Bayan al-Ilm al-Asil wa al-Muzahim al-Dakhil
- Author died
- 1445 AH
- Editions
- Bayan al-Ilm al-Asil wa al-Muzahim al-Dakhil
Bayan al-Ilm al-Asil wa al-Muzahim al-Dakhil (Clarification of Authentic Knowledge and the Intrusion that Crowds It Out) is an Islamic treatise by Abd al-Karim ibn Salih al-Humayd (d. 1445 AH / 2023 CE) devoted to defining authentic prophetic knowledge, exposing extraneous fields of study that compete with it, and critiquing the pursuit of worldly status through religious learning .
Composition and Purpose
The author completed the treatise in Muharram 1423 AH (March/April 2002 CE) . In the introduction, al-Humayd states that the work addresses the primary affliction of the Muslim community: the blurring of distinctions between authentic religious knowledge (al-ilm al-asil) rooted in the Quran and the Sunnah, and foreign, weakening disciplines (al-muzahim al-dakhil) that undermine it . He argues that the community's decline, moral corruption, and loss of distinction stem from deviating from the methodology of the early generations (al-Salaf) in seeking knowledge, failing to adhere exclusively to prophetic guidance, and pursuing learning for worldly rank and leadership (al-riyasah) rather than with pure devotion to God .
Structure and Core Themes
The text is organized into thematic discussions supported by prophetic traditions, early ascetic sayings, and classical theological treatises:
- The Salaf's Concept of Knowledge and Sincerity: The author cites early authorities—such as Sufyan al-Thawri, Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak, Malik ibn Dinar, Abu Hazim Salamah ibn Dinar, Bishr al-Hafi, and Ahmad ibn Hanbal—to demonstrate that genuine knowledge requires piety, worldly renunciation (zuhd), and acting upon what is learned . He condemns using sacred learning as a trade or profession to gain access to rulers or acquire material wealth .
- Critique of Foreign and Modern Education: Al-Humayd examines the historical influx of foreign disciplines, comparing modern Westernized school curricula to the translation of Greek philosophy and logic during the Abbasid caliphate under al-Ma'mun . Drawing on passages from Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, and al-Dhahabi, he contends that adopting secular philosophical paradigms weakens faith and religious resolve .
- The Impact of Language: The work addresses the preservation of the Arabic language, quoting early narrations discouraging the unnecessary adoption of non-Arabic tongues and pointing out how foreign idioms alter religious concepts .
- The Love of Leadership and Fame: A dedicated chapter discusses the spiritual hazards of seeking prominence, public praise, and institutional titles, characterizing the desire for leadership as a hidden defect that ruins religious sincerity .
- Shifting Terminologies: In the closing section, the author critiques modern terminology that applies the honorable designation of ilm (knowledge) and ulama (scholars) universally to worldly, experimental, or philosophical pursuits, maintaining that in classical usage these terms applied specifically to revealed, beneficial knowledge .
Related Works
In the conclusion of the text, the author notes that he appended three of his earlier printed treatises and a didactic poem to the volume for additional benefit :
- Al-Ilm al-Ladhi Yastahiqqu an Yusamma Ilman (Knowledge That Deserves to Be Called Knowledge, printed 1419 AH) .
- Ulama al-Salaf wa-Ahl al-Waqt (The Scholars of the Salaf and Contemporary People, printed 1420 AH) .
- Da'wa al-Islah (The Claim of Reform, printed 1413 AH) .
- The didactic poem al-Manhaj al-Musaddad (The Straightened Methodology) .
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