Sharing Knowledge Our Responsibility

Ismail Kamdar

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Channel: Ismail Kamdar

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alameen wa Salatu was Salam O Allah Illallah me, Omar de de COVID sN Liu et

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Al Hamdulillah. We begin to praising Allah subhanho wa Taala. And asking him to send his peace and blessings upon the final prophet Muhammad. And all those who follow his way with righteousness until the last day.

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I would like to begin by asking a question.

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And this question is directed to each and every one of us, who has made it our objective to study Islam.

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And the question is, why do you want to study Islam?

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And what do you want to do with that knowledge?

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This is a very important question. Because there are many people who look at studying Islam and seeking Islamic knowledge as an iba, in itself, for which you don't need a higher intention. And so you will have people studying Islam for no other reason, except to become a scholar of to say that they know Islam, but they have no higher goals on what they want to do with this knowledge.

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So, the question you need to ask is, number one, why am I studying Islam? Am I doing it for the sake of Allah? Or for my own ego? Or to please my parents? What is the reason why I have chosen to study Islam? The second thing is, how will other people benefit from me studying Islam? How will other people benefit from my knowledge? This is a question every Muslim should ask themselves were studied Islam. The reason being is that Islam is not something selfish. Islam is the religion. We Allah has given us social responsibilities, we have been created to serve mankind. Allah Subhana Allah tells us in the Quran, I couldn't do. Martin rejet leanness, you are the best of people brought fought for

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mankind. interesting use of the preposition in the Arabic Allah Subhana Allah says, leanness and not meanness. Lynas means for mankind, for the benefit of mankind, meaning Allah has created Muslims, to be a benefit to others, to guide others to the straight path to make this world better. And so this is our responsibility that we need to work together to bring people towards the truth. And so we shouldn't just go into the study of Islam without any higher objective. We need to set some goals and we need to work towards learning knowledge and using that knowledge to bring people towards Allah. There are many other Hadees and verses of the Quran, which speak about our social

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responsibility. Allah subhanaw taala talks about the Prophet sallallahu Sallam as being Rahmatullah alameen a mercy to the universe. If he is a mercy to the universe, then those of us who are following his Sunnah should also be a mercy to the universe.

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Furthermore, the Prophet sallallahu Sallam has mentioned

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or It is reported that he has mentioned that the best of you are those who are most beneficial to others

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say ruinous unfound us the best of humanity are those who are most beneficial to mankind, or whatever the proper Slauson has said with that regard.

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The point being, that we as Muslims need to be of benefit to others. And the professor allowed us and had also mentioned that Allah will not show mercy on those who have not have mercy to others. All of these verses and Hadees Hadees of the, of the prophecy that Islam and verses of the Quran, all of them point to one thing, that as Muslims, it is not enough just to study Islam, and then to practice it yourself. This knowledge needs to be shared with others in different ways.

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If you had to look at some of the people studying Islam in different parts of the world today, I would say one of the major reasons why many of the students of knowledge ended up not being beneficial to others, it because of having the wrong intention.

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When I was studying in the Institute,

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if people would ask us why we were studying Islam,

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the vast majority of students would see something like so I can have a BA or two I can be a chef. Also, I can have knowledge of the deen. You know, it is always about themselves, or about the appearance that my parents want me to become a chef. My parents want me to have knowledge of the deen so there was no bigger picture.

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was very limited in what they wanted to do with that knowledge. The result of this is that those people ended up not being beneficial to others, those people end up not being beneficial to others. So for example, if you had someone who

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literally be the happiest because it's very common amongst people who are memorizing the Quran. Generally, if you see somebody who is memorizing the Quran many times if you have to ask them, why are you memorizing the Quran? They would reply to become a habit. That's the goal to become a habit. And so such an individual after they have memorized the Quran and become a habit, the question is, now what if completed a goal. And so such an individual does not understand the Quran, they do not practice the Quran, and they don't have any intention of sharing it with others. So what was the point of that hips? What is the point of memorizing the Quran, if there was nothing more that you

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were going to do with it? Similarly, we have people who study Islam, on a broader perspective, for the same reason that I am studying to become a chef. As soon the graduates and people start calling and check. The next step is again, now what they have no higher goals. They never thought beyond that. They never thought What will I do after I complete my studies, they never thought What can I do in my knowledge to benefit other people? It was simply that I'm studying for the sake of studying. And so the knowledge is a benefit them know that they benefit others, and it becomes a waste, it becomes a waste of the resources of Allah subhanho wa Taala.

