Importance of Education – Small Reminder

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

We are living in age of high advantage. We have access to world knowledge at the click of a button, when our precedent stars of Islam traveled far lands to gain knowledge. We have lights in every room of each house and on every corner of every street, when they had the light of the moon; we have transportation when they had to walk on foot and ride horses to gain sacred knowledge. Yet, with everything at the tips of our fingers, shouldn’t knowledge be increasing and spreading further?

Rather, today we are seeing people choosing ignorance over knowledge. One of the advices of Prophet (saw) was to take advantage of time before we are occupied, and youth before old age. These intertwine together as at a young age we have less responsibility and more time in our hands. In youth we are at our highest peak in our senses, our energy, and our health and minds are fresh, ready to absorb knowledge like a sponge absorbs water.

The youth are the future of tomorrow and the seeds of success. Therefore we must find the means to success. With the current tension around us, we are in the spotlight; we can take this spotlight, and use it to our advantage. Allah doesn’t put something to us without any wisdom, therefore it is up to us whether we draw out the benefit and utilise it towards our goals.

Allah has blessed many of us by giving us the chance to educate ourselves, where easy accesses to facilities are given. Iqraa was the first command given to Muhammad (saw), to read. Gaining knowledge is an obligation upon all Muslims, for the good of oneself, and society. As one needs to learn the law of Allah to bring justice for themselves and for others as it is a God given way of life who is well aware of what is best for us. The Prophet (saw) said, ‘whoever seeks out a path to acquire knowledge (of the deen) Allah makes it easy a path for them to Jannah’ – Muslim. Even the angels high in heavens to the fish deep in the sea, supplicate for the students of knowledge.

Education of current affairs and our past opens our minds, teaching us to reason and being aware of past history, so we can make a better judgement of the present. The Qur’an tells us to observe the earth and the skies, so there in an instant, we are told to learn the sciences.

Many times we see failure in education amongst the Muslims, with the morals of Islam, and if we were to put the Prophet (saw) in perspective of our lives, we should be the best performers of universities and colleges, as the Prophet (saw) advised us to conduct everything in its best manner.

There are many talented youth who can all give something back to society and raise its standards, it is said the ink of a scholar is more precious than the blood of a martyr. We need to filter the light of Islam and revive it; through our works and this can be done in many ways, through the Media, Journalism or Art. So the youth of tomorrow can improve on our works. Through contribution of writing, and bring new ideas.

Our education can be a form of worship in our youth, if we intend to seek Allah’s pleasure, to share the light of Islam. This will bring about more blessing and make our actions bear fruits.

The Prophet (saw) advised us when acting in the present to be cautious of what tomorrow will bring and its consequences. Motivation is the key; if we make Allah our pinnacle of motivation we will find success and development, if you want to accomplish something, you can!!!

If you have a passion for something, take it and run with it, nothing can stand in your way but yourself. Plant your actions with the seeds of sincerity, you see flourish and grow bearing fruits. If you plant them with insincerity, you will grow nothing but bare branches. I pray the students today, be the stars of Islam, and revive Islam once again as I end with the beautiful hadith: The Prophet (saw) said “to take advantage of five before five: your youth before your old age, your wealth before your poverty, your health before your sickness, your free-time before your preoccupation, and your life before your death.”