QuranicPath | Are "Those with Knowledge" referring to Clergy / "Ulama"?

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Are "Those with Knowledge" referring to Clergy / "Ulama"?

A misconception widely taught as fact among traditional circles is that the following two verses of the Qur'an refer to elite scholars, 'ulama', and those who have studied under other 'shiekhs' to gain titles among themselves. These are the two verses which have been wrongly interpreted by them:

"Allah will raise in ranks those of you who believe and those who have been given knowledge. Allah is aware of what you do." (Qur'an 58:11)

"Allah bears witness that there is no god but Him, so do the angels and those with knowledge upholding justice. There is no god but Him, the Almighty, All-Wise." (Qur'an 3:18)

Where they have went wrong...

To be given knowledge ('Ilm / عِلْم) in the Qur'an means to be given the insight and understanding of a believer. As we shall see, it refers to such things as having knowledge of the existence of Allah, the Final Hour, the true nature of the life of this world, the fact that we are being tested in each moment of our lives as well as to be in possession of other believer qualities.

For example, the believers are called 'those with knowledge ('Ilm / عِلْم)' in the following verses:

"And so that those who have been given knowledge will know it is the truth from their Lord and believe in it and their hearts will be humbled to Him. Allah guides those who believe to a straight path." (Qur'an 22:54)

"On the the Day of Rising He will disgrace them, and say, 'Where are My partner gods for whose sake you became so hostile?' Those given knowledge will say, 'Today there is disgrace and evil for the disbelievers.' " (Qur'an 16:27)

The people mentioned in these verses are true believers. It is a very consistent theme in the Qur'an to refer to the believers with faith as those who have 'knowledge':

"But those of them who who are firmly rooted in knowledge, the believers, believe in what has been sent down to you and what has been sent down to those before you: those who perform prayer and give the charity, believe in Allah and the Last Day. We will give such people an immense reward." (Qur'an 4:162)

"And then when he (Yusuf) became a full-grown man, We gave him knowledge and right judgement too. This is how We reward all doers of good." (Qur'an 12:22)

"Those who disbelieve say, 'You are not a messenger'. Say, 'Allah is a sufficient witness between you and me, and any one else who has knowledge of the Book.' (Qur'an 13:43) [All true believers have knowledge of the book, as they study it.]

"He said, 'Your request is answered, so go straight and do not follow the ways of those who do not know (Arabic root word shared with 'knowledge'.)" (Qur'an 10:89)

"But those who have been given knowledge said, 'Woe to you! Allah's reward is better for those who believe and act rightly. But only the steadfast will obtain it.' (Qur'an 28:80)

"Only those of His servants with knowledge have fear of Allah. Allah is Almighty, Ever-Forgiving." (Qur'an 35:28)

Believers with 'knowledge' comprehend the Qur'an:

"But if they repent and perform prayer and give charity, they are brothers in religion. We make the verses/signs clear for people who know(Arabic root word shared with 'knowledge')". (Qur'an 9:11)

"No, the fact is that they have denied something which their knowledge does not embrace and the meaning of which has not yet reached them. In the same way those before them also denied the truth. See the final fate of the wrong-doers!" (Qur'an 10:39)

"Accordingly, We have sent it down as a judgement in Arabic. If you followed their whims and desires after knowledge has come to you, you would have no protector or defender against Allah" (Qur'an 13:37)

"Those given knowledge see that what has been sent down to you from your Lord is the truth and that it guides to the path of the Almighty, the Praiseworthy." (Qur'an 34:6)

Thus, those who do not have knowledge i.e. those who have no faith in Allah or understanding of Allah etc., are shown in these terms:

"Yet they make the jinns partners with Allah when He created them! And they invent sons and daughters for Him without any knowledge. Glory be to Him! He is far above what they describe! (Qur'an 6:101)

"Say to whom does the earth belong, and everyone in it, if you know(Arabic root word shared with 'knowledge') ?" (Qur'an 23:84)

"Those who kill their children foolishly without any knowledge..." (Qur'an 6:140)

"However, those who do wrong pursue their whims and desires without any knowledge. Who can guide those Allah has led astray? They will have no helpers." (Qur'an 30:29)

From the verses we understand that believers are those with 'knowledge'. To have knowledge means to comprehend such things as Allah's existence, might, mercy, to not attribute partners to Allah, to not kill our children, to know everything belongs to Allah in the heavens and the earth, the existence of heaven and hell, to be just and not follow whims and desires, and basically, to be in possession of all the noble qualities of a believer described in the Qur'an.

Thus, when Allah says the following, He clearly refers to the believers when he speaks of those who have knowledge:

"Allah bears witness that there is no god but Him, so do the angels and those with knowledge upholding justice. There is no god but Him, the Almighty, All-Wise." (Qur'an 3:18)

And not to 'ulamas' or 'sheikhs', just as is the same in the following verse:

"Allah will raise in ranks those of you who believe and those who have been given knowledge. Allah is aware of what you do." (Qur'an 58:11)

Bear in mind in the above verse, the use of the Arabic word for 'and', that is ' و (wa)' is casual and used sparingly in Arabic often like a comma in English, whereas in translation to English, the word 'and' sounds much heavier and can wrongly denote separation of the two elements, i.e. 'those who believe and those who have been given knowledge' are one and same people.

In conclusion, verses 3:18 and 58:11 are most certainly not referring to 'clergy-men' in any way.

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