8 Zulkaedah 1434H / 13 September 2013

BE CIVILISED IN SEEKING KNOWLEDGE

Prof Madya Dr Azhar bin Muhammad

Director

Islamic Centre of UTM

FRIDAY SERMON

• Let us all fear Allah the Almighty by increasing our obedience to Him, by shunning and abandoning all evil.

• This is how we express our gratitude for all the blessings that Allah bestowed on us, including being chosen as one of those who directly involved in the field of knowledge, in this campus, this warehouse of knowledge.

• O Muslims,

• Once again the Higher Education Institutions in Malaysia including UTM opened the new session to undergraduates who have just registered last week and have began attending lectures this week; they started their studying life in their respective fields.

• All of you undergraduates should do a prostration of syukur to Allah for selecting and giving you the opportunity to study in this university.

• The pulpit wish to remind all undergraduates, new or old, about some tips in your mission to acquire knowledge.

• One thing that must be determined by us as a seeker of knowledge is that knowledge is something that can be equated with light.

• In fact knowledge is the light which will illuminate the one who possess it.

• Al-Imam Shafi’e wrote an advice given by his teacher through these words: العلم نور ونور هللا ال يهدى للعاصي

• Meaning: Knowledge is light and the light of Allah will not guide the perpetrators.

• The first thing is your intention when you came from afar to this campus. You as a seeker of knowledge must make a good intention as the basis for your study.

• A student must put his studying purpose as:

• إبتغاء وجه هللا ومرضاته وقربه وثوابه

• Meaning: "Seeking Allah’s pleasure, nearness and reward."

• Never put other purposes like wanting to get a certificate, power, wealth and rank.

• Similarly not to seek knowledge, especially knowledge of the religion, for the purpose of finding the influence of mankind, in order to be respected by the community, in order to become popular and to attract the attention of people, or to make public the advantages of his knowledge above the scholars.

• Ponder the Prophet’s reminder which means:

• “The Messenger of Allah said: ‘Whoever acquires knowledge by which the pleasure of Allah is sought, but he only acquires it for the purpose of worldly gain, will not smell the fragrance of Paradise on the Day of Resurrection.”

• This intention is a mistake in understanding the right concept of knowledge because this concept is materialistic which separates the aspect of religion and worldly.

• This intention is develop from the narrow interpretation towards knowledge; whether to earn a degree scroll, for employment purpose, for the economic and pride; the real value for knowledge as the light, is lost.

• This is called “intellectual confusion”, the chaos in knowledge and confusion of the intellectual brings what is said to be the loss of adab.

• This will result in losing the purity of knowledge.

• Knowledge is seek from primary to secondary level and to the Higher Institution is only stepping stone to gain better jobs and higher position that the value of an intellectual is lost.

• Allah command in Surah al-Syuara, 20:

• Which means:

• Whoever desires the harvest of the Hereafter - We increase for him in his harvest. And whoever desires the harvest of this world - We give him thereof, but there is not for him in the Hereafter any share.

• O Muslims, rahimakumullah,

• Every one of us have parents that bring us up and take care of us. They are actually our first teacher: they nurture, teach, educate and shape us into a better person.

• So if we want to study further, do not forget to ask for their blessings. The blessing of knowledge lies in their hands.

• Rasulullah saw said:

• "The Pleasure of the Lord lies in the pleasure of the parent. The Anger of the Lord lies in the anger of the parent."

• [al-Tirmizi, hadeeth no: 1899].

• Let us imagine how they work hard to find an earning so we could go to school and to the university with their own effort just so we will end up being someone knowledgeable and useful in the future.

• So appreciate their sacrifice and repay them back by attaining knowledge, especially Islamic knowledge and other useful knowledge because when they leave this world, we will be their asset and it is our role to be a better Muslim.

• Abu Sa'id reported that A man from Yemen migrated to Madinah to be with the Prophet (peace be on him).

• The Prophet (peace be on him) asked him, 'Do you have any relatives in Yemen?' He answered, 'My parents.' 'Did you get their permission?' the Prophet (peace be on him) asked.

• On his replying that he did not, the Prophet (peace be on him) told him, 'Go back to them and ask their permission. If they agree to it, go on jihad. Otherwise stay and serve them.' (Reported by Abu Daud.)

• The above hadith shows that even if Jihad is required, do good to your parents is much better. This shows that we need to ask for their permission before doing anything, including virtuous activity.

• Dear Muslims,

• To make sure that the knowledge attain is authentic and can be practice, one must study it with a teacher. To gain blessings while studying, one must respect and honour their lecturers.

• Look at the history of the previous scholar, they respect and honour their teachers.

• They look up to their teachers with admiration and respect towards their wisdom and specialization.

• As history recorded, it clearly shows their attitude towards their teachers.

• Imam al-Shafi’e once said:

• “I have to turn the pages softly in front of my teacher, Imam Malik so to respect him so he won’t listen to the sound of the paper.”

• Rabie, his students too once said: “By Allah, I don’t dare to drink when Imam Shafi’e is looking at me.”

• How respectable are teachers that Imam Al-Ghazali once proclaim that respect towards our teachers are higher than our parents in his book, Ihya’ Ulumuddin (1/55):

• "The right of a teacher is greater than the rights of parents. Parents are the cause of human presence in this mortal world, while the teacher is beneficial for people to face the eternal life.

