“Knowledge searches for action; if it does not find it, it will depart.”

 

Question: What is your advice regarding acting upon knowledge?

Answer by Sheikh Al-‘Uthaimeen رحمه الله : It is mandatory that a person acts upon his knowledge, because the fruit of knowledge is action. If a person does not act upon his knowledge, he will consequently be from amongst the first people to be punished in the fire on the Day of Judgement.

It was mentioned (in lines of poetry):

“The scholar who did not act upon his knowledge will be punished before the worshippers of idols.”

Thus, if a person does not act upon his knowledge, this will lead to failure in knowledge, loss of blessing, and forgetfulness of knowledge.

This is based on the statement of Allaah سُبحانه وتعالى:

فَبِمَا نَقْضِهِم مِّيثَاقَهُمْ لَعنَّاهُمْ وَجَعَلْنَا قُلُوبَهُمْ قَاسِيَةً يُحَرِّفُونَ الْكَلِمَ عَن مَّوَاضِعِهِ وَنَسُواْ حَظًّا مِّمَّا ذُكِّرُواْ بِهِ

'Due to their breach of their covenant, We cursed them and made their hearts grow hard. They change the words from their places and have abandoned a good part of the Message that was sent to them.'

(Al-Maa’idah 5:13)

The abandonment mentioned in the above verse includes: a mental abandonment and a physical (in actions) abandonment. Thus, the meaning is: They abandon the knowledge mentally, or they abandon it physically by not acting upon it. This is because Al-Nisyaan in the Arabic language refers to abandonment. But on the other hand, if a person acts upon knowledge, then Allaah سُبحانه وتعالى will increase him in guidance.

Allaah سُبحانه وتعالى said:

وَالَّذِينَ اهْتَدَوْا زَادَهُمْ هُدًى وَآتَاهُمْ تَقْواهُمْ

'Those who are guided, He (Allaah) increases their guidance.'

(Muhammad 47:17)

He (Allaah) will also grant them Taqwa, as Allaah سُبحانه وتعالى continues to mention in the verse:

'.... and He grants them Taqwa.'

(Muhammad 47:17)

Thus, if a person acts upon his knowledge, Allaah سُبحانه وتعالى will grant him further knowledge that he did not previously possess. Due to this, some of the Salaf mentioned:

“Knowledge searches for action; if it does not find it, it will depart.”

{Majmu’ Al-Fatawa 26/104}