Wednesday 24 September 2014

Knowledge


So know, [O Muhammad], that there is no deity except Allah and ask forgiveness for your sin and for the believing men and believing women. And Allah knows of your movement and your resting place.
[MUHAMMAD Ch.47:V.19]

          Alhamdulillah, it is good to be back in here to write another entry. It looks like lesser entry per month. I am so sorry about this. I already back in university to continue for a few more years here. It is a little bit busy here when the classes already start; there are a few “homework”, assignments and so on. Today’s topic I took from my note in Facebook translated into English. It is about the knowledge we have going to strengthen our faith and believe in Allah.

          Actually knowledge is very important in everything that we want to do. It helps us to make the work easier or helps us understand the work or it can be many other ways. For me, knowledge is something that is new to us, something that fills in our brain or mind. But others may give different definition on knowledge, and it is up to you. The definition is something that is subjective.

          I like the verse above, I like it very much. There is one person that taught me on that verse. He said that, Allah says the verse to show to us that knowledge is very important and also very powerful thing. To know that Allah is only one, we need to have knowledge. This verse shows that in Islamic faith to believe Allah is one is not only to follow the others but to know by having knowledge. Without knowledge, yes you can still believe Allah is only one, but you cannot prove and explain to other person. Without knowledge you cannot make the non-Muslims to become a Muslim. I am very anti with person that always say; “we just have to follow”.

He gives wisdom to whom He wills, and whoever has been given wisdom has certainly been given much good. And none will remember except those of understanding.
[AL-BAQARAH Ch.2:V.269]

          I prefer to follow this path, where the knowledge is the backbone of many things or more accurate is for everything. Because of my style like this, so I love to watch videos of Dr Zakir Naik. I think that in my blog, many entries I always mention his name and also the great teacher of him, Syeikh Ahmad Deedat. When I watched his videos debating with the non-Muslims; atheists, Christians and others, his argument, his stands can make us clear about this religion, Islam. When he gave examples, the examples suit to current modern age and the analogies can make us very understand on his speech.

          So Dr Zakir Naik maybe the best model for the da’ie to follow for the time being. His critical thinking, his knowledge about science, his knowledge about the other religion helps him a lot in his speech and in his work to revert the non-Muslims. If in Malaysia, I prefer Dr MAZA and also Dr Danial as the scholars that critical in giving their opinions and they also have minds that thinking further than the others. Therefore, their speech is very good and the knowledge they gave can make our mind think wider and also make us become critical thinking like them.

          In the Quran, Allah have repeated the word ‘ulul al-bab’ which means the person that us their brain to think. Allah praise people like this and Allah also said that people with knowledge is better and is more love by Allah than the people that did not think and also do not have knowledge. People that do research on Quran are better than those who are only reading the Quran but they did not understand it. There are many people who have embrace Islam after doing some research on Quran. Only a little part of the Quran can change their lives because of the knowledge they have.

So the magicians fell down in prostration. They said, "We have believed in the Lord of Aaron and Moses."
[TAHA Ch.20:V.70]

          There a few examples in the Quran that shows the important of having knowledge. The Quran records there are people who embrace the true religion that is submitted themselves to Allah after Allah shows to them the true power and with their knowledge in their specific field. For the first example is the story of the witches in the age of pharaohs and Prophet Moses with his cousin, Prophet Aaron. The story is recorded in the chapter named Taha, chapter number 20. If you are good enough maybe you can read from the start of the verse. However, the part that I want to highlight in this entry is just around verses 60-80.

          When Prophet Moses and Prophet Aaron came to see Pharaoh, to teach him the true religion and also to tell him not to do tyranny in his country, the Pharaoh did not want to listen to them. In addition, he challenged Prophet Moses to show his ability to fight with his witches. Pharaoh gathered all the people in his country to witness the competition between Prophet Moses and his witches. The witches start first by throwing their ropes and the ropes turn to look like snakes. The snakes are just the illusion that cheats the eyes of everyone that see that. When time comes for Prophet Moses turn, Allah asks him to throw his stick.

          With the power and with Allah permission, the stick turns into a snake. However, this time the stick really changes into a snake, a very big snake that ate all the ropes (snakes) of the witches. It is true snake and not an illusion. With the knowledge that the witches have, they know that the snake from the stick of Prophet Moses is really the power of Allah and not from the devils. Then they turn to be with Prophet Moses and Prophet Aaron as in the verse above tells us.

          Although Pharaoh wanted to kill them all for the punishment to loss and also not to obey him by saying he is the god, all the witches remain with their faith in the teaching of Prophet Moses and Prophet Aaron. Their faith stand firm and nothing can make them repels or rebels against Allah. This story shows the important in having knowledge. Because of their mastering in some sort of fields make them to believe in Allah and His promises.

And [subsequently] the king said, "Indeed, I have seen [in a dream] seven fat cows being eaten by seven [that were] lean, and seven green spikes [of grain] and others [that were] dry. O eminent ones, explain to me my vision, if you should interpret visions."
[YUSUF Ch.12:V.43]

          It is also the same happen to Prophet Joseph. When the king in his country dreamed about the cows such as in the verse above, there is nobody can explain and can predict the future from his dream. At that time, the king has a few people that very well in predicting the future, astrologers. When comes to this dream, there is no one can tell the story behind the dream.

          When Prophet Joseph in the prison, he predicts the food that the guard will give to him and his partner in the jail. His prediction is very accurate. He also explain other prisoners dream for a few times. When his friend (the person in the prison) get out from the prison and heard the news about the king’s dream, he try to meet the king and trying to recommend Prophet Joseph to explain the dream. In the Quran, the story is in chronology. You can check it in the chapter of Joseph or Yusuf, chapter number 12.

          At last, the king called Prophet Joseph to explain about his dream. Because the king believes Prophet Joseph’s prediction on his country’s future, he took Prophet Joseph as a ministry in his country. It goes the same for other Prophets such as Prophet Solomon, Prophet Jesus and the others. The signs (mukjizat) that Allah gave to them (His messengers) is compatible and suitable for that time. It goes the same with Prophet Muhammad.

          His case special that the other prophets because Allah left behind the signs in the form of scripture, that is Quran. Quran is compatible to all ages until the end of the day. It can be proven through the language, through the histories in it, through the scientific facts in it and many others. Only those who do research and understand Quran can feel it is signs from Allah.

Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day are signs for those of understanding.
[ALI IMRAN Ch.3:V.190]


~Quran is not book of science but it is book of signs~


~Wallahua’lam~