Imam Al-Sadiq

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HIS SCIENTIFIC LIFE
His knowledge was Inspiration:
There is no virtue like knowledge. With knowledge nations live, become happy, progressive,
and immortal. With knowledge the person becomes famous, gets a high position, and purifies
himself.
There is no wonder when knowledge is better than worship a hundred fold because the
worshipper is righteous on the way of salvation. He has saved himself only. But the scholar is
the reformer who is able to take great worlds out of the darkness of misguidance. Also he
himself is righteous. He has opened his eyes for his way. And he has seen the way through
opening his eyes.
There is no virtue like knowledge in reforming people, availing them, and remaining in
existence forever. That is because worship, bravery, generosity, and the like, avail people as
long as their owner exists in this world. When he dies he will have nothing except the good
speech, while the advantage of the scientists remains as long as his science remains.
The Sunna has praised science and scientists very much. Also in the Koran, there are many
verses which laud science and scientists This is a clear matter, so there is no need to produce
quotation or evidence for it.
Yes, the importance of this praise concerns religious knowledge and scholars or it concerns
every science and every scholar. I think that this praise concerns religious knowledge and
scholars. That is because the Prophetic traditions have denoted that. It is enough to mention
the following Words of Allah, the Exalted, from the book: "Those of His servants only who
are possessed of knowledge fear Allah."(159) Besides, perhaps, this praise does not concern
non- religious scholars because they do not fear Allah and some of them do not believe in the
Existence of Allah and His Oneness.
Religious scholars are worthy of this praise because they spare no effort to do good for men.
Everywhere and every time, they are guides and savers.
Religious knowledge is obtained through two ways. They are: inspiration and acquisition.
Acquisition may lead the scholar to error or correctness. So, the error of the scholar lead all
the world to the error because people follow the scholar in Commandments, the lawful, and
the unlawful, while Allah, the Great and Almighty, wants people to act according to His Law
and Commandments. Therefore, the scholar should be infallible to lead men to Allah's Law
and Commandments. And that does not happen except when the knowledge of the scholar is
inspiration or revelation.