Don't Be A Donkey

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

We know that all praise and gratitude belongs to Allah alone (Alhamdulillah) and we know that Allah is the Lord of the Worlds (Rabb Al-'Alamin) and we know that Allah is the Most Merciful (Ar-Rahman, Ar-Rahim). This knowledge should lead us to action -- worship Allah. The result of knowledge is slavehood. Allah is the Master and we are His slaves. A slave does what his master wants him to do, not what the slave wants to do. But how many a time we hear or see people doing things in opposition to what God wants, as if this world belong to them, as if they are not going to die, as if when they die, everything will be good for them even though they have disobeyed God in this life.

The previous Divine Book, Torah, described the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, almost with the same qualities as are described in the Qur'an, which required that as soon as the Jews saw the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, they should have recognized him and believed in him. But the material position and possessions blinded them to the teachings of Torah. Despite their knowledge of Torah, they acted as practical ignoramus. Allah described such block-headed behavior with the example of a donkey loaded with weighty tomes. The donkey carries its loads, but it is neither aware of its subject-matter, nor does it benefit by it.

مَثَلُ ٱلَّذِينَ حُمِّلُوا۟ ٱلتَّوْرَىٰةَ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَحْمِلُوهَا كَمَثَلِ ٱلْحِمَارِ يَحْمِلُ أَسْفَارًۢا ۚ بِئْسَ مَثَلُ ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا۟ بِـَٔايَـٰتِ ٱللَّـهِ ۚ وَٱللَّـهُ لَا يَهْدِى ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ ﴿٥

The example of those who were entrusted with the Torah and then did not take it on is like that of a donkey who carries volumes [of books]. Wretched is the example of the people who deny the signs of Allah. And Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people. (5)

[Qur'an Al-Jumu'a 62:5]

Commentators have stated that the example given by the verse for Jews applies to any religious scholar who does not act upon his knowledge.

A Persian poet has put it thus:
He is neither a scholar, nor a knowledgeable person.
He is but an animal of four legs, carrying the load of some books

May Allah guide us and our families on the straight path, increase us in beneficial knowledge and make us act upon the knowledge, and make us of those who revive the Sunnah of His beloved Messenger, sallallahu alayhi wassallam. Ameen.

Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam