What is the knowledge that we must seek in order to go towards Allah? Do we necessarily need a master, a way ?

ANSWER (part 1):

- "Allah testifies, and also the angels and the endowed with knowledge, that there is no divinity but He, The Sustainer of justice. There is no god but He, the Mighty, the Wise" (Sura 03 The Family of Imran, verse 18).

- Among His servants, only the learned fear Allah" (Sura 35 The Creator, verse 28)

- Fear Allah and Allah will teach you" (Sura 02 The Cow, verse 282)

- And say: ‘My Lord, give me more and more knowledge’ (Sura 20 TaHa, verse 114)

- Allah will place on high those of you who believe and those who have received knowledge" (Sura 58 The Discussion, verse 11)

The Prophet (prayer and peace of Allah be upon him) said: ‘Whoever takes a path in which he seeks knowledge, Allah facilitates for him by that path his journey to Paradise’. (Muslim)

The Prophet (prayer and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "Faith is :

- knowledge with the heart

- a word with the tongue

- and a work carried out according to the prescribed laws". (Tabarani)

The purpose of the existence of human beings and Jinns is to know Allah (may He be Glorified and Exalted), that is to say to succeed in piercing the darkness, impurity and ignorance with the help of a beneficial science (or knowledge) which will allow us, by the grace of Allah, to penetrate the domain of Divine Realities. Therefore, to reach our goal, we must take a path which, enlightened by this science, will enable us to avoid the traps set by demons, by our corrupt soul (Nefs), by our passions (hawa) and by the lure of this world. This is the path of inner purification for the sake of Allah. 

The first holders of this knowledge are none other than the Prophets and Messengers of Allah (peace be upon them), and this knowledge is both revealed (Wahiy) and realised in themselves. This is why, when the mother of believers, Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), was asked about the character of the Prophet (may the prayer and peace of Allah be upon him), she replied (may Allah be pleased with her): ‘It is a Qur'an who walked "

The Prophets and Divine Messengers (peace be upon them) have followed one another, each complementing the Prophet or Divine message that preceded him. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) gave the example of bricks added together to form a house. 

The Prophet Mohammed (prayer and peace of Allah be upon him) is the seal of the Prophets, which means that his Divine message contains all that preceded it, plus what he himself came to complete, so it is perfect and complete. It is in this sense that the Prophet (prayer and peace of Allah be upon him) said that if the Prophet Musa (peace be upon him) had come in his time, his only salvation (i.e. Musa (peace be upon him)) would have been to follow the Prophet (prayer and peace of Allah be upon him).

Here we must emphasise the term [realisation], as it constitutes a vital aspect of the Knowledge of Allah. So, for a better understanding, let us take an example: 

Two people don't know what honey tastes like and want to find out. One of them is simply told what it tastes like, mentioning all the benefits it has to offer and revealing everything there is to know about honey, while the other is presented with a spoonful of honey which he is quick to taste. Which of these two people now really knows the taste of honey: the one who is going to recite all his theoretical knowledge about honey or the one who has merely tasted it? The answer is obvious. The difference between the perception of one person and the other is such that the person who has tasted it knows what honey is, we say that he has realised what honey is, and he is like one who sees, whereas the other person will only have an idea, he will live in the appearance of what honey is without really knowing it, he is like a blind man. 

Thus, to say that Allah is unique, that He has no partner and to recite by heart the most beautiful names of Allah is not enough to say, as some believe, that one knows Allah. No, for that you need to taste through a purified heart and therefore [realise], because if a person has not tasted, despite all that he may say or recite, he will only be living in appearance. And as long as he is in appearance, he may be subject to error and misguidance. The one who is blind in heart will always be subject to doubt whereas the one who sees, he has certainty and Allah (may He be Glorified and Exalted) says: ‘The blind and the one who sees are not alike’. (Sura 35 The Creator, verse 19) 

