Shaykh ‘Awwamah (hafizahullah) once explained:

Knowledge is of three types:

(1) Beneficial knowledge

(2) Harmful knowledge

(3) Knowledge that neither benefits nor harms.

Among the [masnun] morning supplications is the following:

اللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ عِلْمًا نَافِعًا، وَرِزْقًا طَيِّبًا، وَعَمَلًا مُتَقَبَّلًا

“O Allah, indeed I ask of You beneficial knowledge, pure sustenance, and accepted action.”

In these words, beneficial knowledge is being sought. There is another Hadith in which Nabiy (sallahu ʿalayhi wa sallam) has said:

“Ask Allah for beneficial knowledge and seek protection in Allah from knowledge that yields no benefit.”

By this single phrase, “knowledge that yields no benefit”, Rasulullah (sallahu ʿalayhi wa sallam) indicated that there are three types of knowledge: (a) beneficial knowledge, which is exactly what we ask from Allah Ta’ala. (b) Knowledge that does not yield benefit —meaning it does not harm either; he (sallahu ʿalayhi wa sallam) sought protection from this as well. (c) The third category is harmful knowledge, which is that which makes you spend your time, your life, your energy, your talents, your hearing, your seeing, and your wealth. All of this you spend on knowledge that does not benefit you whatsoever, nor does it take you closer to Allah.

It is not permitted that you spend an ounce of the talents that Allah has honored you with in anything other than that which increases you in closeness to Allah ‘Azza wa Jalla.

[MA-E01-5/MA-E01-4]

Reflection

On another occasion, Shaykh (hafizahullah) expounded further on the meaning of beneficial knowledge. He said:

“Beneficial knowledge is one which leads a person to practise upon it, and it forces him to do so as quickly as possible because of the fear of his knowledge becoming a proof and a curse against him instead of being an argument in his favour. This habit is binding on the special class of Muslims, i.e. the ‘Ulama and students of knowledge, and it is also required from the rest of the Muslims. Whenever they learn of any of the teachings of Islam, they promptly implement it.”

(Golden Guidelines for those on the Path of Knowledge, pg. 45)