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In this article we’ll try to shed some light on knowledge from Islamic perspective. Generally speaking, the Arabic word for knowledge is 'ilm, which, in most cases, indicates to Islamic knowledge or matters related to Sheree’ah (Islamic Law). Although, some of the Quranic verses in this article refer to Islamic knowledge, yet they are general in their meaning, and thus can be used to refer to learning in general. The importance of education is a none disputable matter. Education is the knowledge of putting one's potentials to maximum use. One can safely say that a human being is not in the proper sense till he/she is educated. This importance of education is basically for two reasons. The first is that the training of a human mind is not complete without education. Education makes man a right thinker. It tells man how to think and how to make decision. The second reason for the importance of education is that only through the attainment of education, man is enabled to receive information from the external world; to acquaint himself with past history and receive all necessary information regarding the present. Without education, man is as though in a closed room and with education he finds himself in a room with all its windows open towards the outside world. This is why Islam attaches great importance to knowledge and education. When the Quran began to be revealed, the first word of its first verse was 'Iqra' that is, read. Allaah says, (what means): "Read! In the Name of your Lord Who has created (all that exists). He has created man from a clot (a piece of thick coagulated blood). Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous. Who has taught (the writing) by the pen. He has taught man that which he knew not" [Quran, 96: 1-5] Education is thus the starting point of every human activity. Allaah created man and provided him with the tools for acquiring knowledge, namely hearing, sight and wisdom. Allaah says (what means): "And Allaah has brought you out from the wombs of your mothers while you know nothing. And He gave you hearing, sight, and hearts that you might give thanks (to Allaah)" [Quran, 16:78] A knowledgeable person is accorded great respect in many prophetic narrations. Because of the importance of knowledge, Allaah commanded His Messenger  to seek more of it. Allaah says (what means): "and say: `My Lord! Increase me in knowledge" [Quran, 20:114] The Prophet made seeking knowledge an obligation upon every Muslim, and he explained that the superiority of the one who has knowledge over the one who merely worships is like the superiority of the moon over every other heavenly body. He said that the scholars are the heirs of the Prophets and that the Prophets, may Allaah exalt their mention did not leave behind any money, rather their inheritance was knowledge, so whoever acquires it has gained a great share. Furthermore, the Prophet said that seeking knowledge is a way leading to Paradise. He said: "Whoever follows a path in the pursuit of knowledge, Allaah will make a path to Paradise easy for him." (Al-Bukhaari) For example the Quran repeatedly asks us to observe the earth and the heavens. This instills in man a desire to learn natural science as well. All the books of Hadeeth have a chapter on knowledge. In Saheeh Al-Bukhaari there is a chapter entitled "The virtue of one who acquires learning and imparts that to others." Islam calls us to learn all kinds of beneficial knowledge. Branches of knowledge vary in status, the highest of which is knowledge of Sharee'ah (Islamic Law), then other fields of knowledge, such as medicine, etc. This is the knowledge (Sharee'ah) with which Allaah honoured His Messenger ; He taught it to him so that he might teach it to mankind: "Indeed, Allaah conferred a great favour on the believers when He sent among them a Messenger (Muhammad) from among themselves, reciting unto them His Verses (the Quran), and purifying them (from sins by their following him), and instructing them (in) the Book (the Quran) and Al-Hikmah [the wisdom and the Sunnah of the Prophet (i.e. his legal ways, statements and acts of worship)], while before that they had been in manifest error" [Quran, 3:164] How great importance is attached to learning in Islam, can be understood from an event in the life of the Prophet . At the battle of Badr in which the Prophet gained victory over his opponents, seventy people of the enemy rank were taken prisoner. These prisoners of war were literate people. In order to benefit from their education the Prophet declared that if one prisoner teaches ten Muslims how to read and write, this will serve as his ransom and he will be set free. We can freely say that this was the first school in the history of Islam established by the Prophet himself with all its teachers being non-Muslims. Furthermore, they were all war prisoners. On the one hand Islam places great emphasis on learning, on the other, all those factors which are necessary to make progress in learning have been provided by Allaah. One of these special factors is the freedom