عَنْ أَبِي مُوسَى رَضِيَ اللّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «مَثَلُ مَا بَعَثَنِي اللّهُ بِهِ مِنَ الهُدَى وَالْعِلْمِ كَمَثَلِ غَيْثٍ أَصَابَ أرْضًا، فَكَانَتْ مِنْهَا طَائِفَةٌ طَيِّبَةٌ قَبِلَتِ الْمَاءَ فَأَنْبَتَتِ الْكَلأَ وَالْعُشْبَ الْكَثِيرَ، وَكَانَ مِنْهَا أجَادِبُ أَمْسَكَتِ الْمَاءَ فَنَفَعَ اللّهُ بِهَا النَّاسَ، فَشَرِبُوا مِنْهَا وَسَقَوْا وزَرَعُوا، وأَصَابَ طَائِفَةً مِنْهَا أُخْرَى إِنَّمَا هِي قِيعَانٌ، لاَ تُمْسِكُ مَاءً، وَلاَ تُنْبِتُ كَلأً، فَذَلِكَ مَثَلُ مَنْ فَقُهَ فِي دِينِ اللّهِ وَنَفَعَهُ مَا بَعَثَنِي اللّهُ بِهِ، فَعَلِمَ وَعَلَّمَ، وَمَثَلُ مَنْ لَمْ يَرْفَعْ بِذَلِكَ رَأْسًا، وَلَمْ يَقْبَلْ هُدَى اللّهِ الَّذِي أُرْسِلْتُ بِهِ» مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْهِ.
Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The example of the guidance and knowledge with which Allah has sent me is like abundant rain that fell upon a land. Part of it was fertile soil that absorbed the water and brought forth abundant herbage and grass. And part of it was hard ground that retained the water, and Allah benefited people by it: they drank from it, watered their animals, and irrigated their crops. And it fell upon yet another part which was barren flatland that neither retained water nor produced herbage. That is the example of one who gains understanding of the religion of Allah and benefits from that with which Allah has sent me, so he learns and teaches; and it is the example of one who pays no heed to that and does not accept the guidance of Allah with which I have been sent." Agreed upon (al-Bukhari and Muslim).
الشرح · explanation
طائفة: بقعة. طيبة: جيدة التربة. الكلأ: المرعى رطبًا كان أم يابسًا. العشب: الكلأ ما دام رطبًا. أجادب: صلبة لا تشرب الماء سريعًا فيستقر عليها ولا ينضب. قيعان: جمع قاع، وهو الأرض المستوية الملساء التي لا نبات فيها. من لم يرفع بذلك رأسًا: كناية عن شدّة إعراضه وجهله وقد بلغه العلم فلم ينتفع به ولم ينفع غيره.
"A portion" (ta'ifah): a patch of ground. "Good" (tayyibah): of good soil. "Al-kala'": pasture, whether fresh or dry. "Al-ushb": herbage while it is still fresh and green. "Ajadib": hard ground that does not drink the water quickly, so it remains upon it and does not drain away. "Qi'an": plural of qa', which is level, smooth land with no vegetation. "One who pays no heed to that": a figurative expression for the severity of his aversion and ignorance, for the knowledge reached him yet he did not benefit from it nor benefit others.
الدروس · lessons
الحثّ على الاجتهاد في طلب العلم وأداء حقّه بالعمل به وتعليمه ليكون النفع أعم وأشمل. أنّ العلم الشرعي المستمد من الكتاب والسنة هو أصل الفقه ورأس العلوم، وتشبيهه بالغيث إشارة إلى ما فيه من النفع ومقومات الحياة فكما الأرض يحييها المطر كذلك القلوب والنفوس تحيا بهذا العلم. أنّ الناس بالنسبة للعلم ثلاثة أصناف باعتبار التفاوت بينهم من حيث الاهتمام به والحرص عليه، ومن حيث تفاوت القدرات على فهمه وتبليغه: منهم من يحرص على طلبه ويتقّن حفظه فيعمل به ويعلمه، فينفع نفسه وغيره، وهذا أفضل الأحوال والأصناف. ومنهم من يحفظ العلم وينقله لغيره ممن يستفيد منه دون أن يكون له اجتهاد في العمل بمقتضاه، وهذا أقل رتبة ممن سبق، ومنهم من يعرض عن العلم، فلا يسمعه لينتفع به، ولا يحفظه لينقله لغيره، وهذا الصنف من أسوأ الناس.
Encouragement to strive in seeking knowledge and to fulfill its due by acting upon it and teaching it, so that the benefit may be more general and comprehensive. That the religious (Sharia) knowledge derived from the Book and the Sunnah is the root of fiqh and the head of all sciences; likening it to rain is an indication of the benefit and life-sustaining elements it contains, for just as the earth is given life by rain, so too the hearts and souls are given life by this knowledge. That people, with respect to knowledge, are of three categories, according to the disparity between them in concern for it and eagerness for it, and in the disparity of their capacities to understand and convey it: among them is one who is eager to seek it, masters its memorization, acts upon it and teaches it, thereby benefiting himself and others—this is the best of states and categories; among them is one who memorizes knowledge and transmits it to others who benefit from it, without exerting himself in acting according to it—this is of a lower rank than the former; and among them is one who turns away from knowledge, neither listening to it to benefit nor memorizing it to transmit to others—this category is among the worst of people.