TALITHA GITA ANDANI

“ The Secret of Knowledge ”

In the name of almighty Allah/ whose bounties are unbounded/whose benevolence is
everlasting/whose blessings are uncountable/whose being is eternal/whose mercy is
unlimited/whose provisions are un-ending/and whose worship is our faith. May the peace and
blessings of Allah Ta’ala be upon our prophet Muhammad ‫ ﷺ‬and all of his family and
companions.
Nowadays, We are constantly bombarded to seek knowledge and learn, yet many times
this knowledge does not give a single benefit to us. It goes to waste. We live in a time of
knowledge/ and by knowledge I mean/there is such an availability of knowledge/there are
seminars/there are halaqaat/there are lectures/there are youtube videos/there is so much that is
out there/and the average muslim now has access to so much knowledge/however/there is one
thing that is/desperately missing from us/and that is the implementation of that knowledge. The
application of that knowledge or putting the knowledge into practice. An incident with Imam
Awzaa’ee rahimahullah perfectly states the condition of most of our students today. One day a
group of students of hadeeth set out early to see Imam Al Awzaa’ee, who then turned to them
and recited : “How many dedicated (students of knowledge) there are/seeking to gather it and
desirous of obtaining it/yet they do not gain benefit from it nor do they give benefit out to others
with it “. And I almost feel like/we’ve become knowledge junkies/we’re just desperate to gain
more knowledge and learn more and more and more/but we don’t implement any or a lot of that
knowledge. Let’s put it this way, you learn and have as much knowledge as your tiny little brain
can handle, but if you never do anything to use the things that you learned then, why even have
them at all?
The purpose behind knowledge/ is what we can act upon. It is incumbent upon the
students of knowledge to act upon their knowledge. This includes belief, worship, manners,
character and dealings with others. And that’s exactly what Abdullah ibn Mas’ud used to say/“
Al-‘Ilmu/At-taqwa”. Knowledge/ is taqwa. Taqwa is something/ that is usually apparent /or it
has clear manifestations. It reflects on our actions and our attitudes. The point/that Abdullah ibn
Mas’ud was making here/ is that real knowledge” Al-Ilmu An-Naafi’”/ beneficial knowledge/ is
that which reflects/ on who you are. That’s why learning, according to the early scholars of islam
is not/ storing information/ as the majority of the students of knowledge do today. Because
knowledge/ without/ being digested/without being processed/ and personalized/ could bring
about a negative effect. And that’s the secret behind the companions learning five verses/ verses
each time/ learning the knowledge therein/ and acting on that knowledge/and after they have
completed this/ they move on to another five verses. Umar ibn al-khattab/he said about
himself/he said it took me 12 years/to memorize surah al-baqarah/12 years? why/he said because
I would not pass by a single verse/I would not memorize a single verse/except that I would
implement it into my life/ That’s the way they/ used to study islam/And that’s why they learnt/
and that’s why they excelled.
So Abdullah ibn Mas’ud was pointing to this fact/ that real knowledge is what reflects on
your actions. And this is why in the field of education today/ they say learning is being.
Learning/ is being. That means if the knowledge that you learn/ or the knowledge you acquire/if
you don’t process it/if you don’t break it down/ and personalize it/ and it becomes part of who
you are/if it doesn’t mix with your blood/ and your flesh/ you haven’t learned anything. You’ve
just stored information. You’re just like any other book on the shelf/ or any computer that stores
so many books/ and data. But that’s not what knowledge is all about/ knowledge is about acting
upon it/ and that’s the definition that the scholars give to Al-Huda, Al-Huda wa Diinul Haq.
When Allah Ta’ala says that he sent his prophet ‫ ﷺ‬with Al-Huda/ and Diinul Haq. Huda/ the
guidance/ the scholars say that’s beneficial knowledge/that has the potential/ to change your
behavior/ to change how you think/ to change your ways/ in acting/ and to change who you are.
Wa Diinul Haq is the actual/ acting on knowledge.
So/ if you learn something and you don’t/ultimately/ you don’t act upon it/ it doesn’t
change you/it doesn’t make you a different person/ in a sense. Then in brief/ you’ve wasted your
time. And I’m sorry to say/but how many of our days are worthless days? How many of our days
and weeks and months and years that goes past our life and yet/ we haven’t even taken the next
level of knowledge in our lives? Because you will be questioned about that time, and you will be
questioned about that knowledge. What did you do with it? That’s why the prophet ‫ﷺ‬/ used to
seek refuge in allah/ everyday, every single morning he used to say: ‫أعوذبِكَ ِم ْن ِع ْل ٍم ِِ الَيَ ْنفَع‬
‫“ اَللَّه َّم إِنِِّى‬Oh Allah, I seek your protection/ and I seek refuge in you from knowledge/ that is not
beneficial” that means knowledge/ that will not reflect on me/ Knowledge that will not make me
better. Knowledge is a power. But what’s the point of learning/ if it doesn’t change the way you
act/ think or live your life. Therefore/ everytime you do acquire knowledge or learn something
new/ keep in mind that knowledge is power only when you apply it in your life.
May Allah ta’ala grant us beneficial knowledge and protect us from knowledge that does not
benefit us. Ameen.