By Muhammad Tariq Ghazi,
Whoever intentionally attributes to me something that I did not say or do has made his abode in the Hellfire.
The Rasool-Allah
Sall-Allah-u alaih-i wa sallam
Reported by Hazrat Zubayr Ibn Awwamr
Sunan Abi Daoud, v3, Book of Knowledge, ch 95, H252
Here we have the world’s first definite law on copyright and against plagiarism.
This statement will likely have many eyebrows raised and many a face betraying a wry smile. Nonetheless this is what it is.
There is a cultural lesson in this Hadith: one should never attribute anything to anyone that he or she has not said or has not done. Truly evil people who have ever dared to ascribe false traditions to the Rasool-Allah have opted for eternal Fire, but isn’t it a fact of life that a similar attitude adopted about other common people often turns his world into a hell for the community. In simple language this is also called rumor-mongering.
Look around and see who are the people making life difficult and who are disturbing Nature by spreading lies, and why are they doing it. Human intelligence is powerful enough and will not fail you: your sharp eyes will penetrate the false screen of evil weaved by those who revel in deceiving humanity without remorse, not knowing however that they are engaged in a losing game. Look around again to find that there is almost nobody spreading good in the world. Then let’s assess ourselves: are we among those few who are spreading good in response to evil?
Finally, think about the decline, maltreatment, exploitation, manipulation of the Ummah and decide if our grumble about all this is justified, if this state of affairs is not because we are neglectful of our assigned job.
Yes, we are neglectful. Then let us turn to the epistemological order set by none other than the Rasool-Allah. His direct disciples and those who followed them and also those who followed the second generation have set the bars of knowledge very high. These levels are world’s intellectual standards to reach in order for men to be classed among scholars. People like us trying to touch those standards with fingertips are merely “literate” – and also arrogant despite our lack of knowledge. Islamic law defines this state of mind as Jahl Murakkab– Compound Ignorance, that’s a notch below illiteracy.