_The Desirability of Knowledge_
O young and growing shrub, ornament of the meadow of education, thou who
dost lighten the heart and the eyes of thy father, apply thyself night
and day to the study of noble wisdom; remain not like the brute, plunged
in ignorance. Beware of a shameful idleness; knowledge and study are
inseparable. The numerical value of these words is a proof in itself of
this truth. Without study no knowledge; where one is not, the other
cannot exist. Knowledge is the attribute of God; it is the most precious
of all qualities. Neglect nothing to acquire it; such is the teaching of
the illustrious preceptor. He also has said: Devote thyself to study
from the cradle to the tomb. Exert, then, all thy strength to arrive at
a city whose gate is the son-in-law of the Prophet.
Knowledge, celestial gift, is the table of divine hospitality. Mediator
between being and void, it adorns the visage of existence. It is for it
that the king of the domain of light exclaimed: Lord, increase my
knowledge! It is the source of glory and of elevation; it gives an
authority free from all taint. It holds the empire of dignity and of
elucidation; it dispenses all knowledge. Vast ocean without bounds, he
who claims to possess it is without wisdom. Ignorance is death,
knowledge is life, said the Lord; dost thou then desire to be counted
among the dead? Do not deprive thyself of eternal life; learn, with the
aid of knowledge, to distinguish good from evil. Enrich thy mind with
all kinds of knowledge; who knows if thou wilt not have occasion to make
use of it? If thou art questioned concerning a difficulty, is it not
better to reply thereunto than to confess thy ignorance?
God said to men: Seek knowledge even to the ends of the earth. Blush not
to take lessons from a teacher skilful in archery; in all things it is
finer to know than to be ignorant. The unlearned, in comparison with the
learned, are dunces, and even less. How can an educated man be compared
to an ignorant one? are the blind and those that see on the same level?
Whatever be his rank and power, true dignity will never be the portion
of the ignorant. Ignorance is the capital of shame and dishonor; his lot
is debasement and contempt. It is a cursed prison, in which those who
fall never see liberty again. Ignorance is chaos, knowledge is
existence, how can two such contrary principles be associated?
Apply thyself to the study of the secrets of nature; do not stray in the
valley of philosophy. What is more precious than knowledge? have any
ever repented of devoting themselves to it? Subjects and kings all have
need of the assistance of learned men. The nobility of knowledge has no
more limits than the attributes of the Creator. As long as these cannot
be limited, how can one fix boundaries to the others? Do not pause at
the shell of things; seek to penetrate to the marrow. From the surface,
pass to the interior: does the bird fly in the air without wings? The
outside of a house is as a place of passage; it is within one seeks
repose. Pearls are not found on the borders of the sea; if thou dost
wish to possess them, thou must plunge in the depths.
The study of grammar, of syntax, and of literature is necessary; they
are indispensable instruments to learn Arabic; but it is not necessary
to give all one’s time to it: of what good is an instrument which one
does not use? It is good to acquire all sorts of knowledge; not,
however, to the same degree. It suffices thee to ornament thy mind with
the knowledge of jurisprudence, of the _hâdis_ and of the commentaries
of the Koran. For the rest, content thyself with theory, leave to others
the practice: fly lawsuits and contests. Abandon law for the practice of
good works; enter not in the domains of chicanery: if thou dost not
understand anything of the questions of purchase and sale, what
disadvantage will come to thee of it in this world and the next?