of research. One example of it is that in Makkah, the birthplace of the Prophet dates were not grown. Afterwards the Prophet migrated to Madeenah, the city of dates. One day the Prophet saw that some people were atop the date trees busy in doing something. On being asked what they were engaged in, they replied that they were pollinating. The Prophet suggested them not to do so. The following year date yield was considerably very low. The Prophet enquired them of the reason. They told him that the date crop depended on pollination. Since he suggested them to do otherwise, they had refrained from that. The Prophet then told them to go on doing as they used to, and that, "You know the worldly matters better than me." (Al-Bukhaari) Also we should know that there is no goodness in knowledge which is not confirmed by actions or words which are not confirmed by deeds, Allaah the Almighty says (what means): "O you who believe! Why do you say that which you do not do? Most hateful it is with Allaah that you say that which you do not do" [Quran, 61: 2-3] Knowledge brings a great reward. The one who points the way to something good is like the one who does it. When the knowledgeable person dies, his reward with Allaah does not cease when he dies, rather it continues to increase so long as people benefit from his knowledge. The Prophet said: "When a man dies, all his deeds come to an end except for three — an ongoing charity, beneficial knowledge or a righteous child who will pray for him." (Muslim) On other side, a person without knowledge is like someone walking along a track in complete darkness. Most likely his steps will wander aside and Satan can easily deceive him. This shows that our greatest danger lies in our ignorance of Islamic teachings in the first place and in our unawareness of what the Quran teaches and what guidance has been given by the Prophet . On the other hand, if we are blessed with the light of knowledge we will be able to see plainly the clear path of Islam at every step of our lives. We shall also be able to identify and avoid the dangerous paths of disbelief, Shirk (associating with Allaah) and immorality, which may cross it. And, whenever a false guide meets us on the way, a few words with him will quickly establish that he is not a guide who should be followed. Knowledge is pursued and practiced with modesty and humility and leads to dignity, freedom and justice. The main purpose of acquiring knowledge is to bring us closer to our Creator. It is not simply for the gratification of the mind or the senses. It is not knowledge for the sake of knowledge. Knowledge accordingly must be linked with values and goals. One of the purposes of acquiring knowledge is to gain the good of this world, not to destroy it through wastage, arrogance and in the reckless pursuit of higher standards of material comfort. Six etiquettes of learning lbn Qayyim Al-Jawziyyah  said: "There are six stages to knowledge: Firstly: Asking questions in a good manner. Secondly: Remaining quiet and listening attentively. Thirdly: Understanding well. Fourthly: Memorising. Fifthly Teaching. Sixthly- and it is its fruit: Acting upon the knowledge and keeping to its limits." Conclusion According to Quranic perspective, knowledge is a prerequisite for the creation of a just world in which authentic peace can prevail. In the case of country’s disorder or war the Quran emphasizes the importance of the pursuit of learning, Allaah says (what means): "Nor should the believers all go forth together: if a contingent from every expedition remained behind, they could devote themselves to studies in religion, and admonish the people when they return to them - that thus they (may learn) to guard themselves (against evil)." [Quran, 19:122]
 Knowledge, Islam, how, seek, it, Quran, teaches, Islamic, Law, Education, Allaah, Muslim, Saheeh, Al-Bukhaari, Prophet,
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 The Quran and Sunnah both emphasize the importance of time in the life of a Muslim. Allaah swears in the beginning of many Soorahs (chapters) by time or moments in time, for example Allaah Says (what means): “By the dawn and the ten nights (i.e. the first ten days of the month of Thul-Hijjah)...” [Quran 89: 1-2] And also Says (what means): “By the night when it covers, and by the day when it appears...” [Quran 92:1]
And also Says (what means): “By the morning brightness and by the night when it covers with darkness...” [Quran 93:1] And also Says (what means): “By the time...” [Quran 103:1]
When Allaah swears by something of His creation, it directs our attention to the benefit of that thing. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, further emphasized the value of time in many authentic Hadeeths. For example, Mu’aath bin Jabal  related that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “The slave will not go forward on the Day of Judgment until he is asked four questions: about his age and how he spent it, about his youth and how he used it, about his wealth and how he acquired it and spent it, and about his knowledge and what he did with it.”
