The world is becoming more advanced; information spreads across nations with a single click, and the technology to access the world is constantly being upgraded. However, in some respects, truth remains distant from the majority of people. Everything is either controlled or monitored, fully or partially. Everyone is manipulated, and the human brain has been fed not what it needs but what the elite powers favour.

Media plays a strategic role in diverting people from critical thinking in every possible way. Although it’s already too late to realise, people are not yet ready to check out what they have unconsciously absorbed by watching and listening.

The quote, “Repeat a lie often enough and people will believe it,” has turned into a crystal-clear fact. The mechanism of half-truth is used as a modern weapon to obscure the truth by presenting and displaying myths, fake news, false narratives, and distorted information as facts on social media platforms.

This phenomenon has succeeded extremely in today’s irrational society that is busy with something that amounts to nothing.

It’s crucial to bear in mind that slavery is no longer physical; it’s mental. Circuses were held in ancient Rome to distract people’s attention, keeping them away from questioning the emperor.

It’s totally done now. Who is left nowadays without getting into excessive entertainment?

Half-truths are everywhere, full of bias and pro-narratives for those in power. Most of us are tricked by some of the half-truths, with only a few of us being aware of most of them.

Among the subjects often distorted, Islam frequently finds itself at the centre.

Here, the mainstream media take charge and play a vital role in steering false narratives, fostering prejudice against certain groups.

What was once celebrated as a triumph of transparency and knowledge has turned into a landscape rife with misinformation.

You may ask how it’s possible when the world is exposed to search engines. Yep, it’s freaking to think the internet is not operated. The algorithm plays its role, which is coded favourably for the elite powers who fund the entire system.

Most of us don’t even jump to the second page of Google search results seeking the truth. Media funded by the governments often fail to frame the incidents as what they are without feeling their political tensions.

While isolated incidents get headlines for the media coverage, the most important are sidelined as a part of propaganda. Media agencies, perceived as guardians of democracy and presented as the freedom of speech and thought, only have their end game in profit instead of credibility.

Perspectives displayed over time likely stimulate public perception. This relates to the sleeper effect and dissociation in psychology. If individuals engage in challenging mass media firms, they’ll be labeled and denounced as conspiracists and pushed to the margins; However, the freaking lies will still be accepted as facts.

It’s not far-fetched to find loopholes, debunking what we have been taught in the name of history, science, and so on, while the royal society controls every sector or at least influences, making every effort to position itself as the ultimate fact-checker.

Self-proclaimed authorities couldn’t even provide answers to the questions raised by individuals, other than highlighting the human natural faults of those who stand firm against the falsehoods that have been insisted on deeply by social media.

Still, the individual is more powerful and closer to the truth who confronts the whole media by single.

To encounter critical thinkers and discredit those who challenge superior authorities, the label ‘conspiracy theorist’ is generally used everywhere. Moreover, as part of this tactic, puppets are set up, self-declaring as conspiracy theorists and espousing fringe ideas like flat Earth theory to convince people that the whole community—what they call ‘conspiracists’—is total nonsense.

“Don’t let anybody ask questions and force them to justify what is being told.” This is ongoing; if you challenge power, you’ll be fired.

The predator has trapped the prey, but as long as he lives in the paradise of illusion, he will remain unaware of what’s happening. His brain is entangled. He acts like a frog at a well, thinking nothing exists more.

Islam is portrayed as a common enemy, a bogeyman to fear; this static helps to corral public opinion. They collaborate to weaponise half-truths to confront the widespread growth of Islam. They control science, their own news, and nearly everything. What do they have to fear when every sector run by them is meant to eventually justify and scientist what they said? Nothing dominates power and money.

The only way to combat half-truths is by saying no to media propaganda.

It’s becoming increasingly difficult for individuals to question the narratives presented by mass media firms.

Whether someone is a conspiracist or not, if the questioner is criticising based on reasoning and logical deduction, why don’t these media corporations provide clear answers? Instead, they often take action against them in the name of ‘spreading fake news.’

The entire world is subjected to the lens of Western ideologies in order to generalise their viewpoint as the perspective of all nations. Middle East and Western forces are and were at odds with each other.

Past wars in the Middle East were driven by political motives intended to hold the superiority and dominance of Western countries.

