Ruhul Adab

Commentary of Imam Hassan Cisse RTA

26. Ma’arifa

The most important knowledge to seek should concern what is most important. Therefore, the first knowledge to seek should be that concerning Allah Himself. This knowledge is known as Ma’ârifa and is indicated in the first revelation of Allah to His most loved Prophet, Qur’an 96:1-2 “Read! In the Name of your Lord Who creates, Created man out of congealed blood…”

      The above is a part of the first verses to be revealed to the beloved of God, Prophet Muhammad (SAW). He received this revelation after engaging in regular meditations about the Creator, in the cave called Hira. The occasion introduced him to a new state and marked the beginning of the greatest era of human history. If one contemplates the above ayat (sign), it will be seen that the command: “In the Name of your Lord” means to acquire knowledge concerning Allah, and what He creates, particularly man, within whom all other creatures are coded. A backward integration will therefore imply that by studying Allah’s creation, and especially the most wonderful of them, which is man, one would gradually acquire the knowledge of their Creator, Allah. Allah SWT says in the Qur’an 2:164 “Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and earth, and the alternation of the night and the day, and the [great] ships which sail through the sea with that which benefits people, and what Allah has sent down from the heavens of rain, giving life thereby to the earth after its lifelessness and dispersing therein every [kind of] moving creature, and [His] directing of the winds and the clouds controlled between the heaven and the earth are signs for a people who use reason.”Signs point to a destination and therefore careful study and evaluation of Allah’s signs (creations) will lead one to Allah (Creator). This knowledge is sometimes referred to as Tawhid, if it is studied by obtaining physical proofs through arguments and reasoning (Kalaam). But when guided by a Shaykh it will be obtained by spiritual proof through remembrance of Allah (Zikr) and annihilation of the self, it is referred to as Ma’ârifa (i.e. Experiential knowledge of God). In Tawhîd, the student is taken through sets of mental arguments until he is convinced through rational proofs, that Allah is the Creator of all creations. In Ma’ârifa, the student is taken through sets of spiritual trainings and journeys until he arrives at the destination of the Real, where he realizes that Allah is the Real (al-Haqqu), the First (al-Awalu) and the Last (al-Akhiru), the Manifest (al-Zaahiru), the Hidden (al-Baatinu).

• 27. Shari’ah

The second type of knowledge that should be acquired is that concerning the laws of worship established by Allah SWT and His Prophet ﷺ. This knowledge (Shari’ah) spells out what is permissible and forbidden in worship. It further explains the ways of carrying out acts of worship. The importance of this knowledge is that it is used to service and maintain the ma’rifa (Reality, Beauty and Magnificence) of Allah that has already been acquired. It is a means of revisiting Allah SWT through the primary acts of worship, like prayers (Salât), fasting (Sawm), charity (Zakat) and pilgrimage (Hajj), as well as secondary acts of worships like marriage, divorce, commerce and economics etc. The knowledge of all of the above is called ‘The jurisprudence’ or Shari’at and the science that deals with the Shari’ah is called Fiqh.

To be continued in sha Allah …

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