Knowledge is of two distinct kinds: that which we
have been blessed within the Qur’an and the
Hadith, and that which we acquire as a result of our
own research and endeavour. The first kind
acquaints us with our Lord, and makes plain the
issues to be faced in the everlasting world which
awaits us after death. More important, it shows us
how, in the course of our present life, we may
prepare ourselves to meet those issues. The second
kind of knowledge provides solutions to the social
and economic problems which we encounter in
everyday life.
It is imperative that Muslims should seek both
forms of knowledge, but they should never lose
sight of the fact that they vary considerably in
importance. Their primary aim in life should be a
knowledge of the Qur’an and the Hadith, while the
acquisition of a knowledge of the other sciences
should come about as a matter of worldly necessity.
Without a knowledge of religion, what must be
done in this world to earn an everlasting reward,
will constantly elude one’s understanding, and it
goes without saying that one can never then
consider oneself a Muslim in the true sense of the
word.
The secular sciences guide us only in worldly
matters, giving us instruction in the agricultural,
industrial and civic practicalities of life. But it is the
Qur’an and Hadith which set our feet on the path to
eternal development. Cleary, it is just as important
for Muslims as it is for anyone else to study various
branches of knowledge, but they must distinguish
between ultimate objectives and adventitious
necessity. Muslims must not only study the Qur’an
and the Hadith, but must be keenly aware that the
real reasons for studying them are very different
from those which prompt them to seek worldly
knowledge: they must constantly bear in mind also
that religious knowledge take moral priority over
all other forms of knowledge.
--Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
( Ref - The Moral Vision)
