What Is the Difference Between Beneficial and Harmful Knowledge?


Answered by Shaykh Dr. Muhammad Abu Bakr Badhib

Question

Is there harmful knowledge? And what is the difference between beneficial and harmful knowledge?

Answer

In the name of Allah, and all praise is due to Allah, and blessings and peace be upon our master Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, his Family, his Companions, and those who follow him.

Knowledge is vast, as one poet said:

“No one has encompassed all knowledge,
Even if they studied for a thousand years.

Knowledge is deep and endless,
So take from every field the best of it.”

By human nature, people know what benefits them and what harms them. Over the ages, through the experiences and accumulated knowledge of different civilizations, distinguishing between beneficial and harmful knowledge has become necessary. This is in addition to the guidance provided by divine revelation that warns against certain types of knowledge.

Beneficial Knowledge

Beneficial knowledge is that which brings value to a Muslim both in this world and the hereafter. It helps a person avoid the punishment of Hellfire, increases one’s understanding of Allah and the Creator, enhances one’s desire to perform good deeds, and leads to virtues and praiseworthy conduct. This includes:

  • Islamic sciences: Knowledge that helps one understand the religion and live according to Allah’s guidance.
  • Literary sciences: Knowledge that refines character and moral conduct.
  • Worldly sciences: Knowledge that helps fulfill people’s needs and improve societal welfare.

Harmful Knowledge

Harmful knowledge is any knowledge that results in immediate or future harm to a person, whether in this world or the next. Examples include:

  • Materialistic, atheistic philosophy: Such teachings can lead to the denial of the Creator and spread confusion.
  • The science of magic: Learning or practicing magic is harmful and forbidden in Islam.
  • Distorted religious teachings: Acquiring religious knowledge with the intent to corrupt or mislead others is also considered harmful.

Imam Ghazali stated:

“Whoever cannot distinguish between beneficial and harmful knowledge will become preoccupied with superficial sciences that lead to worldly gains. This is the root of ignorance and the source of corruption in the world. The purpose is that those who seek good through sin due to ignorance are not excused, except those who are new to Islam and have not had the chance to learn.” [Ghazali, Ihya’]

[Shaykh] Dr. Muhammad Abu Bakr Badhib

Shaykh Dr Muhammad Abu Bakr Badhib is a prominent Islamic scholar from Yemen born in Shibam, Hadhramaut, in 1976. He received his degree in Shari‘a from Al-Ahqaf University, a master’s degree from the Islamic University of Beirut, and a PhD in Usul al-Din from Aligarh Muslim University (AMU).

He studied under great scholars such as Shaykh al-Habib Ahmad Mashhur al-Haddad, Shaykh Fadl Ba‘ fadl, Habib Salim al-Shatiri, Habib Ali Mashhur bin Hafeez, and others. He has served as the Director of Publications at Dar al-Fiqh, the former Deputy Director of Cultural Relations at Al-Ahqaf University, a former Assistant for Employee Affairs at Atiyah Iron Company, a researcher at the Sunna Center affiliated with the Dallah al-Baraka Foundation, and a researcher at Al-Furqan Foundation’s Makka al-Mukarrama and Madina al-Munawwara Encyclopedia branch.

Currently, he is a researcher at Al-Furqan Foundation’s Makka al-Mukarrama and Madina al-Munawwara Encyclopedia branch, teaches traditionally through the Ijaza system at Dar al-Fuqaha in Turkey, supervises the Arabic department at Nur al-Huda International Institute (SeekersGuidance), and is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Manuscript House in Istanbul.

His works include “The Efforts of Hadhramaut Jurists in Serving the Shafi‘i School,” “Contributions of Hadhramaut Scholars in Spreading Islam and its Sciences in India,” “Hada’iq al-Na‘im in Shafi‘i Fiqh,” in addition to verifying several books in Fiqh, history, the art of biographies, and Asanid (chains of narration).