Youth is considered the peak stage in human life, because young people have the capacity and energy to accomplish many good deeds, but when they get older, they cannot do as much. These are stages of development as mentioned in the Quran, for example in Soorah Ar-Room (The Romans), Allaah Says (what means): “Allaah is He Who created you in (a state of) weakness, then gave you strength after weakness, then after strength gave (you) weakness and grey hair ...” [Quran 30:54]
If we do not use our time effectively for something good, then we will definitely use it for something bad, which destroys our rewards and our lives. For example, if you do not make Thikr (mentioning Allaah and praising Him), then you will be saying something else, perhaps backbiting or perhaps talking about your children, your work, your neighbors, your friends or your enemies. What counts for you is using the time for something useful, doing good deeds and saying good things.
Try to make a short revision at the end of each day about what you did during that day. Ask yourself: What did I do today? What did I do that was bad today? Make repentance for the bad things that you have done and said, sincerely determining not to repeat such things. With the good, determine to do it again, do it more often and do it in a better way.
Our lives are judged according to what we did, not according to how many years we lived. We know that life is very short, and at the end of it comes death. We do not know when we are going to die, so we have to make sure that we do many good deeds before we pass into the next life and we are unable to return to repent from our bad deeds, or to do more good deeds. Time passes very quickly as Allaah Says (what means): “The Day they see it, (it will be) as if they had not tarried (in this world) except an afternoon and a morning.” [Quran 79:46]
And also Says (what means): “And on the Day when He shall gather (resurrect) them together, (it will be) as if they had not stayed (in the life of this world and graves, etc) but an hour of a day.” [Quran 10:45]
Time is very precious and if it passes, you cannot make use of it again. If yesterday passed without the performance of good deeds, then it is gone; you cannot reclaim any benefit from yesterday’s time. For example, if you came to travel from one city to another and you found that the airplane that you were supposed to travel on has already left, do you think that it will be back to pick you up? Or if you were traveling by train and you missed the train, do you think that the train will reverse to come back to get you?
When it is time for a person to die, he may ask for more time to do good deeds, as Allaah Says (what means): “Therein they will cry: ‘Our Lord! Bring us out, we shall do righteous good deeds, not what we used to do.’ (Allaah will reply): ‘Did We not give you long enough lives so that whosoever would receive admonition could receive it, and the warner came to you? So taste you (the evil of your deeds). For the wrongdoers, etc, there is no helper.” [Quran 35:37] We say that we are so busy with our work and our children, but Allaah warns us against this saying (what means): “O you who believe! Let not your properties or your children divert you from the remembrance of Allaah. And whoever does that, then they are the losers. And spend (in charity) of that which We have provided for you before death comes to one of you and he says: ‘My Lord! If only you would give me respite for a little while (i.e. return to the worldly life), then I should give sadaqah (i.e. Zakaah) of my wealth, and be among the righteous (i.e. perform Hajj). And Allaah grants respite to none when his appointed time (death) comes. And Allaah is All-Aware of what you do.” [Quran 63: 9-11]
Many people before us used their time effectively by performing good deeds, teaching, doing something for the benefit of the Muslims, their families and their relatives, or by advising others to be good, and calling others to Allaah and Islam, etc. They considered every day that passed which they did not use effectively for the sake of Allaah as denying the favors of Allaah.
Today we have those who “kill time.” These people gather to talk about things that are not related to Islam or the Muslims’ affairs; they play around or talk about others. These people are not killing time, but they are committing slow suicide because they are killing their time -- and their time is their lives! So they are slowly killing themselves and after they die, what good deeds have they done? The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “There are two favors (or bounties) of Allaah’s bounties, and in them many people are cheated (or deceived): health and free time.”
