Gaining Knowledge from Reliable Sources

“Read in the name of your lord and cherisher who created: Created man out of a clot of congealed blood. Read! And thy lord is most bountiful, He who taught the use of the pen; Taught man that which he knew not”. (Surah Al-Alaq 1-5)

The first revelation that Prophet Muhammed (saw) received from Angel Gabriel was to Read. We need to take this as a sign of accessing and gaining knowledge. Today, we have a problem with people getting information from all over, especially with social media and corrupt news. We always need Man-Made Laws Vs. Shari'ah | $21.00 to remind us of where true authority comes from. We only check on facts after re-posting or believing the truth of an article altogether. One of the things that we need to do as a community is to prevent those facts from going back and see the sources of who is saying what and why.

“Narrating everything one hears is sufficient to make a person a liar.” (Muslim 1:10)

We need to avoid jumping to conclusions, but research, ask questions and develop our understanding so that we can be able to promote truthful things. But on the other hand, we must be mindful of how easily we can spread rumors and backbite each other.

This topic is also essential when we are learning and teaching about Islam. There are many sources available that may need to be more authentic. We need to be able to distinguish them. When it comes to Riyad-us-Saliheen With Commentary | $52.00, a verse was sent down.

“Whoever narrates a Hadith while knowing it is false then he is one of the two liars (who invents and who spreads the lie.)

During the Prophet's time, a rumor spread about Prophet Muhammad (saw) divorcing his wives. The word spread throughout the Masjid. Companions Around The Prophet | $29.00 tells the story: Umar bin Al-Khattab heard about it. He went to the source, Prophet Muhammad, and asked, “Have you divorced your wives?” The Prophet said, “No.” So, Umar stood by the door of the Masjid and shouted with the loudest voice, “The Messenger of Allah (SWT) did not divorce his wives.” Then this verse was revealed:

“When there comes to them some matter touching (public) safety of fear, they make it known (among the people.), if only they had referred it to the Messenger or those charged with authority among them, the proper investigators would have understood it from them directly. (Muslim 2:1105)

Meaning: Those who indulge in things before being sure of their truth, disclosing them, making them known, and spreading their news, even though such information might not be accurate. (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

Book recommendation on gaining authentic knowledge and the stages of seeking knowledge

Stages & Means of Seeking Knowledge | $17.00 is a guide into how the Prophet and the Salaf learned and took their knowledge as revelation was coming down. The actions, behavior, patterns of learning, and dedication to truthful knowledge were at the core of their lives.

"The most truthful speech is the book of Allah and the best guidance is that of Muhammad, the worst of evils are the newly invented matters, and every innovated matter is a bid'ah and every bid'ah is misguidance, and every misguidance is in the hellfire." — Stages and Means of Seeking Knowledge

The method of teaching was based on the Quran and Sunnah. They did not move except with the sunnah and they did not remain except with the sunnah. There was no deviation. This is why it is important to study the religion, ask questions, and get reliable sources that return to the Quran and Sunnah. This way we will not spread falsehood and innovated practices. For more on the importance of returning every dispute to authentic evidence, see our piece on Obeying Allah and Obeying His Messenger.

What steps do you use to check if you are reading and hearing truthfully? Have you ever checked your facts about something that was not truthful? What happened? How did you handle it? For example, how would you like people to approach you about a rumor you have heard about you?