Embracing Excellence – 07 – Acquiring Knowledge – Ustadh Amjad Tarsin

Ustadh Amjad Tarsin moves on to look at Imam Haddad’s chapter in the Book of Assistance on acquiring knowledge. He sheds light on the three core sciences necessary for the Muslim to understand and operationalize the Qur’an and sunna — beliefs (ʿaqida), sacred law (fiqh), and spiritual purification (tasawwuf) — in addition to hadith and Qur’anic commentary. He discusses the importance of gaining a sound foundation in sacred learning and recommends the practical writings of Imam Ghazali in particular. He cautions against reading high-level Sufi works (such as those of Ibn ʿArabi) which can be easily misunderstood leading to religious deviation.