The Purpose of Gaining Knowledge | Mufti Abdul Wahab Waheed | Miftaah Graduation 2021

The Purpose of Gaining Knowledge

People sometimes ask, what is the purpose of having Miftah, the associate program, or these types of programs that we have. Most people recognize Miftah or know Miftah through either YouTube or through an online session or through a workshop. But the reality is that there is something behind it, which is the actual classes in the seminary and the courses that take place.

And the purpose and the objective of it is based upon a specific hadith. The Prophet ﷺ says:

(Sunan Ibn Mājah, Hadith 237)

The Prophet ﷺ also says:

That verily this deen is a treasure. And any treasure in this world has keys. If you don't have the keys to open it, then you can never benefit from it.

People Are Mines of Gold and Silver

One day the Prophet ﷺ was sitting and he said:

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2638; Sahih al-Bukhārī, Hadith 3493)

He says that people are mines, like mines of gold and silver. How does that connect to human beings? Ibn Hajar rahimullah says, number one, because a mine is precious. A mine is very precious. And every single human being is also extremely precious. Every single human being has something to give. But the challenge of a mine is for a person to identify that it actually exists.

It's there. If it's there and I don't know it's there, then you can't benefit from it. How many years were there oil mines in Qatar and in the Hijaz and no one ever benefited — till the English came and told them that you have oil here. You have mines. So if it's there, and I am unable to identify that I have something special, that individual cannot benefit anyone else.

So we're like mines because we have something precious to give. But it requires us to identify that it's there. And then he says, the second reason why the Prophet ﷺ uses this example, is just like a mine — if I know it's there, I know it's something special over here, but if I don't extract it and remove it, then it can't benefit anyone.

Similarly, every single person has something to give. But if they don't work on themselves to remove it, and to refine it, and to perfect it, then they can't benefit people. So we do have qualities of generosity. We do have qualities of humility. We do have qualities of kindness. We do have qualities of hoping to please Allah. But just like a mine of gold, silver, oil, copper, anything in this world — it needs to be refined. It needs to be removed. And there is a process of refining every single element that comes from the ground. There is also a process of refining the precious qualities that Allah has given to every single person.

Ibn Hajar rahimullah says that one of the first steps of refining that person's qualities is for them to connect themselves to the book of Allah, and to learn the knowledge of the Qur'an.

So based on this hadith — that this deen is a treasure, and there needs to be people who have keys for treasures — the Prophet ﷺ says: glory, glory be to those individuals who become key holders of goodness. They become key holders of good things. And they become locks towards evil. And woe be to those people who become keys towards evil and locks towards goodness. So they become a diversion from doing good things and they become a caller towards doing things that bring the displeasure of Allah.

So the goal was that every single one of us — our students, the teachers — can become those keys towards goodness. And how can you have the keys of goodness without understanding or connecting with the book of Allah.

No Excuse or Age Limit on Seeking Knowledge

There is absolutely no excuse or age limit on learning knowledge. When we started, we actually started because some college students and adults came to us and said, "Please teach us Arabic." And I said to them, "Listen, Arabic is a difficult journey." But they said, "No, no, we can do it. We're very smart. We'll come, just teach it to us." So we started teaching and people started coming.

And then we realized that there are people who have passed the age of starting a new career who are wanting and desiring to learn the book of Allah and learn the language of the Qur'an. And it was at that point where we put this Miftah program together. And I truly commend and applaud those people who are able to come continuously, continuously for three years on Sundays and Tuesdays.

Every new year that would start with this class specifically, I would say to Sheikh Abdullah — unfortunately he's not here with us, he's in Pakistan — I would say, "Man, I'll be surprised if they come back. Because we've thrown so much at them. So many different subjects. Arabic, and all these different words. These people are, mashaAllah, a lot of them are professionals, physicians, engineers. But they're challenged by learning Arabic." I said, "I don't think they're going to come back." He said, "No, no, they'll come back. Watch, they'll come back." And they came back again. Their beard is white, but they're still continuing.

So that became, in all honesty, a great source of motivation for even us. So regardless of what type of week we had, regardless of what type of day we had, we would make sure to prepare to come to class and to teach. Because someone else is perhaps making a bigger sacrifice than me. So if someone else is making a bigger sacrifice than me, then I still have to do it.

Justice in Islam: Going One Step Above

And that is the definition of justice in Islam. In America, and in any lifestyle actually, justice is defined by equality. If you're equal, you are just. You hit me once, I hit you once. But Islam teaches us that justice is not defined by equality. Justice is defined by a person doing something better.

So Allah says:

When someone does something to you, do not respond by doing the same — that would be just. Everyone says, "Justice, that would be just. It's perfectly fine, you're in your right, you can do it." But what's better for you to do is reply by doing something better. Reply by saying something better.

So when we're always worried about, "Am I getting my level of rights? Am I getting what I'm supposed to get?" — then there will always be a tussle in the home. But if we're always worried about, "Am I the person that is giving more?" — then there'll never be an issue.

(Sahih al-Bukhārī, Hadith 1429; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1033)

The hand that is giving is always better than the hand that is taking. I was reading about a great scholar by the name of Hasan al-Basri. When he would give, he would actually give like this — with his hand lower — and the person that would take would take from the top. So people would ask him, "Why don't you just give like a normal person?" And he said: the hadith says that the person whose hand is above is always better. I don't want, when I'm giving someone money, to make it seem like I'm doing something great for them. But even when I'm giving this money, I want to give it in a manner that it doesn't make them feel any inferior. So I want to give it to them like this, so when they take it, they don't feel bad.

So ادْفَعْ بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ means, even when you do something good, do it in a way that the other person doesn't feel bad. Do it nicely. And when we give money, I always tell my students — sometimes when you go for trips to collect funds for our school, sometimes the person would be building it up, building it up, building it up, and you're thinking to yourself, this brother must be writing a $100,000 check. And you open it, it's $100. MashaAllah, alhamdulillah. And then some people, they make you feel so honored when they give. So they make you feel honored that you're asking.

So, ادْفَعْ بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ — justice in Islam is always to go one step above.

The Beauty of Consistency

Nonetheless, I started off by saying that the reason why we started these programs was so that people could come — regardless of what their career is — not just for a workshop or a three-hour session. These are all great things that other people do, and we do as well. But to actually come and study knowledge. Though it is over a span of multiple years, though it is only two or three days a week, it's still happening.

There is beauty in consistency.