Munir Ahmed – Seeking Knowledge
AI: Summary ©
The speakers discuss the importance of learning and understanding in various fields, including achieving healthy outcomes. They stress the need for everyone to strive for " afford affordability" and " affordability" in achieving success. The speakers also mention the need for everyone to remember the source of their goal and the negative idea of knowledge being a prerequisite to achieving human existence.
AI: Summary ©
Bismillah Alhamdulillah Alhamdulillah wa Salatu was Salam ala rasulillah I'm about Praise be to Allah peace and presence final messenger Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam
topic I want to talk about is about learning and knowledge. Why? Because there are quite a few misconceptions and funny ideas about this, mostly from my perspective of learning and knowledge, ideas that Islam is backward has nothing to do with learning and knowledge.
And all we do is perpetuate the idea of some people from ignorance from desert from centuries by, and that we just keep on repeating these kinds of ideas. And that we're, we're against being a religion, the idea of science, geography, mathematics, etc. So, so part is to counter that kind of idea. And when we talk about knowledge, of course, we're talking about knowledge and learning.
Interestingly,
when we look at these kind of misconceptions about Islam out there,
to counter that is quite clear. In fact,
when we look at Islam, in fact, Islam acted as a springboard for learning and a complete revolution in learning. In, in the Middle East,
where Islam first took hold, even in the Arabian Desert, what is profound In fact,
not only was it
a springboard for learning, but the people of learning who became a civilization of learning and in all fields of science, geography, mathematics, medicine, you name it. There were people who had a strong Islamic background and strongly religious in their learning and understanding as well. And what is also profound actually is that what we believe the first revelation that came to the Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu sallam, when he used to retreat at the age of 40, in the cable era,
was to do with learning. In fact, the first word was a crop read or a sight
and the prophecy, we know the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him was unlettered, he was Nabeel ami, he was
who couldn't read and write. And this is well established and well known. Now, if you look at the first few verses of the Quran that are revealed,
they are in fact an evidence not only of the encouragement for learning, but also evidence of his truthfulness. Last month, I said this will be let me show it on writing Bismillahirrahmanirrahim ikura. Read Bismillah Pickler, de Halak, in the name of your Lord who created
Haleakala insan, Amina Allah, who created the human being from a thing which clings it grok what bukal Ekrem repeating the word read, and that your Lord is most bounteous Allah via Allah bill column, he who taught by the 10 allemaal in Santa Maria lamb yalom, taught the human being watch what they did not know.
So here, an unlimited man who knows nothing about reading and writing over 1400 years ago in Mecca in a society that hardly knew anything about reading and writing. And the revelation of the words is coming back with to that society is about reading and using the pen.
To search for a pan, you'll probably go to two or three people, one of them would be what are called no one aka Ben nofal, who was a Christian. He was probably one of the only ones who had a pen. And there was only a handful of people who even could read and write. Why would he come with a message like that and he himself can't read and write. That itself shows you that the message is not from him, but from Almighty, from God Almighty himself, who is the one who is a source and fountain of all knowledge.
And that in itself is the, the the push and drive to, for those who come to believe, to learn, and
to gain knowledge.
And this gaining knowledge, gaining knowledge, in fact, it's not only encourages in Islam, but gaining knowledge is the prerequisite to belief itself. Because to have a man you have to have knowledge, what do you what do you believe in otherwise? So belief came through gaining knowledge itself. And that's why Allah subhanaw taala said in the Quran to the prophet SAW Selim,
before he received the revelation, before he was given this knowledge before he became a believer, Allah said Mark competitory Maliki tabula email that you did not know what scripture what Kitab what the book, meaning knowledge, what it was, neither did you know what inner faith was because one came with the other. So, learning and knowledge is not only profound message, it is a prerequisite to even believing before you even become a believer.
