one who calls out to what hears nothing but calls and cries. Deaf, mute and blind, they do not understand.” When they act upon these verses, they thereby purify themselves and become successful believers.

Allah says:

“Allah will raise those of you who believe and those who have been given knowledge in rank.”

Of their opposites, He says:

“The Bedouins are stronger in disbelief and hypocrisy, and more likely not to know the limits of what Allah has revealed to His Messenger.”

He thus describes them as greater in disbelief, hypocrisy and ignorance—the opposites of faith and knowledge. Listening to Allah’s verses and purifying oneself through them are obligatory for everyone. Every servant must hear the message that his Master has sent to him through His Messenger. This is the obligatory listening that forms the foundation of faith. One must also purify oneself by doing what is commanded and abandoning what is forbidden. Both are indispensable.

As for knowledge of the Book and wisdom, this is a collective obligation. Not every individual is required to be a scholar of the Book, knowing its wording and meaning, or to possess knowledge of all wisdom. Rather, the believers collectively are charged with this obligation, just as they are charged with jihad. Indeed, this obligation takes precedence over that of jihad and is more emphatic, for it is the foundation of jihad. Without it, they would not know what they were fighting for. Hence, the Messenger and the believers undertook this before undertaking jihad. Jihad is the pinnacle of religion, its branch and its culmination, whereas this is its root, foundation, pillar and head.

The purpose of the message is the performance of all obligatory and recommended deeds. There is no doubt that listening to Allah’s Book, believing in it, regarding as forbidden what it forbids and as lawful what it permits, acting upon its unambiguous passages, and believing in its ambiguous passages are obligatory