When Scholars Lose Touch

This is something very important for anyone in a position of leadership. It is not enough to have knowledge, and it is not enough to have only good judgement. You need both to be an effective and successful leader.

There was an Islamic state in North Africa a few centuries ago. This Islamic state was established by ʿulamāʾ, they implemented the Sharīʿah, and it was one of the honours of Islamic history. When scholars analysed the reasons for the downfall of that Islamic state, they said one of the reasons was that these scholars lost touch with the reality of the world around them. They had a great deal of knowledge, but they lost touch with the reality of the world. They were far too busy studying the details of fiqh — al-tafrīʿāt al-fiqhiyyah, the branches and sub-branches of fiqh — and they lost touch with the world around them. That was one of the reasons that state fell and was overtaken — even though they were establishing the Sharīʿah, and they were scholars whose righteousness is not in doubt.