from wearing jewelry. However, she must conceal her jewelry from men. Thus, if she is alone at home, or with women, her husband, or her unmarriageable male relatives while wearing jewelry, there is nothing wrong with that.

These are the prohibitions of ihram.

Question: What practical and behavioral benefit is there in a person knowing the prohibitions of ihram? Is the benefit that he knows what is prohibited and what results from it? Or is the benefit that he knows what is prohibited so that he may avoid it, and if he is tested by falling into it, he knows what is required of him?

The answer is the latter. This is why one deficiency in our knowledge is that we do not apply what we have learned to our conduct. For the most part, we merely know the legal ruling; as for putting it into practice, this is rare—may Allah deal with us through His pardon. The benefit of knowledge lies in its practical application, such that the effect of knowledge becomes apparent in a person’s countenance, conduct, character, worship, dignity, reverential fear, and so forth. This is what matters.

I believe that if an intelligent Christian man were to come and study jurisprudence as we have studied it, he would understand it as we do, or even better. Consider, for example, the Arabic dictionary al-Munjid: they say that its author was a Christian, and he researches well.

Theoretical matters are not what is intended by knowledge—O Allah, we ask You for beneficial knowledge. The benefit of knowledge is to derive benefit from it.

How many an unlearned layman do you find who possesses far more humility before Allah, mindfulness of Allah, upright conduct, good behavior, and devotion in worship than a student of knowledge.