"His Pen Suffices Us"

Alḥamdulillāh, to proceed: Indeed, the doors of evil through which Ṣhayṭān enters upon people—both the righteous and the wicked among them—are many. Among these is making comparisons between scholars and callers to Allāh. These comparisons cause the one making them to fall into backbiting, which is a major sin. They also lead to the disparagement and contempt of Allāh’s righteous servants, which is arrogance—another major sin. One form of these comparisons is focusing on what person X lacks compared to person Y. This holds true whether the comparison is made by an idle person afflicted with ignorance who has nothing of value to offer and thus occupies himself with comparisons, or by someone who has been blessed with a specific aspect of calling to Allāh [Daʿwah] but looks down on others out of self-admiration. All of this is an affliction that must be treated and guarded against. And it has pleased me what some have narrated regarding Shaykh Ibn Bāz: In al-Masjid al-Ḥarām, Shaykh Ibn Bāz requested Shaykh Bakr ibn ʿAbdullāh Abū Zayd to deliver educational lessons and lectures. However, Shaykh Bakr excused himself because he was occupied with verification [i.e, researching and verifying texts] and writing. Ibn Bāz then said: "His pen suffices us, his pen suffices us." (End quote from 'Shaykh Bakr Abū Zayd wa ʾĀrāʾuhu at-Tarbawiyyah wal-Ijtimāʿiyyah', p. 86) This is because Ibn Bāz was a great Imām, a distinguished researcher [Muḥaqqiq], and a man of profound foresight. His concern was for the religion of Allāh to spread, for falsehood to be defeated, and for the truth to triumph through any legitimate means, including beneficial writing. This is the way of the wise and the noble. As for those to whom this reality is not clear, and who lack a deeper, more comprehensive vision of the ultimate goal of calling to Allāh, they—due to their ignorance and short-sightedness—only see knowledge in the specific domain they have mastered and have been granted success in. If he is strong in public speaking, he sees daʿwah only through that lens. If he is strong in writing, he belittles those who do not author books or articles, or he belittles preachers and considers them merely speakers rather than people of knowledge. He criticizes and mocks them. If he is strong in teaching, he sees virtue only in those who conduct powerful lessons. If he excels in language, he looks down upon those who do not possess the same mastery. And so it goes with every field. Yet it is well known that knowledge is vast. No one has been granted all of it, and no one has had every one of its doors opened for him. Rather, people draw from it according to what Allāh facilitates and provides for them. This perspective is not unique to our time; rather, it has been inherited from generations past. Look at what Al-Ḥāfiẓ Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr (d. 463 AH) recorded: The worshipful ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz al-ʿUmarī wrote to Mālik, encouraging him to isolate himself and focus solely on personal worship, discouraging him from gathering people for knowledge. Mālik wrote back to him: "Indeed, Allāh has distributed actions just as He has distributed provisions. A man may have the door of prayer opened for him, but not fasting. Another may have the door of charity opened, but not fasting. Another may have the door of Jihād opened, but not prayer. And spreading and teaching knowledge is among the greatest righteous deeds, and I am pleased with what Allāh has opened for me in this regard. I do not believe that what I am engaged in is lesser than what you are engaged in, and I hope that both of us are upon goodness and righteousness. It is upon each one of us to be pleased with what has been apportioned to him. Peace be upon you." [At-Tamhīd limā fil-Muwaṭṭaʾ min al-Maʿānī wal-Asānīd (Vol.7, p.185)]