Knowledge Leaders pp.11-25
Al Balakhi had reminded again and again in his teachings that the heart is the seat of knowledge of Allah. People go to Ka’ba and look at it with highest devotion, but Allah is looking at their hearts, what they have in store there, Love& mercy or competition & jealousy. He has informed that Allah looks into the hearts of people to see whether His desire is there, and the traces of His prophets, and whether the eyes of people whom He loves are directed there. (p. 141)
Ans b. Malik hath said,
The wise aspire to know, the foolish to relate.” He who uses knowledge as a means of winning power and honour and wealth is no servant. The pinnacle of knowledge is reaching the level when one is able to know Allah.
Abu’ Ali Thaqafi has said,
The fruit of satisfaction is pure knowledge of Allah, and the result of piety is excellence of moral character, and the end of abstinence is equilibrium of constitution. (p. 148)
Lack of positive religion and of morality arises from negligence (ghaflat). Yahya b Mu’adh al-Razi has said, “ Avoid the society of three types of men:
As the poet says,
- Al- ‘Ajazu ‘an daraki ` l-idraki idraku Wa ` l-waqfu fi turuqi ` l-akhyari ishraku.
- “True perception is to despair of attaining perception, But not to advance on the paths of the virtuous is polytheism.”
(Ilm) True Knowledge (Ilm-al-yaqin ) is attained in three steps
1. It is the knowledge of the reality of a certain object that exists. It should be based on faith (Yaqin).
2. Faith gives the inner eye the quality of perceiving, making an image of it (Ayn-i yaqin).
3. When it is confirmed through the process of cognition with continuous experience and practice, it becomes (Haq-i yaqeen) the certain knowledge.
Ilm-ul-yaqeen is obtained through self-mortification, mujahidat; ayn-ul-yaqin by intimate familiarity (mu`anasat); and haqq-al-yaqin by contemplation (mushahadat). The first is vulgar, the second is elect, and the third is super-elect. (km 381-382
There are five means of acquiring knowledge
These are five basic senses, hearing, sight, taste, smell, and touch. Allah has created these five avenues as the standard means to reach knowledge. All senses are situated in one organ except the ‘touch,’ diffused through the whole body. Each sense is important, but hearing is the most important, surpassing sight.
All prophets received divine revelation through hearing. And all religious ordinances are based upon hearing and could not be established without it. Hazrat Muhammad’s (SAW) quality of effective listening provided us with the gift of the Qur’an. On their appearance to the public, all the prophets first spoke so that those who heard them might believe in them. It is said that hearing the word of Allah is better than His sight. It is well known that many Arabs converted to Islam by listening to Holy verses from the Qur’an, including Omar bin Khattab (ra). (Qur’an 122: 1-2)
Learning begins from hearing the teacher, and one imitates speaking through hearing. In ancient times, when there were no written materials, human beings acquired knowledge through effective listening of the wise. Listening is closely related to memorizing as well. Moreover, effective hearing is present at birth, and the child is introduced to the world through voices around him. The sight is perfected later; sometimes, severe hearing impairment adversely affects the child’s mental development. All these facts establish the importance of hearing and developing listening skills in acquiring knowledge.
One cannot become a knowledge leader without acquiring Adab.
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