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When we look at the knowledge of Islam, we need to be clear that this knowledge that Allah Subhana Allah has blessed us with is not just a gift. It's not just something which we own, or something which you can do it as we like, knowledge falls under the category of risk, of sustenance of Allah.

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Risk is anything that Allah has provided us with, to help us to live comfortably in this world, and to make it to the next one. And one of the things that that provides us with in this world is knowledge. And so our knowledge is actually risk from Allah. And so we have to look at it at the same way that we look at other things that Allah has provided us with, for example, wealth, money, if Allah subhana wa Taala has given someone a lot of wealth, we know that it is not permissible for that individual to squander his wealth, that God is compulsively charity and soda is recommended. Serving the genie the wealth is something which is you know, something that you've beneficial,

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something which is propagated by the religion. A person who Mises with his wealth is somebody who Allah has cursed in the Quran, Allah has spoken against in the Quran. And the same applies to knowledge, that somebody who Mises with their knowledge, and does not share it with others, these Hadees with the prophets Luddism said that those who conceal their knowledge will just benefit other people with the knowledge it will be put around the neck and the Day of Judgment, and it will be

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turned into a bridle of fire that will burn the next. So we ask a lot to protect us from that. So knowledge

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of this Deen and even of this dunya is a sustenance from Allah. And just like anything else that Allah has provided us with, whether it be our wealth, our health, or even our free time, we will be asked about our knowledge. And what we did with it.

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The proper slicer had said that there are five things which will be asked about

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you, and those five things or your life, or your youth, your free time, your knowledge, and your wealth, how you earned it and spending. All of these five things are risk assessments from Allah, they are things that Allah gives to some and does not give to others. And if it is given to you, it is your responsibility to share it with others, it is your responsibility to benefit others from it. And so knowledge of the deen becomes something which we need to use to share a benefit to others.

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And so now we will move on to the more practical part of this lecture. As I'm sure that everybody understands that sharing knowledge is our responsibility. It is something that we all have to do. So the next question which will come to many people's minds is how how do I share my knowledge What can I do in my knowledge, to benefit others 100 that we are living in a time God are hundreds of things that you could do with that knowledge know the most basic

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thing you could do is shade with your family.

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So if you are a housewife, or if you are a father, or even if you are just still a son or daughter not married yet,

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you have a responsibility. And you have the ability to share this knowledge with others within your own household.

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setting up our study circles in your house, maybe once a week, you get your family together and teach them about Islam, you know, maybe something you can do every day, you can make different methods according to the lifestyle that you'll have an according to the culture of your home, and set up different ways to spread that knowledge within your home, setting up Islamic libraries, downloading Islamic lectures, getting your other family members to sign up with a BA program. They are different ways to share knowledge, even within your home, outside your own, do a variety of ways to do getting involved with the local Masjid. And any Islamic projects which they have. offering

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your services to teach people teaching is perhaps the most beneficial way of using your knowledge.

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I know nowadays is a trend that everybody is into. And that trend is lecturing on the public circuit. Everybody wants to become a public lecture. So they put on PCB, or one of the other Islamic TV stations and they go on YouTube. And they see Dr. Bilal Philips and Dr. Zakir like and your subtle body and the other Greek scholars all on the stage, talking about Islam in different countries of the world, with 1000s of people in the audience. And every stream of knowledge says to themselves, I want to do that, I want to be like that.

