Seeking Knowledge in the Quran is seen as foundational, with the first word revealed to the Prophet Muhammad being “Recite,” underscoring the duty of every Muslim to pursue learning. Prophets, like Ibrahim and Musa, exemplified how knowledge strengthens faith, and numerous Quranic verses and hadiths stress its essential role in a believer’s life and afterlife.
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Benefits of Seeking Knowledge as in the Quran:
As good knowledge is like a deep-rooted, fruitful tree, you can see how sweet its fruits can be! Which you, as a Muslim can really enjoy in your life, and hereafter. Let’s have a close look at some of the many Quranic ayahs, and Prophetic hadiths telling about the knowledge-blessings:
1. Knowledge Elevates Its People:
The Qur’an and the Prophetic Sunnah confirm how significant, and rewarding is seeking knowledge, and how unique and honorable are the learners. Knowledge makes its people more mindful, and more responsive than the others, so that they can see the matters differently, and right, being more open to the truth and sound reason:
قُلْ هَلْ يَسْتَوِي الَّذِينَ يَعْلَمُونَ وَالَّذِينَ لا يَعْلَمُونَ إِنَّمَا يَتَذَكَّرُ أُولُو الْأَلْبَابِ [الزمر:9]
[… Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “Are those who know equal to those who do not know?” None will be mindful ˹of this˺ except people of reason.] [Az-Zumr: 9].
يَرْفَعِ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنْكُمْ وَالَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْعِلْمَ دَرَجَات [المجادلة:11]
[…Allah will elevate those of you who are faithful, and ˹raise˺ those gifted with knowledge in rank…] [Al-Mujadalah: 11].
شَهِدَ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ لا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ وَالْمَلائِكَةُ وَأُولُو الْعِلْمِ قَائِماً بِالْقِسْطِ [آل عمران:18]
[Allah ˹Himself˺ is a Witness that there is no god ˹worthy of worship˺ except Him—and so are the angels and people of knowledge. He is the Maintainer of justice…] [Al-Imran: 18].
2. Knowledge Is the Way to Truth and Firm Belief:
Knowledge is what makes people ready and steady to accept the truth, and follow it firmly, being already sure that this is the right way, being protected from the misleading doubts of ignorance.
تَأْوِيلِهِۦ ۗ وَمَا يَعْلَمُ تَأْوِيلَهُۥٓ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ ۗ وَٱلرَّٰسِخُونَ فِى ٱلْعِلْمِ يَقُولُونَ ءَامَنَّا بِهِۦ كُلٌّۭ مِّنْ عِندِ رَبِّنَا ۗ وَمَا يَذَّكَّرُ إِلَّآ أُو۟لُوا۟ ٱلْأَلْبَـٰبِ[آل عمران: 7]
[…—but none grasps their ˹full˺ meaning except Allah. As for those well-grounded in knowledge, they say, “We believe in this ˹Quran˺—it is all from our Lord.” But none will be mindful ˹of this˺ except people of reason.] [Al-Imran: 7].
إِنَّمَا يَخْشَى اللَّهَ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ الْعُلَمَاء [فاطر:28].
[…Of all of Allah’s servants, only the knowledgeable ˹of His might˺ are ˹truly˺ in awe of Him…] [Fatir: 28].
3. Gaining Allah’s Praise and Mercy:
True knowledge is a mercy and a blessing from the Creator to His servant; that is so specially given to some of the most devoted believers as we know about al-Khidr, when Allah commanded Prophet Musa to go and learn from him, as Al-Khidr was gifted by knowledge:
﴿ فَوَجَدَا عَبْدًا مِّنْ عِبَادِنَا آتَيْنَاهُ رَحْمَةً مِّنْ عِندِنَا وَعَلَّمْنَاهُ مِن لَّدُنَّا عِلْمًا﴾[ الكهف: 65]
[And they found a servant from among Our servants [i.e., al-Khiḍr] to whom We had given mercy from Us and had taught him from Us a [certain] knowledge.] [Al-Kahf: 65].
Allah praises those who seek knowledge, as that guides them to the right understanding:
﴿ وَتِلْكَ الْأَمْثَالُ نَضْرِبُهَا لِلنَّاسِ ۖ وَمَا يَعْقِلُهَا إِلَّا الْعَالِمُونَ﴾[ العنكبوت: 43]
[And these examples We present to the people, but none will understand them except those of knowledge.] [Al-Ankabut: 43].
4. The Great Reward of Seeking Knowledge:
Seeking knowledge is abundantly rewarding, as one of the greatest acts of worship to Allah, as it is never less important than the rest; here are the prophetic hadiths assures as so:
Anas reported Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) as saying, “He who goes out in search of knowledge is in Allah’s path till he returns.” Tirmidhi and Darimi transmitted it.
‘Aisha said that she heard Allah’s Messenger saying that Allah revealed to him, “If anyone follows a path in seeking knowledge, I shall make easy for him the road to paradise…”
Messenger of Allah say: “There is no one who goes out of his house in order to seek knowledge, but the angels lower their wings in approval of his action.‘”
5. Seeking True Knowledge Leads to Unique Civilization:
We can see that so evident when talking about the Islamic civilization and its deep-rooted science-gifts to the four corners of the world in several fields, like medicine, math, astronomy, etc. Muslims scientists were actually the ones who put the cornerstones of many sciences studied till this moment now!
Even in the present days, you find so many scientific facts already documented in the Qur’an, even more than a thousand years before they have been discovered just recently! This assures that powerful link between knowledge and Islam, as they lead to each other.
6. Seeking Knowledge is the road to paradise:
‘Aisha said she heard God’s Messenger (PBUH) say that God revealed to him, “If anyone follows a path in search of knowledge, I shall make easy for him the road to paradise…Superiority in knowledge is better than superiority in worship… ”
Anas reported God’s Messenger (PBUH) as saying, “The search for knowledge is an obligation on every Muslim…”
Anas reported God’s Messenger (PBUH) as saying, “He who goes out in search of knowledge is in Allah’s path till he returns.”
The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) says: “There is no one who goes out of his house in order to seek knowledge, but the angels lower their wings in approval of his action.'”
Read more about: What Does the Quran say about Seeking Knowledge?
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Conclusion:
Qur’an says a lot about knowledge, and how it is crucial in the lives, and the consequences of those seeking it. In addition, the Sunnah draws our attention to the danger of not seeking knowledge; Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) already warned us, “Allah does not take away the knowledge, by taking it away from (the hearts of) the people, but takes it away by the death of the learned men till when none of them remains, people will take as their leaders ignorant persons who when consulted will give their verdict without knowledge. So they will go astray and will lead the people astray.”
