Tradition

فَضْلُ الْفَقِيهِ عَلَى الْعابِدِ كَفَضْلِ الشَّمسِ عَلَى الْكَواكِبِ

Imam al-Kazim (‘a) is narrated to have said: “The superiority of the scholar over the worshipper is like the superiority of the sun in relation to the stars.”1

Brief Commentary

The stars that are found in the skies possess light in and of themselves but they are not able to illuminate much else besides themselves. For example, their light is not able to illuminate our homes and our walkways on this earth. This is while the sun is so powerful that its rays illuminate the earth and everything which exists upon it. It not only possesses intrinsic light, but it also lights the way for billions of human beings, as well as other creatures. This is a light which completely illuminates the roads for us and shows us where we need to go in our lives.

This metaphor can aptly be applied to the differences between a scholar who possesses knowledge and a worshipper who is devout but lacks such knowledge. The worshipper is only attempting to save himself but the scholar is one who is attempting to save countless numbers of individuals. This is truly a monumental difference between these two categories of believers. We should also keep in mind that if it were not for the scholars, then the worshippers could not exist either. It is through the light of the scholars that people are able to find their way and become devout worshippers of God.

• 1. Tuhaf al-’Uqul, p. 307.