To deceive the free-minded public, those wars were framed as Islam vs. the West or Islam vs. Christianity to provoke hatred against Muslims that dates back to the Crusades and continues even today.

This is the game media plays. It’s all about half truths. Here’s how the media gave birth to Islamophobia.

To be continued…

How can we increase the love towards the Prophet Muhammed S.A.W in our hearts? How can one love the prophet Muhammed S.A.W more than anything else in the world?

The strength of love towards the Messenger S.A.W is connected to a Muslim’s faith. Loving the prophet S.A.W is an act of obedience to Allah. Loving the prophet S.A.W is obligatory in Islam.

Anas R.A reported the Prophet S.A.W as saying: “None of you truly believes until I’m more beloved to him than his father, his child and all the people”. We can increase our love towards the Messenger S.A.W by realizing the following.

He was sent by Allah S.W.T who chose him above all of his creations to convey the religion of Allah to mankind. Allah chose him for humanity and was pleased with him. If Allah was not pleased with him, He would not have chosen him. So we must love the one whom Allah loves and be pleased with the one whom Allah is pleased. We must realize that he is the khaleel of Allah and that close friendship has a higher status and it shows highest degree of love.

Prophet’s companion Jundub R.A said: I heard the prophet S.A.W: “I decline before Allah that I have no khaleel (close friend) from among you. Allah has taken me as a close friend as he took Ibrahim A.S as a close friend. If I was have to taken a close friend from among my Ummah I would have taken Abu Bekker as my close friend”.

Prophet S.A.W is the best of mankind. It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah R.A said: The Messenger of Allah S.W.T said: I will be the leader of mankind in the Day of Resurrection”.

We should realize the suffered trials and hardships of the Prophet S.A.W in order to bring Islam to us. May Allah bless us to love his Messenger S.A.W and to make him dearer to us than our children, parents, families, friends and ourselves.

]]> https://alzahra.in/?feed=rss2&p=493 0 https://alzahra.in/?p=481 https://alzahra.in/?p=481#respond Wed, 05 Sep 2018 12:58:26 +0000 https://alzahra.in/?p=481 Muharram is the month with which the Muslims begin their lunar Hijrah Calendar. It is one of the four sanctified months about which the Holy Quran says, “The number of the months according to Allah is twelve months (mentioned) in the Book of Allah on the day in which He created heavens and the earth. Among these (twelve months) there are four sanctified”.

These four months, according to the authentic traditions are the months of Zulqadah, Zulhijjah, Muharram and Rajab. All the commentators of the Holy Quran are unanimous on this point, because the Holy Prophet  in his sermon on the occasion of his last Hajj, has declared:

“One year consists of twelve months, of which four are sanctified months, three of them are in sequence; Zulqadah, Zulhijjah, Muharram, and the fourth is Rajab.”

The specific mention of these four months does not mean that any other month has no sanctity, because the month of Ramadan is admittedly the most sanctified month in the year. But these four months were specifically termed as sanctified months for the simple reason that their sanctity was accepted even by the pagans of Makkah.

In fact, every month, out of the twelve, is originally equal to the other, and there is no inherent sanctity, which may be attributed to one of them in comparison to other months. When Allah Almighty chooses a particular time for His special blessings, then it acquires sanctity out of His grace.

Thus, the sanctity of these four months was recognized right from the days of Sayyidina Ibrahim. Since the Pagans of Makkah attributed themselves to Sayyidina Ibrahim they observed the sanctity of these four months and despite their frequent tribal battles, they held it unlawful to fight in these months.

In the Shariah of our Holy Prophet the sanctity of these months was upheld and the Holy Quran referred to them as the “sanctified months”.

The month of Muharram has certain other characteristics peculiar to it, which are specified below.

Fasting during the month

The Holy Prophet  has said:

“The best fasts after the fasts of Ramadan are those of the month of Muharram.”

Although the fasts of the month of Muharram are not obligatory, yet, the one who fasts in these days out of his own will and choice is entitled to a great reward by Allah Almighty. The Hadith cited above signifies that the fasts of the month of Muharram are most rewardable ones among the Nafl fasts i.e. the fasts one observes out of his own choice without being obligatory on him.

