[The believers should not
all go out (in the path of Allah ) together.
A group from every
expedition should remain behind, so that they
could devote themselves to
study Deen, and warn the people when
they return, so that they
guard themselves (against evil).] (S9: V122)
Knowledge
is power’.
How many times in our lives have we heard this phrase ? How many
times have our parents, teachers, elders stated this same thing over
and over again. This quote by Sir Francis Bacon emphasizes that when
you have knowledge you have authority. It alludes to the fact that
there is something about acquiring knowledge that gives you
possession of controlling influence. But more importantly, I would
like you to note that this is a non-Muslim phrase (not said by some
Muslim scholar) which has only been around since 1597.
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The
teachings of religion of Islam came to us well over 1400 years ago.
From the beginning of revelation there was an emphasis on seeking and
acquiring knowledge. I remind you that the first words of revelation
were “Read!”
“Read! In the Name of your Lord, Who has created (all that exists)” [Alaq, 96:1]
The
intention of this article is not so much to remind you the importance
of seeking knowledge. It is assumed that the readers understand that
as Muslims we have been commanded to seek knowledge.
The quest for knowledge is a compulsion on every Muslim. [Hadeeth Hassan]
Note:
The knowledge referred to above is knowledge in deen because that is
the only knowledge that is Waajib (compulsory)
The
main goal of this article is to provide you with the motivation to
continue to seek Islamic and take joy and pride in doing this act of
worship because we can understand from various Quranic statements and
ahadith (statements of the prophet (saws)) that , there are definite
returns for these efforts in form of reward and blessings from Allah
(subhana wa ta’ala).
Raised Status and Rank
“Allah will exalt those who believe among you, and those who have knowledge, to high ranks.” [Al-Mujaadilah, 58:11]
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Let
us take a hypothetical scenario where YOU work for a reputable
company and one fine day your boss entices you with a promotion upon
completion of a certain project under your lead. I can guarantee you
that you would put your heart and soul into it to get that promotion.
Well! Allah wants to give you promotion, not just in this duniya but
in jannah! Scholars agree that the term “high ranks” in this
statement refer to bounties in this world and the hereafter. Just
because the promises of jannah are intangible at the moment should
not let us ignore such a huge blessing of seeking knowledge. We have
to believe in the ayats (verses, signs) of our Lord.
Superiority over all beings
“And He taught Adam all the names, and then showed them to the angels, saying: Inform Me of the names of these, if you are truthful. They said: Glory is to You! We have no knowledge but that which You have taught us; surely You are the Knowing, the Wise. He said: “Oh, Adam! Tell them their names.” When he had told them, Allah said: “Did I not tell you that I know the secrets of heaven and earth, and I know what you reveal and what you conceal?” And behold, We said to the angels: “Bow down to Adam” and they bowed down…” [Al-Baqarah, 2:31-34]
When
Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) taught Adam (as) the names of all things,
He asked the angels and Iblis (who had reached the level of angels)
to prostrate to Adam (as). I remind you that angels are pure
creations of Allah (subhana wa ta’ala). They are made of light, in
complete obedience to Him and are doing tasbih (saying subhan Allah)
at all times. Such a pure creation of Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) was
commanded to show respect to our great great great … grandfather,
Adam (as) who was made of clay and was prone to sinning. This
prostration as a form of respect took place based on one and only one
factor i.e. knowledge.
I
remember hearing in one of Michelle Obama’s speeches which she
delivered at an all girls high school, she told the students that she
was where she was only because of education. Even in this duniya the
way to gain superiority over other human beings is through knowledge
– you get a better income, you enjoy a more luxurious lifestyle,
you have a higher reputation in the society. But to be higher in the
Eyes of Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) you have to be knowledgeable in
your deen and this is how you truly will become superior to all other
creations of Allah SWT
Scholars truly understand the Qur’an
“And such are the Parables We set forth for mankind, but only those who have knowledge understand them.” (Al-‘Ankaboot, 29:43)
Scholars
agree that this ayah is actually referring to all people of knowledge
(and not just the scholars). People of knowledge who
read/learn/understand the Quran are the ones who truly understand the
parables mentioned in the Quran. The parables mentioned in the Quran
are important in telling us which actions are harmful to our aakhira
and hence, they should be avoided. They also guide us in which
actions are more rewarding than others and hence, we should strive to
do them.
Sign of Allah’s love for a person
“Whosoever Allah wishes good for, He gives him understanding (fiqh) of the Religion.” (Bukhari and Muslim)
As
children we are always looking for signs of love for ourselves from
our parents. If a parent buys gifts for their child the child is
assured that his/her parents love him/her. Love and compassion from
parents makes a child feel ecstatic and special. Allah SWT tells us
through the Prophet SAW that if He loves us He gives us
understanding of the religion of Islam. The difference is that love
of Allah is far greater than anybody’s love. Love of Allah SWT (subhana
wa ta’ala) is the ultimate goal of this life.
However,
this love does not come without striving, trying hard and putting in
a lot of effort. You have to earn the love of Allah SWT (subhana wa
ta’ala) by striving to gain Islamic knowledge – even if there are
not many resources around you, even if the knowledge seems hard to
retain, even if there are many distractions around you.
