The Leadership Role of the Ulama

context of the revelation of this verse. Some Madinan Muslims could not participate in the Battle of Tabuk in the year 9 AH. The Quran reprimanded them for presenting excuses to show their inability to go out for battle. Subsequently, all of the Madinan believers began to leave together for the ensuing battles and not even a single Muslim remained behind in Madinah to gain knowledge from the Prophet. The commandment given in this verse stopped them from going altogether at once. In this verse, the Muslim community received a guiding principle of a permanent nature. That is, the separation of defence-related activities from the sphere of knowledge. One section of the community was held responsible for engaging in political activities, while another section was entrusted with the responsibility of engaging in knowledge with total devotion. Similarly, men have different divisions regarding their respective spheres of activity. Islam differentiates between the arena of activity of scholars and political leaders. The task of the Ulama is to become the guardians of human consciousness. It is their responsibility to provide intellectual and