The Hadith does not mean that the award promised for fasts of Muharram can be achieved only by fasting for the whole month. On the contrary, each fast during this month has merit. Therefore, one should avail of this opportunity as much as he can.

The day of Ashurah

Although the month of Muharram is a sanctified month as a whole, yet, the 10th day of Muharram is the most sacred among all its days. The day is named Ashurah.

According to the Holy companion Ibn Abbas. The Holy Prophet, when migrated to Madinah, found that the Jews of Madinah used to fast on the 10th day of Muharram. They said that it was the day on which the Holy Prophet Musa (Moses) and his followers crossed the Red Sea miraculously and the Pharaoh was drowned in its water.

On hearing this from the Jews, the Holy Prophet said, “We are more closely related to Musa than you” and directed the Muslims to fast on the day of Ashurah. (Abu Dawood)

It is also reported in a number of authentic traditions that in the beginning, fasting on the day of Ashurah was obligatory for the Muslims.

It was later that the fasts of Ramadan were made obligatory and the fast on the day of ”Ashurah was made optional. Sayyidah Aishah has said:

“When the Holy Prophet  came to Madinah, he fasted on the day of Ashurahh and directed the people to fast it. But when the fasts of Ramadan were made obligatory, the obligation of fasting was confined to Ramadan and the obligatory nature of the fast of  Ashurah was abandoned. One can fast on this day, if he so wills, or can avoid fasting, if he so wills.”

However, the Holy Prophet  used to fast on the day of Ashurah even after the fasting in Ramadan was made obligatory.

Abdullah Ian Masud reports that the Holy Prophet  preferred the fast of Ashurah to the fast of other days and preferred the fast of Ramadhan to the fast of Ashurahh. (Bukhari and Muslim)

In short, it is established through a number of authentic hadith that fasting on the day of Ashurah is Sunnah of the Holy Prophet  and makes one entitled to a great reward.

According to another Hadith, it is more advisable that the fast of  Ashurah should either be prefixed or suffixed by another fast. It means that one should fast two days: the 9th an 10th of Muharram or the 10th and 11^th of it. The reason of this additional fast as mentioned by the Holy Prophet  is that the Jews used to fast on the day  of Ashurah alone, and the Holy Prophet  wanted to distinguish the Islamic-way of fasting from that of Jews. Therefore, he advised the Muslims to add another fast to that of Ashurah.

Some traditions signify another feature of the day of Ashurah.

According to these traditions one should be more generous to his family by providing more food to them on this day as compared to other days. These traditions are not very authentic according to the science of Hadith. Yet, some Scholars like Baihaqi and Ibn Hibban have accepted them as reliable.

What is mentioned above is all that is supported through authentic sources about Ashurah.

However, there are some legends and misconceptions with regard to Ashurah that have managed to find their way into the minds of the ignorant, but have no support of authentic Islamic sources, some very common of them are these:

This is the day in which Adam was created.

This is the day in which Ibrahim was born.

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This is the day in which Allah accepted the repentance of Sayyidina Ibrahim.

This is the day on which the Qiyamah (dooms-day) will take place.

Whoever takes bath in the day of Ashurah will never get ill.

All these and other similar whims and fancies are totally baseless and  the traditions referred to in this respect are not worthy of any credit.

Some people take it as Sunnah to prepare a particular type of meal in the day of Ashurah. This practice, too, has no basis in the authentic Islamic sources.

Some other people attribute the sanctity of Ashurah to the martyrdom of Sayyidina Husain during his battle with the Syrian army. No doubt, the martyrdom of Sayyidina Husain is one of the most tragic episodes of our history. Yet, the sanctity of Ashurah cannot be ascribed to this event for the simple reason that the sanctity of ‘Ashurah was established during the days of the Holy Prophet  much earlier than the birth of Sayyidna Husain.

On the contrary, it is one of the merits of Sayyidna Husain that his martyrdom took place on the day of Ashurah.

