“THE PATH OF KNOWLEDGE IS THE PATH TO PARADISE”
Honorable Believers!
According to our sublime religion Islam, learning knowledge is fardh (obligatory) upon every Muslim, man and woman. Knowledge primarily means knowing oneself, the Lord (swt), and one’s environment. It means being aware of the purpose of creation. It also includes reading the existence and the whole universe correctly.
What makes knowledge valuable is that it is for the benefit of humanity. It leads society to justice, truth, and goodness and keeps us away from injustice, oppression, and any kind of evil. The knowledge that causes confusion in minds, corruption of generations, destruction of societies, and damage to our world is worthless and harmful.
Esteemed Believers!
Ignorance is the greatest enemy of Islam. It is the source of all evil. Ignorance makes a person worthless before Allah and in the sight of people. Reading, equipping oneself with useful knowledge, and using knowledge for the good of humanity elevate a person. Allah the Almighty states, “Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ ‘Are those who know equal to those who do not know?’”1 In another verse, those who have true knowledge are praised as follows: “Of all of Allah’s servants, only the knowledgeable ˹of His might˺ are ˹truly˺ in awe of Him.”2
Respected Muslims!
The path of knowledge is the path to paradise. Our beloved Prophet (saw) said, “Whoever takes a path upon which he seeks knowledge, then Allah makes the path to Paradise easy for him.”3 Today, if we embrace knowledge with the same awareness as in the past, and if we use the possibilities of science and technology appropriately, we can give a new direction to humanity. If we reflect the power of the pen and the word in our lives, we can make justice and goodness prevail on earth again. If we make knowledge and wisdom our guide, we can be the hope again in today’s world where divine and human values are being degraded and neglected.
I conclude my khutbah with the following hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (saw): “Either be the teacher, or the learner, or the listener, or the one who supports knowledge. Do not be the fifth, or you will perish!” 4
[1] Zumar, 39/9.
[2] Fatir, 35/28.
[3] Tirmidhi, ‘Ilm, 19.
[4] Darimi, Muqaddimah, 26.
FRIDAY KHUTBA OF TOKYO CAMII “THE PATH OF KNOWLEDGE IS THE PATH TO PARADISE”(PDF)