Importance Of Gathering Of Knowledge

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم 

In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate 

Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam

We should hold dearly in our hearts the importance of knowledge and circles of knowledge. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam praised and spoke about the importance of knowledge in a number of traditions. Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala says,

وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا قَبْلَكَ إِلَّا رِجَالًا نُّوحِىٓ إِلَيْهِمْ ۖ فَسْـَٔلُوٓا۟ أَهْلَ ٱلذِّكْرِ إِن كُنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ ﴿٧

And We sent not before you, [O Muhammad], except men to whom We revealed [the message], so ask the people of the message if you do not know.  [Quran, Al Anbiya' 21:7]

A Muslim society cannot exist without people of knowledge and people of knowledge cannot exist without Islamic or religious institutions. 

Imam Shafi'e said that if you wish to live a particular area, then find out if it has a scholar and a doctor. If it has no scholar and a doctor don't live there because a doctor is there to maintain your good health and a scholar is there to ensure you are following the laws of Allah to ensure that you are spiritually healthy.

The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said that acquisition of knowledge is compulsory to every Muslim. Ignorance is something is not acceptable for his ummah. How Islam will flourish is explained to us by how the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam before building a masjid, he established a school and that school was Dar Al Arqam, the first madrasah. The teacher was the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam and he was teaching the Quran. Imagine how amazing those classes might have been.

A person who thread a path seeking sacred knowledge, Allah makes the path to jannah easy for you. That is a great favor for a very small deed. When we wish to honor somebody we throw a red carpet beneath his feet. Allah honors someone who leaves home with the intention to increase sacred knowledge, not with red carpet, but Allah instructs those angels who have been spending their lives in ibadah to place their wings beneath the feet of that person. Can you imagine this -- how much Allah honors those who is threading the path of sacred knowledge. Why? Because this person is doing something that is pleasing Allah. Learning one chapter of knowledge, Allah rewards him the reward of 1000 raka'ah. This is how sacred and how important knowledge is to Allah.

‘Abdallah b. ‘Amr told of God’s messenger coming upon two groups in his mosque and saying, “They are both engaged in what is good, but one of them is superior to the other. These ones are praying and supplicating God who, if He wills, may answer their prayers but, if He wills, may refuse them. Those ones are learning knowledge* and teaching the ignorant, so they are superior. I was sent only as a teacher.” He then sat down among them. Darimi transmitted it. *The text has al-fiqh au al-'ilm, fiqh and ‘ilm having the same meaning, but the transmitter of the tradition was not sure which word was used by the Prophet on this occasion.

وَعَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَرَّ بِمَجْلِسَيْنِ فِي مَسْجِدِهِ فَقَالَ: «كِلَاهُمَا عَلَى خَيْرٍ وَأَحَدُهُمَا أَفْضَلُ مِنْ صَاحِبِهِ أَمَّا هَؤُلَاءِ فَيَدْعُونَ اللَّهَ وَيَرْغَبُونَ إِلَيْهِ فَإِنْ شَاءَ أَعْطَاهُمْ وَإِنْ شَاءَ مَنَعَهُمْ. وَأَمَّا هَؤُلَاءِ فَيَتَعَلَّمُونَ الْفِقْهَ أَوِ الْعِلْمَ وَيُعَلِّمُونَ الْجَاهِلَ فَهُمْ أَفْضَلُ وَإِنَّمَا بُعِثْتُ مُعَلِّمًا» ثمَّ جلس فيهم. رَوَاهُ الدَّارمِيّ

The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said both the gathering of knowledge and gathering of dhikr are good. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam stressed the importance of knowledge as he said, "I was sent only as a teacher."

The best of institutions are those that capture education and remembrance of Allah. A great example is the madrasah of Imam Abdul Qadir Jailani, the great Islamic legend. His madrasah was a place of learning and a place of remembering Allah, perhaps more of a place of learning. It was so successful that it had to be resized all the time.

Knowledge is always passed from one generation to the next and that the people who will carry the knowledge are people with integrity because they protect the religion from the lies of those people who wish to destroy Islam.

Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam

And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all. 

Wassalaam