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Interestingly, I was listening to an interview with Dr. Bill out a few days ago. And he mentioned in that interview, that education and teaching is much better than traveling around the world. And actually, he said because traveling around the world and lecturing, has become a source of entertainment. Out of the 1000s of people that attend the lecture, many of them just come there to be entertained, to see the Hollywood lecture. But when you are educated, when you are a teacher, you are training people to be the next generation of righteous Muslims. As to the benefit of teaching. A group of people is a lot more powerful than the benefits of giving a public lecture. And there are

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benefits to public lecturing as well as hamdulillah. But if you have to weigh the two teaching in a higher level, even though many people do not realize this. So when we are looking for something to do with our knowledge, we should not be looking at what is most glamorous, and what is what will make us the most famous now to be loved. That should not be the intention of somebody who is seeking to serve the team. Rather, our intentions should be on what is most beneficial. And so teaching is something that you should consider if you are studying Islam, and you have some knowledge of Islam, consider setting up a class, whether it's once a week, whether it's once, a once a month, for three

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or four hours, whatever it is setting up a class to teach other people what you have studied and to share your knowledge. Another thing which people do nowadays to share the knowledge and how do you attend to the internet is setting up blogs, a blog or a website and writing online. That way you can share your knowledge in small doses. Even on YouTube with videos we have people doing this nowadays.

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Some of the more unique ideas that you could use for sharing your knowledge,

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things which are not done as often nowadays. One is consulting or becoming a consultant.

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This is something which many people might not be familiar with. But it's a growing field where you could use your Islamic knowledge to be a consultant or consultant to be of different types. You could be a consultant to Muslim schools, when improving Islamic Studies syllabus, or Islam as in the other subjects. And this is something new, which can be beneficial can be of benefit to people, at the same time be a source of risk for you, as a consultant to Muslim businesses,

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to make sure that their income is valid by using what you have studied in the Pico business or consultant to Islamic banks to make sure they actually are Islamic and not indulging in anything Haram. This is another field you can go into to be a benefit to society. Similarly counseling you can become a counselor, because we know in our communities, there is no shortage of problems among the Muslims. And there are many Muslims who are looking for somebody to talk to about the problems and somebody who can help them to solve the problems. So you can use the knowledge that Allah has given you to counsel others and if you do so, this counseling will be your way of giving back to the

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community and delivering your responsibility.

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sharing your knowledge, you could set up new projects, something according to your field, maybe you are an IT expert, or maybe you are a doctor, whatever field you are in, you can try and come up with a project where you can use your Islamic knowledge in that field.

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And this is something where there's a lot of room for creativity. It's really up to the individual to look at your situation, and to see what can I do in my field to teach Islam and benefit Islam, I can give you a few practical examples. I know of a doctor who studied Islam, and hamdulillah. If you go to a doctor surgery today, he has Islamic posters on the walls. He has Islamic pamphlets and flyers on the table, the non Muslims who come to surgery and wait

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in line to be served, they sit and they read the pamphlets about Islam, and some of them are hungry that have even converted to Islam. So, you know, he's a doctor, but he still found a way to incorporate his Islamic knowledge into that. And to do that, what through his profession. And likewise, you could think of different things. There are many projects we can embark on today, with the advancements in technology, and inventions of things like the iPhone and the Blackberry, and the iPad, and the internet. Each of these can be used for the dour, it is up for us individuals to look and see what I am best at. And then to use that skill to contribute to serving Islam and spreading

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the knowledge of the deen. And of course, one other way that all of us can

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contribute to sharing the knowledge of Islam is by informing as many people as possible about the Islamic online university and getting as many people as possible to sign up for our ba program. Because when you get somebody to sign up for a VA program, you are a hamdulillah and inshallah you are being the one who is helping that person become a scholar of Islam. So just imagine if you got one person to sign up for the BA program. And that person was very sincere and very dynamic. And that person went on not just to complete the MBA, but to get their masters and PhD and became one of the greatest scholars of our time, you will get the reward for every good deed that they do.

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And this is far higher than just teaching somebody one subject, you are helping somebody to become a scholar of Islam, they might even become a higher and greater scholar than you and I. But we will share the rewards for being the teachers and being those who inspire them. Now imagine if you get 10 people to do the BA program, or 20 people or 100 people, the rewards become limitless.

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This is why the scholars say that the greatest feel that a person can get into sharing Islamic knowledge and spreading Islamic knowledge. Because when you are spreading Islamic knowledge, the rewards have a domino effect, you can pass away. But the rewards will keep coming to you for centuries, depending on how much benefit you have left behind.

