Friday Khutba of Tokyo Camii “Knowledge is to Acknowledge the Truth”
Honorable Muslims!
Our sublime religion, Islam, has made the pursuit of knowledge obligatory upon every Muslim, both men and women. Knowledge enables people to know themselves, to recognize their Lord, and to comprehend the purpose of their creation. The command, اِقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذ۪ي خَلَقَۚ “Read, ˹O Prophet,˺ in the Name of your Lord Who created!”1 informs us that acquiring knowledge must be done in the name of Allah and for His pleasure.
Dear Believers!
According to Islam, knowledge is not merely a competition pursued for profession, career, or worldly gain. At the core of the knowledge that Allah has commanded to be sought and that our Prophet (saw) has guided lies placing the Qur’an at the center of life. It is about engraving the love of Allah and His Messenger into hearts. It is about establishing an understanding that honors the Creator and shows compassion to the creation. It is about replacing violence with affection, hatred with mercy, and enmity and hostility with love and respect. It is about raising generations who are faithful, moral, and virtuous.
Esteemed Muslims!
We have learned the value of knowledge from our beloved Prophet (saw). The Messenger of Allah (saw), who said, إِنَّمَا بُعِثْتُ مُعَلِّماً “Verily I have been sent as a teacher.”2 transformed Dar al-Arqam into a school of knowledge during the difficult days of Mecca and turned the Masjid al-Nabawi into a center of wisdom in the very first days of Madinah. The Messenger of Allah (saw) encouraged us toward knowledge with the hadith: “Be either a teacher, a learner, a listener, or a supporter of knowledge. Do not be the fifth, lest you be ruined!”3 By saying, “Whoever takes a path upon which to obtain knowledge, Allah makes the path to Paradise easy for him,”4 he gave glad tidings of Paradise to students of knowledge and to teachers.
Dear Believers!
At the root of the problems we face in our time lies our failure to educate our children according to the command of our Lord and the noble character of our Prophet (saw). Today, unfortunately, some of our children fall into the trap of addiction at a very young age, some into the mire of virtual gambling; some are caught in the web of deviant ideologies, false beliefs, and misguided notions that corrupt their fitrah; some suffer under peer bullying, while others slip away from us in pursuit of fashion and imitation. The warning of our Prophet (saw) is perfectly clear: “No parent has given a child a gift more valuable than good upbringing.”5
Dear Muslims!
Therefore, let us raise the children whom Allah has entrusted to us with the character of our beloved Prophet (saw), who said, “I was sent only to perfect good character.”6 Let us teach them the ways to distinguish good from evil and right from wrong.
I would like to conclude this week’s khutbah with the following supplication of the Messenger of Allah (saw): “O Allah! Benefit me with that which You have taught me, and teach me that which will benefit me, and increase me in knowledge.”7
[1] ‘Alaq, 96/1.
[2] Ibn Majah, Sunnah, 17.
[3] Darimi, Muqaddimah, 26.
[4] Tirmidhi, ‘Ilm, 19.
[5] Tirmidhi, Birr, 33; Ibn Hanbal, IV, 77.
[6] Ibn Hanbal, II, 381.
[7] Tirmidhi, Daawat 128; Ibn Majah, Sunnah, 23.
Friday Khutba of Tokyo Camii “Knowledge is to Acknowledge the Truth” PDF
