The process of the elimination of Ilm — the Knowledge of the Qur'aan and Sunnah — is incremental with the march of time. The closer Qiyaamah approaches, the more and the swifter will be the departure of Ilm from this world.
Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said that a time will dawn when all the Ulama-e-Haqq will have departed from this world. There will remain then only Juhhaal (ignoramuses). The ignorant will refer to them, and these ignoramuses will issue fatwas on Deeni questions. Those who ask questions and those who issue the fatwas will be astray. The Ignoramuses will lead all into Jahannum. We can observe the materialisation of this prediction of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) conspicuously in our times. Every second oerson and even every moron has become a mufti and a mujtahid. The places are glutted with supposed shaikhs of tasawwuf who are not properly versed in even the masaail of Tahaarat and Salaat.
The process of the departure of Ilm from this world was already initiated towards the closing of the era of the Sahaabah. In this regard, Hadhrat Abu Darda (radhiyallahu anhu), a senior Sahaabi, said: "I observe that Ilm will disappear very soon. The Ulama are increasingly departing (from the world), and the enthusiasm for Ilm is descreasing. Acquire Ilm before Ilm disappears with the departure of the Ulama. I can see that in you has developed the greed for something the responsibility of which Allah Ta'ala has assumed on Himself (i.e.rizq) while you are totally unconcerned with your own responsibility (i.e. Ilm and amal)."