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And the province Lawson has told us this. He says when we pass away all our deeds stop except for three out of those three. One is the charity that people continue to benefit from the other are your children, and those who mean to offer you. And the third is knowledge that people continue to benefit from. And that's where we are aiming to contribute towards in this field. When we study Islam, we want knowledge, not knowledge to keep in ourselves, but knowledge to spread to the rest of the world. So that this will be a source of pay for us in the era and a source of free for everybody in the dunya because when Islamic knowledge spreads into a community, it removes the problem of that

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community. Islamic knowledge helps to solve the job problems, it helps to solve the moral problems, it helps to solve social problems, medical problems, problems with raising your children. All of these are solved with the spread and implementation of correct Islamic knowledge. And so the least that each of us can do to help spread Islamic knowledge is to get as many people as possible to say sign up with Islamic online university or any other ba program specifically Islamic online university as it is something which you can study from your home anyway in the in the world at a very affordable price.

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So that is why you know it is specifically recommended. And again, that should not be the only way you should look for other methods in your life for spreading this knowledge, whether it is teaching your family, whether it is

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starting a new project, whether it is joining an Islamic organization, whatever it is getting involved in our public lecturing, whatever Allah has given you the skills to do you know what skills Allah has given you. It is up to us and individuals to use these skills to serve the deen

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and so

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So,

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I hope that with this short reminder, I'm able to convince you and myself, that our knowledge is not something which we can boast about. It's not something which we have earned. It is a gift from Allah subhanho wa Taala. It is a gift

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which Allah had given the prophets,

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that the Prophet Muhammad slowly Some said that the scholars,

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Allah,

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I want us to ambia the scholars are those who inherit from the prophets, they did not inherit money.

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Yes, a scholar can get money.

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It is not as many people think that if you choose to be a scholar, you will be poor for life. No, Allah can bless you with money,

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if he won't, and if you are sincere, and if you will use that money for good luck in this you adapt. But the true blessing and inheritance which a scholar receives is knowledge, because knowledge will benefit you, and everybody who you meet

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in this world, and in the next one, anybody that you meet, if you are a true person of knowledge, that is, you know, Islam, you practice Islam, you show Islam, your character and your dealings with others, and you teach yourself to others. If you do these four things, then your knowledge will benefit everybody you meet. And that benefit would be in both worlds in this world, it can make living more comfortable for others, it will make life more pleasant for others for being around a righteous and merciful person and in the afterlife. Your guidance in helping others will inshallah assist them and yourself to getting a higher please in general. And so I would like to conclude with

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the do We ask Allah subhana wa tada to guide each and every one of us to have the correct intention at all times, in our seeking of knowledge in our implementation of it, and in our spreading of it. Because even in the spreading of knowledge, it is very easy for here and showing off to keep in, which is a minor form of Should we ask Allah to protect us all from Ria and from all forms of that which we know and that's which we are unaware of. We ask Allah subhanho wa Taala to give each of us the correct understanding of Islam and to protect us a bit.

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And we ask Allah to give us all the ability to practice what we have learnt and to be able to share that with others. And we ask Allah to give us the opportunities to share this knowledge with others, because sometimes people study Islam, but they do not have the opportunity to teach it to others, and they are cut off from such opportunities. So we ask Allah to give us many opportunities to share the deen with others, and to make us a means of guidance for everybody that we know. So that when people look at us, they think about the law. When people think of us, they think of law and when people need to make dua for us. Remember, there is a hadith where the prophets Larson has mentioned

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that for a person who is studying Islam, even the fish in the ocean, be to offer him

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so we ask Allah subhanaw taala to make us from such people who he has blessed with the knowledge, the true knowledge of the deen not the knowledge which is of no benefit, but the knowledge which is of benefit to us and everybody that we meet. And we ask Allah subhanaw taala to use us always to serve the deen and to raise us on the Day of Judgment with the Gambia and Allah of all times, those who Allah had sent to serve the deen and to spread the knowledge we ask Allah to raise the full name of the day of judgment and to grant this alternative for those who have to do one and you can't do that. Robin alameen wa salam wa Alaykum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh