Importance of Seeking Knowledge (with Sign Language) - Shaykh Zakaullah saleem

Khutbah Opening

أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَإِنَّ خَيْرَ الْحَدِيثِ كِتَابُ اللَّهِ، وَخَيْرَ الْهَدْيِ هَدْيُ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَشَرَّ الْأُمُورِ مُحْدَثَاتُهَا، وَكُلَّ مُحْدَثَةٍ بِدْعَةٌ، وَكُلَّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلَالَةٌ، وَكُلَّ ضَلَالَةٍ فِي النَّارِ.

أَمَّا بَعْدُ

Islam: The Religion of Knowledge

My dear respected brothers and sisters in Islam, the religion of Islam that Allah has granted us is the religion of knowledge. As we all know, the very first revelation that came to our beloved Nabi صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ — when he was busy in worshipping Allah Dhul Jalal Ikram inside the cave of Hira — Jibreel عَلَيْهِ الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ came to the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ, and the very first word that Jibreel uttered — the very first word that Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ heard — was اقْرَأْ, "Read." He repeated this. The Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ said مَا أَنَا بِقَارِئٍ. But then Jibreel again said اقْرَأْ. Then Jibreel related the verses that Allah wanted to reveal to our beloved Nabi صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ, and the third time Jibreel said:

Five verses that Allah revealed on that occasion — this was the very first revelation that came to our Nabi صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ. And in these five verses, Allah made the mention of knowledge five times. Five times Allah made the mention of knowledge.

The Five Mentions of Knowledge in the First Revelation

Beginning with اقْرَأْ — "Read." This is the core of knowledge. You cannot obtain knowledge, you cannot gain knowledge, unless and until you start reading. Simply listening, attending lectures, watching clips or video clips — it is beneficial to some extent, but it is not something that can give you proper and solid knowledge. اقْرَأْ — read. Reading is the beginning of knowledge.

And then in the following verse, Allah repeated the word اقْرَأْ again: اقْرَأْ وَرَبُّكَ الْأَكْرَمُ. As some of the ulama have said, the reason — the wisdom — of repeating the word اقْرَأْ again is to put more emphasis on seeking knowledge, and particularly on reading, which means that Allah instructed His beloved Nabi صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: you must read, read and read, read and read, read and read — continue reading. اقْرَأْ، اقْرَأْ.

And then when Allah made the mention of اقْرَأْ a second time, He said: اقْرَأْ وَرَبُّكَ الْأَكْرَمُ — "Read, and your Lord is the Most Generous." Because when you start reading, Allah starts showering the blessings of knowledge upon your heart and your mind, because your Lord is the one who grants knowledge, your Lord is the one who gives knowledge. This is what Allah mentioned several times in the Quran — when He said that Allah is the one who taught Adam عَلَيْهِ الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ the names of the objects, and Allah is the one who taught Yusuf عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ.

As the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ said in an authentic hadith reported by Imam Al-Bukhari rahimahullah, the very first person who was to write with the pen was Sayyiduna Idrees عَلَيْهِ الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ — who taught him? Allah Dhul Jalal Ikram. Allah is the Most Generous. He wants to give you knowledge, but you need to show that you really want to seek knowledge. So اقْرَأْ وَرَبُّكَ الْأَكْرَمُ.

And Allah also made the mention of knowledge when He said in Surah An-Nisa:

"O Muhammad صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ, We are the one" — and Allah says He is the one who has given you the knowledge, who has taught you مَا لَمْ تَكُنْ تَعْلَمُ — what you did not know. And Allah's bounty and favour upon you was great. Allah is the one who gives knowledge, but you need to start reading.

الَّذِي عَلَّمَ بِالْقَلَمِ — in the following verse, Allah says: Allah is the one who has taught with the pen — how to use the pen, how to write. So reading is one aspect of knowledge that Allah begins these verses with, and then the second aspect of knowledge is writing. And Allah made the mention of الْقَلَم.

The Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ says: أَوَّلُ مَا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ الْقَلَمَ — the very first creation that Allah created was the pen. And there is a surah in the Quran with the name Al-Qalam — the pen:

It shows the importance of writing as well. So reading and writing — both are covered. And then Allah makes the mention of the word عِلْم: عَلَّمَ — "the one who has taught." So you seek knowledge, you gain knowledge, and when you start teaching. And for those who are in the field of education, those who are teachers — they know clearly that you actually increase your knowledge when you start teaching. الَّذِي عَلَّمَ بِالْقَلَمِ ۝ عَلَّمَ الْإِنْسَانَ مَا لَمْ يَعْلَمْ — Allah is the one who has taught man what he did not know.

Allah says in another verse in Surah An-Nahl:

Allah brought you out of the wombs of your mothers — لَا تَعْلَمُونَ شَيْئًا — while you did not know anything. Then Allah is the one who granted you the knowledge. عَلَّمَ الْإِنْسَانَ مَا لَمْ يَعْلَمْ. So Allah repeated the word عِلْم and تَعْلِيم in this verse twice again — عَلَّمَ and يَعْلَمْ.

So five times Allah made the mention of knowledge in the very first revelation that came to our Nabi صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ. That shows the importance of knowledge and seeking knowledge.

Quranic Praise for the People of Knowledge

And it is not only these verses — there are many verses in which Allah praised those who seek knowledge and those who are traversing and working on the path of seeking knowledge. Allah praises them. In Surah Al-Mujadila, Allah says:

Allah raises the ranks of those who believed in Allah and those who are given knowledge.

Allah Himself has testified that there is none worthy of worship except Allah. شَهِدَ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ وَالْمَلَائِكَةُ — and when Allah declared this, Allah also mentioned the angels. He said the angels also testify. And then Allah says وَأُولُو الْعِلْمِ — and the people of knowledge also. So Allah combined Himself and the angels and the people of knowledge in this verse of the Quran.

Allah says in Surah Az-Zumar:

"Say, O Muhammad صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ, ask them: هَلْ يَسْتَوِي الَّذِينَ يَعْلَمُونَ وَالَّذِينَ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ — those who have knowledge and those who do not have knowledge, can both of them be equal?" No, they can never be equal.

The Obligation of Seeking Knowledge

So seeking knowledge is part of our religion — in fact, this is the beginning of our religion. That is why Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ said:

(Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 224)

Seeking knowledge — especially the knowledge of how to worship Allah, how to practice the religion of Islam — it is something that is obligatory upon every single Muslim, every single male and female. It is wajib.

Three Types of Knowledge

When it comes to knowledge, knowledge can be divided into three types.

The first one is compulsory knowledge — that is the knowledge of how to worship Allah. When you perform your salah, you must know how to perform salah; you have to have the knowledge of salah. When the month of Ramadan comes, you must know how to fast, when to start your fast and when to break your fast. When it comes to paying your zakah, you must have the knowledge of paying zakah. When you go for Hajj, you must seek the knowledge of how to perform your Hajj. When you do business transactions, you must know what is halal and what is haram, what is permissible and what is impermissible in the religion of Islam. This is what the hadith of Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ means: طَلَبُ الْعِلْمِ فَرِيضَةٌ عَلَى كُلِّ مُسْلِمٍ — seeking knowledge is an obligation upon every single Muslim.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of Muslims nowadays are far away from seeking knowledge — especially the knowledge of Islam, the knowledge of the Book of Allah, the knowledge of the Sunnah of Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ. And this is one of the core reasons that the Muslim ummah is divided and we see so many ikhtilafat and disputes and shirkiyat and khurafat and innovations that people commit. As it is usually said: when you do not have knowledge, you become the enemy of those who do have knowledge. Because you yourself never sought knowledge, and when someone mentions to you the ayah of the Quran or the hadith of Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ, Shaitan whispers in your mind that you are Muslim and you have knowledge — but in reality you did not have knowledge. And then you start, instead of accepting the advice of someone who is making mention of the ayah or the hadith of Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ to you, you become his enemy and you start hating him. Seeking knowledge is compulsory — so this is the first type of knowledge: the knowledge of the religion of Islam.

And when it comes to seeking the knowledge of Islam, it is very important — especially for our youth. And as we are getting closer to the school holidays, many of our youth, our young brothers and sisters who have been studying in colleges and universities, they are free now and they are enjoying their summer holidays. It does not befit any Muslim — and especially the youth that Allah has granted energy and power, time and strength, and good memory — it does not befit you to waste your time on social media all the time, to waste your time watching movies and dramas, to waste your time in useless and vain talk, while you do not seek knowledge and do not commit any time to seek knowledge. It is an obligation.

