Seeking Knowledge

One of the amazing aspects about Islam is that knowledge of the diin is a deep ocean, the depth of which none of us will encompass. We can spend an entire life studying one branch of the Islamic Sciences and not have tasted all of its immense fruits. Most of us walk along the shores of that ocean of knowledge, dipping our toes in from time to time. Today inshaAllah I'll reimnd myself the benefits of seeking knowledge more seriously and by Allah's Mercy some readers may benefit.

We are often reminded that Allah says, “Recite in the name of your Lord who created.” [Qur'an, 96:1] Allah taught His creation that which it did not know, Ibn Kathir says about this: "Knowledge sometimes is in the mind, sometimes on the tongue, and sometimes in writing with the fingers. Thus, it may be intellectual, spoken and written. And while the last (written) necessitates the first two (intellectual and spoken), the reverse is not true." And, Allah says:

“Allah will raise those who have believed among you and those who were given knowledge, by degrees.” [58:11]

Allah's Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whosoever Allah wishes good for, He gives him understanding (fiqh) of the Religion” (Bukhari and Muslim). And, he (peace and blessings be upon him) told us:

“If anyone travels on a road in search of knowledge, Allah will cause him to travel on one of the roads of Paradise. The angels will lower their wings in their great pleasure with one who seeks knowledge, the inhabitants of the heavens and the Earth and the fish in the deep waters will ask forgiveness for the learned man. The superiority of the learned man over the worshipper is like that of the moon, on the night when it is full, over the rest of the stars. The learned are the heirs of the Prophets, and the Prophets leave neither dinar nor dirham, leaving only knowledge, and he who takes it takes a big fortune.” [Abu Dawud]

“My Lord, increase me in knowledge.” [Qur'an, 20:114]