Zaghl al-Ilm
- Author died
- 748 AH
- Editions
- Maktabat al-Sahwah al-Islamiyyah
Zaghl al-Ilm (Arabic: زغل العلم, lit. 'The Adulteration of Knowledge') is a critical treatise written by the Syrian historian and hadith master Shams al-Din al-Dhahabi (673–748 AH / 1274–1348 CE) . The short work offers an internal critique of the scholarly community of his era, diagnosing the spiritual failings, intellectual conceits, and practical shortcomings prevalent among practitioners of various Islamic disciplines .
Title and Scope
The term zaghl denotes counterfeit, adulteration, or spurious matter . In scholarly bibliographies, the work is known by several title variations, including Bayan Zaghl al-Ilm, Zaghl al-Ilm wa-l-Talab, and Risalah fima Yudhammu wa-Yu'abu fi Kulli Ta'ifah (Treatise on What Is Blameworthy and Faulted in Every Group) . Drawing on his firsthand familiarity with the religious establishment in Mamluk Damascus and Cairo, al-Dhahabi composed the treatise to admonish scholars against exploiting sacred knowledge for social prestige, judicial appointments, or sectarian wrangling .
Content and Method
The treatise examines different branches of religious and rational learning, pointing out the specific afflictions (ilal) that affect their specialists :
- Quran Reciters (qurra'): Al-Dhahabi rebukes reciters who obsess pedantically over minor phonetical rules (tajwid), letter articulation (tafkhim and tarqiq), and obscure non-canonical variants (al-qira'at al-shadhdhah), or who prioritize musical melodicism over inward contemplation (tadabbur), humility, and practicing Quranic teachings .
- Legal Theory (usul al-fiqh) and Jurisprudence: He criticizes students of jurisprudence who claim that absolute independent reasoning (ijtihad) has ceased yet devote themselves to usul al-fiqh without freeing themselves from blind conformity (taqlid) to their school's eponym, noting that mastering the theory without applying legal reasoning or studying it merely for state stipends is futile and burdensome .
- Logic (mantiq) and Dialectics (jadal): He warns that proficiency in dialectical argument allows its practitioners to bolster falsehood over truth even when they are conscious of being wrong .
- Praise of Virtuous Figures: Alongside his critiques, al-Dhahabi highlights genuine models of piety and detachment, including his praise for the ascetic traditionist Abu Bakr ibn Khalil .
Manuscripts and Publication
Several manuscript copies of Zaghl al-Ilm survive across various libraries:
- A manuscript held in the Berlin State Library .
- A copy in the al-Ahqaf Library in Tarim, Yemen (reproduced at the Manuscript Institute in Kuwait under no. 181) .
- A manuscript in Yemen photographed at the Islamic University of Madinah (no. 254) .
- A manuscript in the Chester Beatty Library (MS 4551/2), copied in the 12th century AH .
The text was edited by Muhammad ibn Nasir al-Ajmi and published in Kuwait by Maktabat al-Sahwah al-Islamiyyah in 1404 AH / 1984 CE .
Reception and Attribution Debates
Passages from Zaghl al-Ilm were quoted by later classical scholars, such as Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani in Inba' al-Ghumr and Ibn al-Wazir in al-Awasim wa-l-Qawasim .
In modern scholarship, the work has been subject to debate due to critical remarks concerning al-Dhahabi's teacher Ibn Taymiyyah and its frequent association with another contested epistle attributed to al-Dhahabi, al-Nasiha al-Dhahabiyyah . Scholars such as Hammad al-Ansari and Bakr Abu Zayd expressed skepticism over its attribution or its harsh criticisms, arguing that such sharp censures conflict with al-Dhahabi's well-documented reverence for Ibn Taymiyyah in his biographical works . Other researchers and editors, including Bashar Awwad Ma'ruf, consider Zaghl al-Ilm an established and authentic work of al-Dhahabi .
Answer updated