• If not for the laborious teachers, the parents efforts will be futile and not beneficial: for the teachers are the one giving the supplies for the eternal life. "

• Dear students,

• Pursuit of knowledge is something that is required in Islam, every Muslim must gain knowledge, whether an obligatory knowledge or compulsory.

• As we all know, the basis of this university is in Science and Technology. This knowledge is important for Islam because we too need to have this knowledge because Islam needs individual who have the skills to create a stronger Ummah and highly civilized.

• What is important in Islam, no matter what knowledge we study, we have to have a clear intention to gain Allah’s blessing and if it is use for good, Allah will give a big reward to that person.

• Remember, both religious and worldly knowledge is a must to study because without these knowledge, we will be ignorant in our worship to Allah SWT.

• So lets not forget that no matter how old we are, which university we are in and which field we specialize in, religion knowledge is important for a Muslim. So there are no reason or excuse to ignore the religious knowledge.

• From Anas bin Malik r.a, Rasulullah saw said:

• طلب العلم فريضة على كل مسلم

• “Seeking knowledge is an obligatory upon all Muslims.”

• [Narrated by Ibnu Majah and others.]

• Rasulullah SAW always encouraged his nation to be in a knowledge gathering because then, will we receive advice and reminder, good and bad, halal and haram, paradise and hell.

• Therefore, it is our responsibility to search for knowledge no matter where we are.

• Don’t be ignorant towards religious knowledge because you might never know the downside of it and will only create Allah’s wrath.

• Confusion in the matters of wajib and non-wajib, halal and haram are due to ignorant attitudes.

• O Muslims, rahimakumullah,

• Human are created with the best creation. And because of this, Allah limits the body to be viewed by others and is called aurah.

• As widely known, aurah for men is from his belly to his knee and for women is every part excluding her hands and her face.

• Therefore, it is important for Muslims to wear clothes that abide this rule especially when they are outside like the office, shopping complex, streets and such.

• If we do not abide this rule, we have done wrong towards Allah swt, ironically, when we are studying.

• As a reminder to all seniors and juniors students of UTM to cover the aurah especially when in the hostel area, lecture hall or anywhere else. This is something that must be followed by every students.

• The university ethic codes has already been instructed and it is shariah compliance or at the very least, it is a decent attire for a university student.

• So abide this rule as someone who seeks knowledge, as to protect your dignity.

• Do not be the kind of student who wear shorts or tight clothes, short sleeves t-shirt and not wearing any hijab when going to class or exercising in the campus area.

• Dear Muslims,

• From covering one’s aurah when studying, students need to be reminded about the limit of mixing between male and female during their studies.

• Islam has laid down the laws conditions where and when can a male and female students can be together in any situations.

• Male and female students must abide these conditions and barriers especially as an intellectuals in a campus of knowledge.

• Initially, the mixing between male and female is forbidden, but as the need arise in some situation, it is allowed in some situation as the discussed by our scholars.

• Similarly, in a situation of study, some scholar says it is not allowed while other scholars allows it.

• But even when it is allowed, it does not mean that there is no limit.

• It can be allowed when both party abide the limit like covering the aurah, lower the gaze, modest communication that do not invite any fitnah nor negative thoughts in mind.

• Therefore, students need to know their limitation because both are being exposed to the same situation whether in college, classroom, lab, library, café and such.

• As an example, when in a classroom, male students should be with male students and female students with female students.

• If there is any activity or project that involves both gender, students need to abide the limitation. Be in an open place, not in a seclude place hidden from others.

• The same goes with the phenomena of being together or twosome when riding a motorcycle, car, eating in the café or such.

• All of those are not allowed in Islam based on the method syadd al-zarai which means “Closing all roads that lead to evil.”

• If we understand what Allah swt said in verse 32 surah al-Isra’:

• And do not approach unlawful sexual intercourse. Indeed, it is ever an immorality and is evil as a way.

• This ayat shows that Zina is forbidden, and everything that leads to it like free mixing, or not covering the aurah, being together are forbidden.

• Dear Muslims,

• Those are the few adab that must be followed by students when studying to gain blessing and blessings from Allah SWT.

• There are more which we do not mention here is to respect the time limit. Students, let us follow the guideline Islam sets.

• Let seek knowledge in a situation where we know the behaviour of seeking knowledge to gain the blessing from Allah.

• Let the knowledge we seek represent our attitude and behaviour.

• Protect the image and dignity as a university student because the light of knowledge is from Allah and will only be given to those he wills.

• Abandon things that could tarnish the image and character of a knowledge seeker because knowledge is light that can shine as a university student.

• ….Allah will raise those who have believed among you and those who were given knowledge, by degrees. And Allah is Acquainted with what you do.

اوإياكهم ون فعني ال عظي م بال قهر ءانولكهم لى اللهبارك• برا آلياتمنفي و إنوهتالوتوهومن كهم مني وت قبلال حكي موالذك ي عهىهو اللبت ق وىوإياياللعبادأهو صي كهم .ال علي مهالس

نفازف قد ت قهو ه لواللطاعةعلىون ف سى وأحهثكهم ,ال ورسهو نلعلكهم وق ت كهلفى لحهو ت غ فره,ت هف ولكهم لي ال عظي ماللأس

ي نولسائر ل هس لاتال هس مني نوال هؤ مناتوال هؤ ,وال هه ت غ فرهو زفيافاس ت غ فري نف و هس .التآئبي ننجاةوياال