Are The Ulama More Virtuous, or The Sahabah RA ?How Important Is The Ulama In Society?

We technically rephrase a question asked some time ago:

Are the Ulama (Muslims Scholars), more virtuous than the Sahabah RA? Didn't the Sahabah RA do other things besides religious devotions, and propagating that? Please clarify.

Answer

There are two things here:

1. Sahabah RA

2. Ulama

In this world, there are:

1. Sahabah RA who were Ulama e.g. Abu Bakr RA, Umar RA, Mu'adh bin Jabal RA

2. Sahabah RA who were not Ulama e.g. Khalid Al-Walid RA, Ikramah RA

3. Non-Sahabah RA who were/are Ulama e.g. Imam Abu Hanifah RA, Shah Waliullah RA

4. Non-Sahabah RA who were not/are not Ulama e.g. the majority of practicing Muslims of today

In terms of ranking in the eyes of Allah - it IS in the following order of superiority:

1. Sahabah RA who were Ulama. - most virtuous

2. Sahabah RA who were not Ulama - second in rank

3. Non-Sahabah RA who were/are Ulama - third

4. Non-Sahabah RA who were not/are not Ulama - fourth

We ought to understand that - the best non-Sahabi 'Aalim can never reach the same level as the lowest of the Sahabah RA. It has come to us that - seeing, believing, living with the Prophet SAW, and dying believing in him (SAW), marks a person to be ranked as a Sahabi RA with merits as mentioned in the Qur'an:

"RadhiAllahuAnhum Wa Radhu'Anh"

- i.e. Allah is Please With Them and They Are Pleased With Allah.

There were Sahabah RA who specialised in the training of Deen e.g. Mu'adh bin Jabal RA. The work of Ulama is very specialised and very noble, just like how a mother's job is staying at home taking care and giving religious training to her children.

There were those who specialised in both - Deeni and worldly affairs: e.g. Saiyidina Abu Bakr As-Siddiq RA who was both a businessman as well as the most superior 'Aalim. Nevertheless, the establishment of the Islamic state and the responsibilities of the Caliphate made him withdraw from such living, after Mashuarah from Saiyidina Umar Al-Khattab RA.

Similarly Saiyidina 'Ali RA - both a Grand 'Aalim as well as a military tactician and a highly-skilled swordsman. Khalid Al-Walid RA on the other hand was mostly known for his military tacticianship. Abu 'Ubaidah Al-Jarrah RA - both, and many more Sahabah RA, with many different combinations of virtuous nobilities which they sacrificed full all-out heart and soul for the Deen of Allah SWT.

As previously mentioned in a post from Revivalry, the preservation of Deen requires the set-up of Madrasahs, Darul Ulums and the grooming and training of Ulama. And with great honour and respect, we do not and never deny that we need pious Muslim engineers, doctors, accountants etc. these are Fardhu Kifayah obligations in a Muslim society as well, and we DO need female Muslim doctors, midwifes and nurses etc. There is no doubt we require pious Muslim professionals and non-professionals. Even the grave digger / undertaker who knows how to dig a grave correctly, according to the requisites of Shari'ah is a commandment itself. Yes.

Nevertheless, what we would like to point out here is that - nowadays, ever since the past 200 years, pious Muslim scholars have died and are dying one by one, and to continue the preservation of 'Ilm - we need INTELLIGENT, HIGHLY CAPABLE, PIOUS, DYNAMIC, STRICT, TOLERANT, WISE young Muslims etc. etc. etc. to replace them as preservers of Faith, its true content, context, application, implication i.e. understanding of Manhaj etc. - and thus we need Ulama to continue the preservation of the True Deen.

Nowadays we get "ustazs" (may Allah give them guidance or destroy them if guidance is not written for them) in talks making monkey-like statements such as follows:

"There is no need to obey the law of the land e.g. traffic lights, cleanliness."

"It is okay to give and take bribes as long as it is mutual."

"Fiddunya Hassanah means Success of Muslims in Worldly affairs e.g. technology, wealth etc."

"It is better to pray with wife at home rather than congregate at the mosque."

- and much more idiocies, which the general lay-men ill-equipped in Deen will easily fall entrapped, because they do not know what they should know. They don't know that they don't know.

Thus - we need CRDIBLE, HIGH-POTENTIAL INDIVIDUALS who many will also come from an elegant breed too - intellectual practicing Muslims. Since many decades already, when children have potential, their parents say: Ooo - send him to Cambridge, send him to MIT...but rarely do we hear parents say...send him to become Mufasirin, send him to become Muhaddithin, send him to become Fuqaha.

We need sound, high-quality Ulama to be the top source of Tarbiyah for the Ummah. We need to cut down the ratio, just like how we talk about the ratio of supply of doctors per 100 citizens. Similarly we need to knock-down the ratio, so that our Ummah are not Jahils, or "in-the -swing for Deen" but with a lot of misundestanding, lack of wisdom, loss of priorities and blameworthy self-praise.

Let us not nagate the fact that - the job of Da'wah, Tazkiyah, Tarbiyah is the responsibility of Muslims. We do not deny this. Infact - it is very important. And it MUST continue. In basic analogy, we need highly-qualified doctors, though at the same time, we also need specialists - heart surgeons, neurologists etc. Similarly, on a grander scale - we need Ulama, as protectors, and legacy of Rasulullah SAW. And yes, they of course too will contribute in Da'wah, Tazkiyah, Tarbiyah.

The legacy of Rasulullah SAW is the Ulama. (Mafhum Abu Hurairah RA)