And knowledge itself
of course, is a pre executive prerequisite to action itself. knowledge can
be itself in that regard,
divided into various kinds of various levels of knowledge. And Islam, we have knowledge, which is obligatory wajib knowledge which is men dubh. Almost the hub highly recommended and rewardable knowledge which is mobile, which is allowed and knowledge which is in fact disliked and macro and knowledge which is haram. knowledge which is worship, and obligatory
which is not which is given priority is the knowledge of the in itself knowledge of what a lot smarter God Almighty wants from us, as human beings. Why are we here where we're heading, that knowledge, that fundamental knowledge, which is linked with with faith with a man, that knowledge has an aspect of it, which is obligatory that's why all a man football has said
classically, and now that that level of knowledge Allah alone a 15, a bit bura knowledge which in Deen to do with our religious knowledge and practices, which is, which we'll know will have an excuse to say they didn't know knowledge of God being one and having no partners, knowledge of believing in the final messenger and final Prophethood of Muhammad Sallallahu ala man that there is no prophet after him. Knowledge of that you pray five times a day, knowledge of the Quran is the revelation of God, knowledge of the drinking hunger and eating
the swine flesh is forbidden knowledge that adultery and relationship outside marriage is forbidden. This is the kind of knowledge which is made obligatory, which we call obligatory knowledge, knowledge which is must have been recommended is to go beyond that and to go in a deeper sense into this knowledge, a level level of at the level of scholarship and becoming expert to guide others. But beyond that knowledge, which is most the hub and recommended is wide open in all fields of knowledge, to help in donia.
To help other people, whether it's to do with building bridges, building roads, healing people,
all kinds of things to do with geography and travel, and science, about the environment, learning about all those kinds of things are highly recommended forms of knowledge.
And in that regard,
therefore, evidences that came from the Quran about learning Quran looks very negatively at people who are ignorant, a lot smarter, not only through the first revelation, but throughout the Koran praises those people who are of understanding people, people who use their mind and the apple people and actually
criticizes those who are ignorant, and that ignorance and that knowing is in a general sense, not just to do with religion
as some people think.
So knowledge for example, as Mark also said,
In this series we'll add funds okay Takenaka McKenzie been
so traveling dilemma see what happened for the for the people who before you came, and were deniers and rejecters and many of the parts mentioning about traveling in the land to discover and find out. So this encouragement to knowledge and understanding for benefiting and betterment of the world and society itself is that which is highly recommended incorrect in Islam. There is a hadith came from the Prophet sallallahu sallam, some more popular than others and it's interesting that
some of them most popular ones, like for example, seek knowledge Mindell medela lahad from the cradle to the grave is very popular one and people use it a lot, but actually we should know that is fabricated is not a saying of the Prophet salla salaam. Similarly, the one which mentioned even if you have to travel to China is not a saying and I had decent profits last time but it is fabricated. Even the one which is perhaps famous as well tabula Elmi for either Allah Cooley Muslim in one Muslim app, that the seeking of knowledge is affirmed an obligation on every male and every female Muslim. This is popularly reported in the Hadith the prophet SAW Islam it is mentioned as a hadith.
The first thing to mention about this particular Hadith is that the last word, which is popularly transmitted and especially in perhaps translations and books in English, on every female Muslim is an insertion perhaps some adjunct or non Arab introduced this word later on into this statement because they thought I'll actually Muslim perhaps was meaning just the male Muslim which is nonsense because Muslim means male and female and there was no need to put Muslims at the end of it. So this is what's called interactive assertion by someone else later on. But the Hadith itself which is supposedly from the puppets awesome, and the view of majority of the mohabbatein is dive it is weak,
even this Hadith, a few said that you can perhaps take it as hussen are good, but there are better a hadith one, which a mantra movie mentions as Hassan is Maharajah
fallible Amy
for who are FISA be Lila had Tyga jack, which he mentioned as a hassle, hobbies as well as good hobbies. Whoever goes out with the purpose of seeking knowledge there and then they are on the way feasable on the path of Allah until he or she returns as an encouragement for
knowledge itself. And perhaps the best relief, which came in a shorter version in Muslim and a longer version of the download. Is men silica color sort of lifestyle ally slim men silica
man, silica Rican el temi Sofia elmen sal Allahu Allah who will be here, Tarik and Ilan, China, whoever goes out on a path, seeking knowledge that in
and Allah will buy it make a path, easy path for them to enter Paradise. That's one of the the shorter version of it in telemovie. The Hadith is longer, which is also authentic. This is a Sunday it goes on and gives further encouragement to the seeker of knowledge. The prophesised said
we're in the mallari Cata lotta agony had her her little label and rhythm b minus na. And surely the angels they stretch out their wings in humility is a little out of respect. For the seeker of knowledge for the sake of the ones striving for learning. Rhythm beam is not happy and content with what this secret knowledge is doing.
