Principle 17 — Knowledge and Seriousness

Abdullah ibn Abbas said, “He who fears God is a scholar.” (Sunan al-Darimi, No. 345) This saying of the senior companion of the Prophet shows that seriousness and caution are important aspects of acquiring knowledge. Knowledge is not just the name of possessing a piece of information. When a person acquires deep knowledge, its natural consequence is that he becomes cautious about God. This precaution creates seriousness in a person. Where there is knowledge without seriousness, it should be understood that there is no knowledge in the true sense.