Some of us may think that the law of seeking religious knowledge is merely sunnah, which is rewarded for those who do it and is not sinful for anyone who abandons it. In fact, there are several conditions in which the law of seeking religious knowledge is obligatory for every Muslim (fardhu 'ain) so that anyone who abandons it is sinful. As the Messenger of Allah sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam said, طَلَبُ الْعِلْمِ فَرِيضَةٌ عَلَى كُلِّ مُسْلِمٍ "Seeking knowledge is obligatory for every Muslim". (Narrated by Ibn Majah. Assessed as sahih by Shaykh Albani in Sahih wa Dha'if Sunan Ibn Majah no. 224) In this hadith, the Messenger of Allah shallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam firmly stated that seeking knowledge is obligatory for every Muslim, not just for some Muslims. So, what "knowledge" is meant in this hadith? It is important to know that when Allah Ta'ala or His Messenger Muhammad shallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam mentions the word "knowledge" alone in the Qur'an or As-Sunnah, then the knowledge in question is sharia knowledge (religious knowledge), including the word "knowledge" contained in the hadith above. For example, regarding the word of Allah Ta'ala, وَقُلْ رَبِّ زِدْنِي عِلْمًا “And say, 'O my Lord, increase me in knowledge'“. (QS. Thaaha [20] : 114) then Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani (may Allah have mercy on him) said, ( وَقَوْله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ : رَبّ زِدْنِي عِلْمًا ) وَاضِح الدَّلَالَة فِي فَضْل الْعِلْم ؛ may Allah bless him and give him peace God willing مِنْ God willing, God willing, God willing, God willing God willing God willing وَمُعَامَلَاته ، وَالْعِلْم بِاَللَّهِ وَصِفَاته ، وَمَا يَجِب لَهُ مِنْ الْقِيَام بِأَمْرِهِ ، وَتَنْزِيهه عَنْ النَّقَائِض "The Word of Allah Ta'ala (who meaning), 'O my Lord, increase me in knowledge' contains a clear argument about the superiority of knowledge. Because verily Allah Ta'ala did not order His Prophet sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam to ask for additional things except (additional) knowledge. What is meant by (the word) knowledge here is sharia knowledge. That is, knowledge that will make a mukallaf know his obligations in the form of matters of worship and transactions, as well as knowledge about Allah and His attributes, what rights he must fulfill in worshiping Him, and purifying Him from various shortcomings ". (Fathul Baari, 1/92) From the explanation of Ibn Hajar rahimahullah above, it is clear that when only the word "knowledge" is mentioned, what is meant is sharia knowledge. Therefore, it is a mistake for some people who bring arguments about the obligation and superiority of seeking knowledge from the Qur'an and As-Sunnah, but what they mean is to motivate learning worldly knowledge. However, it does not mean that we deny the benefits of studying worldly knowledge. Because the law of studying worldly knowledge depends on its purpose. If it is used for good, then it is good. And if it is used for evil, then it is bad. (See Kitaabul 'Ilmi, page 14) ____________________________ DONATE FOR SHAHIHFIQIH DAKWA VIDEOS. Let's support the struggle of the shahihfiqih team in producing videos of ulama fatwas. Currently there are still thousands of videos of Ahlussunnah wal Jamaa'ah ulama fatwas that we have not produced. God willing, we will continue to try to produce them. bi'idznillah. . INFAQ DONATION 0514265953 BNI Syariah An. Bayu Yudho A ______________________________ Web : shahihfiqih.com Telegram : @shahihfiqih - bit.ly/1S3K8sW Instagram : Instagram.com/ShahihFiqih Youtube : / shahihfiqih Twitter : twitter.com/shahihfiqih Facebook : facebook.com/shahihfiqih