The importance of knowledge in Islam.

The Holy Prophet (S.A.W) said

1Whoever walks on a path in search of knowledge, Allah makes the path to Paradise easy for him.’ (Sahih Muslim, pp. 1448, Hadees 2699) 

2People who gather in any of the houses of Allah in order to recite the Quran and teach and learn the Quran, (i) peace and calmness descend upon them, (ii) mercy covers them, (iii) angels surround them, and (iv) Allah mentions them to angels.’ (Ibid, pp. 1448, Hadees 2700)

3. ‘Whoever travels in search of knowledge is in the path of Allah until he returns.’ (Sunan-ut-Tirmiżi, vol. 4, pp. 295, Hadees 2700)

4. ‘Allah bestows the understanding of religion upon the one He intends goodness for.’ (Ibid, vol. 4, pp. 294, Hadees 2656)

5‘The person who gains knowledge, it becomes compensation for his previous sins.’ (Ibid, vol. 4, pp. 295, Hadees 2654)

6. ‘Some people will come to you from the East to get knowledge. So when they come to you, advise them about good.’ (Sunan-ut-Tirmiżi, Kitab-ul-‘Ilm, vol. 4, pp. 296, Hadees 266)

7. May Allah keep the person cheerful (i.e. happy in the worldly life and fresh-faced in the afterlife) who listens to any Hadees from me and then exactly conveys what he has listened to because many people, the ruling is conveyed to, are wiser than the listener. (Ibid, vol. 4, pp. 299, Hadees 2666)

8No doubt, the one who guides towards a good deed is like the one who performs the good deed.

The Last Prophet (S.A.W)

In the wake of the seventh century of the Christian era, a youthful man in the prime of his life could be seen walking in the streets of Holy Mecca, deep in his own thoughts, yet with a gentle smile, never forgetting to return the salutations of the lowliest, or to pause and speak a few kindly words to children who flocked around him wherever he went. 

The young man with deep wistful eyes and a sweet gentle disposition, painfully sensitive about human sufferings, carried with him an air of nobility and grace that inspired love and respect amongst his kinsmen. Even in those days he was known as Sadiq and Amin (the truthful and the trusted). As a lover of nature, and quietude he worried about human sufferings, and very often retired to Mount Hira for meditation. One night a voice communicated him the following divine message:

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficient, the Merciful.

Recite in the Name of your Sustainer who created. Created man from a clot.

Taught man what he knew not. 

After an interval the Voice from Heaven spoke again, “O you, enwrapped in the mantle, arise and warn, and glorify your Lord." 

This was a signal for him to start preaching. In the beginning, Prophet Muhammad (S) invited only those near him to accept the new faith. The first to embrace Islam amongst women was his wife Khadijah, and the first amongst man was his cousin Ali (A). 

Muhammad (S), the last Prophet, is regarded as the institute of the highest and final divine training. By the time he was raised to apostolate, as the result of persistent and long-drawn efforts of the past prophets, the religious consciousness of the people had reached such a level that they could receive the best and the most perfect laws, could understand the highest items of knowledge and could preserve for ever the heritage of the prophets. 

With the raising of the Prophet of Islam a complete program and a code of comprehensive laws have been placed at the disposal of humanity. The implementation of the laws and teachings of Islam, would ensure the prosperity and happiness of human beings in this as well as the next world. They were adequate for the guidance of people during the period of the Holy Prophet and they are equally adequate for the prosperity of the present age as well as the progressive generations of the future.

Seeing that the new religion posed a threat to their vested interests, the tribe of Quraish tortured Prophet Muhammad (S) and all converts to the new faith. But the Muslims held fast to their faith in spite of unbearable hostility and suffering.

In the 13th year of his prophet hood occurred the most momentous Night of Migration (known as the Night of Hijra) from which date the Muslim era begins. 

Before he left, however, his enemies had made a plan to assassinate him whilst he was sleeping in his bed. God through Angel Gabriel made the Holy Prophet aware of the dastardly intention of his enemies. To make good his escape and to make his enemies believe that he was in bed, he asked Imam Ali (A) to lie in his place. 

On the day the Holy Prophet set his sacred feet on the soil of Yasrib, the natives named their city Medinat-un-Nabi (City of the Prophet), to commemorate that historical day.

The Holy Prophet created a brotherhood between the immigrants and an equal number of well-to-do Medinans. They worked together to earn their livelihood, and aided one another in the business of life. Thus the problem of rehabilitation of the displaced persons was solved satisfactorily. 

The Holy Prophet then invited the representatives of the Muslims as well as the non-Muslims of Medina and with their assent, endowed the city with a written constitution. Therein he defined the duties and rights both of the citizens and the head of the state-the Prophet Muhammad (S), who was unanimously hailed as such. 

This document laid down principles of defense and foreign policy. It recognized that the Prophet Muhammad (S) would have the final word in all differences. It also recognized the liberty of religion for all.

The news of the success and glory of Islam kindled the fires of jealousy amongst the idolators of the Quraish in general and the Ummayyads in particular. They conspired with the Jews to uproot the Muslims. There was widespread treachery all round and the Prophet, who had never wielded a weapon, was now compelled to defend Islam by the force of arms. Commencing from the battle of Badr, a series of battles were fought in which the newly formed community defended themselves successfully. None of these battles were of aggression. Each and every one was for the defense of Islam.

Seven years later, the Holy Prophet entered the holy Mecca as a conqueror. He who was once a fugitive in this town, persecuted by his kinsmen, entered to prove grandeur of Islam with acts of mercy and generosity.

During the ten years in Medina, Prophet Muhammad (S) presided over the commonwealth of Islam, and a great change had come over the character of the Arab people. By the appointment of delegates to the different tribes and cities, with powers to decide internal as well as tribal disputes, the ancient system of private vendetta was put to an end and impetus given to trade and commerce. The style of living and mode of dressing underwent a great change especially among the women. The reckless freedom f of heathenism was abandoned, and manners became decorous, almost austers ; gambling and drinking were forbidden. Before this there had been no privacy in houses; from this time it became customary to have special apartment for women. 

Within a few years Prophet Muhammad (S) established order and inspired in his people the belief in One God, prohibited idolatory and made the people ponder not only of this world but the world beyond. He asked them to practice charity, goodness, justice and universal love. The whole mission was achieved in his life-time.

The Holy Prophet was occupied all the while in looking after the new Islamic State and had no thoughts for his personal welfare. A number of believers therefore requested him to permit them to buy land and build house for him. The reply revealed by God was :

“Say, I do not ask of you any reward, but love for the nearest of my kin” 

Thereupon the believers asked the Holy Prophet whose love was made incumbent on them ? The Holy Prophet answered, “Love for Ali, Fatima, Hasan and Husain " (Peace be upon them).

Anybody who studies the laws and teachings of Islam carefully and minutely and compares them with others can easily realize the superiority of the laws of Islam. That is why Prophet Muhammad (S) is the last prophet, and no other prophet is to come after him. The Holy Quran has described him as the seal of the Prophets. To believe that Muhammad (S) is the last prophet is one of the fundamentals of Islam and anybody who does not believe so, cannot be considered to be a Muslim. Thus Islam is the last revealed religion. The Holy Quran expressly says: “Muhammad is not the father of any of you men, but he is the Messenger of Allah and the seal of the Prophets ". (It may be noted that the Arabic word, ‘Khatam’ which is translated as seal, originally meant concluding or ending. It came to mean seal, because seal is customarily affixed at the end of every covenant and treaty).