Another misconception about the month of Muharram is that it is an evil or unlucky month, for Sayyidna Husain was killed in it. It is for this misconception that people avoid holding marriage ceremonies in the month of Muharram. This is again a baseless concept which is contrary to the express teachings of the Holy Quran and the Sunnah. Such superstitions have been totally negated by the Holy Prophet . If the death of an eminent person in a particular day renders that day unlucky for all times to come, one can hardly find a day, free from this bad luck, out of 365 days of the whole year, because each and every day has a history of the demise of some eminent person. The Holy Quran and the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet  have made us free from such superstitious beliefs, and they should deserve no attention.

Another wrong practice related to this month is to hold the lamentation and mourning ceremonies in the memory of martyrdom of Sayyidna Husain.

As mentioned earlier, the event of Karbala is one of the most tragic events of our history, but the Holy Prophet  has forbidden us from holding the mourning ceremonies on the death of any person. The people of Jahiliyyah (Ignorance) used to mourn over their deceased relatives or friends through loud lamentations, by tearing their clothes and by beating their cheeks and chests. The Holy Prophet  stopped the Muslims from doing all this and directed them to observe patience by saying “Inna lillaahi wa innaa ilayhi raaji oon”. A number of authentic hadith are available on the subject.

To quote only one of them:

“He is not from our group who slaps his cheeks, tears his clothes and cries in the manner of the people of jahiliyyah.”

All the authentic jurists are unanimous on the point that the mourning of this type is absolutely impermissible. Even Sayyidna Husain shortly before his demise, had advised his beloved sister Sayyidah Zainab not to mourn over his death in this manner. He said:

“My dear sister, I swear upon you that you, in case I die, shall not tear your clothes, nor scratch your face, nor curse anyone for me or pray for your death”.

It is evident from this advice of Sayyidna Husain that this type of mourning is condemned even by the blessed person for the memory of whom these mourning ceremonies are held. Every Muslim should avoid this practice and abide by the teachings of the Holy Prophet  and his beloved grand child Sayyidina Husain.

Blessings of Muharram

It is the first month of the Islamic Calendar.

The meaning of the word:- The word “Muharram” means “Forbidden.” Even before Islam, this month was always known as a scared month in which all unlawful acts were forbidden, prominently the shedding of blood.

A blessing of Muharram:- There are many bounties of this month, especially the tenth of Muharram.

Two of the many virtues of the 10th of Muharram:-

On this day he who spends more lavishly for the sake of his family members, Allah Taala will bestow blessing upon the sustenance of the following year.

Abu Qataada has related that the Prophet  has reported to have said, It is my thought that by fasting  on the 10th of Muharram Allah Taala will pardon the sins of the past  year. (Tirmizi)

Events of Muharram

Hadhrat Hussain was martyred in this month.

Shaykhain Tirmizi & Haakim has narrated from Anas that the following verse:

“Allah may forgive thee of thy sins that which is past and that which  is to come.” (Al-Fath) was revealed on the 10th of Muharram.

The Prophet Muhammed  went to defeat Bani Muhaarin and Bani Tha’laba (Tribes of Bani Gatfan) in the year 4 A.H. (Asahhus-siyar)

                 Tawakkul is our only source of happiness at times of hardship and brings ease. This is an authentic story of Qadil Maristan that portrays a perfect example of Tawakkul.

Qadil maristan was very hungry living in Makkah. One day he went out searching for food. He found a pouch and returned home with the pouch. He found a beautiful pearl necklace in it when he untied the pouch. The next day when he left his home, he heard an old man calling and saying if anyone finds his pouch he will reward them with 500 dinars.

Qadil took the old man to his house and asked him to describe the necklace for him. The old man described everything about the necklace and so Qadil handed over the necklace to him. The old man handed Qadil 500 dinars. As soon as he was about to take the money he took back his hand and said I didn’t do anything to deserve this money. The old man insisted but Qadil refused to take it.

Qadil decided to leave Makkah. He used a ship to travel. The ship began to sunk during his journey. People, money and everything sunk. At this point he held on to a raft and the wind blew him until he got to an island. The first thing he did when he got to the island was go to the masjid. He find no one in the masjid and he started reciting the Qur’an. People heard him when they attended masjid and asked him if he could teach them, he said yes. This is when people started showering him with gifts to say thank you. Then one day there were some loose pages of the Qur’an in the masjid and Qadil began to recite from them. The people once again amazed and asked him if he could teach them. He said yes, and again they showered him with gifts.