People underestimate the value of these two favors, and thus, they are cheated. This is like a person who has a house that he wants to sell. Someone comes and offers him 50,000 dollars for it. He isn’t sure of its value, so he hesitates. Finally, he agrees and sells it for that amount. Later he finds out that his house was actually worth a million dollars. Imagine how cheated he feels; imagine that feeling that if he had only known beforehand what it was really worth, he could have gotten more!
It is the same with our time. We underestimate its great value, and then when it is gone, we feel that we have been cheated because we didn’t get everything out of it that we could have. But just as the one who sold his house below its value cannot get it back and sell it at its true value, we also cannot go back and do more with the time that is already gone. At the end of our lives, we will not be able to go back and live our lives over again and we will not be given more time to do good deeds, to try to make up for the time we wasted.
So we must organize our time wisely, being very careful about what we use it for. We must treat the free time that we have, in which we could do good deeds as a precious resource, guarding it against waste or misuse.
Do, not, kill, your, time, Quran, Muslim, Allaah, Lord, children, work, moments, human, life, free, health
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The United Nations is providing cover for Israeli racism say dozens of human rights workers and Fawzi Barhoum, a spokesperson for Hamas. The United Nations Conference against Racism in Geneva is being boycotted by the US, Israel, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands and Germany. That is “just in case” it deals with Israeli racism. But the boycotting countries have nothing to fear as the United Nations bent to pressure to ban discussion of Israeli racism. Barhoum said Monday that “it has become quite clear that many countries are using the United Nations to cover up their weaknesses and wrong-doings.” The Hamas spokesperson told reporters today, “The truth was revealed in the boycott of the United Nations Conference against Racism in Geneva. It was part pressure on leaders and part extortion. A number of other methods were used also to force countries to boycott the anti-racism conference. It exposes the US-backed Zionist entity that uses all methods of killing and destruction against the Palestinian people. Their quest to establish a Jewish state on the ruins of the rights of the Palestinian people requires boycotting anti-racism.” Barhoum added that the new US President’s boycott of the anti-racism conference also makes clear that his policy has not changed from that of his predecessor when it comes to the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Hillel Neuer, Director of UN Watch, a pro-Israel group, said, "These UN conferences on racism are intended to attack Western countries, Israel and freedom of expression." Iranian President Mohammad Ahmadinejad said Israel was the “bearer of racism.” PHOTO CAPTION Turkish football team players display anti-racism posters prior a friendly match against Austria, in November 2008, in Vienna. Source: Agencies
UN, providing, cover, racism, Israel, crimes, human, rights, Israeli, Hamas, US, United, Nations, Conference, against, Palestine
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A deadly swine flu virus first detected in Mexico can no longer be contained, a World Health Organization (WHO) official has said. WHO Assistant Director General Keiji Fukuda said countries should now focus on mitigating the effects of the virus. The WHO has raised its alert level from three to four, two steps short of declaring a full pandemic. Mexico earlier said it believed 149 people had now died from the swine flu, though only 20 cases are confirmed. The US, Canada, Spain and Britain have confirmed milder versions. 'Not inevitable' The WHO's decision to raise the alert level to four came after an emergency meeting of experts, brought forward by a day because of concerns over the outbreak. Level four means the virus is showing a sustained ability to pass from human to human, and is able to cause community-level outbreaks. "What this can really be interpreted as is a significant step towards pandemic influenza. But also, it is a phase that says we are not there yet," Fukuda said. "In other words, at this time we think we have taken a step in that direction, but a pandemic is not considered inevitable." He said the virus had become too widespread to make containment a feasible option, and said countries must focus on trying to put measures in place to protect the population. He also stressed that the experts did not recommend closing borders or restricting travel. "With the virus being widespread... closing borders or restricting travel really has very little effects in stopping the movement of this virus," he said. The first