Benefits of Becoming a Muslim

The following items are some of the benefits to be earned and enjoyed by those who wish to become Muslim: 1. As far as the Creator (whose proper name is Allah) is concerned, you will be able to identify Him and get to know Him, His role and your relationship to His names, you will be able to communicate with Him any time, 24 hours a day, throughout the whole year. As a result of this category, you will be able to know your origin, your roots and the wisdom as to why you are on this planet. You will be able to have good answers to the questions why, how, when, where, what and other philisophical questions. 2. As a result of the first benefit, your loyalty, allegiance, and obedience will be to the Creator himself. You will transcend yourself from all types of allegiance for this world. This means that if there is a conflict of interest between your boss, your job, your government, your system or any worldly relationship with the Creator, you will undoubtedly put your trust in Allah, the Creator of the universe. You will follow Him before you follow anyone else. 3. As a result of the second benefit, you will be able to acquire peace, harmony, tranquillity and happiness within yourself, with your family, with people of the world, with the environment and with the universe. One has to remember that the source of peace is Allah, and one of his beautiful names is that He is The Peace. 4. As an endorsement to the third benefit, you will get rid of the extra electrostatic charges from your brain and the central nervous system by performing the daily Salah. Through Salah, you are to prostrate by putting your forehead to the floor; and as such are grounding yourself, and you are discharging these extra charges into the ground. As a result of this act, you will get rid of many of the neurological diseases from your body. 5. As a result of the fourth benefit, you will acquire a pleasant personality. You will be friendly and amicable. You would not need to drink alcohol, to use drugs or to get involved in vulgarity or immorality. 6. Through the experience of fasting in Islam, you will be able to have self-control, self-restraint, self-discipline, self-education, self-evaluation, and self-obedience to Allah the Creator. You undoubtedly will be able to improve health, personality, character, and behavior. 7. As a result of the sixth benefit, you will be able to control your lusts, selfishness, desires, greed, ego, and conceitedness. 8. Another side reaction of the sixth and seventh benefits is that you will be generous and hospitable; you will try to purify yourself and your mistakes by sharing your happiness and your wealth with those who are less fortunate than you. Your rewards will manifold, compounded daily until the Day of Judgement. 9. By performing pilgrimage to Makkah, you will transcend yourself from being nationalistic, sectarian, or denominational into being universal. You will be part and an essential constituent of the rainbow of Islam. You will be also part of the brotherhood of Islam with those who already submitted themselves to the Creator. At the same time, you will get rid of any inferiority or superiority complexes. You will also find yourself in synchrony and harmony with all the prophets and messengers of Allah since the creation of Adam and Eve until the last final messenger to mankind, prophet Muhammad (pbuh). While in makkah, you will be able to visit the places of revelation of the Qu`ran as well as the places visited by prophet Abraham and members of his family such as Hagar and Ishmael. You will visit the place where the first astronauts, Adam and Eve landed on earth. 10. In becoming a Muslim, you will do your best to stop all types of exploitations in all their forms: economic, biological, mental, spiritual, psychological, political, etc.. You will also work to liberate people and give them freedom of worship, freedom of speech, and freedom of expresssion. You will be a leader and help lead people to peace, tranquillity and happiness. 11. In accepting Islam, you will help to reduce all types of social ills in the society: juvenile delinquency, child abuse, domestic abuse, incest, homosexuality, sexual promiscuity, premarital relationships, extramarital relationships, and other vices. 12. As a result of the eleventh benefit, you will reduce and eliminate venereal diseases, AIDS, and other diseases of similar nature in the society. 13. Finally, when you die, you will die at peace. You will have a happy life in the grave and later, eternal happiness. Angels at the time of death will comfort you. They will also show you your place in paradise. On the Day of Judgment, you will be able to see and meet all the prophets and messengers of God to mankind including Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad. You will be able to see and meet any and all of your friends and relatives. You will live an eternal life of bliss in paradise. Reflections: The benefits mentioned above and many more cannot be purchased with money anywhere in the world. No one is to sell them to you or to advertise them on TV. You have to take the initiative yourself and try to acquire them by accepting Islam first and then by practicing its teachings. You should be honest with yourself, sincere, and truthful to the Creator. You should try wholeheartedly to practice what you believe, regardless of whether someone else is good or not While seeking happiness is a must, it should not be measured with other people's standards or with material gains. Happiness is from its potential to its kinetic forms. People around you should feel your happiness as well as benefit from you. Are you ready to accept this challenge today? Remember, tomorrow may not come, and it will be too late.

