 أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم رب الشرح لي صدري ويسر لي أمر وحل العقدة من لساني يفقه قولي بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم الحمد لله رب العالمين وصلى الله على السيدنا وحبيب قلوبنا وشفيع نفوسنا بالقاسم محمد وعلى أل بيته الطيبين الطاهرين الماصومين لا سيما بقية الله روحي وأرواح العالمين لتراب مقدمه الفداء بأول فتر of your Lord's Salawat in honor of the greatest man to walk this earth الحبيب المصطفى محمد the second in honor of the greatest lady to walk this earth الحورا أول بطول فا طمه and the third in your final salawat in honor of our Imam ساحب العصري والزمان نحن مصلي على المدينة في المدينة الثلاثة وينة نحن لدينا مرحبا نظر من الناس الذين نعرفون خوارج الناس الذين يدفعون على مدينة أهل البيت الناس الذين يدفعون الإسلام في أسلحة أسلحة ونحن نظر على كيف يفرقون الناس الذين يدفعون الإسلام الآن في الأسلحة الإسلام now one thing that we did question is the concept and the faculty of knowledge as in we begin to question how is it that knowledge was given to them how is it that they acquired knowledge where did they seek knowledge and how did they incorporate it to their own lives therefore the importance of tonight's topic which will be analyzing the concept of knowledge how to acquire knowledge what are different types of knowledge will be over a course of two nights إن شاء الله so I'd like to start by looking at knowledge what does the prophet of Islam say about knowledge very brief very repetitive but it's good for the remembrance it will build the way up until we get to tomorrow night in which we will talk about knowledge through the imams but we can't just talk about the miracles which are in its most magnanimous nature without laying down the foundations of how is it that these people achieved that which they achieved how did they achieve the knowledge which they have what have they done in order to acquire such high levels in the eyes of Allah Subhanahu و تعالى therefore tonight will be a very brief very introductory topic for tomorrow night which will be the gist of the topic and the faculty of knowledge so إن شاء الله to help me start tonight's topic of knowledge please raise your voices and allow Salawat محمد و آل محمد when we delve into the concept of knowledge we find that the prophet has many narration discussing the idea of knowledge and its importance as an example we have a narration by the prophet of Islam in which he states make sure that you go and acquire knowledge even if it takes you as far as going towards China اطلبوا العلم اولا و فيل سين even if it takes you as far as China I put it into that context China was looked at to be a very far place just like in the idea that we are given in Islamic thought and in the stories that we have when they mention 1,000 it was a number beyond imagination that's why when they try to emphasize the number beyond imagination they say 1,000 1,000 so they times the two biggest numbers at the time and they say that's how much is a lot at that particular time so when they say go when the prophet says go as far as China it's trying to give us an example that you have to travel till the end of means to gain knowledge giving us an importance of it the second that we can look at from the prophet صلى الله عليه و آله و سلم when he looks at knowledge he says there's no time frame in which you can gain knowledge اطلبوا العلم من المهدي إلى اللحظ from the cradle to the grave your lifespan should be an ongoing journey in which we will gain knowledge acquire knowledge now the question that lies that inshallah will answer tonight and tomorrow night is what type of knowledge do they refer to as in when the prophet says go and acquire knowledge is he categorizing it in a specific angle is he characterizing it in a particular school or is it a vast majority in which you can encompass knowledge educate yourself grow we'll look at that tomorrow inshallah in more detail now we find that imam صلى الله عليه و سلم is the door of the prophet's knowledge and he himself says the prophet of Islam has taught me 1000 doors of knowledge from every door it opens another 1000 that if you calculate that's one million doors of knowledge from the prophet of Islam not anyone else from the person that does not speak of his own accord he speaks from الله سبحانه و تعالى now let's look at the knowledge of alaym ibn ta'ala of later on tonight so in the starting stage we find that there is an importance the prophet had put an importance of knowledge the second stage has he told us how to acquire it as in one of the things when we look at when the prophet mentions knowledge is how to bring up a child he says make sure when you bring up a child it's in three specific stages what are the stages he says the first seven is the first stage the second seven is the second stage and the final is the seven plus the first seven what do you do he says leave them let their intuition grow let them explore let them think for themselves do not encompass them by what society thinks do not encompass them but this is what you should do this is what you shouldn't do not yet let them explore just don't let them kill themselves obviously leave them in a suitable place in which they can explore the world, their talents then when they reach seven that's age frame you find that this is when the prophet says begin to teach them seven years of age till 14 begin to teach this is Halal this is Haram do we stop there? no this is why this is Halal this is why this is Haram that's why we find many sisters come wearing the hijab one day at a young age and you think to yourself wow that's beauty that someone at such a young age can put on the scarf which embodies Islam which is a flag of Islam the same hijab that Fatima the Zahra'a war the same hijab that say the Zainab stood for in the 10th of Muharram and when she was taking captive from city to city the hijab has its representation however if we just tell them this is Halal this is Haram will they have the strength to keep that hijab on? or will they begin to question themselves one day that's telling themselves that's why am I wearing it in the first place that's why when you teach our children from seven to fourteen we have to teach them in depth when we teach them we have to tell them why Allah has made this Halal why Allah has made this Haram to make them see the beauty in it what did we say yesterday about the Khawaraj when they tell you a particular ruling they say do not question this is how Allah says it that's what they say that's how Allah did it that's what Allah wants you to know that's all Allah wants you to know don't question what this is what that is why you're doing this this is the right way believe me that's how they teach that's what makes us different the prophet of Islam says make sure seven to fourteen it's an ongoing process teach teach teach educate acknowledge put the light of knowledge into them that idea that you want to feed with knowledge feed their souls then he says from fourteen onwards befriend them why because how many people do we know when they're going through adolescence their parents are the last people they go towards because there's a gap because from seven to fourteen they weren't teaching them from seven to fourteen they didn't want anything to do with them from seven to fourteen was a very rough road between the parent and the child however if he's in a teaching process in a relationship then he says befriend them from fourteen onwards the adolescent period why because and one of the main pivotal reasons is that they don't go towards another person which is one of the causes of Haram relationships so they don't go to another shoulder to complain another shoulder to ask questions you're their friend not just their parent not just their mentor not just their teacher you're also their friend create that bond but we find the main idea for tonight's topic where the prophet of Islam seeks to explore the idea of knowledge is to teach them now we know when someone acquires knowledge at a young age it's obviously and evidently different from someone that acquires knowledge at an old age for two specific reasons or two reasons that I want to look at number one we have the idea that if you teach someone something at a young age it's as if you're what you're engraving into stone at a young age it's like you're engraving onto stone whatever they learn they'll stay with them what's the example علي ملي بيطالب says in the will to Imam Hassan he says I wanted to cultivate your heart at a young age Imam Ali gives us the example that the heart whatever you put on it it takes it's empty imagine imagine a white page that's empty whatever you write on it you can't write on that specific place again that's how you should feed knowledge to the young Imam Ali says I tried to teach you at a young age I wanted to plant in you the seeds which will make you who you are when you are older which will make you who you are growing up to have that foundation علي بن علي بيطالب to Imam Al-Hasan that's why we find obviously there's a significance and an importance when you're at a younger age in learning because you will gain more you will resonate more within yourself resonate more within yourself resonates more within your memories and it gives you a better chance to act upon it because you can imagine the older you get the more your lifestyle is encompassed it's fixed it's very hard to change your lifestyle and to new acknowledge acquired whether it be hadiths whether it be a new source of knowledge which lets you for example read a particular prayer in a certain manner extra prayers I'm just talking about the knowledge to do with Islam and there's other knowledges we can acquire but it's going to be harder to change your routine however at a young age in your adolescence even younger than that you acquire knowledge you can act upon it and that's also relating back to the parents son relationship that we said earlier now that's another stage to look at now let's look at that specific point let's look at the knowledge that we can see and how did it affect the timeline that we have today and what I mean is what happened in history let's look at what happened in history to the concept of knowledge how has it changed what have we been given and what has been taken from us and you think to yourself has something been taken from us yes the prophet of Islam and not many people are acknowledged to this after the prophet of Islam died when we had the first second and third Khalif do you know one of the actions what they were and a narration from Aisha she says the first thing I saw my father do when the prophet passed away or one of the first things she says he has collected 500 hadiths in a narration 500 of the narrations of the prophet he took them and he disposed of them these are knowledge these are sources of knowledge sources of Sharia this is what we can base our religion on the hadith of the prophet he says she says he took them and he disposed of them why it's a very clever plan but look at the reply he says just in case someone may read them and is confused they're the things that will give us clarity the prophet of Islam is the one that defines the Quran for us the Ahlul Bayt are the ones that explain the Quran when in Safin you find that Muawiyah puts the Quran on the speed to show that they're people of the book Ali ibn Abi Talib what does he say he says أنا القرآن الناطق I am the Quran I am the manifestation I am the talking Quran he says go look at what the prophet has said Muawiyah and go look at what the prophet said about me the person that opened his eyes in the eyes of the prophet of Islam that was fed from the mouth of the prophet that grew up in the prophet's arms when Ali ibn Abi Talib says not once did the wahi come except that I know exactly what ayah it was where it was revealed and what it was revealed about when Imam Ali says knowledge it's not anything simple I remember I was watching a documentary it was a beautiful documentary the other day with my brother in law and we looked at we looked upon one particular instance when they were explaining the knowledge of Ali ibn Abi Talib when Omar comes to him Omar says to him oh Ali why is it that you have this much knowledge you answer straight away whenever someone asks you you answer straight away why how what's this knowledge that you have look at the reply of Ali ibn Abi Talib he looks at Omar he says Omar how many fingers do you have in your hand Omar straight away he says I have five fingers he says how do you know that you answered quite fast didn't you that you have five fingers in your hand he says yes of course this is known to me he says that is the knowledge of what is and what is to be is known to me like your five fingers are known to you صلى الله عليه وسلم that's the door of the knowledge of the prophet of Islam and do you know who fought him who fought this great leader who fought the very mirror image of the prophet of Islam I want to show you the example of who he was fighting when people come and defend such figures as Muawiyah in history I want to tell you who Muawiyah used to fight with who was his soldiers that he bought out a person went a messenger from Ali ibn Abi Talib went to Syria went to Damascus Sham at the time I shouldn't say Syria because it encompassed more countries back then he went to Sham at the time where Muawiyah ruled from and he had a message he was on what we know as Naqa or sorry he was on a camel actually a camel he was going towards Muawiyah and they made a plan what did they do they said let's take this particular messenger look at what they used to do to him they said let's tell everyone that this camel is belongs to us and he's stolen it now look at the people they take this messenger of Ali ibn Abi Talib to the courtroom it's a really interesting story because you will begin to realize what kind of people fought Ali ibn Abi Talib who goes towards the courtroom he's been taken to the courtroom the messenger of Ali ibn Abi Talib he had a Naqa with him he says what's your evidence he says this is my Naqa he says this is my camel he says what's your where's your witnesses he says I've come alone I'm a messenger he says who's accused you of stealing their camel he says this person he says where's your witnesses he says tomorrow tomorrow comes there's 50 people 50 people they said okay let the court session come where's your evidence he says I don't have any I've come as a messenger he says where's your where's your people that will bear witness that this is your camel he says these are the 50 people these people he's never seen in his life where did he get them from how did they how did he get them where did they where was the bribes involved he says what do you guys say he says yes we all bear witness that this is his camel they say but look at the wordings they say this this camel or this male camel is for him