THE PURPOSE OF ACQUIRING KNOWLEDGE
We have been taught from the very initial stages, i.e. from the elementary text books, that no action of a mature, sane and intelligent person is devoid of purpose and aim. This view is agreed upon by all men of intelligence. Every person who initiates an act does so for either the acquisition of some gain or to ward off some harm. Thus, acquisition of benefit and warding off harm create the motive force for the adoption of the ways and means of any act.
lt is this mental attitude dictated by benefit and harm, advantage and disadvantage which sets into motion the action for either the acquisition of advantage or the elimination of disadvantage. This mental condition is termed niyyat or intention. It can be virtuous as well as evilsincere and insincere. Purpose and intent are thus of two kinds, viz, Sahih (correct and proper) and Faasid (corrupt and improper). Purpose and intention may, in other words, be said to be positive and negative. A correct and proper intention will be said to be positive while a corrupt and improper one will be negative. All negative factors, viz., such intentions and motives which are negatory of the true purpose of llm, have to be banished.
The purpose of acquiring llm-e-Deen should never be the pursuit of rank, high posts, respect, honour, fame, name, expertise in debating, lecturing, etc. The consequence of such improper motives in the pursuit of knowledge will, be to expend effort merely in the attainment of book-knowledge and eloquence in speech. The student will direct his efforts so as to become a good orator and debater; to present talk in an alluring and captivating way. The effort will be for the mere purpose of such superficial gains for an external facade a shadow-of knowledge. This type of student will gain proficiency in the art of review and critic-ism. The result of such improper motives will be the utilization of the proficiency gained for purposes of attaining aggrandizement, pride, vanity, show, fame, confrontation, self-esteem, obstinacy, refusal to concede ones error, searching for the faults of others, suspicion, abuse, and the desire to create a following. These baneful motives will generate greed and the lust to accumulate as much wealth as possible. This person is concerned with pleasing creation instead of the Creator. He becomes negligent and remains indifferent to his spiritual reformation and moral upliftment because of his corrupt motives. He is totally diverted from moral character and his moral depravity are the causes of strife and mischief on earth. Hence, Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) sounded the gravest and the sternest of warnings for those who contemplate the acquisition of knowledge on the basis of corrupt motives. In this regard, Nabi-e-Kareem (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said:  He who seeks knowledge for a motive other than Allah should prepare his abode .in the Fire.
Do not acquire knowledge so as to vie with the Ulama nor to dispute with the ignorant nor for gaining prominence in gatherings by means of it. For him who does so is the Fire, the Fire.
He who acquires for the sake of worldly gain such knowledge by means of which the Pleasure of Allah is sought, will not even smell the fragrance of Jannat on the Day of Qiyamah.
There are many other similar ahadith in condemnation of acquiring knowledge for worldly motives. However, these cited here will suffice for one endowed with a healthy disposition. But one whose thinking and temperament are corrupted, will not benefit even if volumes of such ahadith are cited. An intelligent person derives lesson from a single word whereas piles and volumes of books will not benefit one with a contaminated mind.
It is evident from the ahadith that the knowledge of the Deen should not be pursued for any worldly purpose, be it of whatever nature.
Therefore, the pursuit of Deeni knowledge for obtaining a degree, certificate for livelihood, for the acquisition of wealth, rank, post, fame, honour, etc., will be the consequence of corrupt motives, Any of these purposes will indicate that the intention underlying the pursuit of ilm is corrupt and unwholesome. The one and only purpose of Deeni knowledge is the obtaining of Divine Pleasure. It is imperative that this be well understood. Like other acts of ibaadat, the quest of Deeni knowledge is also an act of ibaadat. Ikhlaas (sincerity) is a prerequisite for all acts of ibaadat. The Shariah commands this ikhlaas, for minus this condition, the act is utterly wasted and constitutes a calamity. Therefore, it is incumbent that Ilm-e-Deen be acquired solely for the purpose of securing the Pleasure of Allah Taala. The searcher of Deeni knowledge should compulsorily and perpetually maintain intact the sincerity of intention in his mind. If he fails in maintaining fresh in his mind this one, true and pure intention and purpose of knowledge, the pursuit of llm will degenerate into a mere past-time. It will deteriorate into an empty profession devoid, of inner power and spiritual force and lustre, which should accompany the knowledge of the Deen. Absence of the pure and correct intention will weaken the resolve of the student of Deen. In any confrontation with falsehood, diversions and impediments which are strewn along this uphill path of Ilm-e-Deen he will fail miserably. His emotions will overwhelm him and indolence will grip him. His ilmi career will remain an idle occupation an exercise of futility and sport.
Thus, the purpose of acquiring Deeni knowledge is nothing but the cultivation of Ridhaa-e-Haqq or the Pleasure of Allah Taala. The way in which this purpose is to be attained is tazkiya-e-nafs or the purification of the nafs. The nafs is mans inner propensity or faculty of desire. It may also be said that the actual purpose of Deeni knowledge is tazkiya-e-nafs because this is the basis on which will be attained the Divine Pleasure, the motive of llm-e-Deen. The student must as a necessity possess this niyyat of tazkiya-e-nafs when embarking on his quest for Deeni knowledge, for the influence and effect of this niyyat will dominate the student. If then, this was the niyyat of the student to attain self-purification there is no reason why the effect of his pure intention will not assert itself. There remains then no reason why capability and piety will not be acquired. in fact, the demand of Ilm-e-Deen is I the purification of the nafs prior to the pursuit of such lofty knowledge, The student should, prior to embarking on his academic career, engage in tazkiyah-e-nafs. Only then should he enter the Path in quest of knowledge.
The proof for this claim is the fact that Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) first adopted solitude and contemplation in the Cave of Hiraa. He practiced mujahada against the nafs. It was subsequent to tazkiyah-e-nafs that Knowledge . was bestowed upon Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam). It was only thereafter that Wahi descended and Nabi (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) was commanded: READ!.
In view of this it should be understood that one becomes worthy of being a true bearer of llm-e-Deen, llm-e-ilahi and Ilm-e-Wahi only after spiritual purification of the nafs has been achieved and when the baatin (mans heart and soul) has been thoroughly reformed and adorned with lofty attributes of excellence and perfection.
This discussion has abundantly clarified that the correct and proper motive for the acquisition of llm-e-Deen is Radha-e-Ilahi. This is then the second condition (shart) for acquiring knowledge. This condition is also referred to as Husn-e-Niyyat (beauty of intention ) and Ikhlas (sincerity).
{Extracted from ILM & MADARIS :By Hadrat Maulana Muhammad Maseehullah Khan Sherwani(R.A.)}