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LECTURE
Hassanain Rajabali U.S.A
LECTURE
Sheikh
Jehad Ismail Australia
Lectures
Sheikh Abbas Virjee’s Series
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Receiving the Holy Month of Ramadhan
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How can our sleep be worship.
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Light Vs Darkness.
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The Night of return to oneself.
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The Kingdoms of Prophet Sulayman (A.S)
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...And fear God, (so that) He will
teach you...
(Qur'an, 2: 282)
The Holy
Prophet (s) of Islam said: “Seeking knowledge is incumbent upon every
Muslim, male and female.”
[Al-Majlisi Bihar
al-Anwar, vol. 1. p. 177
Merits of the Soul …
Pursuit of knowledge
According
to the teachings of Islam, seeking knowledge is one of the great acts
of worship that leads one to the path of Paradise.
However, the aim behind seeking knowledge is more important than the
knowledge itself. Seeking true knowledge with a divine aim, for the
pleasure of God and serving His creatures, leads one to Paradise
in the company of Prophets and Awliya.
But seeking knowledge for personal, mundane, or worldly motives leads a
person to ignorance, sins against the creatures of God, and ultimately,
Hell.
The Reality of Knowledge
q Prophet Muhammad (s) said: “Knowledge is not (acquired)
through extensive learning. Rather, it is the light that God sends in
the heart of whomever He wishes to guide.” [Al-Majlisi,
Bihar
al‑Anwar, vol. 67, p. 140]
q All branches of knowledge, irrespective of their nature, can be
divided into two broad categories: (1) The sciences of the Hereafter, whose
ultimate purpose is to achieve higher stations near to God, to serve
the creatures of God, and to attain the rewards of Hereafter. (2) The worldly sciences, whose ultimate purpose is to
pursue materialistic aims, wealth, social status, and the satisfaction
of egoistic and selfish motives. Thus, it is the intention
behind acquiring knowledge that makes it either worldly or for
hereafter.
q Every soul that continues to purify itself of evil tendencies
and self-love receives angelic inspirations. The knowledge it then
acquires is the true, godly knowledge because it guides him to perform
virtuous deeds and leads him towards the nearness of God. This real
knowledge is the guiding spiritual lamp that shows him the straight
path to God and to the abode of His bliss.
q A soul that is predominated by self-love and evil tendencies
receives inspirations that are satanic in character, leading it to
compound ignorance (i.e. to be ignorant and be ignorant of one's
ignorance) and obscuring veils that make it blind to the realities of
the Divine purpose of creation, the essence of God, and the life of
Hereafter. Thus, whatever knowledge it acquires directs it to pursue
worldly aims, selfish motives, and evil actions, ultimately leading it
to Hell.
q Prophet Muhammad (s) said “Verily knowledge consists of these
three: the ‘firm sign’, the ‘just duty’ and the ‘established sunnah (method)’. All else
is superfluous.” [Al‑Kulayni, al‑Kafi, vol. 1,
"kitab fadl al‑'ilm", "bab sifat al‑'ilm wa fadluh", hadith #1]
q The expression `firm sign' implies the rational sciences, the
true doctrines, and divine teachings. `Just duty' implies the
science of ethics and self‑purification. `Established sunnah' refers to the sciences with materialistic
aspects and involving some kind of physical activity. At times,
acquiring knowledge becomes `just duty' and at other times an
`established sunnah'.
q The sciences of medicine, anatomy, astronomy, astrology etc.
when looked upon as divine signs and symbols, and the sciences related
to history and civilizations, when looked upon as a means for drawing
lesson and admonition, are included in the category of the `firm sign',
because by their means the knowledge of God or the knowledge of resurrection
is attained or confirmed.
The Merits of Pursuing True Knowledge
q Prophet Muhammad (s) said: 'One who proceeds
on a path in the pursuit of knowledge, God makes him proceed therewith
on a path to the Garden (Paradise). And, verily,
the angels spread their wings for the seekers of knowledge out of
delight. Verily, every creature of the heaven and the earth asks
forgiveness for the seeker of knowledge, even the fish in the sea. The
merit of the `alim (the learned) over
the 'abid (the devout) is like the
merit of the moon over the stars on a full‑moon night. The
learned are the heirs of the prophets, for the prophets did not leave
behind a legacy of wealth but that of knowledge. So whoever partakes of
it derives copious benefit.'" [Al‑Kulayni,
al‑Kafi, vol. 1, kitab fadl al‑'ilm, hadith # 1]
Moral Attributes of True Knowledge
q Knowledge, when acquired with pure, selfless and godly
intentions, transforms the personality of a person into a heavenly being.
