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Qari Mahmoodul Hasan
To seek knowledge is a sacred duty. It is obligatory on every Muslim, male and female. The first word revealed of the Quran was "Iqra" Read! Seek knowledge! Educate yourselves! Be educated.
Surah Al-Zumr, Ayah 9 reveals: "Are those equal, those who know and those who do not know?"
Surah Al-Baqarah, Ayah 269 reveals: "Allah grants wisdom to whom He pleases and to whom wisdom is granted indeed he receives an overflowing benefit."
Ibn Mas’ud (Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “The position of only two persons is enviable; the person whom Allah bestowed wealth empowering him to spend it in the way of righteousness, and the person whom Allah gave wisdom with which he adjudges and which he teaches to others.”
According to Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah, Ibn Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) narrated: “The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said: A single scholar of religion is more formidable against satan than a thousand devout persons”.
Islam is our greatest gift. We have to be thankful for this gift. We have to render to Allah His due. Allah has given us so much by making us a part of the Ummah of the Prophet Mohammed (Peace be upon him) so we must totally commit ourselves as followers of the Prophet. We must become true Muslims.
Now how can we become Muslims in the true sense of the word? First let’s define what a Muslim is. A Muslim is not a Muslim simply because he’s born one. A Muslim is a Muslim because he is a follower of Islam, a submitter to the Will of Allah. We’re Muslim if we consciously and deliberately accept what has been taught by Prophet Mohammed (Peace be upon him) and act accordingly. Otherwise we’re not true Muslims.
The first and most crucial obligation on us is to acquire knowledge and secondly to practice and preach this knowledge. No man becomes truly a Muslim without knowing the meaning of Islam, because he becomes a Muslim not through birth but through knowledge and practices. Unless we come to know the basic and necessary teachings of Prophet Mohammed (Peace be upon him)), how can we believe in him, have faith in him, act according to what he taught? It is impossible for us to be a Muslim, and at the same time live in a state of ignorance.
It is essential to understand that the greatest gift of Allah – for which we are so over- whelmed with gratitude – depends primarily on knowledge. Without knowledge one can’t truly receive Allah’s gift of Islam. If our knowledge is little, then we will constantly run the risk of losing that magnificent gift, which we have received unless we remain vigilant in our fight against ignorance.
A person without knowledge is like someone walking along a track in complete darkness. Most likely his steps will wander aside and he easily can be deceived by satan. This shows that our greatest danger lies in our ignorance of Islamic teachings and in our unawareness of what the Quran teaches and what guidance has been given by the Holy Prophet. But if we are blessed with the light of knowledge we will be able to see plainly the clear path of Islam at every step of our lives.
Knowledge is identified in Islam as worship. The acquiring of knowledge is worship, reading the Quran and pondering upon it is worship, travelling to gain knowledge is worship. The practice of knowledge is connected with ethics and morality – with promoting virtue and combating vice, enjoining right and forbidding wrong. This is called in the Quran: “Amr bil-l ma’ruuf wa nah-y ani-l munkar”.
Knowledge is pursued and practiced with modesty and humility and leads to beauty and dignity, freedom and justice. The main purpose of acquiring knowledge is to bring us closer to God. It is not simply for the gratification of the mind or the senses. It is not knowledge for the sake of knowledge or science for the value of sake. Knowledge accordingly must be linked with values and goals.
One of the purposes of acquiring knowledge is to gain the good of this world, not to destroy it through wastage, arrogance and in the reckless pursuit of higher standards of material comfort. Another purpose of knowledge is to spread freedom and dignity, truth and justice. It is not to gain power and dominance for its own sake.
The following ahadees show how important and how rewarding knowledge is.
"He who acquires knowledge acquires a vast portion." And "If anyone going on his way in search of knowledge, God will, thereby make easy for him the way to Paradise."
However, side by side, it’s also our responsibility to help ensure protection to the divine words of Allah known as the Holy Quran through “Hifz” and the seven ways to recite it known as “Qirat Saba” as taught by Archangel Gabriel to Prophet Mohammed (Peace be upon him). It was this concern that prompted late Qari Mohammed Sulaiman, a renowned Qari of yesteryears, 62 years ago to establish Madarsa Tajweedul Quran at Takya Wali Masjid, Delhi. This premier residential institution with 350 students and a number of expert teachers is, Alhamdulillah, marching towards progress and excellence.
Our children are the future. The future lies in their hands, but only through knowledge because whoever neglects learning in his young days loses the past and is dead for the future. “Rabbi zidnee ilma” (O Lord, increase us in knowledge). Amen.
---The author is Rector of Madarsa Tajweedul Quran (MTQ), Masjid Takya Wali, Delhi
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