Ulama are a name given to a person who out of love towards Allah, have so much fear of Allah in their hearts. The fear of Allah that ulama have is not the same as the fear we have toward some animals. Some children may have the fear toward ghosts or policeman but the fear of Allah that ulama have eminates out of their love toward Allah. Ulama out of their love toward Allah would obey all the orders of Allah. Ulama fear the displeasure of Allah on them. Allah will become displeased with them when they disobey the orders of Allah. Ulama fear the displeasure of Allah toward them and the fear eminates out of their love towards Allah. Ulama are persons who, out of love and fear of Allah, obey all the orders of Allah at all times and conditions. Ulama are persons who love Allah and Allah loves them. Because Allah loves ulama, Allah gives the ulama the understanding of the Quran and Hadis. Allah gives ulama the ability to practice all the orders of Allah in the way shown by Prophet Muhammad saw. Prophet Muhammad saw is a person who has the most fear of Allah and has the most correct understanding of the Quran. Prophet Muhammad saw is a person who has the most fear of Allah and having the utmost ability to practice all the orders of Allah. Prophet Muhammad saw is the greatest ulama at all time. Ulama is a description of one of the most important quality that a person should have; the quality of fear of Allah. Whoever have those quality in their heart are called ulama. Who gives the quality of ulama to a person? There is no one who can gives the quality of ulama except Allah and Allah gives the quality of ulama to those whom He loves and the person whom Allah loves are those who follow the Prophet Muhammad saw and his companions. Can an Islamic university or a madrasah give a person the name ulama? Can we call those who graduated in Islamic studies from the universities or madrasah, ulama? Islamic university or madrasah can gives Islamic knowledge but not the quality of the fear of Allah.

Who gives ilmu to a person? Who is the fountain of all ilmu? There is no one can give ilmu except Allah. Allah is the fountain of ilmu. Many do not understand the different between a person whom Allah has given ilmu and a person who Allah has given only Islamic knowledge. Islamic knowledge is or Islamic information about Islam or in Malay we called it maklumat. Many think that a person whom Allah has given ilmu is the same as those whom Allah has given only Islamic knowledge or Islamic information. Knowledge and ilmuare not the same. Ilmu is given by Allah to ulama. Allah gives Islamic knowledge through studying Islam in Universities or madrasah and they are known as Islamic scholar and not as ulama. Nowadays many Muslims do not understand the different between ulama and Islamic scholars. Many Muslims think ulama and Islamic scholars are the same. Many Muslims do not know that ulama have the quality of fear of Allah in their hearts that is given by Allah to those He loves. The person who has the quality of fear of Allah is known as ulama. Many Muslims address those Islamic scholars as also ulama. Many Muslims think, the Islamic scholars who are the principles of established Islamic institution with thousand of students studying or who have thousand of followers or who have written hundred of books on Islam are ulama. In addition, many people think that the entire person who has knowledge or Islamic information about Islam is known as ulama. In Malay ulama is also known as “Tuan guru”.

Nowadays the understanding of Muslims about who are ulama is not in accordance with the Quran. In the Quran, Allah says ulama are a person who has the most fear of Allah. Why do Muslims do not understand the meaning of ulama as in the Quran? There are many reasons why many Muslims do not understand the meaning of ulama. Firstly, many Muslims do not even read the Quran. Among those who read the Quran, many only read the Quran without knowing the meaning of the Quran. They are also among Muslims, who know Arabic languages and the meaning of the Quran, but Allah does not give them the understanding of the Quran. As evidence, they do not practice the orders of Allah mentioned in the Quran in the way shown by Prophet Muhammad saw. A person, who has been given by Allah the understanding of the Quran, will practice all the orders of Allah mention in the Quran as shown by Prophet Muhammad saw. When a person does not practice what Allah has ordered in the Quran as shown by Prophet Muhammad saw, it means that Allah does not give the person the understanding of the Quran and the Hadis. When a person does not practice what are in the Quran, it means the understanding is only on his mouth and mind and not in his heart. What a person does is what is in his heart. When the understanding of the Quran and Hadis is in the heart of a person, it is called ilmu and when the understanding is only on the mouth or mind, it is called knowledge or maklumat. Only a person love by Allah is given ilmu and whoever has been given ilmu by Allah are ulama.

