FRIDAY KHUTBA OF TOKYO CAMII “KNOWLEDGE IS LIGHT”
“KNOWLEDGE IS LIGHT”
Respected brothers and sisters!
Our sublime religion attaches great importance to knowledge and wisdom. The first revelation that reads as اِقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذ۪ي خَلَقَۚ , meaning, “Read, in the name of your Lord Who created!”1 invites us to read and comprehend all beings and the whole universe in the light of revelation. The value of knowledge and knowledgeable people in the sight of Allah is indicated in the following verse, “Say (O Prophet), ‘Are those who know equal to those who do not know?’”2 The verse states that Allah (SWT) swears by the pen, and the fact that there is a separate surah in the Holy Qur’an with the name “al-Qalam” (meaning the Pen in Arabic) put emphasis on the high value of knowledge as well.
Dear believers!
Knowledge is an invaluable treasure that guides humanity in every field. Because people know themselves thanks to knowledge. They know about their Lord thanks to knowledge. They understand the messages of Allah thanks to knowledge. They comprehend the purpose and wisdom behind creation thanks to knowledge. They train their nafs thanks to knowledge. It is again thanks to the knowledge that they learn what is right, just, moral, and meritorious. They can fulfill their responsibilities of servanthood to Allah by knowledge only.
Respected Muslims!
The Messenger of Allah (saw) said, “Indeed the scholars are the heirs of the prophets. The prophets do not leave behind dinar or dirham. The only legacy they leave behind is knowledge.”3 So, let us protect the legacy of our beloved Prophet (saw). Let us be among those who demand knowledge and act according to what they know in order to earn the love of Allah (SWT). We should also make efforts for raising our children, who are the assurance of our future, as individuals equipped with knowledge, wisdom, and good morality.
I would like to conclude the khutbah with the good news of our beloved Prophet (saw), who is the nicest teacher: “Whoever takes a path upon which he seeks knowledge, Allah makes the path to Paradise easy for him.”4
[1] ‘Alaq, 96/1.
[2] Zumar, 39/9.
[3] Tirmidhi, ‘Ilm, 19.
[4] Tirmidhi, ‘Ilm, 19.
