Alhamdulillah (All praise to Allah ), Allah has
given us yet another year to gain the knowledge of
His beautiful deen (religion). It surely is one of the
biggest blessings of Allah . When we travel around
the world and meet our own Muslim brothers and
sisters who do not even know the basics of their
own religion, it breaks our hearts. However, a
sense of extreme gratitude and gratefulness instills
in the heart as well. It makes one wonder what was
so special in someone that Allah chose him to
open his heart to the knowledge of His deen. It
also brings in a fear that if proper thankfulness is
not shown of this blessing, it can be taken away. As
Allah says in Quran:
َ َ َ َّ ْ ُت ْ َ َ ن ئ َ َ ْ ُ َّ َ َأ ْ ُت ْ َ َ ن ئ
يد ٌ د ِ ش ل �ا
ب ِ ذ ع ن إ ِ � ر ف ك � ِ ل و ك ن يد ز ِ ل � ر ك ش � ِ ل
“If you are grateful Allah will increase you and if you
are ungrateful, then His punishment is severe.” (14:7)
Indeed, the biggest thankfulness of this blessing
is to act on this knowledge which is bestowed on
us. It is also a warning for people; on the Day of
Judgement the most severe punishment is for
those scholars who do not act on their knowledge.
We must act on our knowledge inwardly and
outwardly. The knowledge of the external includes
the shariah (Islamic code) laws of praying, fasting,
giving zakah (charity) and performing umrah
(smaller pilgrimage) and hajj (greater pilgrimage)
etc. The knowledge of the internal includes the
noble inner qualities. Nur ul Ilm provides both
of these types of knowledge and trains students
to act on them. So the students must increase in
their external good deeds by praying, fasting, and
doing other acts of worship in the best of manners
in accordance to Quran and sunnah (way of the
NISBAH 10
Prophet ), and increase in their extra worship by
staying up in the middle of the nights and praying
at least two rakahs in front of their Lord, begging
in front of Him. Along with this, they must also
improve in their inner character and beautify
their hearts by abundant dhikr (remembrance),
patience and gratefulness. The example of having
knowledge but not acting on it is like a sick person
having medicines for his illness in his pocket and
not taking them, or a warrior having all tools of
war but not using them. This person will be called
a foolish person. Similarly, a person having the
knowledge of deen and not acting on it is also
foolish and a loser. In order to get the desired
benefits and effects of this sacred knowledge, we
must bring the outward and the inward knowledge
into practice.
As it is said, “Knowledge without action is madness,
and actions without knowledge are useless.”
Allah says in Quran:
ِ ص َ ل ً ع َ َ ل ْ م َ ع ْ ي َ ل ْ ف َ ه ِ ب ّ ر َ اء ق َ ل ِ و ج ُ � ْ َ ن َ ك َ ن � َ َف
ا ال
“Whoever hopes in meeting of his Lord then he must
do righteous actions.” (18:110)
Nur ul Ilm is a training place for bringing our
knowledge into practice and performing those
righteous actions which our Lord expects from us.
However, we must also know that the righteous
actions will not take us into Paradise, rather it will
merely be the mercy of Allah which can take
us into His paradise. Remembering this fact will
always make us humble and not arrogant about
our actions, since our actions, no matter how many