Those who will have known and fully ‘realised’ this knowledge which the Prophet (prayer and peace of Allah be upon him) brought, these will become the protégés of Allah and his allies (Aouliya), the representatives of Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) and of his Prophet (prayer and peace of Allah be upon him) in this world, well-guided advisers for the community, and they will be those for whom Allah said in the hadith Qoudousi: ‘I will be the hearing by which he hears, the sight by which he sees, the hand by which he grasps and the foot with which he walks, if he asks me, I give him and if he seeks my protection I grant him’. (Bukhari) 

For the sake of comprehension, we will distinguish within this science, on the one hand, the science acquired and learnt which diversified between the 2nd century and the 4th century of the Hegira and which gave rise to the foundations of Fiqh (Jurisprudence), exegesis (Tafsir), the science of Hadith... ect. We will call the bearers of this category of science the scholars ('Alim pl. 'Ulama) who specialise in the apparent aspect of legislation (Shari'a).

On the other hand, there is the infused knowledge inspired (Ilhem) in the hearts of people favoured by Allah (may He be Glorified and Exalted) and which circulated only among some of the companions of the Prophet (may the prayer and peace of Allah be upon him). It is a secret science which we shall call knowledge (Ma'rifa) and whose holders I shall call Knowers ('Arif pl. 'Arifin) and the teaching or path by which it is acquired is called Tariqa. 

These two forms of science are complementary and necessary. Thus, the science of legislation (Shari'a) represents an external and apparent science which consists of defining, for the community as a whole, its duties and rights throughout its earthly life. These are drawn from the writings of the Qoran and the Sunnah. The application of the prescriptions of the Shari'a represents the spiritual degree called Islam (Submission), which is the spiritually vital minimum. To attach oneself only to this science and its external application is like possessing a body without a soul which, with the assaults of time, will wither, putrefy and decompose.

As a result, we see the emergence of scholars characterised by laxity tinged with inaction and others by ignorant intolerance, seeking not to heal but to destroy, rejecting all that is other. They do not reject the Qur'an and Sunnah but any interpretation of the Qur'an and Sunnah that is not their own, even if that interpretation comes from people who have been recognised throughout history by thousands of scholars as true guides for the community in exoteric science. 

This science alone does not meet the requirements of faith and the needs of education of the corrupted soul (Nefs), because it leads to the monotony of religion and the stagnation of faith, because it remains only a science learned sometimes without deep understanding and by which the heart has not been enlightened.

The Prophet (prayer and peace of Allah be upon him) said: ‘[...] and many bearers of religious sciences are not people of knowledge’.

Similarly, he said: "Knowledge is of two kinds: knowledge on the tongue, which is an argument against the son of Adam, and knowledge in the heart, which is beneficial.

Imam 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "There is no good in worship without knowledge of religion, and there is no good in knowledge without understanding - or piety - and there is no good in reading without meditation. 

Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) describing the true scholars and their characteristics said: "Do you not know that Allah has servants who are mute by His fear without being mute, nor unable to express themselves? Verily, they are the learned, the eloquent, the orators, the noble and the knowers of the days of Allah. Only, when they remember the greatness of Allah, they lose their minds, their hearts break and their tongues are cut. Then when they wake up from this, they rush to Allah with pious deeds. They rank themselves among the careless while they are intelligent and determined, and with the unjust and sinners while they are beneficent and innocent. Only that which is great, they do not find great enough for Allah, and they are not content with the little for Him, and they do not boast before Him by their deeds, whenever you see them, they are worried, fearful, trembling and fearful".

Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) also said, referring to the tomb of Zaïd ibn Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him): ‘This is how knowledge leaves, the man who knows what no one else knows dies and his knowledge leaves with him’.

Shaddèd (may Allah be pleased with him) said:

‘Do you know how knowledge will be taken away?’

‘No’

‘By the removal of its containers!’

Imam Malek (may Allah be pleased with him) said: ‘Knowledge is not the accumulation of versions, but it is a light that Allah puts in the heart of whomever He wills’.