“For since it has always been on myths that the moral orders of societies have been founded, the myths canonized as religion and since the impact of science on myths results—apparently inevitably—in moral disequilibration, we must now ask whether it is not possible to arrive scientifically at such an understanding of the life-supporting nature of myths that, in criticizing their archaic features, we do not misrepresent and disqualify their necessity—throwing out, so to say, the baby (whole generations of babies) with the bath” (11-12). Joseph Campbell, Myths to Live By
From Ayman Abdel-Naby, some thoughts on an aphorism which may or not be the exact words of God or the prophet, but which nevertheless informs Muslims across the Arab world. (It is inspired by our reading of Joseph Campbell).
The Hadiths are a collection of traditional aphorisms of the prophet Muhammad that, with accounts of his daily practice (the Sunna), constitute the major source of guidance for Muslims apart from the Koran. There are also da’if (“weak”) hadiths, which cannot be proven and most of the time turn out to be false and not the actual words of the Prophet Muhammed.
A popular da’if hadith that many Muslims around the world still go by is: “Seek knowledge even if you have to go as far as China.” “China” is not meant literally; it is a country far from Arab lands. “Knowledge” refers to both spiritual knowledge and scholarly knowledge (and finding a balance between both). Men and women are encouraged to seek knowledge because the more they acquire, the more they know about the religion and why God made certain things permissible while other things are forbidden.
So this hadith tells Muslims to seek knowledge from afar, away from their native countries, but some people have interpreted it differently. Some take this hadith to mean that God said all Muslims should acquire this knowledge by any means necessary, even if the means are corrupt, but that actually goes against the religion’s principles.
Another perspective that is reflected in this weak hadith is the idea of knowledge being in front of your eyes. The people who interpreted this incorrectly thought it was necessary to travel and leave their native land just to gain knowledge. They disregarded the fact that there is knowledge to acquire from where you originated. Of course, it is a necessary step to seek knowledge outside the box, but you have to make sure that you don’t forget that the society that you inhabit is rich with knowledge that you can also absorb.