A person love by Allah is the person whom Allah has given the understanding of the Quran and the Hadis in their heart. There is no one who can give the understanding of the Quran and Hadis in their heart, except Allah. When Allah loves someone, Allah gives him ilmu and the ability to practice the ilmu. A person with knowledge or Islamic information is not a person love by Allah because Allah gives the knowledge of Islam to anyone even to the non-Muslims. A person who has only the knowledge or Islamic information on Islam would not be given by Allah the ability to practice the knowledge. A person who has ilmu is the person who has the fear and the love of Allah, and on whom Allah gives him the ability to practice all the orders of Allah as shown by Prophet Muhammad saw. Allah loves good actions and good actions are actions done because it is ordered by Allah and done in the way shown by Prophet Muhammad saw with the intention only to please Allah. When Allah loves someone Allah gives him or her ilmu. A person whom Allah has given wealth and power is not necessarily, loved by Allah. Allah may or may not give to the person, whom Allah loves with wealth and power, but certainly, to whom Allah loves, Allah gives them the understanding of Quran and Hadis and the ability to practice all the orders of Allah as shown by the Prophet Muhammad saw. Allah does not gives values to wealth and power but Allah gives values to good amals or good actions. Wealth and power are given to men by Allah in order to examine men, whether men love wealth and power or men love Allah. When a person loves Allah, he will use the power and wealth to obey all the orders of Allah. On the other hand, a person, who does not love Allah, will use the wealth and power to disobey the orders of Allah. A person who is given by Allah, wealth and power, does not necessarily mean Allah loves that person. When with wealth and power a person disobeys the orders of Allah, it means Allah uses the wealth and power as a mean to destroy that person and call istidroj. When with wealth and power, a person continue to obey the orders of Allah, it means, Allah uses the wealth and power to elevate that person. It does not mean, when a person is not given wealth and power, that person is not loved by Allah or when a person is given wealth and power, it mean Allah loves him. When Allah loves a person, Allah will certainly gives that person ilmu and good actions.

Allah loves ulama and ulama love Allah. Because Allah loves ulama, Allah gives ulama ilmu. Ulama fear to disobey the orders of Allah. Out of love towards Allah, ulama would not dare to walk on the surface of this earth, disobeying the orders of Allah. Ulama fear the wrath of Allah falling upon them when they disobey the orders of Allah and this is known as taqwa. Taqwa is the basis of good deeds. Taqwa is a quality and the literal translation of taqwa is the fear of Allah. The person who has taqwa is known as mut’taqi. The quality opposite to taqwa is the love of worldly material and power and it is the basis of all evils. Ulama are persons who are embodied with good deeds and who are always the first in doing good deeds. Because Allah loves ulama, Allah gives ulama, ilmu. A person with Islamic knowledge (maklumat) may not be given ilmu if that person is not ulama. All Muslim scholars have knowledge on Islam (maklumat) but not necessarily having Ilmu. Knowledge (maklumat) and ilmu are two completely different entities. A person with Islamic knowledge (maklumat) is known as Islamic scholars or ahli Kitab. Ahli Kitab or Islamic scholars have knowledge (maklumat) on the revealed books or kitab but Allah does not gives ahli kitab, ilmu. Anyone who has knowledge in either one of the revealed books or kitab that include Taurat, Injil or the Quran is known as ahli kitab. Ahli kitab is not only persons who are knowledgeable (having maklumat) in only Taurat or Injil but, those who are knowledgeable (having maklumat) in Quran are also known as ahli kitab.

People who are knowledgeable (having maklumat) in Quran but not having ilmu are known as ahli kitab. They are known as ahli kitab because Quran as Taurat and Injil are also reveal books or kitab of Allah. Nowadays, Muslims understand ahli kitab are those who have knowledge (maklumat) only in Taurat or Injil but not in Quran. Muslims call them ahli kitab because they are not Muslims. Muslims call all those who have knowledge in Quran as ulama, because they are Muslims. When a person recites the Great Kalimah, they have only entered Islam (Muslims) but they have not yet a believer or Mukmin. A person will only become a believer or Mukmin when the Great Kalimah has entered that person’s heart. A person is given by Allah the true understanding of the Quran when that person has become a believer or Mukmin. Only when that person has become a believer then that person can be called as ulama.Having only knowledge (maklumat) of the Quran is not the same as having the understanding of the Quran. What about the non-Muslims who are knowledgeable (having maklumat) on Quran? Can we also call them ulama? In many schools of oriental studies in the United Kingdom and United States of America, there are many non-Muslims, who are knowledgeable (having maklumat) on Quran and Hadis but are not having the understanding of the Quran. Some of them even become the lecturers and supervisors of our Muslims scholars. Should Muslims call them ulama or ahli kitab? Certainly, Muslims should call them as ahli kitab because they are not even Muslims. Should Muslims address those who are Muslims but not a believer but having knowledge (maklumat) on Quran and Hadis as ulama? What is the different between knowledge (maklumat) on Quran and Hadis, and ilmu in Quran and Hadis? Ilmu cannot be translated literally as knowledge and it is the same, as we cannot translate literally berkah to be the same as blessing. Similarly, we cannot translate literally ilmu to be the same as knowledge (maklumat). Allah only gives Ilmu to the ulama, persons who are loved by Allah. Allah gives Islamic knowledge (maklumat) to Muslims as well as to the non-Muslims and we should not call them as ulama but as ahli kitab or Islamic scholars.