Such a knowledgeable person becomes the embodiment of divinely inspired
attributes and his character, words and actions manifest them.
q Imam Ali (a) used to say: ‘O seeker of knowledge, knowledge
has many merits. (If you imagine it to be a human being then) its head
is humbleness, its eye is freedom from envy, its ear is understanding,
its tongue is truthfulness, its memory is research, its heart is good
intention, its intellect is the knowledge (ma`rifah)
of things and matters, its hand is compassion, its foot is
visiting the learned, its resolution is integrity, its wisdom is piety,
its abode is salvation, its helmsman is well-being, its mount is
faithfulness, its weapon is softness of speech, its sword is
satisfaction (ridha), its bow
is tolerance, its army is discussion with the learned, its wealth are
refined manners, its stock is abstinence from sins, its provision for
journey is virtue, its drinking water is gentleness, its guide is
Divine guidance, and its companion is the love of the elect.” [Al‑Kulayni, al-Kafi, kitab fadl al-‘ilm, bab al‑nawadir, hadith # 3]
q The Prophet of God (s) was asked: “What is Knowledge?” He
replied: “To keep silent”. He was asked: “Then?” He said: “To
listen attentively.” He was asked: “Then?” He said: “To
remember.” He was asked: “Then?” He said: “To act upon (what
is learned).” He was asked: “Then?” He said: “To propagate.”
[Al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 2, p.
28]
q Imam Ali (a) used to say: “There are three signs of a
knowledgeable person: “Knowledge, Forbearance and Silence”. [Ibid, vol. 2, p. 59]
Forbidden to Seek Knowledge for…
According
to the teachings of the Ahlul Bayt (a) of the Prophet (s), it is forbidden to
acquire knowledge for worldly or selfish aims.
q Imam Ali (a) said: “Do not seek knowledge for four aims: (1)
Self-glorification in front of people of knowledge (2) Quarrelling with
the ignorant (3) Showing off in gatherings of people (4) Attracting
attention of people in order to secure an office of authority.”
[Al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 2, p.
31]
The Essentials of
Acquiring Knowledge
q A person aspiring to seek knowledge should,
as a first step,
undergo spiritual purification, instil taqwa
(fear of God) in his soul, free himself of bad intentions and worldly
motives, and regularly asses
himself to check whether his knowledge is being acquired for worldly
aims. One must also remember that the fear of God is the specific
characteristic of an ‘alim (one who
possesses knowledge) and any one who does not possess the fear of God
is outside the ranks of the knowledgeable, no matter how much one has
memorized or how impressive one is at speech.
q At each step of pursuing knowledge, you should meditate and
think deeply as to what is your primary intention behind seeking
knowledge. Ask yourself: Why am I acquiring knowledge? Is it to secure
a better job position, to compete with a colleague or a group, to earn
awards, a degree, or
social status? If you are pursuing higher education, are you seeking it
only for writing books and papers and making public speeches so as to
be praised as a man or woman of knowledge? Or for the sake of the
pleasure of God and to serve His creatures?
q The knowledge that you acquire should guide you to be more
virtuous, perform sincere actions and make you love and fear God more
as you progress. Knowledge that doesn’t lead one to perform good
actions is not true knowledge. Knowledge that is limited to words and devoid
of practical applications to serve creatures of God is the lowest level
of knowledge and is lost with time.
q Observe your behaviour as you acquire knowledge. Does it make
you more humble and forbearing towards your friends and colleagues? Or does
it lead you to become arrogant, proud and argumentative? Does it make
difficult for you to accept truth and admit your ignorance in a
gathering? Does it make you jealous towards those who posses more
knowledge then you? Remember that egoism gets dissolved and obliterated
in true knowledge and the behavioural sign of true knowledge is that it
is utterly devoid of egoism, vanity, self-love and arrogance.
q While pursuing the path of knowledge, always trust God, respect
your teacher, and never feel shy to acquire knowledge even from a
junior. Revise and think over whatever you have learned. Always pray to
God to help you with His divine mercy and inspire you with good ideas, and to protect you
from using the knowledge you acquire for worldly and selfish
motives.
Conclusion:
q Imam Ali (a) said: "A person setting forth for the
acquisition of knowledge is like the one who struggles in the way of
God.” [Al-Majlisi, Bihar al‑Anwar, vol. 1, p. 179]
http://al-islam.org/
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