Imām al-Ẓahabī (رحمه الله) mentions in al-Siyar:^[1]

COMMENT: There are to be found youth who excel in memorisation of the Qurʾān and in the Arabic language and what is similar on account of the praiseworthy habits and customs of their home countries or nations. While these are praiseworthy affairs, some of them are put to trial with self-amazement, being deceived with their abilities, while having paucity of understanding. They consider that Islām and the da`wah is in need of them, having grandiose visions in which they have mentally placed themselves, while they look down upon others and those who precede them because of their belief that they excel over others in memorisation or fluency of tongue.^[5]

Indeed, before the Qurʾān was revealed, the trait of trustworthiness, truthfulness (amānah, sidq) and the likes were present in the hearts of people, such that the Qurʾān entered into healthy, wholesome receptacles and thus goodness was mixed and layered with goodness, producing yet more immense goodness.

But today, due to the spread and preponderance of general evil, lack of proper upbringing, and being raised in societies plauged with social evils, the receptacles (hearts) are poisoned with the diseases of amazement, ego, vanity, seeking recognition and the likes, and of inclination to the world. When revealed knowledge is mixed and layered on top of these affairs, it leads to trials and tribulations upon these types of souls and upon those whom they draw to themselves.

Whoever sought knowledge to be an ʿabd (slave) of Allāh, then it will benefit him and raise him and whoever sought knowledge to be an ʿabd (slave) of his ambitions and desires, then it will harm him and will debase and expose him. We ask Allāh for safety.

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