And then he goes on. We're
well in our in Ireland, Leah stone Pharaoh who manifests and now what a woman fell out and had a tan filma and surely, for the the scholar,
the one of knowledge,
everything in in the heavens and the earth ask forgiveness for this person, even the fish in the sea, as the Prophet sallallahu Sallam said, and also the post as I'm continued in there, this is a fun Allah Allah. Allah. Allah Allah Abbey ibid got a little calmer Alaska it will cover keep surely the virtue of the scholar over the RV.
Both are good. avid is one who is worshiping Allah swatara doing extra fast, extra Salas extra tasbeeh has extra slot on the Wii all those extra beyond the obligation of post is talking about. So there is that person and the one who, in contrast, is using that extra time to learn. And to understand more. The publicized time said that the virtue of the the scholar above the abbot is like the virtue of the moon over the stars, the rest of the stars, stars give a little bit of light as well, stars are positive in that sense, but they have they are no match in the darkness of ignorance for the moon, which is giving the guiding light that probably saw some contrast with that. Now when
we talk about these ahadeeth, etc, and what we get from the arms. Here, we need to clarify some misconceptions that some people are giving. I've heard the moms from the member, talk about the encouragement to knowledge, and they say oh, yes, this is encouraging that we must strive to learn knowledge about Deen, aside from Cofer knowledge,
and I've heard imams talk in this country about encouraging parents. Look this aside from your children learning Cofer knowledge in school and go for knowledge in university, you should and push them to learn about the deen This is what the Quran and Sunnah saying. And this is nonsense. Because the province Allah hasn't divided knowledge like that. When we say go for knowledge, it means that we must make it haram if you're studying in university, about medicine and chemistry and biology and geography, is called Cofer knowledge and it must become haram for us to study it. Otherwise, we shouldn't call it go for knowledge or knowledge of the disbelievers because this knowledge is a
sources Allah subhanaw taala it is not knowledge belonging to any particular nation, the only thing we can call for knowledge actually, is a knowledge of witchcraft and, and black magic, which has been made haram and forbidden for us. The rest of knowledge is knowledge, which is being encouraged and Mr. Humphries unless it is few times and wastes our time.
Maybe his few times in the sense that you're learning when you're playing computer games day and night as well. And you will get better and better and quicker and quicker and go from one stage to the next in a shorter period of time. And you think you achieve something very precisely on the level that would be under karahan mclucas actually, you're learning by little which is of benefit to anyone. So the first thing to clarify is the encouragement is in regards to knowledge and learning in a general sense.
All of that knowledge is increased from the Quran and Sunnah. And all of that comes under whoever goes up on a positive note that they are under feasibility on the way of Allah. But what's necessary here, that the intention is correct, that the learning is being done in all these fields, not just for the sake of gaining personal status of filling our lining our pockets with money, but to serve humanity for the sake of pleasing Allah subhanaw taala knowing that Allah encouraging because we're learning actually, to benefit others. And that is crucial to understand. And then it comes under the category of feasibility law. And then with that proviso, it becomes knowledge and scholarship, which
goes which has better and greater virtue than the one who is doing extra praying and extra fasts, etc. And it's well known with Mr. Malik, for example. And one instance is sitting in Muslim nabawi. And he's teaching and while he's teaching the NGOs, and someone from the circle of his students stands up to get up and pray.
Sunnah
Mr. Malik said to him famously said, this is better than what you're going to get up and do.
