Our Prophet said "Seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave". One of the subjects which Islam has considered to be most important and has been recommended most emphatically is the matter of knowledge and learning. To seek knowledge is regarded an Islamic duty and one of the obligatory religious acts.
Hasan as -Sayqal has quoted Imam Mohammed al Baqir (as) saying : "Almighty Allah never accepts any Virtuous act unless it is accompained by knowledge and consiousness. And there can be no knowledge and consiousness without the virtuous acts. He who has acquired knowledge and consciousness, is guided by it towards virtuous deeds. And he who has no virtuous deeds, has basically no such knowledge and consiousness at all. Verily, belief and its results (that is virtuous deeds) interact on each other". (Al-Kafi, vol. 1).
It is indeed astonishing to note that we Muslims have confined ourselves to verbal utterances and lack total action in traversing the course of knowledge and learning.
Will Durant writes in his "History of Civilisation" The Muslims were superior and unrivalled in sciences during the middle ages. In mathematics, great progress had been made in morocco and Azerbaijan, exhibitting once again the superiority of the Islamic civilization. Botany which had fallen into oblivion after Theophrastus, was revived by the Muslims, Edrissi had written a book about plants and had described 360 different herbs. The greatest physicians of Asia, Africa and Europe appeared from amongst the Muslims."
The civilisation that had been achieved by the Muslims, was indebted to the teachings of Islam, since in the pre-Islamic period, they too, were submerged in ignorance and depravity, history shows clearly how bad their living conditions were. Islam rose and with its exact and extensive programmes took that contaminated community towards happiness and learning. Islam prescribed no limitation or condition for seeking knowledge and considered it necessary and obligatory for all people, men and women, in all periods of life, at any place and by any available teacher.
It is generally supposed that Islam uses the word 'knowledge' to mean theology, and knowledge of personal and social duties, religious devotions and their likes; whereas in most cases the word 'knowledge' is used in a general sense without any reservations. Islam wishes the Muslim society to be independent and free from any wants and to be superior, in all the material and spiritual aspects to all races and nations. If we lack specialists and scholars in the fields of economics, agriculture, medicine, industry and and his other technologies and sciences, we will definitely be in need of foreigners, but this is quite contrary to the goal of Islam. Much emphasis has also been given by our Masumeen (a.s.) on the preservation and propagation of knowledge.
A person came to our Prophet (s.a.w.) and asked, "What is knowledge?" The Prophet (s.a.w.) replied; "It is to remain silent before the teacher", the man enquired, "What is the next stage"? The Prophet (s.a.w.) replied, "it is to listen (to the learned attentively)". The man inquired, "what is after that?" The Prophet (s.a.w.) replied, "It is to remember (what one has listened to)". The man inquired, "What is next"? The Prophet (s.a.w.) replied, "It is to act upon (what one has learnt)." The man inquired, "What is next?" The Prophet (s.a.w.) replied, "It is to propagate it".
According to Abu Basir (follower of Imam Sadiq (a. s) ) "I have heard Abu Abdullah (a.s.) saying: "Write (down the traditions) since so long as they are not put in black and white, neither can you preserve them nor can you learn them by heart". (Al-Kafi)
At another occasion the Imam said: "Guard your books. Soon you will stand acute need of them" Imam Jafar as Sadiq (as) once told Mufazzal Ibn Umar "Write and propagate the knowledge among your brothers. When you die, bequeath those books as your legacy to your sons. Verily there will come on the people a time of disturbance, when nothing will give them any satisfaction and to nothing will they pay any heed except to their books". (Al-Kafi)
Therefore our religious duty necessitates that everyone, in any position or
rank, should according to his share, endeavour in the propagation of knowledge
and learning. He should teach others what he knows. He should place his
knowledge at the disposal of others through writing articles and books, through
delivering lectures (majalis) and holding conferences. He should translate into
his own language such useful books written in foreign languages. He should
encourage young people in the acquisition of knowledge and virtue and persuade
them to continue their studies and go through various stages of progress. One
should found libraries and centres of learning so as to preverit young people
from wasting their time in frivolous activities. One should buy useful books and
place them at the disposal of students and scholars..
In Holy Qur'an, Allah (SWT) says :
" They (a group of Muslims) may gain sound knowledge in religion and they may warn their folk when they returned to them, so that they may be aware". (9:122)
In surah al-Baqarah Allah (SWT) says :
"He grants wisdom to whom He pleases, and whoever is granted wisdom, he indeed is given a great good and none but men of understanding mind". (2:269)
Allah (SWT.) revealed to Hazrat Daniyal (a.s.) : "Most wretched among my creation is the rustic who makes light of the learned and stops following them. And the most lovable among My creation is the person who guards himself against evil seeking My maximum rewards, attaches himself to the learned, and always accepts the words of the wise" (Al-Kafi, vol.1)
The significance of knowledge may be guaged by a tradition of Imam Musa Kazim (a.s.) while he says : "Having discourses with a learned scholar even on a garbage dump is better than a talk with an ignorant and illiterate person on a carpet". (Al-Kafi, Vol. 1)
It is worth noting that besides acquiring knowledge, our Masoomeen (a.s.)
have laid much emphasis on putting knowledge in practice. We give some
traditions from the Masoomeen (a.s.) in this regard:
Our Prophet (s.a.w.) said "One who acts without insight (knowledge)
is like a pedestrian on a wrong path, whose speed along the way only carries him
further away from his destination." (Al-Kafi)
Ismail ibn Jabir has quoted our Prophet (SAW) as saying : "Knowledge is coupled with practice. He who knows, acts and he who acts, acquires true knowledge. Knowledge gives a call to practice. If practice responds to the call of knowledge (it makes itself available to the practice). if it does not, knowledge gives it a go by". (Al-Kafi)
It is written in the Injeel (Bible revealed to Hazrat Isa (a.s), that not
until you have practiced what you have learnt should you try to learn what you
don't know. It is because knowledge which is not practiced enhances nothing but
thanklessness, disbelief and remoteness from Allah (SWT).
Hazrat Ali (a.s.) while addressing the people on a pulpit said : "O people,
practice what once you have already learnt, so that you may be the recepient of
guidance. A learned scholar who acts otherwise to his knowledge is just like a
confounded rustic who does not recover from his ignorance. Rather I see that
divine proofs (and hence responsibilities) are greater for a learned who sets
aside the practice over his knowledge and hence eternal frustration in his lot.
His case is worse than a case of a rustic puzzled over his ignorance...".
(Al-Kafi)
Similarly Imam Mohammed al - Baqar (a.s.) said : "When you have acquired
knowledge, put it into practice soon and keep your mind open. Since when a
person (without opening the doors of his mind and bringing his knowledge into
practice) goes on acquiring too much of knowledge, it becomes an unbearable load
for him and thereby passes under the control of Satan. Whenever Satan confronts
with you, you should face him with the help of the knowledge you have...".
(Al-Kafi)
An view of what the Masoomeen (a.s.) have said, is it not regrettable that the
Muslims, with such brilliant historical record, and such great scientific
figures and personalities, should fall into such a profound slumber that most of
the individuals are deprived of even literacy, not to say anything of higher
education, and should have to stretch their hands of need towards all and
sundry?
Hence it is the definite duty of all Muslims to propagate the enlightening facts
of Islam which nourish the spirit of humanity, nobility, progress and exaltation
of character in the society and thus repay their debt to Islam.