Quotes from Franz Rosenthal

1. "Knowledge is an attribute (sifah) through which ignorance, doubt, or conjecturing is removed from him who is alive."129

According to the Prophet, the four blemishes of knowledge are boasting of one's knowledge and feeling superior on account of it to recognized scholars, entering into contests with fools on the strength of one's knowledge, trying through it to influence people in his favor, and attempting to obtain favors from leaders in powerful positions by means of it.

The primeval "pen," for instance, is light, and the writing on the well- guarded tablet is a light of God, as the Qur- ân itself was frequently referred to as a light, on good scriptural authority. The light of knowledge, or knowledge and learning being a lamp in the darkness of ignorance and sin came to be used as commonplace metaphors.

Poetry is practically the only intellectual pursuit which we can be positive was highly developed and much practiced in pre-Islamic Arabia. It seems certain that the Arabic word for poet, shair, meant originally "one who knows," and the word for poetry, shir, "knowledge".

The proper respect to be shown to scholars is described by Alî in detail. He is credited with the constantly repeated statement that "Knowledge is better than property. For knowledge protects you, while you must protect property. Property is diminished by spending, while knowledge thrives on spending." Alî's celebrated remark: "A man's value consists in what he knows or does well.

Knowledge will not be taken away from mankind, but scholars will disappear. When no scholar remains, stupid men will be put in command. They will go astray themselves as well as lead others astray.

It is recommendable to study even at unusual hours: The Prophet woke up in the night and had his household awakened in order to exhort them.—The Prophet prayed and exhorted people after nightfall.

He cites Ibn as-Sîd al-Batalyawsî (d. 521/1127) to the effect that the higher the station is which a person reaches in the world, the less is his knowledge (- ulûm), and whenever he gives up his high station in life, his knowledge widens.

Knowledge is the arrival (wusûl ) of the soul at the meaning (manâ) of a thing." Qinâlîzâdeh, who considers this the best definition known to him, explains that "when the arrival of the soul at the mean- ing of a thing comes, knowledge of that thing comes, in that the soul comes to it.

In the preceding century, the philosopher al-Kindi had defined wisdom as the "the excellence of the (rational) power, the knowledge of the universals in their realities, and the employment (in action) of the realities that must be employed.

The man who has knowledge is considered most outstanding among people, Even if he does not occupy a position of nobility among his people. Wherever he settles, he can make a living from his knowledge. A man who possesses knowledge is no stranger anywhere.

The Messiah (Jesus) says: "God shows the greatest hatred for a scholar who loves to be remembered when being abroad, who is given much room in gatherings, who is (often) invited for dinner, and who has bags of provisions poured out for him. In truth, I say to you, Those have taken their wages in this world, and God will double their punishment on the Day of Resurrection.' " Strange as this may seem at - first glance, the passage may reflect Mark 12:38 f. (Luke 20:46)

A book of the Indians (that is, Kalîlah wa-Dimnah) teaches that a scholar's knowledge accompanies him and provides for him wherever he goes, and thus is comparable to the strength of a lion which always stays with him.