Surah Al-Jumua, Verse 5: [“The example of those who were ordered to bear (the responsibility of acting upon) the Torah, then they did not bear it, is like a donkey that carries a load of books. Evil is the example of those who have rejected Allah’s verses. And Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people.”] In this verse, the example was given of those who have access to knowledge, yet they do not uphold that knowledge. Allah (SWT) speaks with direct reference to those who were given the Torah, the book revealed to Musa (AS). Those who were given this book but did not uphold it were handed the Torah and given the responsibility of carrying it; in fact, Musa (AS) took many people with him to mount Tur, and people heard and saw certain things and came back with Musa (AS), but even then, they refused to take the book as-is. They decided from the beginning that they would pick and choose – they would take what made sense to them and was convenient to them and would leave out what did not make sense to them. This was their approach right from the beginning. They did not uphold the book as it was given. Divine revelation is something of absolute knowledge, and not something to pick and choose from – it must be regarded and dealt with in that way. The example given of those who did not uphold it are compared to a donkey – a very sturdy and stubborn animal, able to traverse across difficult terrain, but unable to understand much of anything – who carries stacks of books on top of itself. The donkey may be able to convey the books from one place to another and carry them on its back, but it is not able to understand or benefit from it.
Similar is the example of those who were given divine scriptures and revelations and were told to uphold it – to not just hold it in their hands, but rather, to bring it alive in their selves, and revive the teachings in it in the world around them. This example is for those who did not do that. This example also applies to people of the Ummah of Muhammad (SAW), who had knowledge or were able to gain knowledge, and who had acquired and accessed the knowledge, but did not stand up to the challenge of upholding it, implementing it, and being steadfast in its knowledge. If they rise to this challenge, then they become from one of the best creations of Allah (SWT). However, if they do not rise to the challenge, they will be just like a donkey, or any creature, carrying these books on its back, unable to benefit from them. The key here is: do we benefit from our knowledge or not? This is why the prophet (SAW) asked Allah (AWJ) for that knowledge which is beneficial; in other words, he asked for knowledge that he could derive benefit from, and he asked Allah (SWT)’s protection from knowledge which exists but does not bring benefit to its carrier. This verse is a reminder to all of us to take stock of what it is that we know, but also take inventory of how much we are practicing what we know. May Allah (SWT) grant us all knowledge of what is beneficial in this world and the hereafter, and may Allah (SWT) save us from the knowledge which we do not benefit from. May Allah (SWT) save us from the fate that is mentioned in this example of the Qur’an.