People in the Island really wanted him to stay and not leave them. A tactic they thought of was to get him married to a young orphan girl. He agreed after they insisted. On their wedding day when he first saw his wife, he couldn’t lift his eyes off her neck. That is when he saw the exact same necklace he gave the old man in                          Makkah a long time ago. The girl was offended that he didn’t look at her face despite her being one of the most beautiful women in that Island. So Qadil explained his story to the people of the island. They all started to cry and shout La ilaha Allah, Allahu Akbar. Qadil was confused, they told him that the old man you gave the necklace to is the father of this girl! And this old man used to say that he is never met a better Muslim on the face of the earth as you were and always made Dua that you will be united with his daughter.

Qadil lived a happy life with his wife and had two children with her. His wife died and Qadil and his sons inherited the necklace. Sometime later, the sons also died so hardship after hardship. But Qadil still had tawakkul . He sold the necklace for 100000 dinars and he became one of the richest people in the Island.

During his life time he went through many hardships, but Allah (SWT) eventually gave him light after each time. “ومن يتو كل على الله فهو حسبه”.

                             Dars has a big share in growing of Islam in Kerala in the time of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) itself, Islam was propagated by Malik Dinar and his companions. They came here in Kerala and lead a peaceful life, this made sympathy and love in Keralites. By seeing the manners of Malik Dinar and the companions, the lord Samoodiri decided to give them whatever help they want. So Malik Dinar asked for a masjid and the lord ordered to build one. And, the mosque was built in Kodungalloor.

Now as we see, countless Dars are here in Kerala. A lot of them are disappeared and some of them are born. How the Islamic growth started in Kerala? And does Dars has any share in that growing? If we analyze about these two questions, we can understand that Dars has not only a share in growing Islam up in Kerala. But Dars did almost everything to grow Islam. When Malik Dinar and his companions started living in the masjid, they started to share their knowledge to others. And the path they chose to teach was the path of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W), it was Dars system.

That’s how Islam started to grow, grew till now and will be propagated till the Day of Judgment. Our leaders of Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama are acquired their every single knowledge from the corner of masjid. When they become efficient to share what they attained, they started to, and that’s how Kerala got many real scholars. Samastha is the only organization that shows manners and humbleness to people.

In resumption, A real Islamic scholar is born from Dars. The scholars those who step out from Dars after their studies propagate Islam and let others understand what really Islam is. Malik Dinar is the one who planted Islam in Kerala. And he itself started Dars system in Kerala. It was the system that Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) showed them. May Allah long last this tendency till the doom day.

What do you mean by religious knowledge? In my opinion there is no classification between religious knowledge and physical knowledge. Let us consider a branch of physical knowledge biology, we discuss in this subject about many systems in human body. How this scientific knowledge became out of Islam. Because the Prophet Muhammad S.A.W said   من عرف نفسه فقد عرف ربه     so biology deals with religious knowledge.

We are Muslims, we believe in a life after death where no one die. This worldly life is mortal at the same time the life after death is immortal. How can we achieve Jannah. Heaven (Jannah) is for good people and hell (Jahannam) is for the bad ones.

How can we obey the rules of Allah S.W.T? We have to study about the prohibiting orders as well as the permissible orders of Allah S.W.T. Here comes the necessity of knowledge. Through knowledge one becomes a chief among the people.

Acquire knowledge because it creates fear and love towards Allah S.W.T, knowledge is the milestone for the in habitants of paradise, One scholar is way better than thousand aabids. One aabid knows what to do to achieve the love of Allah S.W.T, but a real scholar knows when to do it.

The Prophet, peace be upon him, used to say to people, “Spread peace among you.” When you greet someone in Arabic you don’t say, have a nice day, you say “peace be with you,” which is the essence of this religion. Peace is not only something that we get, it is an ongoing objective…

While I was writing an introduction about Islam, I found the best introduction to Islam is the Prophet’s life, because he was getting the revelation and he was trying to implement it in his daily life. Even when his own wife, Aishah, was asked about him she said: “His character, his way of living, was the Quran.” So, if one wants to understand the Quran, one has to look at his life…

Spirituality vs. Religion: Discipline is the Key

In our societies today, it is very important to get the right relationship between spirituality and religion. Many people, coming from different traditions, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, say that “I’m not very religious, but I’m spiritual.” What is the difference?

