41/5. Chapter:
Jami at-Tirmidhi 2652 — Loss of Knowledge
What Has Been Related About Knowledge Leaving
Hadith About the Loss of Knowledge
Jami at-Tirmidhi : 2652
Jami at-TirmidhiHadith Number 2652
حَدَّثَنَا هَارُونُ بْنُ إِسْحَاقَ الْهَمْدَانِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدَةُ بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ، عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ عُرْوَةَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرِو بْنِ الْعَاصِ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " إِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يَقْبِضُ الْعِلْمَ انْتِزَاعًا يَنْتَزِعُهُ مِنَ النَّاسِ وَلَكِنْ يَقْبِضُ الْعِلْمَ بِقَبْضِ الْعُلَمَاءِ حَتَّى إِذَا لَمْ يَتْرُكْ عَالِمًا اتَّخَذَ النَّاسُ رُءُوسًا جُهَّالاً فَسُئِلُوا فَأَفْتَوْا بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ فَضَلُّوا وَأَضَلُّوا " . وَفِي الْبَابِ عَنْ عَائِشَةَ وَزِيَادِ بْنِ لَبِيدٍ . قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ . وَقَدْ رَوَى هَذَا الْحَدِيثَ الزُّهْرِيُّ عَنْ عُرْوَةَ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو وَعَنْ عُرْوَةَ عَنْ عَائِشَةَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم مِثْلَ هَذَا .
Abdullah bin 'Amr bin Al-'as Narrated from:
The Messenger Of Allah (ﷺ) Said: "Indeed Allah Does Not Take Away Knowledge By Removing It From The People, But He Takes Away Knowledge By Taking The Scholars, Until There Remains No Scholar And The People Begin To Ask The Ignorant Leaders, So They Give Their Verdict Without Knowledge. They Will Go Astray And Lead The People Astray."
Reference : Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2652In-book reference : Book 41, Hadith 8English translation : Vol. 5, Book 39, Hadith 2652
Summary of Jami at-Tirmidhi Hadith 2652
This hadith about the loss of knowledge explains how religious knowledge can fade from people. The Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم said that Allah does not take knowledge away by simply pulling it out from people. Rather, He takes knowledge by taking the scholars. Then, when no scholar remains, people take ignorant leaders. These leaders are asked, and they give verdicts without knowledge. As a result, they go astray and lead others astray. The hadith warns against careless religious leadership and speaking without knowledge. It also shows the value of scholars, because their presence protects people from confusion and wrong answers.
What we learn from this hadith
- Knowledge is lost when scholars are taken away.
- Ignorant leadership can misguide people.
- Giving verdicts without knowledge is dangerous.
- The presence of scholars helps protect the community from confusion.