So in other words, Santa is also Mr. hub. It is not the front part of the practice. But Mr. Malik saying that this learning that you're doing, yeah, is more important, more virtuous than the extra era. That's why he's just basically explaining the hurry for the Prophet sallallahu sallam. So but on the other hand, to clarify, we have a large category of people who are striving and running after knowledge and learning. But what they're forgotten about is the learning indeed, and that is a bigger group of people. And here's another misconception, an idea that we
And that category of people who have forgotten that Dean we don't, that is not the encouragement from Brian Wilson the Quran and Sunnah may be encouragement to learn and to progress, but not to forget the Creator who is a fountain a source of all knowledge and, and learning all that of course, the top priority of learning will be to learn about the Creator, and about Dean itself. That's not at the expense is not to be put aside and thrown away because we're too busy with everything else. Because what really matters in the end, and therefore learning of Dean takes priority all over all because learning and Dean is showing us how to live our life, the human beings. If we forget that,
then we forget ourselves, if we forget that we forget ourselves, because the human being
the crucial realization is to realize where we come from, where we're going. And the fact that this is a journey, that knowledge
is established by learning about the deen. The source of that knowledge is through revelation through Prophethood not something that we can rationalize a workout and work out and do for ourselves.
Knowledge therefore, again can be divided into various categories from a different perspective, knowledge which is given to us inherently, as all human beings in our fitrah as smart as He created us, well, I love my animal as markkula that was the knowledge that was given to Adam and all his glory yet, and a lot of thought, Adam all the names for example, Allah says, For one I've seen one as a waha. For Allah Hammerhead for Judah however taqwa and by the soul, and he who shapes that shaped, shaped it.
And then he imbued it and put in it.
For Alabama, or Georgia or taqwa put in each soul, the realization of what is the difference between bad evil and and godliness, or the athlete, Hammond zeca have a pothole the man beside her successful succeeded is the one who purifies that soul. And the
the one who is destroyed and lost is the one who corrupts it. So given the choices, that is part of our fitrah Allah created us with that, that's why they publicized to them said
kulu moulden EULA do Allah fitrah Well, in other words, who you how we Danny, he was in a salon where you met the Sony publicized and said all of the children are born all children born on the fitrah it is the parents then make them into Jews, Christians or fire worshippers or you could go on and say into FTS, etc, etc. And of course on Hayden mentioned Islam, the fitrah here is a natural disposition doesn't mean it is Islam, but the natural disposition is the learning that and the realization that Allah put inside every human being, to search and to think, and we have a natural disposition to realize who our Creator is. So then I'm beyond that the knowledge and the capacity to
think with and to use our minds and to invent all of its sources, Allah subhanho wa Taala whether we invent a computer, or whether we invent an aeroplane and beyond that all of that is with the mind. And the thinking and ability that Allah swag our Creator put in us. So that's one aspect, knowledge itself is that which is in scientists, knowledge, crate, part of our nature, knowledge itself that we learn through observation experience, is,
is part of that knowledge and knowledge which is only given to us and a true revelation to profit with which we cannot come to. That is a knowledge of Deen. That is the purpose of the prophets that came and that was to do with how we were going to live our lives as moral upright beings. That wasn't to do with how fast we can go, how much money we can make, and how advanced we can become in the skies are in the seas, but more to do with what was the difference between good and evil, that the fact that there is good and evil. So this was to do with our very essence of being human being the very essence of being human being, which many have lost today, and so we need to realize, and
that's how much that's why the knowledge of Dean took a priority over all other knowledge. And it is that
which drives arrest notices.
With the first revelation, it grok read mismo Arabic Allah de Allah, in the with the name of your Lord who created to make us realize, first and foremost, the premise of the rest of the learning is the premise that Allah created and centrism, we're going to go back to him.
messengers came not to convince people that God existed. This is a new idea. This is a corruption from materialism of today, and a distancing from the Creator, which would lead to the confusion and the human mind. Science and knowledge of science, whether it's biology, cars,
cosmology, or physics or anything, never drives people away from God.
It's the mindset that we come to that knowledge with and how we view already.
But God Almighty, his existence isn't enough is a realization, once we realize the messages, what they really brought, of fame, for information for us was to realize that there is only one God and He is worthy of he is where we all worship, and there is no other gods besides Him, we come from him, we're heading to him. And what matters is that we are to live an upright and moral and good life. So that information was the most important aspect of knowledge and learning for us. So no doubt, there's a drive to learn that, but the drive for knowledge is much wider than that. And furthermore,
knowledge itself,
knowledge itself, is not the goal. And people missed that.