LAILATUL-QADR

Its excellence is great, since in this night the Noble Qur'aan was sent down, which leads one who clings to it, to the path of honour and nobility, and raises him to the summit of distinction and everlasting life. The Muslims who adhere strictly to the Sunnah of Allaah's Messenger SAW do not raise flags on this night, nor suspend colourful decorations. Rather they vie in standing during it (Lailatul-Qadr) in Prayer out of sincere faith and hoping for reward. Here, O Muslim, are the Qur'aanic Aayaat and authentic prophetic ahaadeeth referring to this night: * Its excellence As regards its excellence it is more than sufficient to mention that Lailatul-Qadr is better than a thousand months, He, the Mighty and Majestic, says: " Verily! We have sent it (this Qur'aan) down in the Night of Decree (Lailatul-Qadr). And what will make you know what the Night of Decree is? The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months. Therein descend the angels and the Rooh (i.e. Gabriel) by Allaah's Permission with all Decrees, Peace! until the appearance of dawn." (Al-Qadr 97: 1-5) And in it every decreed matter for the year is conveyed, He, the Most High says: " We sent it (this Qur'aan) down on a blessed Night. Verily, We are ever warning (mankind of Our Torment). Therein (that Night) is decreed every matter of ordainment. Amran (i.e. a command or this Qur'aan or His Decree of every matter) from Us. Verily, We are ever sending (the Messenger). (As) a Mercy from your Lord. Verily! He is the All-Hearer, the All-Knower." (Ad-Dukhaan 44: 3-6) * When is it? It is reported from the Prophet SAW that it is within the twenty-first, twenty-third, twenty-fifth, twenty-seventh, twenty-ninth or the last night of Ramadhan. Imaam ash-Shaafi'ee, rahimahullaah, said: To me it is as the Prophet SAW used to answer according to the question posed, it would be said to him: "Shall I seek it in such and such night?" So he would reply: "Seek it in such and such night." And Allaah knows best. (Reported from him by al-Baghawee in Sharhus-Sunnah) The most correct saying is that it occurs in the odd nights of the last ten nights of Ramadhan and this is shown by the hadeeth of 'Aa'ishah, RA, who said: "Allaah Messenger SAW used to practice I'tikaaf in the last ten nights and say: 'Seek out Lailatul-Qadr in the (odd nights) of the last ten days of Ramadhan." (Bukhari, Muslim ) However if the servant is too weak or unable, then he should at least not let the last seven days pass him by, due to what is reported from 'Ibn 'Umar, who said: Allaah's Messenger SAW said: "Seek it in the last ten, and if one of you is too weak or unable then let him not allow that to make him miss the final seven." (Bukhari, Muslim) This explains his, SAW saying: "I see that your dreams are in agreement (that it is in the last seven) so he who wishes to seek it out then let him seek it in the last seven." (Bukhari) It is also known from the Sunnah, that knowledge of the exact night upon which Lailatul-Qadr falls was taken up because the people argued, 'Ubaadah ibn as-Saamit, RA said: The Prophet SAW came out intending to tell us about Lailatul-Qadr, however two men were arguing and he said: "I came out to inform you about Lailatul-Qadr but so and so, and, so and so were arguing, so it was raised up, and perhaps that is better for you, so seek it on the (twenty) ninth and (twenty) seventh and the (twenty) fifth." (Bukhari) Some ahaadeeth indicate that Lailatul-Qadr is in the last ten nights, while others indicate that it is in the odd nights of the last ten, so the first are general and the second more particular, and the particular has to be given priority over the general. Other ahaadeeth state that it is in the last seven - and these are restricted by mention of one who is too weak or unable. So there is no confusion, all the ahaadeeth agree and are not contradictory. In conclusion: The Muslim should seek out Lailatul-Qadr in the odd nights of the last ten: the night of the twenty-first (the night before the twenty-first day), the twenty-third, the twenty-fifth, the twenty-seventh and the twenty-ninth. If he is too weak or unable to seek it out in all the odd nights, then let him seek it out in the odd nights of the last seven: the night of the twenty-fifth, the twenty-seventh and the twenty-ninth. And Allaah knows best. * How should a Muslim seek Lailatul-Qadr? One who misses this blessed night then he has missed much good for no one misses it except one from whom it is withheld. Therefore it is recommended that the Muslim who is eager to be obedient to Allaah should stand in Prayer during this night out of Eemaan and hoping for the great reward, since if he does this, Allaah will forgive his previous sins. He SAW said: "Whoever stands in (Prayer) in Lailatul-Qadr out of Eemaan and seeking reward then his previous sins are forgiven." (Bukhari) It is recommended to supplicate a great deal in it, it is reported from 'Aa'ishah, RA that she said: "O Messenger of Allaah! What if I knew which night Lailatul-Qadr was, then what should I say in it?" He said: "Say: Allaahumma innaka 'affuwwun tuhibbul 'afwa fa'fu 'annee." (O Allaah you are the one who pardons greatly, and loves to pardon, so pardon me.) (at-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah) O brother! You know the importance of this night, so stand in Prayer in the last ten nights, in worship, detaching oneself from the women, ordering your family with this, and increasing in actions of obedience and worship in it. From 'Aa'ishah, RA who said: "The Prophet SAW used to tighten his waist-wrapper (izaar) - (meaning detached himself from his wives in order to worship, and exerted himself in seeking Lailatul-Qadr), spend the night in worship, and wake the family in the last ten nights." (Bukhari, Muslim) From 'Aa'ishah, RA: "Allaah's Messenger SAW used to exert himself in the last ten nights more than he would at other times." (Muslim) * Its sign [Many people believe in all sorts of superstitions about Lailatul-Qadr, and false beliefs from them are that the trees prostrate, and buildings sleep! And these things are clearly futile and baseless.] Allaah's Messenger SAW described the morning after Lailatul-Qadr, so that the Muslim may know which day it is. From Ubayy, RA who said: that he SAW said: "On the morning following Lailatul-Qadr the sun rises not having any rays, as if it were a brass dish, until it rises up." (Muslim, Abu Dawood, at-Tarmidhi, Ibn Majah) From Abu Hurairah, RA who said: "We were discussing Lailatul-Qadr in the presence of Allaah's Messenger SAW, so he said: 'Which of you remembers (the night) when the moon arose and was like half a plate?'" (Muslim) [Qaadi 'Iyaad said: "It contains an indication that it was towards the end of the month - since the moon does not appear like that when it arises except towards the end of the month."] From Ibn 'Abbaas, RA who said: Allaah's Messenger SAW said: "Lailatul-Qadr is calm and pleasant, neither hot nor cold, the sun arises on its morning being feeble and red." (at-Tayaalisee, Ibn Khuzaimah, al-Bazzaar with hasan isnaad) Let us seek abundance rewards from our Creator by performing extra actions in these last few days of the noble month of Ramadhan as it could be our last...