batches of a swine flu vaccine could be ready between four to six months, but it will take several more months to produce large quantities of it, Fukuda said. Health experts say the virus comes from the same strain that causes seasonal outbreaks in humans. But they say this newly-detected version contains genetic material from versions of flu which usually affect pigs and birds. Mexico deaths Earlier, Mexico's Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova said the suspected death toll from swine flu had now risen from just over 100 to 149. Of that number, 20 have been confirmed as swine flu. All of those who had died were aged between 20 and 50, he said. Infections among young healthy adults was a characteristic of past pandemics. "We're in the decisive moment of the crisis, the number [of deaths] will continue rising," Codova told a news conference. He said the first suspected case of swine flu occurred in the southern state of Oaxaca. He said nearly 2,000 people had been hospitalized since the first case of swine flu was reported on 13 April, but half had now been allowed home. Schools nationwide are to remain closed until 6 May as the country attempts to grapple with the outbreak. In almost all swine flu cases outside Mexico, people have been only mildly ill and have made a full recovery. Travel advice In the US, a further 20 cases of swine flu were confirmed in New York. Cases have also been reported in Ohio, Kansas, Texas and California, bringing the total across the country to more than 40. Dr Richard Besser, acting director of the US Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has warned that a new US travel advisory is being prepared suggesting "non-essential travel to Mexico be avoided". Earlier, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and EU Health Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou separately urged caution for those considering travelling to Mexico. In Canada, six cases have been recorded at opposite ends of the country, in British Columbia and in Nova Scotia. Swine flu officially arrived in Europe on Monday, when tests confirmed that a young man in Spain and two people in Scotland - all of whom had recently returned from Mexico - had the virus. They were said to be recovering well. Tests are also being carried out on individuals or groups in New Zealand, Australia, Brazil, Israel and South Korea who fell ill following travel to Mexico. A number of countries in Asia, Latin America and Europe have begun screening airport passengers for symptoms, while Germany's biggest tour operator has suspended trips to Mexico. Several countries have banned imports of raw pork and pork products from Mexico and parts of the US. PHOTO CAPTION A doctor at Mexico City's international airport and a tourist wear surgical masks to ward off contagion from the swine flu virus. BBC
swine, flu, Health, Mexico, Europe, Latin, America, virus, human, death, US, doctor, BBC, Schools, country, late
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By Laith Mushtaq (a cameraman for Al Jazeera) Laith Mushtaq was one of only two non-embedded cameramen working throughout the April 2004 'battle for Fallujah' in which 600 civilians died. Five years on, he recounts the events he witnessed and filmed. "What you saw on your TV sets at home reflects only ten per cent of the reality. Also, if you watch those pictures at home, you can change the channel. But we were in the middle. We smell. We feel, see, and touch everything. We could touch the bodies, but we couldn't change the channel. We were the channel. And you can't get the pictures off your mind, because every day you see the same: Explosion, death, explosion, death, death. After work, you sit down and notice there are pieces of flesh on your shoes and blood on your trousers. But you don't have time to ask why. In April 2004, I remember I was in the Baghdad office and my boss said: "We have information that the Americans will attack Fallujah. We need a crew to go inside Fallujah immediately. Who can go there?" I said: "Yes. Me. I can go there." I didn't hesitate at all. Filming was a 'duty' I knew the price to pay was high. Maybe my life. But if I'm afraid to die, then I shouldn't hold a camera in any dangerous place. I know some day I will die. Tomorrow. Next month. Next year. Or in ten years. I don't know. But the point is that maybe I will die in my bed. Or maybe I will die doing something good. Fallujah was my duty. I had to show the truth to people outside of Iraq. By truth, I mean what really happened in the streets. Not a political message, just what I could see with my own eyes. Because some people were talking about Fallujah and said "there is nothing happening," or "the people are okay" and "everything is stable". It would be great if everything had been stable. I would be happy if nothing had happened. I would shoot it and show it, with pleasure. But the reality was very different. One day, I