Muslims who have knowledge (maklumat) of Quran and Hadis have neither love nor fear of Allah in their heart. They may have studied about Islam for so many years but the Great Kalimah is not in his heart, therefore, there are not believers or Mukmin. Studying Islamic knowledge is not a mean, upon which Allah will make a person a believer or Mukmin. A person is a believer or Mukmin, when the Great Kalimah has entered into a person’s heart. Ulama must be a believer or Mukmin. The Great Kalimah will not enter into a person’s heart, including the Muslim scholars, unless they have done the work associated with the right of the recitation of the Great Kalimah. The work associated with the right of the recitation of the Great Kalimah is to invite the whole humankind to good and to forbid the whole humankind from evil. The greatest evil done by humankind is not to recite the Great Kalimah. The greatest good done by humankind is to recite the Great Kalimah. When Muslims study about Islam for so many years, but not fulfilling the responsibility associated with the Great Kalimah, Allah will not make the Great Kalimah to enter into his heart, thus, he will not become a believer or Mukmin. Therefore, we should not call him ulama but ahli Kitab or Islamic scholars. Only when Muslims fulfill the right of the Great Kalimah with the intention to please Allah until Allah is pleased, Allah will make him believer or Mukmin, and then we can call him ulama.

Ahli Kitab has knowledge (maklumat) about Islam but not Ilmu. Knowledge can be obtained by studying but only Allah gives Ilmu. In order to gain ilmu from Allah, a person must be the lover of Allah. When a person becomes the lover of Allah, Allah gives him ilmu. A person who has ilmu is known as ulama. A person who has ilmu will know at any particular times, which of the order of Allah is loved most by Allah and at the same time able to practice that order as shown by Prophet Muhammad saw. Ulama are persons embodied with good amals or actions and at any particular moment, ulama are always in the remembrance of Allah or zikirullah, which mean always obedience to the orders of Allah. Ulama at all times are in the state of obedience to the orders of Allah and all actions of ulama at any time including eating, sleeping etc. are done because it is the orders of Allah with the intention only to please Allah. Are there any ulama exist in this world right now?Nowadays, all the so-called ulama are actually ahli kitab or Islamic scholars. The genuine ulama are certainly practice all the sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad saw particularly, the greatest sunnah which is to go to the non-Muslims to invite them to recite the Great Kalimah and to go to the disobedience Muslims to remind them about the meaning of the Great Kalimah and to invite them to obey the orders of Allah. The greatest sunnah of Prophet Muhammad saw is the same as the first order of Allah which is to fulfill the right of the Great Kalimah.

Do the so-called ”ulama” or “Tuan Guru” of today practice the sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad saw? Or do they only talk or wear like Prophet Muhammad saw but are not doing even the greatest sunnah of Prophet Muhammad saw? Many call themselves as ulama and the waris or wakil of Prophet Muhammad saw but they are not doing the work of inviting the peoples to Allah as done by Prophet Muhammad saw. Many the so-called ulama are only able to give lectures to the Muslims and some cannot even perform the five times obligatory prayers with congregation in the mosques at their localities as done by Prophet Muhammad saw. Some of the so-called ulama join Islamic political parties, claim themselves as ulama, and spread the propaganda that the leaders of the party must be in the hands of ulama. What do the so-called ulama really want by joining political parties? Many of the so-called ulama only want power and wealth and yet they call themselves as ulama. Genuine ulama only want the love of Allah and they do not want power or wealth and what more to join political parties. Nowadays the word ulama are wrongly used for the wrong groups of people. Ulama is a name that should be used only for the God fearing person but nowadays is use by Muslims to describe the persons who are actually ahli kitab. Are there any ulama exist in this world right now? It is a great shame to simply use such a noble name to address those who are in reality is only ahli kitab or Islamic scholars.

Prof Dr Nasoha Saabin
July 2012
Integrative Holistic Wellness Centre