A believer must always keep in mind
that Adam was acknowledged as being superior to the angels when they realized
that he was blessed with something that they did not have, and that was
knowledge. Allah says about the knowledge He gave to Adam the following:
And He taught Adam the names of
everything. (2:31)
Allah then made it known that
knowledge makes one superior to others, as He told Adam to tell them their
names. He said:
O Adam, Inform them of their names.
And when he had informed them of their names, He (Allah) said: Did I not tell
you that I know the unseen in the skies and the earth, and I know what you
reveal and what you have been concealing? (2:33)
Knowledge can help a believer to:
Develop a respectful attitude towards
Truth,
Know more about himself
Become aware of the things that can
cause him to be punished.
Knowledge can come:
Through pondering: Those who
ponder about the creation of the skies and the earth. (3:191)
Through reading and writing: Read
and your Lord is Most Gracious; Who has taught by the Pen. (96:3-4)
Through Zikr and Meditation: So
did Allah reveal to His servant what He wanted to reveal; his heart in no way
falsified what he saw. (53:10-11)
The best of knowledge is the one that
enables us to know about our Lord and our relationship with Him. He says: Allah
bears witness that there is no god but He, and the angels and men endued with
knowledge. (3:18)
Knowledge is so precious and valuable that it
has no comparison. Here are some of the Traditions regarding the status of the
learned.
Ibn Abbas said:
The learned men rank seven hundred
grades above the believers; between each two is a distance of five hundred
years.
Prophet Muhammad (pboh) is reported
to have said:
When Allah loves a person He gives
him knowledge of Religion, and guides him into the Straight Path. (Bukhari)
The learned men are the heirs of the
Prophet (pboh).
The passing away of a whole tribe is
more tolerable than the passing away of one learned person.
Imam Shafi said:
One of the noble things about
knowledge is that he who is given a portion of it, no matter how small,
rejoices; while he is deprived of it grieves.
Perhaps it is because of the importance given to the acquisition of
knowledge and the status that a knowledgeable person will ultimately have that
the first revelation that Allah give to the believers though the Prophet (pboh)
was to lean to read and write.