It is as if we are keeping spirituality because we are disappointed with religions, not really with religions but with representative of religions; the people who are talking in the name of their religions are sometimes disappointing.

Sometimes we take spirituality as less demanding than religion, while in fact when you come back to all spiritualities all around the world you find out that there is nothing more demanding than a true spiritual life. You can’t really get the level of spirituality without discipline.

While I was traveling around the world, I spent three weeks with the Dalai Lama, to understand which way he was dealing. Although this is an example of spirituality without God, I found out that there was a very demanding discipline.

If you want to free yourself from your ego, you have to be disciplined… It is important to understand the relationship between ethics and religious ethics in economy, politics, social dynamics; social justice and society…

If you want to change the world, change yourself, reform yourself and call the people to the same process.
If we try to follow in the footsteps of the Messenger, to try to understand what happened to him, in the beginning, we notice that the starting point is very spiritual, and this is something essential. If you want to change the world, change yourself, reform yourself and call the people to the same process…

What is a Spiritual Life?

Between 35 and 40 years, Prophet Muhammad  was not happy with the way the people were living around him; he was not happy with people worshipping idols; he was not happy with social structures; so he started to take time for himself to go into a specific exile; into a cave and he was used to doing this thing every year, and to try to find the answer to his questions…

The Prophet was not happy with worshipping idols, an idea that is the key to the central message of Islam which is the oneness of God. The oneness of God means that you to free yourself from every single idol and to come to God and worship Him alone, and this is the meaning of la ilaha illa Allah, (there is no God that is worth to be worshipped but Allah)…

When Prophet Muhammad  started to go through this process, to look for truth in fact, he got an answer once he reached 40 years of age which was the first revelation. The first revelation tells him:

 

Read in the name of God who created you… (Al-Alaq 96:1)

This is the very meaning of the whole mission, spirituality means to give meaning to life, in fact, to say “God” is to say “my life has a meaning;” that I belong to Him and will go back to Him.

Paulo Coelho’s “The Alchemist” is relying on mystical Islamic tradition, because, at the end, the reader can travel wherever they want and find out when they reach the point when they had to travel, at that point, the answer is go back from where you came…

It is exactly like the journey between the heart and mind. Your heart looks for an answer with your mind, but at the end of the journey your mind is telling you to go back to your heart, that means that your heart is the center.

When you read the Messenger’s life and you understand what happens in the very beginning; it is the very essence of spirituality that is you look for the truth; you look for an answer and you get the answer which is, from an Islamic point of view, to worship one God and no other being.

Spiritual Life, How to Put it into Practice?

Every human being comes to this life and tries to come to the very meaning or tries to find the practical translation that is; there is One God and He is calling me.

O, you who believe respond to the call of God when He calls you to Allah to what gives you life. Remember that the knowledge of God is between yourself and your heart. (Al-Anfal 8:24)

This means that God is calling each one of us to come back to their heart, and they’ll find the answer within their heart.

This is also found in the Christian tradition, the Hindu tradition, the Jewish tradition, etc. Islam is telling people that the very essence of truth is believing in One God and to give their life a meaning by responding to His call…

How to Respond to God’s Call?

There are three dimensions that I wanted to tackle:

Spirituality is the first step in this intellectual journey of finding the meaning of one’s life.

The first one is the intellectual journey, when someone is looking for truth, that means that they are questioning the meaning of their life… At the end, the very essence of what the Prophet  was experiencing becomes a model.

Prophet Muhammad is the best model for you… (Al-Ahzab 33:21)

If I’m a dignified human being, as God says:

We gave dignity to all human beings… (Al-Israa 17:70)

God didn’t only give dignity to Muslims, not only to monotheistic traditions, but to every single human being. With or without God, he or she has dignity; and human beings are women and men… The only just requirement to be a dignified human being is to ask yourself the right question; “Why?” …

We have to reconcile our students with four disciplines: History, philosophy, history of religion, and arts. Arts is very critical because there is spirituality within arts, arts is a way to ask a question through imagination and creativity…

God sent us a message throughout history, if you want to follow in the Prophet’s footsteps, you need to go to the spiritual experience, and to ask the right question, why?