The second type of knowledge is that which is permissible — and that type of knowledge can be a means of reward for you if you seek it for the sake of Allah Dhul Jalal Ikram. The knowledge of engineering or medicine — if your intention is to benefit the creation of Allah, not solely for worldly gains, but rather your intention is to benefit especially the Muslim Ummah, your fellow Muslim brothers and sisters in Islam — if this is your intention and you put your efforts into it, then it can become a means of reward for you.

The third type of knowledge is what is prohibited — what is not permissible. It is haram. It is not permissible for a Muslim to seek the knowledge or to learn how to make alcohol, or things of that nature. Anything that is to do with haram is not permissible for a Muslim.

The Hadith of Abu Darda — The Virtues of the Seeker of Knowledge

But when it comes to the religion of Islam, seeking the knowledge of the religion of Allah Dhul Jalal Ikram is wajib. The Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ has praised those who traverse the path of seeking knowledge in a very famous hadith. That hadith is reported by Abu Darda رَضِيَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهُ. A tabi'i by the name of Kathir ibn Qais says: I was sitting with Abu Darda رَضِيَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهُ — one of the famous companions of Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ — he says: I was sitting with him in the masjid of Dimashq when a man came to Abu Darda and said: "Ya Abu Darda, I came to you all the way from the city of the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ, and I have come to you to learn one single hadith that I have heard you yourself report from the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ. I have travelled all the way from Medina to Dimashq solely for seeking the knowledge of one hadith of Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ."

Before I make mention of the hadith — here is the point. How many of our youth and young people have wasted their past couple of years waiting for their applications to be accepted in Medina, and their mindset is that knowledge can only be obtained at one of the universities of Saudi Arabia — and if you do not get accepted, then just waste your time. You do not try to look for another way, means, or channel of seeking knowledge. In this masjid, we have the opportunity, alhamdulillah, to offer you knowledge. But how many of the youth are willing to seek knowledge? Rather, they have the excuse: "I have put my application in Umm al-Qura and in Jami'at al-Madinah in Riyadh, I am waiting for my acceptance." And it can take sometimes several years, and by the time you get accepted and get the news that you have been granted admission, you say: "No, the time is over now, I cannot go." And this is solely the whisper of Shaitan — this is the deceit of Shaitan.

As I mentioned earlier, seeking knowledge and gaining knowledge is one of the acts of worship. This is one of the great bounties of Allah. The Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ said: whomsoever Allah wills goodness for, Allah gives him the comprehension and understanding of the religion. And the ulama have interpreted this hadith and said this also means that if you are unable to seek knowledge, then it means that Allah does not want khair for you. If Allah wants good for you, then Allah enables you to seek knowledge.

So Abu Darda was sitting in the masjid of Dimashq, the person came and said: "I came from Medina to seek knowledge in Dimashq." Abu Darda did not say: "You came from the city of the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ, which is the hub of knowledge — go back and seek knowledge in Medina." Rather he said: I can mention to you a hadith of Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ. And then Abu Darda رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ related this hadith to that person:

(Sunan Abu Dawud, Hadith 3641; Sunan at-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2682; Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 223)

He says: I heard the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ saying: whoever travels and takes the path of seeking knowledge, Allah makes the path to paradise easy for him. As soon as you start traversing the path of seeking knowledge, it is as if you have taken the path to paradise. Allah makes it easy for you, as the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ said in another narration: Allah makes the path to paradise easy for him.

And then Abu Darda رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ said: I heard the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ saying: Allah has appointed the angels to lower their wings for the pleasure, respect, and honor of the seeker of knowledge. The one who traverses the path of seeking knowledge — the angels lower their wings for the pleasure, respect, honor, and dignity of the talib al-'ilm.

And then he said: the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ said: a knowledgeable person — the person who has knowledge of the religion of Allah — everything in the heavens and everything in this earth seeks forgiveness for him. And he said: even the fish in the deepest water also seek forgiveness of Allah for the alim. This is the respect, this is the honor, this is the dignity that Allah has prepared for the one who seeks knowledge.

