Fri, 29th Mar, 2024 / 19 Ramadan 1445
الجمعة ٢٩ , مارس , ٢٠٢٤ / 19 رَمَضَان 1445
Fri, 29th Mar, 2024 /
19 Ramadan, 1445
الجمعة ٢٩ , مارس , ٢٠٢٤ / 19 رَمَضَان , 1445

We start with the name of Allah.  We praise Allah and thank Him for the blessings of Islam

We humbly ask Allah to raise the rank of our Prophet Muhammad, his kind Al and Companions and to protect his nation from that which he fears for it.  We ask Allah to grant us the proper intention, the Comprehension, and the reward in the Hereafter.  

Dear brothers in Islam, know, may Allah have mercy on you that the high status of knowledge has been clearly established in Islam through explicit texts in the Qur’an and the Hadith as well as in the writings of the scholars of Islam. Surat al-Mujadalah, Ayah 11 means:[Allah raises the ranks of those among you who believe and those who were granted the knowledge.]  Imam ^Aliyy Ibn Abi Talib, the fourth caliph, said: <<Knowledge is more valuable to you than money, because knowledge protects you, whereas you protect money.>> 

Money diminishes as you spend it, whereas spending the knowledge by teaching it to others increases your reward. In Islam, the issue of knowledge is held in high regard. In the hadith related by al-Bayhaqiyy, the Messenger of Allah  said what means: <<Seeking the knowledge of the Religion is obligatory on every Muslim (whether male or female).>> Imam Abul-Hasan al-Ash^ariyy said:  <<The first obligation on the slave is to learn about Allah, His Messenger, and His Religion.>> 

Learning the Obligatory Knowledge of the Religion makes one able to discriminate between what is lawful (halal) and what is unlawful (haram), what is valid and what is invalid, what is acceptable and what is rejected, in addition to what is classified under the Religion as good or bad. 

The scholars of Islam have spoken explicitly about these criteria.  In the chapter entitled <<Knowledge Before Saying or Committing Action,>> 

Imam al-Bukhariyy stated: <<If one acquires the Obligatory knowledge of the Religion, one acquires the ability to differentiate between what is lawful and what is unlawful, what is acceptable and what is not acceptable, and what is good and what is evil.>>

Once the members of the community attain these qualities, the relationships that govern them will improve, and society at large will improve. 

The wealthy person who is sincere and knowledgeable will spend in the ways accepted by Allah – out of generosity and love, and seeking the reward from Allah

Be warned of those ignorant people that the Prophet spoke about in his hadith related by at-Tirmidhiyy which means: << The Knowledge of the Religion will not vanish due to Allah taking it away from the hearts of people, rather, the Knowledge of the Religion will vanish gradually with the death of the scholars.

At that point in time, people will follow ignorant leaders whom will be asked to issue Islamic judgements. As they give false Islamic judgements out of ignorance they go astray and lead others astray >>.

So, everyone is responsible for his words, that would affect the whole community and everyone is requested to support the right cause in order to preserve the community and to be rid of all misconceptions about Islam.Dear brothers in Islam,Knowledge is the gateway to success.

Allah ta^ala said to His Prophet:

وقل رب زدني علماً

This Ayah means: [And say: Oh my Lord, increase my knowledge]. Ayah 11 of Surat al-Mujadalah, means: [Allah raises the ranks of those amongst you who believed and acquired the knowledge.]

Moreover, Allah revealed to Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, to praise the status of knowledge, its teachers and its students. 

Ibn Majah related that the Prophet said: <<O Abu Dharr, if you go and learn one verse of the Qur’an it will be more rewardable for you than praying one hundred rak^ahs of the optional prayers; and if you go and learn a chapter of knowledge, it is more rewardable for you than praying one thousand rak^ahs of the optional prayers.>>

Seeking the Knowledge of the Religion entails a great reward. At-Tirmidhiyy related that the Prophet peace be upon him said:

<<The reward of the one who goes out seeking the Knowledge is similar to the reward of the one who fights for the sake of Allah, and this is until one returns to one’s home.>> 

Among the different levels in Paradise, there are one hundred (100) levels specified for those who fight for the sake of Allah.  Between each rank and the next is a distance like the distance between the Earth and the sky.  This is why Imam ash-Shafi^iyy said: “Seeking the Knowledge of the Religion is more rewardable than performing the optional prayer.

This is also why our Shaykh ^Abdullah al-Harariyy said: “Spreading the Knowledge among the people is better or more important than distributing money among them.” 

With the Knowledge of the Religion, one fights the devils among the humans and the jinn, and one can fight his own evil inclinations. 

Moreover, this knowledge of the Religion entails many subjects among which are the knowledge of Tawhid and the knowledge of the rules of the Religion. 

The knowledge of Tawhid entails knowing about Allah and His Messenger, and it is the best of all the knowledge in Islam

The scholars repeatedly emphasized the clear evidence from the Qur’an, Hadith, and scholarly consensus proving the knowledge of Tawhid is ranked the highest among all knowledge.  This is so, because it has to do with knowing about Allah and about His Messenger.

This entails knowing what befits Allah and what is impossible to be among His attributes, and what befits the messengers and what is impossible to be among their attributes. 

Learning the Obligatory Knowledge of the Religion makes one able to discriminate between what is lawful (halal) and what is unlawful (haram), what is valid and what is invalid, what is acceptable and what is rejected, in addition to what is classified under the Religion as good or bad. 

One criterion for acquiring the knowledge is for one to receive it from knowledgeable people, and not by merely reading books. 

Also among the criteria for acquiring the knowledge is to take that knowledge from someone who has that knowledge, because he who does not have the knowledge cannot give it.  In addition to this, that person must be trustworthy.

Therefore, the knowledge is acquired from someone who is knowledgeable and trustworthy.  In what was related by Imam Muslim, Imam Ibn Sirin said: <<This knowledge is part of the Religion, so be cautious from whom you take your Religion.>> 

The ultimate success is to be successful in the Hereafter.  The person who acquires the knowledge as it is prescribed in Islam enters the gateway to success in this life and in the Hereafter. 

So be eager to acquire that knowledge. 

We ask Allah to facilitate for us this precious benefit. Ameen 

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