You have to look for truth; and there is no other way to come to this unless you respect your mind. To respect your mind means that you do not come with the answers from outside; it is to answer the questions that are coming from within. Listen to your mind when it is questioning the meaning of your life…

The Prophet  himself was going through this intellectual journey and asking questions, and he got an answer and its answer is coming from the revelation but it means something that is critical; the first, which you keep on repeating when it comes to Islam.

Muslims keep on repeating that the first revelation was talking about reading and knowledge, so you should first respect your mind and intellect… On the other hand, you need to understand that knowledge is critical and to get knowledge means that you need to be educated.

If you come to the first verses of the Quran you find that God was named as the One, and the second name that is coming everywhere, Rabb Al-Alameen, and we translate this into English as the Lord of the worlds, and that is not the right translation, because in the word “rabb” there is the root of tarbiyyah, or education. He is the educator.

In fact, when He is calling you with your question, He is telling you something which is important; there is no way for you to be a dignified human being if first, you don’t ask the questions, second you don’t seek knowledge. Knowledge is your dignity. That is why we have to understand as human beings that any society that is not providing its citizens with the basic knowledge is acting against their basic rights…

In Mecca the plotters arrived at Muhammad’s  home to find that his cousin, ‘Ali, had taken his place in bed. Enraged, the Meccans set a price on Muhammad’s  head and set off in pursuit. Muhammad  and Abu Bakr, however, had taken refuge in a cave where, as they hid from their pursuers, a spider spun its web across the cave’s mouth. When they saw that the web was unbroken, the Meccans passed by and Muhammad  and Abu Bakr went on to Medina, where they were joyously welcomed by a throng of Medinans as well as the Meccans who had gone ahead to prepare the way.

This was the Hijrah – anglicized as Hegira – usually, but inaccurately, translated as “Flight” – from which the Muslim era is dated. In fact, the Hijrah was not a flight but a carefully planned migration which marks not only a break in history – the beginning of the Islamic era- but also, for Muhammad  and the Muslims, a new way of life. Henceforth, the organizational principle of the community was not to be mere blood kinship, but the greater brotherhood of all Muslims. The men who accompanied Muhammad  on the Hijrah were called the Muhajirun – “those that made the Hijrah” or the “Emigrants” – while those in Medina who became Muslims were called the Ansar or “Helpers.”

Muhammad  was well acquainted with the situation in Medina. Earlier, before the Hijrah, the city had sent envoys to Mecca asking Muhammad  to mediate a dispute between two powerful tribes. What the envoys saw and heard had impressed them and they had invited Muhammad  to settle in Medina. After the Hijrah, Muhammad’s  exceptional qualities so impressed the Medinans that the rival tribes and their allies temporarily closed ranks as, on March 15, 624, Muhammad  and his supporters moved against the pagans of Mecca.

The first battle, which took place near Badr, now a small town southwest of Medina, had several important effects. In the first place, the Muslim forces, outnumbered three to one, routed the Meccans. Secondly, the discipline displayed by the Muslims brought home to the Meccans, perhaps for the first time, the abilities of the man they had driven from their city. Thirdly, one of the allied tribes which had pledged support to the Muslims in the Battle of Badr, but had then proved lukewarm when the fighting started, was expelled from Medina one month after the battle. Those who claimed to be allies of the Muslims, but tacitly opposed them, were thus served warning: membership in the community imposed the obligation of total support.

A year later the Meccans struck back. Assembling an army of three thousand men, they met the Muslims at Uhud, a ridge outside Medina. After an initial success, the Muslims were driven back and the Prophet himself was wounded. As the Muslims were not completely defeated, the Meccans, with an army of ten thousand, attacked Medina again two years later but with quite different results. At the Battle of the Trench, also known as the Battle of the Confederates, the Muslims scored a signal victory by introducing a new defense. On the side of Medina from which attack was expected they dug a trench too deep for the Meccan cavalry to clear without exposing itself to the archers posted behind earthworks on the Medina side. After an inconclusive siege, the Meccans were forced to retire. Thereafter Medina was entirely in the hands of the Muslims.

