Khutbah: People of KnowledgeJumma' KhutbahPeople of Knowledge  Allah (swt) in the Qur'an Kareem said, "Allah bears witness that La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), and the angels, and those in possessing knowledge should be those who have the Elm "Ulu ul Elm" which here means the Iman and the knowledge not just the knowledge (also give this witness); (He is always) maintaining His creation in Justice. La ilah illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), the All-Mighty, the All-Wise." [Surah Al-Imran 3:18]  It is important to note that:  »  Allah is WITNESSING by His Own Name and that no one has the right to be worshipped but He.  »  In the list of witnesses, He is including the Angels along with Himself.  »  Then Allah (swt) is also adding to the witness list the people who posses Elm, meaning the Iman and the knowledge they gave to the people about the Iman; At the end, helping to establish the Iman.  »   The witnesses are also witnessing on a subject matter which is second to none.  Thus one may imagine the importance Allah (swt) gave the people who posses knowledge by adding them to the list in which He included Himself and the Angels in the matter that none has the right to be worshipped but He. In this Khutbah we would like to shed light on one issue regarding the people of knowledge.  First we need to remind ourselves of the fact that while we are here at the university (college) and we are acquiring knowledge, we shouldn't think of ourselves as people of knowledge as Allah (swt) is referring to in the Ayah.  The knowledge we receive in the university is of technical nature, like: mathematics, economics, sports, chemistry, or business.This education is acquired by both Muslims and non-Muslims and to think that Allah (swt) included the non-Muslims in the list along Himself and the Angels is not justified at all. As a matter of fact the non-Muslims do not witness the fact that "no one has the right to be worshipped but Allah". Thus the only people who are included in the witness list are the Muslim with knowledge.By examining further, we will see that the LIST is further narrow, even WITHIN the Muslims with knowledge.The reason for the above statement is that the "knowledge" Allah (swt) is addressing above is the knowledge that encompasses the following idea: that after looking around the universe or the creation any human being will conclude that there has to be a CREATOR and this CREATOR has put instincts in all of its living creatures and they accordingly act upon it.However, when it comes to man, the relationships between man and his surrounding are rather complex, man is a social creature, he lives in society. Living in a society means living by certain rules or otherwise there would be chaos.Furthermore, if the rules are made up by any human being, then the rules are going to be biased  towards the one making it, and discriminating against some others.   Thus it is important to understand that these are some of the realization that if a human being thinks about and comes out with the right understanding then he becomes the "people of Elm (knowledge)".   While other human beings who may hold a Ph.D. in genetic engineering would not necessarily conclude or ask him/her self as to who created the laws which they are trying to investigate. While these people who might have the super computers under their disposal, does not mean that they are the same people of knowledge Allah (swt) is referring to.   Furthermore, if one is studying the economics program at a university, but does not implement the economic system Allah (swt) has ordered us to do so, then he did not fulfill of what Allah asked him to do.  It is not enough for one to  conclude the existence of Allah but also the fact that one has live according to the rules of Allah (swt).Thus, it is not coincidental that Allah (swt) immediately after the above mention Ayah says: "Truly, the Deen in the Sight of Allah is Islam. .." [Al-Imran, 3:19] (Deen here means, ideology, a way of life)   [Note: Praise Allah and ask the audience to ask Allah for forgiveness. Sit down and pray to Allah for a minute or so]SECOND part of the Khutbah.   We pray to Allah (swt) that He would give us a clear understanding of Islam so that we may worship Him the way He deserves to be worshipped. Ameen!We hope to present khutbah like this on matters such as these Insha-Allah so that we can be enlightened regarding the Deen.  Subjects like these may stimulate us into realizing that the knowledge that we acquire in universities is not enough, the knowledge has to be acquired that Allah (swt) is talking about is different, and to be knowledgeable in Islam is a must on the Muslims. Thus we should realize what we do not have and organize ourselves in study circles and invite those who can help. Ameen.For further information, comments or questions, please contact us.
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