Question:
Assalamualaikum
1. Please tell me about “Aalim”?
2. What qualifications or level of education does he have?
3. Does an Aalim need to specialize in all branches of Islamic studies or he can do specialization in one particular branch?
Answer:
1. Generally, recognition of an Aalim is gauged from the type of institution attended and category of knowledge acquired. He is one who has attended a reliable institution and received sound knowledge of Qur’an, Hadith, Fiqh and Arabic from qualified tutors.
2. His qualification is of a divine nature, since he has equipped himself with a divine code of education and knows the apparent intricacies thereof.
3. Reflecting on the above definition, an Aalim is one who has furnished himself with knowledge of every area of the Islamic field. If however, he aspires to specialise in specific fields or one particular field, he can do so after completion of the Aalim course.
And Allah Ta’ala knows best
Nezaam bin Yahya Ali
Attested to as correct by:
Mufti Muhammad Ashraf
Darul Iftaa
Jameah Mahmoodiyah
Springs
26 April 2004
05 Rabee’ul Awwal 1425