The Secret Of Knowledge.docx

TALITHA GITA ANDANI

“ The Secret of Knowledge ” In the name of almighty Allah/ whose bounties are unbounded/whose benevolence is everlasting/whose blessings are uncountable/whose being is eternal/whose mercy is unlimited/whose provisions are un-ending/and whose worship is our faith. May the peace and blessings of Allah Ta’ala be upon our prophet Muhammad ‫ ﷺ‬and all of his family and companions. Nowadays, We are constantly bombarded to seek knowledge and learn, yet many times this knowledge does not give a single benefit to us. It goes to waste. We live in a time of knowledge/ and by knowledge I mean/there is such an availability of knowledge/there are seminars/there are halaqaat/there are lectures/there are youtube videos/there is so much that is out there/and the average muslim now has access to so much knowledge/however/there is one thing that is/desperately missing from us/and that is the implementation of that knowledge. The application of that knowledge or putting the knowledge into practice. An incident with Imam Awzaa’ee rahimahullah perfectly states the condition of most of our students today. One day a group of students of hadeeth set out early to see Imam Al Awzaa’ee, who then turned to them and recited : “How many dedicated (students of knowledge) there are/seeking to gather it and desirous of obtaining it/yet they do not gain benefit from it nor do they give benefit out to others with it “. And I almost feel like/we’ve become knowledge junkies/we’re just desperate to gain more knowledge and learn more and more and more/but we don’t implement any or a lot of that knowledge. Let’s put it this way, you learn and have as much knowledge as your tiny little brain can handle, but if you never do anything to use the things that you learned then, why even have them at all? The purpose behind knowledge/ is what we can act upon. It is incumbent upon the students of knowledge to act upon their knowledge. This includes belief, worship, manners, character and dealings with others. And that’s exactly what Abdullah ibn Mas’ud used to say/“ Al-‘Ilmu/At-taqwa”. Knowledge/ is taqwa. Taqwa is something/ that is usually apparent /or it has clear manifestations. It reflects on our actions and our attitudes. The point/that Abdullah ibn Mas’ud was making here/ is that real knowledge” Al-Ilmu An-Naafi’”/ beneficial knowledge/ is that which reflects/ on who you are. That’s why learning, according to the early scholars of islam is not/ storing information/ as the majority of the students of knowledge do today. Because knowledge/ without/ being digested/without being processed/ and personalized/ could bring about a negative effect. And that’s the secret behind the companions learning five verses/ verses each time/ learning the knowledge therein/ and acting on that knowledge/and after they have completed this/ they move on to another five verses. Umar ibn al-khattab/he said about himself/he said it took me 12 years/to memorize surah al-baqarah/12 years? why/he said because I would not pass by a single verse/I would not memorize a single verse/except that I would implement it into my life/ That’s the way they/ used to study islam/And that’s why they learnt/ and that’s why they excelled. So Abdullah ibn Mas’ud was pointing to this fact/ that real knowledge is what reflects on your actions. And this is why in the field of education today/ they say learning is being. Learning/ is being. That means if the knowledge that you learn/ or the knowledge you acquire/if you don’t process it/if you don’t break it down/ and personalize it/ and it becomes part of who you are/if it doesn’t mix with your blood/ and your flesh/ you haven’t learned anything. You’ve just stored information. You’re just like any other book on the shelf/ or any computer that stores

so many books/ and data. But that’s not what knowledge is all about/ knowledge is about acting upon it/ and that’s the definition that the scholars give to Al-Huda, Al-Huda wa Diinul Haq. When Allah Ta’ala says that he sent his prophet ‫ ﷺ‬with Al-Huda/ and Diinul Haq. Huda/ the guidance/ the scholars say that’s beneficial knowledge/that has the potential/ to change your behavior/ to change how you think/ to change your ways/ in acting/ and to change who you are. Wa Diinul Haq is the actual/ acting on knowledge. So/ if you learn something and you don’t/ultimately/ you don’t act upon it/ it doesn’t change you/it doesn’t make you a different person/ in a sense. Then in brief/ you’ve wasted your time. And I’m sorry to say/but how many of our days are worthless days? How many of our days and weeks and months and years that goes past our life and yet/ we haven’t even taken the next level of knowledge in our lives? Because you will be questioned about that time, and you will be questioned about that knowledge. What did you do with it? That’s why the prophet ‫ﷺ‬/ used to seek refuge in allah/ everyday, every single morning he used to say: ‫أعوذبِكَ ِم ْن ِع ْل ٍم ِِ الَيَ ْنفَع‬ ‫“ اَللَّه َّم إِنِِّى‬Oh Allah, I seek your protection/ and I seek refuge in you from knowledge/ that is not beneficial” that means knowledge/ that will not reflect on me/ Knowledge that will not make me better. Knowledge is a power. But what’s the point of learning/ if it doesn’t change the way you act/ think or live your life. Therefore/ everytime you do acquire knowledge or learn something new/ keep in mind that knowledge is power only when you apply it in your life. May Allah ta’ala grant us beneficial knowledge and protect us from knowledge that does not benefit us. Ameen.