And in fact, knowledge and learning today, as become
bereft it become like a body without a spirit and without a soul. The real, the real purpose of knowledge and learning was to produce upright
model individuals in society, who are noble people, today, learning has become about dry Learning about the subject, about the particular science of that particular field, and passing exams, ticking boxes, and little to do with nobility and character. Whereas real purpose of learning was to produce culture individuals as it used to do, actually the world over.
Not just in the Muslim world, people of learning were people who were cultured individuals, and Islam. That's how we seek knowledge, to put the soul back in learning to put the spirit back in learning. Learning should really be about producing people who are noble people who, therefore, more than anything, aside from rote learning, they learn about what is dignified, to learn, to not be greedy, to learn not to be arrogant, to learn, to be those who sacrifice for others, to learn, to stand for truth, to learn, to protect those who are vulnerable, for those who have been oppressed, to stand up for their rights, to learn to stand for justice, to learn to sacrifice, their carnal
animal desires, for the sake of betterment for society, to learn to protect the environment, to learn to be standard bearers of honesty, and justice and mercy. That should be the real drive towards what a lot of knowledge and learning is about. And that's what's missing. People have little to do with that today, but for for Muslims and Islam, that is the purpose of learning the purpose of learning, is to first understand it is not just rote learning, it is to understand to become better human beings, who are useful to other human beings and to animals and to the environment.
And therefore, knowledge requires not just understanding but understanding which leads to action. And ignorance has always been therefore, seen as a negative ignorance. People of ignorance can do lots of things. But what they do may not be a benefit may not be a benefit. That's why famously the great colleague Omar bin Abdulaziz, he said in a statement he said, Miami la vida el min kana. You've seen the extra memory slash. Whoever behaves and does lots of actions without knowledge, in other words in ignorance is more likely to produce
more facade and corruption and bad than good
because it is only within Lightroom understanding
You take any example in life, whether you're a live an ignorant person to deal with it, or may press loss of button, but the angel may be destroying the machine because they're ignorant how to use it or take no benefit from it at all applies in all walks of life. So ignorance has always been looking in that sense in a negative way. But knowledge must lead to action
and knowledge must lead to action. And that's how it came in the Quran. Allah says fallen to the prophet SAW Selim, for example, in one verse farlam. And now who La ilaha illa Allah
was something listen because I mean I was looking at. So you see here for example, Allah saying, giving the knowledge, but the knowledge leads to a consequence and leads to Amma to action, with understanding because once you understood, Allah saying, so know that there is no god beside the one God.
To know means to understand here actually, and when you understand that, it may lead you to a position of humility to realize that if that's the case, that I am going to go and ascertain. So what does Allah say then? What stuff will lead them back? So ask forgiveness for your sins, yeah, to do with good and evil again, and and for the believing, believing men and believing women as was being second the prophets lesson which applies to the rest of us as well or Allah says, in regards to knowledge and understanding, in NEMA, yes Shan, la ha min a birdie Hill, Alana.
Only those who are from his a bad promise servants, only those indianized us the only those are in all and fear of God.
Those who are fallen from is a bat. Allah here doesn't necessarily mean only scholars, Allah here means scholarship can be of all any level. Allah here means those people who have knowledge. So knowledge, understanding should lead to humility before Allah and produce the best kind of people. In other words, knowledge must have a consequence, it must be just not just be a rote learning, but the purpose of knowledge is fan is understanding effec also another big word, why why Abu hanifa therefore, called the knowledge of beam, he meant understanding he called Alpha Kappa
Alpha upper, the the greatest understanding of the greatest and most important of knowledge, he called the knowledge of Deen and his beliefs.
together give that
importance to it.
So, what we understand is knowledge and learning is not only encouraged in Islam, it is a very seat of belief. Knowledge is not only a prerequisite to action, after understanding, but that
action understanding requires knowledge without which we work or behaving, and living in an ignorant fashion. And the best of knowledge, beyond all knowledge is is to realize and our Creator. And granted knowledge of our Creator cannot come just from our guesswork, but it is come through revelation that the Creator Himself has decided to send his profits with the final of whom was Mohammed, peace and prayer be upon him who was sent as an unlettered Prophet, unlettered Prophet, with the guidance for the whole of humanity to your multi Allah, May Allah help us to understand, to learn to understand and to put into action and give us a trophy for that a lot more me up all of all
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