And then he said: the superiority of the alim over the abid — the abid is the one who worships Allah but without having enough knowledge; he does not know how to worship Allah in the right way, but he spends his days and nights and makes his efforts in the worship of Allah — the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ said: the one who seeks knowledge, the one who is learned, has the superiority over the worshiper as the full moon has superiority over all the other stars.

And then he صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ said: the ulama and scholars and people of knowledge — they are the true inheritors of the prophets. And the prophets did not leave behind a dinar or dirham or any wealth; rather they left behind the knowledge of the religion of Allah. And whoever seeks and takes a portion of that knowledge has been given a great portion of the pleasure, bounty, and favor of Allah.

This is one of the many ahadith in which the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ has made mention of the importance of knowledge and the virtues of knowledge.

The Obligation to Continuously Seek Knowledge

So the point of this khutbah, my dear brothers and sisters in Islam, is that we as Muslims — regardless of our age, regardless of our daily routine — we need to be engaged in seeking the knowledge of the religion of Allah. May Allah give us tawfiq and ability to be seekers of knowledge, so that Allah elevates our ranks and raises our ranks in paradise, and grants us the pleasure of this dunya and the hereafter.

Removing the Obstacle: "Act on What You Know First"

One of the hurdles or obstacles that many people find when they intend to seek knowledge is when Shaitan whispers in their mind — and this has become a common statement amongst the Muslims, unfortunately — that "whatever you already know, act upon it first, and then seek knowledge." This is a very silly statement. "Act upon whatever you know." Allah has brought you out of the wombs of your mothers — you knew nothing! So what can you act upon? How can you practice the religion of Islam?

And Shaitan whispers in your mind: "Whatever you have learned so far, it is enough." And it is said in Arabic: the moment you stop seeking knowledge, your ignorance starts.

Who amongst the creation of Allah can claim that he has sought comprehensive, complete, and full knowledge of the religion of Allah? No one amongst the scholars ever claimed this. Who are you to claim that you have enough knowledge of the religion of Allah? Rather, you need to continue seeking the knowledge of Allah, continue seeking the knowledge of the Book of Allah, the Sunnah of the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ. And never ever think that you have enough. Rather, continue seeking knowledge.

Bear in mind the hadith of the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ that is reported by Abdullah ibn Mas'ud رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ — although some of the scholars have classified this hadith as weak, but some others have said it is hasan. Abdullah ibn Mas'ud says that the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ said:

(Sunan at-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2322; classified as hasan by some scholars)

The Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ said: the whole world is deprived from the mercy of Allah, is far away from the mercy of Allah, does not deserve the mercy of Allah — except the one who seeks knowledge, except the one who spreads knowledge, and except the one who is busy in the remembrance of Allah. So if you truly want to gain the mercy of Allah, if you truly want Allah to shower His mercy upon you, then engage yourself in seeking knowledge.

An Invitation to Seek Knowledge at the Green Lane Institute

I would like to conclude the khutbah with an announcement. In this masjid, alhamdulillah, about a year ago we started an institute that is called the Green Lane Institute. In this institute we offer several courses for those who have the desire to seek the knowledge of the Arabic language and Islamic studies.

And now recently we have launched admissions into a couple of courses, including a course that is very much needed for our teenagers — that is known as the Teen Summer Course. So I would like to encourage and request the parents to enroll their teenagers and boys into this course. This is the first time we are offering this course and it is only for boys. Please enroll your children into this course. This is going to be an intensive summer holidays four-week course.

Other than this, we have also arranged a course of Quran memorization for those who have crossed the age of 15, 16, or beyond. Many of the youth desire to memorize the Quran but think that they have passed the age of memorization — usually thought to be the age of 8 to 13–15 years — which is not the case. You can start memorizing the Quran at any age. So we have arranged this course — Adult Hifz, Quran memorization for adults.

And then we have a Tajweed course, and we have Arabic language courses from foundation to diploma level.

So I would like to encourage you, brothers and sisters, to enroll in these courses. And in a couple of days we will be holding an open day specifically for the sisters to enroll into many of the courses that we offer in this masjid for our sisters.

So please seek the knowledge of the religion of Allah, engage in seeking knowledge, and continue seeking knowledge throughout your life. May Allah give us the ability to be the people of seeking knowledge. May Allah give us the ability.