think it was April 9, 2004, someone with a loudspeaker in Fallujah's main mosque said: "The Americans will open a gate and women and children can go out." As soon as he had finished, all the women and children of Fallujah tried to find a car to leave the city but when they were in the streets, the US forces opened fire. There's a picture that I cannot forget. An old woman with three children, I saw her on the street and took a picture of her and the children. She said: "We don't have any men here, can anyone help us?" Many of the men from Fallujah worked in Baghdad, once the city was sealed off they could not get back to their wives and children. So, some men helped her, I decided to film the scene and then I sat down. Ten minutes later, an ambulance came down the road. I ran to follow the ambulance and when they opened the door, I saw the same woman and her children - but they were in pieces. I still remember the nurses couldn't carry the woman because she was in too many pieces, people were jumping back when they saw it. Then, one nurse shouted: "Hey, she looks like your mother." In the Iraqi language that means: "She could be your mother, so treat her like you'd treat your mom." Everyone stood up and tried to carry a piece because they needed to get her out quickly, because the ambulance was needed for other people. We were standing in front of the main hospital, but we would have needed 12 cameramen in order to cover all that happened that day. There were five, six ambulances coming and going with dead and injured people. When I filmed people inside the hospital, there were so many outside. When I filmed outside, there were so many inside. Me and all of the Al Jazeera crew, we felt paralyzed. It was bigger than us. We were only two cameramen and two reporters. It's not enough. Reporters, editors in Doha and Baghdad, the people of Fallujah, all of them kept calling for us to film what was happening, and the ambulances just kept coming and going. We heard people screaming inside the hospital, because they did not have any drugs left. They had to cut legs without anything at all. At some point, I couldn't move anymore. I sat down on the street. I couldn't move. I see what's happening around me, but I can't move. Khallas [enough]. I didn't have any energy left. Corpse-strewn streets But then you remember the heroes of Fallujah that nobody talks about. Like an old man. He had a pick-up truck and every day, he drove through the streets and listened to the people who told him there is a dead body in this or that street, but nobody can go there because there's a sniper. Then he went there, stopped his car, and on his knees, he'd crawl to the body and carry it to his pick-up car. One day he brought five bodies. Some of them had died more than a week ago, but no one had dared to carry them away. Some, the dogs had started eating them. While I was inside Fallujah, I knew that every single move of my camera is not for me. It's for the people inside. And the people outside who should know what happened. It's like an SOS. The Americans said our pictures stirred up hatred against them. But what I did was only showing what their army did on the ground. I don't hate them, I don't want vengeance, I just wish they had understood what they were doing. And sometimes I wish my mind was more like a computer that you can reformat. Or that you can go to hospital and get pieces of your memory removed. In Fallujah, there were moments when I held my camera beside a dead body and I felt I haven't got a heart anymore. Because of the dose of war that I've seen. It was something like an overdose. Not just for me inside, also for my family in Baghdad. The month that I spent in Fallujah, my mom was watching TV all the time, because she knew her son was there and she knew those were the pictures that he had shot. Sometimes we couldn't talk for a couple of days. One day, she heard on the news that the Americans would try to reach the middle of the city. She couldn't bear it anymore. She went to the Al Jazeera office in Baghdad and cried: "Give me my son back!" I was embarrassed, but my mother is, well, a mother. Around the same time, in the evening, we got a phone call from the general manager of Al Jazeera. He wanted to talk to every member of the crew. The driver. Me. Everyone. He said: "Thank you very much, we appreciate what you're doing." And then he said: "If you want to leave Fallujah, we'll send someone and will try to get you out of there." We all refused. Everyone wanted to stay. Why should we be better than the women and children of Fallujah? No one had called them to ask whether they wanted to leave." PHOTO CAPTION Men pray over the bodies of civilians killed by US forces in Fallujah, Iraq, 08 October 2004. Source: Aljazeera.net
Fallujah, never, leaves, my, mind, cameraman, Al, Jazeera, Iraq, Laith, Mushtaq, US, War, crimes, United, States |
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