...Allah will exalt in degree those of you who believe, and those who have been granted knowledge. And Allah is Well-Acquainted with what you do. (EMQ al-Mujaadilah, 58:11)
The people of knowledge (or Ahl ul-'Ilm) have been granted this status due to the consequences they face in the dunyaa (i.e. hunger, loss of wealth, imprisonment, ridiculing etc.) and keenness to safeguard the Book of Allah and Sunnah of the Messenger Muhammad (SAW). Because of this, they are people who should be treated with utmost respect - for as long as they adhere to the commands of Allah and teachings of His final Prophet (SAW).
Every Muslim should sincerely seek to be from Ahl ul-'Ilm as Allah (SWT) has praised them and has taught His servants to say:
رَّبِّ زِدْنِي عِلْمًا
My Lord! Increase me in knowledge. (EMQ Taa-Haa, 20:114)
The knowledge which we have been commanded to acquire should, in ideal circumstances, only be sought from Ahl ul-'Ilm. However, with the final Hour drawing closer day-by-day, it is important for the seeker of haq not to limit his source of knowledge only to scholars.
The haq is not restricted to scholars; it can be carried by anyone - man or woman, child or adult, scholar or student. Therefore, it is incorrect for a person to say, for example: "I am not going to read an article or listen to a talk unless it is given by an 'aalim."
Such a statement can easily lead to stubbornness. Furthermore, it will prevent the ignorant from increasing their knowledge and receiving hidaayah (guidance) from Allah. Just because a person is a scholar it does not mean that he has absolute knowledge of everything; the scholar and the student are always learning. Also, it is highly probable for a student to be able to explain a certain point or even hukm better than a scholar.
We should distinguish the difference between 'ilm and hidaayah. A person may have 'ilm but he may be void of any hidaayah from Allah. Thus, knowledge is useless without hidaayah.
Who should we seek knowledge from?
Firstly, we should seek knowledge from 'ulamaa (scholars) of haq. Allah (SWT) did not order us to ask doctors, engineers, plumbers or solicitors and so forth for hukm. Rather, He ordered us to ask Ahl udh-Dhikr, i.e. the 'ulamaa.
However, we should bear in mind that a person cannot be an 'aalim unless he does the duties of the Ambiyaa' (Prophets). Hence, if a scholar is imprisoned we no longer refer to him as 'aalim; we instead refer to him as "learned" or "knowledgeable" (as he is no longer doing the duties of the Ambiyaa'). Similarly, if the khaleefah (leader of the Islamic state) is imprisoned we do not continue to call him khaleefah; if a mujaahid returns from the battlefield we do not continue to call him mujaahid; and if a person returns from Hajj we no longer call him "Hajji".
If there are no 'ulamaa of haq available (for whatever reason), we should then refer to their students or close followers who have studied and had musaahabah (i.e. companionship) with them for a reasonable amount of time. Furthermore, we should measure a person's trustworthiness based upon whether or not they act upon the commands of Allah. For example, one should not seek knowledge from people who are not working collectively in a jamaa'ah to establish Allah's Deen, or from individuals who live between the Kuffaar and do not command the good and forbid the evil openly and publicly.
In general, it is safe to listen to and seek knowledge from those who: (1) are trustworthy (and fulfil all their duties), (2) refer to the Qur'aan and Sunnah by the understanding of the Sahaabah, and (3) have studied with a scholar of haq.
It is not a condition for a person to be a scholar before he can speak about Islam and give da'wah.
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