Statement of Imam Shaafie’
“After the obligatory deeds, nothing is more beloved to Allah than studying knowledge”
This
statement holds the obvious meanings of how much Allah SWT (subhana wa
ta’ala) loves for a person to seek Islamic knowledge but it also a
much deeper implication. The process starts off by gaining knowledge
that is absolutely essential for a Muslim to perform their obligatory
deeds. Once a person gets accustomed to performing obligatory deeds
and do not find them burdensome anymore then because of the impact of
knowledge they will automatically do acts that are more than
obligatory.
Let
us take an example of a sister who finds is hard to pray two sunnah
raka’hs (units of prayer) at the time of fajr. She skips sunnah
raka’hs and prays the obligatory units quickly and jumps back into
bed. She takes a class where she learns of the great blessings of
praying the sunnah units of fajr prayer. After gaining knowledge she
made it a point not to miss her sunnah units of prayer.
Hadith of Abu Darda
“If anyone travels on a road in search of knowledge, Allah SWTwill cause him to travel on one of the roads of Paradise. The angels will lower their wings in their great pleasure with one who seeks knowledge, the inhabitants of the heavens and the Earth and the fish in the deep waters willask forgiveness for the learned man.
(cont’d) The superiority of the learned man over the worshipper is like that of the moon, on the night when it is full, over the rest of the stars. The learned are the heirs of the Prophets, and the Prophets leave neither dinar nor dirham, leavingonly knowledge, and he who takes it takes a big fortune.” [Abu-Dawud]
This
hadith outlines multiple blessings of seeking knowledge but we will
concentrate on two main benefits. The two main benefits of treading
on the path of knowledge are the protection of angels and the du’a
of the creatures.
Angels
provide protection in two ways: they lower their wings for a student
of knowledge i.e. they allow the student of knowledge to walk over
their wings (much like a red carpet!). Also, the angels out of
respect for the student of knowledge stop flying until the student
has passed them. Allahu Akbar! Once again I would like to remind you
the purity of the creation of angels but knowledge allows us to gain
a higher rank in the eyes of Allah SWT (subhana wa ta’ala).
The
inhabitants of the heavens and the earth make du’a for the student
of knowledge. This includes the du’a of the angels and all
creatures on this earth including ants and all the fish in the sea.
This is a great honor for children of Adam !
Striving
for knowledge is one of the best deeds you can do to attain mercy of
Allah (subhana wa ta’ala).
Statement of Ibn Hazm (ra)
“If the learned ponders how the hours he spent learning saved him from the humiliation of being dominated by the ignorant and from the distress of having no access to the facts, and how those hours provided him with the joy of discovering that which is hidden from others, he would excel in praising Allah, the exalted, full of majesty, and would be more pleased with the knowledge he has and would deepen his desire to increase his knowledge.”
This
is a beautiful statement by Ibn Hazm (ra). The direct implications of
his statement are obvious. Possession of knowledge will save us from
humiliation of being dominated by the commands of ignorant people.
Moreover, possession of knowledge will save us from much distress of
having no access to reliable and authentic information. Furthermore,
possession of knowledge will give us joy of knowing that which others
do not know. Correct knowledge allows us to worship our Lord in a
better manner, a manner which pleases Him. Once we have the
knowledge, we will become even more pleased with its advantages and
benefits in our lives. This would deepen our desire to increase in
knowledge. It is a sweet vicious cycle which takes initial effort and
indulgence and once we taste the sweetness of knowledge we will get
addicted to it.
Are you satisfied ?
“Two persons are never satisfied, one who is seeking knowledge, and the other who is seeking the world”
There
is a disagreement about the above statement. Some say this is a
hadith and some say it is a statement of Ali (ra). Either way, we
concern ourselves with the beneficial message of this statement.
We
have a choice in this world. We can either get addicted to duniya
(Reminder: We will leave duniya after 60-80 years of life and leave
everything of duniya behind ourselves). The other option is that we
could get addicted to seeking knowledge (The benefits and blessings
of seeking knowledge will reap heavy rewards on the Day of Judgment).
The path of this duniya leads us away from Allah SWT (subhana wa ta’ala)
and the path of knowledge leads us towards Allah (subhana wa ta’ala).
Likewise, the path of this duniya destroys our hereafter and the path
of knowledge secures our hereafter. The choice is entirely ours.
When should you be jealous of others ?
“No one should be jealous of anything except two people – a man whom Allah has blessed with wisdom/ilm/Qur’an and he teaches it; and a man who has money and he spends it in the sake of Allah.” (Bukhari)
This
hadith alludes to the etiquettes of seeking knowledge (a topic we
will discuss in later articles in much greater detail in sha Allah).
Prophet (saws) said in this hadith that you should not get envious of
others for anything other than two things – one of them is
knowledge. Observing other people with the knowledge of Quran and
sunnah should make you feel envious and the idea is to use this
feeling of jealousy to create avenues to gain knowledge. This hadith
does not imply that we question Allah why He made the other person
knowledgeable and why we weren’t given similar knowledge. Instead,
we should ask Allah to make us learned in our deen.
“My Lord! Increase me in knowledge.” [Taha, 20:114]
Conclusion
I
hope this article has served as a motivation to continue to keep
seeking knowledge because of the numerous benefits and blessings
associated with it. Seeking knowledge will help us appreciate our
deen, make better our connection with Allah (subhana wa ta’ala)
and allow us to find solutions to our problems from the Qur’an and
sunnah to simplify our lives.
