Evaluation of Collecting Knowledge within the Frame of ‘Useless Knowledge’ Hadith

The knowledge that many verses and hadiths emphasized on it has been subject that the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) had resorted to Allah in terms of being useless. According to a hadith the Prohpet Muhammad (pbuh) prayed to Allah saying: “I resort to you from useless knowledge”. As against the hadiths have paid importance to the “knowledge” this narrative is thougt-provoking about what knowledge is. This article will discuss this narrative in the context of the same useless knowledge and deal with commentaries of these hadiths with opinions of some different tendencies of exegesis, as well as the hadith commentaries about how knowledge can be useless and which knowledges will be considered useless. In the conclusion part, in consideration of the commentaries about the mentioned narrative and the commentaries explaining the “hadith of useless knowledge” the advives will be made especially for the students and researchers of today's Islamic theology. Summary:Perhaps one of the most important aspects of Islam is its encouragement of Muslims to the knowledge. In many verses and hadiths, the virtue and importance of accessing the right information is dealt with. However, there are so many hadiths that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) resorts to Allah from useless knowledge on the contrary being well up on the knowledge. According to a hadith narrated by Enes b. Malik and in other hadiths similar to the that, the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) resorted to Allah from useless knowledge. (Tirm？z？, Daavat, 68) These narratives which were narrated from the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) point to the necessity of the classification of knowledge in Islam as useful and useless. Along with the many hadiths narrated about the virtue of sciences these “useless knowledge”hadiths reveal the necessity of “middle way” sensitivity in almost all subjects. As a matter of fact, when considering the hadiths commenting on “useless knowledge” hadith it is seen that they have consist of a warning about “useless knowledge”. In fact, almost every behavioral and moral attitude has three levels: exaggeration, understatement and middle way. For example; the person who leaves his responsibilities of the worldly life and ignores the duties of the world paying huge attention to the hereafter is man of level “understatement”. In the other way the person who leaves his religious duties and never cares moral virtues is man of level “exaggeration”. But the person who doesn’t leave his responsibilities towards both of hereafter and worldly life is man of “middle way” level. Similarly; according to the