The Constitution of Medina – under which the clans accepting Muhammad  as the Prophet of God formed an alliance, or federation – dates from this period. It showed that the political consciousness of the Muslim community had reached an important point; its members defined themselves as a community separate from all others. The Constitution also defined the role of non-Muslims in the community. Jews, for example, were part of the community; they were dhimmis, that is, protected people, as long as they conformed to its laws. This established a precedent for the treatment of subject peoples during the later conquests. Christians and Jews, upon payment of a yearly tax, were allowed religious freedom and, while maintaining their status as non-Muslims, were associate members of the Muslim state. This status did not apply to polytheists, who could not be tolerated within a community that worshipped the One God.

Ibn Ishaq, one of the earliest biographers of the Prophet, says it was at about this time that Muhammad  sent letters to the rulers of the earth – the King of Persia, the Emperor of Byzantium, the Negus of Abyssinia, and the Governor of Egypt among others – inviting them to submit to Islam. Nothing more fully illustrates the confidence of the small community, as its military power, despite the battle of the Trench, was still negligible. But its confidence was not misplaced. Muhammad  so effectively built up a series of alliances among the tribes his early years with the Bedouins must have stood him in good stead here- that by 628 he and fifteen hundred followers were able to demand access to the Ka’bah during negotiations with the Meccans. This was a milestone in the history of the Muslims. Just a short time before, Muhammad had to leave the city of his birth in fear of his life. Now he was being treated by his former enemies as a leader in his own right. A year later, in 629, he reentered and, in effect, conquered Mecca without bloodshed and in a spirit of tolerance which established an ideal for future conquests. He also destroyed the idols in the Ka’bah, to put an end forever to pagan practices there. At the same time, Muhammad  won the allegiance of ‘Amr ibn al-‘As, the future conqueror of Egypt, and Khalid ibn al-Walid, the future “Sword of God,” both of whom embraced Islam and joined Muhammad . Their conversion was especially noteworthy because these men had been among Muhammad’s  bitterest opponents only a short time before.

In one sense Muhammad’s  return to Mecca was the climax of his mission. In 632, just three years later, he was suddenly taken ill and on June 8 of that year, with his third wife ‘Aishah in attendance, the Messenger of God “died with the heat of noon.”

The death of Muhammad  was a profound loss. To his followers this simple man from Mecca was far more than a beloved friend, far more than a gifted administrator, far more than the revered leader who had forged a new state from clusters of warring tribes. Muhammad  was also the exemplar of the teachings he had brought them from God: the teachings of the Quran, which, for centuries, have guided the thought and action, the faith and conduct, of innumerable men and women, and which ushered in a distinctive era in the history of mankind. His death, nevertheless, had little effect on the dynamic society he had created in Arabia, and no effect at all on his central mission: to transmit the Quran to the world. As Abu Bakr put it: “Whoever worshipped Muhammad , let him know that Muhammad  is dead, but whoever worshipped God, let him know that God lives and dies not.”

This writing is about knowledge. The prophet (S.W.A) says  “العلم كالشجر والعمل كالثمر” knowledge is like a tree and work is like a fruit. We know the trees are perhing and the knowledge is also fading away i.e. Islamic knowledge. If we think we can find four aspects.

1. Tree with fruit (knowledge with work)
2. Tree without fruit (knowledge without work)
3. No tree and No fruit (without both)
4. Fruit without tree (work without knowledge)

The last one is improbable because there is no fruit without tree in the world. Like that real work also doesn’t happen without knowledge. One scholar is better than thousand illiterate. That is what the poet said:

فإن فقيها واحدا متورعا              أشد على الشيطان من ألف عابد

A keen scholar is hast than thousand worshippers. One real tree is better than thousand sponge trees because people need only trees with fruits. So the scholar and the fool are not equal. Allah said in holy Qur’an

قل هل يستوي الذين يعلمون والذين لا يعلمون

This is like a forest and a desert, if we go to a forest we get fresh breath like the comfort from a real scholar. And if we go to a desert we feel restless of the hotness like the ignorance of a fool. Knowledge is amazingly wonderful. We can easily classify between a scholar and an illiterate from their attitude. So seeking and acquiring knowledge is always beneficial.