By Naqibullah Ubaida
Because Allah Almighty has granted religious scholars a high rank and great honor, they have always been held in high esteem in Muslim society and regarded as the primary reference for understanding the religion. When it comes to Islamic rulings, matters of belief, and practical religious guidance, people naturally turn to scholars for fatwas and advice, shaping their religious lives according to their guidance. But when some scholars begin to place the favor of rulers, personal interests, worldly privileges, and expediency above their actual mission, public confidence in them gradually begins to fade. As that trust weakens, the standing and influence of the scholars also decline. For that reason, it is important to identify the main causes behind this crisis so that meaningful steps can be taken to address it.
Some of the most important reasons are as follows.
1. Seeking People’s Approval Instead of Allah’s Pleasure
The primary duty of a religious scholar is to speak the truth for the sake of Allah and to convey His religion without distortion. Yet some scholars, because of personal interests, social pressure, or political considerations, begin to seek people’s approval instead of Allah’s pleasure. Such conduct not only contradicts the very spirit of their mission but also damages their credibility in the eyes of the public.
There is a well-known hadith. It says: whoever seeks the pleasure of people by displeasing Allah will earn neither the pleasure of Allah nor the lasting approval of people.
For this reason, scholars must make sincerity, steadfastness, and taqwa the foundation of their commitment to speaking the truth.
2. Withdrawing From Society
Another major reason for the growing gap between scholars and ordinary people is withdrawing from society. When scholars confine themselves to classrooms and seminaries, the distance between them and the public naturally widens.
Teaching and study are undoubtedly important, but remaining unaware of society’s realities, intellectual challenges, and social problems weakens the scholar’s ability to guide the people. Engaging with society does not mean abandoning dignity or religious responsibility. It means understanding people’s circumstances firsthand and becoming familiar with the problems they face. If scholars remain distant from society, how can they hope to reform it?
In his book Madrasa and Mubariza, Abdul Hadi Mujahid writes:
“Alongside intellectual stagnation in the curriculum of many madrasas, there is, unfortunately, a culture of isolation. Both teachers and students often try to remain as detached from society as possible, spending their time only on teaching and studying books while avoiding the intellectual, political, social, and moral problems affecting society, believing that doing so allows them to devote themselves fully to their studies. The result of this isolation is that others eventually take over the leadership of society, gain control of public affairs, and religious scholars are left marginalized and powerless.”
(Madrasa and Mubariza, p. 193)
3. Falling Under the Influence of Rulers
When scholars stop speaking the truth and instead seek the approval of those in power, using religious arguments to justify their mistakes, they not only damage their own credibility but also weaken the influence of religious class and contribute to the intellectual decline of society.
The story of Emperor Akbar is a well-known example. He was, by nature, a capable ruler, and his court was filled with scholars. But when many of those scholars abandoned the duty of speaking the truth and instead sought closeness to the ruler in pursuit of privilege and favor, they became one of the reasons why the ruler of a vast empire drifted from the right path. Later, through the sincere efforts of the devoted scholar Mujaddid Alf Thani (may Allah have mercy on him), Allah Almighty saved a great part of the Ummah from that trial. Otherwise, India might well have suffered the same fate as Andalusia.
4. Weak Scholarship and Declining Academic Standards
The responsibilities carried by religious scholars are immense. Matters of creed, ethics, Islamic law, social affairs, and the resolution of disputes all rest heavily on their shoulders. Such a responsibility demands deep knowledge, broad study, and thorough intellectual preparation. If the pursuit of knowledge becomes nothing more than a means of obtaining certificates, and academic standards are allowed to decline, the result will be the weakening of both the scholars’ credibility and the intellectual strength of the Ummah.
Dr. Ali al-Sallabi, in his book The Ottoman Caliphate, points out that one of the factors behind the decline of the Ottoman state was the deterioration of educational standards. Academic certificates were often granted too easily, regardless of merit. A student who had studied only a few elementary texts could receive full certification. In many cases, villagers obtained scholarly certificates simply through correspondence. A teacher sitting in Cairo would issue authorization to a student in Makkah without ever meeting him. This practice made many Muslims careless in the pursuit of genuine knowledge. They no longer acquired learning properly. Granting scholarly certification according to proper standards is essential.
When certificates are handed out without merit, knowledge itself declines, because many people begin to seek only the piece of paper rather than the learning it is meant to represent.
(The Ottoman Caliphate, p. 598)
