
There is no doubt that in this day and age, this curriculum can produce scholars who will live up to the legacy of its senior scholars. It is worth remembering that these great scholars honoured this sacred knowledge with its due diligence through studying, reading and pondering as well as teaching. It is not a matter of simply associating oneself to a prestigious seminary, reading books and forgetting the content within it. Rather, one must always maintain a connection with knowledge itself. This curriculum is not restricted to the names of textbooks or its outer elements, it has developed over the course of time under the instruction of scholars, improving and evolving to the benefit of the scholarly community.
Question: ‘Today, especially in western countries, the Ḥadīth sciences are under the attack of critics. How can students prepare themselves to address such criticisms?’
Answer: It is important for students to develop an understanding of Ḥadīth from the academic perspective, and how those in the field address matters and criticisms. After understanding their methodology, students must study the faults within the system, the ways in which information is selectively used to serve the critics’ purpose – something Orientalists are known to engage in. There are various schools of thought within Orientalism, some academics adopt a fair approach whilst others are biassed which is all worth studying and understanding. I would also recommend that the history of the Ḥadīth movement and its development through the ages be studied as well. If a student has developed a comprehensive understanding of the first 200 years of the Ḥadīth movement, they will be able to refute most Orientalist claims. In this regard, students should benefit from the works of Shaykh Muṣṭafā al-Azamī and others.
