In the hadith reported by Abu Darda (as), the Prophet (saw) said:

"He who follows a path in quest of knowledge, Allah will make the path of Jannah easy to him. The angels lower their wings over the seeker of knowledge, being pleased with what he does. The inhabitants of the heavens and the earth and even the fish in the depth of the oceans seek forgiveness for him. The superiority of the learned man over the devout worshipper is like that of the full moon to the rest of the stars. The learned are the heirs of the Prophets who bequeath neither dinar nor dirham but only that of knowledge; and he who acquires it, has in fact acquired an abundant portion.''

As inheritors of the prophets, Muslim religious scholars form the backbone of our Ummah, and are indispensable for its existence. Yet Allah (swt) and His Messenger (saw) have also warned us from those scholars who do not honor their knowledge through their actions, and are heedless of the responsibility that comes with acquiring it.

In the hadith narrated on the authority of Sulaiman b. Yasar, the Prophet (saw) said of the first men whose case will be decided on the Day of Judgment:

“…Then will be brought forward a man who acquired knowledge and imparted it (to others) and recited the Qur’an. He will be brought and Allah will make him recount His blessings and he will recount them (and admit having enjoyed them in his lifetime). Then will Allah ask: What did you do (to requite these blessings)? He will say: I acquired knowledge and disseminated it and recited the Qur’an seeking Thy pleasure. Allah will say: You have told a lie. You acquired knowledge so that you might be called “a scholar,” and you recited the Qur’an so that it might be said: “He is a Qari” and such has been said. Then orders will be passed against him and he shall be dragged with his face downward and cast into the Fire.”

Although Muslims have been forewarned about such corrupt scholars who do not “walk the talk,” there is a strong culture of secrecy in our communities, where scholars are granted “diplomatic immunity” and seem to be above the law. In the West, our mosques’ grounds are treated like embassies, within which scholars are allowed to abuse their knowledge and authority, and cross the line from piety into wrongdoing without accountability.

Let us take the example of sister Rayan. As a young sister in deen, she sought guidance and knowledge from the “sheikh” in her local mosque, after moving to Montana from Texas. Upholding impeccable Islamic manners, he assisted the sister in getting settled in the community, and offered to teach her to read Qur’an. As a charity and sacrifice “fi sabilillah” (for the sake of Allah), he eventually asked for her hand in marriage, as he saw in her great talents and potential that would benefit Islam. Using her literary skills, he promised she would assist him in compiling his academic works for dawah purposes, and even translate them to her native language. Then, based on shady interpretations and weak narrations, he performed his own marriage ceremony to sister Rayan, with a close friend present as a witness. However, one week after the marriage was consummated, sister Rayan found herself sexually abused and divorced. Two years later, sister Rayan met sister Umm Hatim, another divorcee of the “sheikh.” When the sisters voiced the atrocities they experienced and exposed the sheikh’s misbehavior to the community, they were immediately faced with strong opposition by his followers, who expressed anger at the outrageous accusations and sisters’ impudence.

“How dare you speak evil about the scholars of our Ummah?”

“You sisters are worse than the hypocrites who slandered our beloved Prophet (saw)!”

“For your slander, you should receive 80 lashes!”

“Al hasan Bin Ali (ra) had married 83 women in a period of 25 years! To marry and divorce is not a sin.”

And so on.

Not once were the scholar’s actions questioned: only the sisters’ accusations were rebutted, their reputations ruined, and their accounts considered inadmissible without four witnesses based on shari’ah. What started off as a form of “diplomatic immunity” had turned into impunity, when the sheikh’s followers began a campaign lobbying for his righteousness. Despite the verse of the chapter entitled “The Women” that reads: “Allah does not like that evil be publicized except if one is wronged" , the two sisters were coerced into silence through threats and intimidation.

Yet even in such unfathomable ordeals, there are important lessons to be learned.

(Photo: Paul Stocker)

Enith Morillo is a scientist by profession and a writer by passion. Her writing is featured in the newly published "Many Poetic Voices, One Faith" and "Many Voices, One Faith II: Islamic Fiction Stories." She is also the media liaison for the grass-root movement Healthy Families Initiative, a program dealing with domestic abuse in the Rhode Island Muslim community. You can visit her Umrah blog or contact her via email at enithcm [at] gmail.com.