"Read! (or Proclaim!) In the name of your Lord and Cherisher; Who created. Created man, out of a leech- like clot: Proclaim! and your Lord is Most Bountiful Who taught (the use of) the pen, taught man that winch he knew not. (Q96:.1-5)
These are the first verses of the Qur'an revealed to the Prophet (PBUH) in the cave of Hira during the month of Ramadan by Angel Jubril as the Prophet was seeking guidance through tahanuth. (retreat). This revelation marks the beginning of a new era: an era whereby man knows his Lord without doubt, a Lord of no limits. An honour that has not been fully appreciated. It turns Ulan in the direction he should look to in order to derive his ideals, values and criteria.
READING FOR KNOWLEDGE: Mastering of four basic skills forms the bedrock of education and knowledge: Listening, speaking, reading and writing. The first two skills come naturally at birth except where the person. IS physically impaired.. The other two. requires a certain amount of exertion in order to acquire them. Of the two, reading IS the more important. It IS the path- way to knowledge and wisdom.
READ! as you are commanded by Allah. Read! In the name of the Lord of the universe so that He may teach you that which you knew not. Read at least a verse of the Qur ' an a day, seek to understand the import of it.
Ask yourself these questions:
What have I just read?
What does it mean to me? What is Allah saying here? How does it affect me and my family?
Act upon what you have read and apply it in your daily living. Devote time to read the hadith too. Get a saying of the prophet (PBUH) in a day. Read other Islamic books at least once in a month. Begin with the history of the Prophet (PBUH) . Broaden your minds, read the newspapers and listen to news on radio and TV. Be particularly interested in the affairs of Muslims both near and far. Don't let your heart be stony with the blindness of partisanship. The Prophet (PBUH) says:
"he who is not concerned with the affairs of Muslims is not of them." (Muslim)
Read other things too but be careful about what you read; if you keep your mind sufficiently open, people may throw a lot of rubbish into it.
ON KNOWLEDGE
"The first thing created by Allah was the intellect, He said to it come forward, so it came forward. He said to it, go backward, and it went backward. Then he said, 'by my majesty and might I have created no creature more honoured in my eyes than you. Through you I shall give, through you I shall take, through you I shall reward, and through you I shall punish.' " (Tirmidhi)
"A learned one is as much above a worshipper asI am above the rest of you", and he added: "Allah, His angels and all those in the heavens and the earth even the ants... and the fish ...call-down blessing on those who instruct people in beneficent knowledge." (Tirmdhi)
"A Learned one is superior to a worshipper as the moon is superior to all the planets. The learned are heirs of the Prophets and the Prophets do not leave an inheritance of dirhams and dinars(money) but only of knowledge He who acquires knowledge acquires a vast portion." (Abu Daud).
"The case of the guidance and knowledge with which I have been sent is that of rain which falls on land, part of which is good and fertile and dry grass thereon turns green and a quantity of new and fresh grass is produced; and part of it is dry and it stores up the water and Allah makes it beneficial for people, they drink from it and use it for cultivation' and part of it is a barren-plain which neither retains the water nor produces fresh grass. This IS the case of those who understand the faith revealed by Allah and benefit from that with which Allah has sent me, and learn It and teach. It and of those who do not stir their heads to gain knowledge of the faith and do not accept the guidance With which I have been sent. (Bukhari &Muslim)
"A believer never has his fill of knowledge till he ends up in Paradise" (Tirmidhi)
This article was culled from the publications of Deen Communication Limited