we all bear witness so he goes yes 100% there's 50 witnesses you don't have one I'm going to give the camel to him go Imam Ali's messenger at the time he's thinking to himself because there's one that they've bribed they've cheated they've used the legal system that's one side but that's not what he was surprised about he goes to the judge of the time he says everyone bear witness that that camel was that person he says yes he says that's not what surprises me I know the people that you have in your army he says and what surprises you he says this wasn't even a camel it was a naqa he goes معاوي says to him he says that's my message he says go and tell Ali ibn Abi Talib that I'm going to fight you with an army that doesn't know the difference between a naqa and a camel that's who the people were that fought Ali ibn Abi Talib that's the people that fought Ali ibn Abi Talib when we look at in history what kind of people or what kind of people the prophet says will fight against Ali ibn Abi Talib يا Ali or it tells Ammar he says تعمار تقتولوك الفئة البارية you will be killed by infidels meaning what what's an infidel what kind of knowledge does an infidel have in reference to a Muali in reference to a person of knowledge when you reach high spiritual grounds such as I'll give you the examples of one of the greatest companions of Ali ibn Abi Talib and one of the greatest companions of Imam al-Hussain حبيب Ibn Muzaher comes one day and he crosses paths with may them itammar look at the conversation that they have may them itammar looks at حبيب Ibn Muzaher looks at may them itammar and their horses their heads intermingle and they begin to talk to one another look at what they say look at what Ibn Muzaher acknowledge the followers of Ahl al-Bayt have may them looks at حبيب Ibn Muzaher what does he say he says it's as if I see one day a man that has two locks of hair going and defending the Imam of his time being beheaded and his head roaming in the streets tied to a horse while the horses knees hit that head and the people are listening people are listening and then and then to may them itammar حبيب Ibn Muzaher says it's as if I see a person whose origin was from a Persian background taken his limbs being taken off his hands and his feet and he's been taken on and wrapped on a tree and after three days his stomach will be pieced and he will die that's the conversation that they had and they go their separate ways these people what did they say the people that normal don't know the knowledge don't know what these people are talking about don't know their high status one of them says look at these people we've never seen anyone lie as much as these people they're the biggest liars in our days that's what they said who comes one of the other companions but this person everyone knew was truthful because whatever he prophesized came true they came and asked him they said to him who's just come past they say to him they say to him they say such and such may them a tamar and have no more doubt he says may Allah be pleased with them he says what do you mean he says they're great companions with great spiritual levels great educational values great knowledge he says we think that they're the biggest liars of the time he says why do you say they're liars he says one of them he says one of them he says one of them said such and such the other said such and such he says he says excuse me he says yes such and such person will die in that manner such and such person will die in that manner and he says I will give you an extra bit of information he says the companion of Abba Abdullah and he was referring to the person that will carry his head will be given an extra 25 coins extra why? because he was wrapped in a horse not held on a spear what kind of level do you have to reach to gain the knowledge of your death made him a tamar when he found out that Ali bin Abi Talib told him when he told him you will be taken and your limbs cut off and taken on that tree and he pointed at it what made him a tamar used to do he used to go and water that particular tree because he's like this is where I'm going to die he waters that tree he goes and goes towards that tree he remembers that tree but he had the knowledge why? because Ali bin Abi Talib referred to him that's the door of knowledge the importance of knowledge and tomorrow Insha'Allah we'll discuss in detail how an elevated level of spirituality an elevated level of religiosity and closeness towards Allah will allow Allah to put knowledge into your heart it's not just the knowledge that we acquire it's the knowledge that Allah gives us however we know that from Imam Sadaq that's knowledge that we have nowadays look at what he refers to he says everything you have nowadays from knowledge he says it was one letter from us that wasn't even complete one letter everything we have nowadays one letter that's what he says Imam Sadaq he says because at the back then when we find the alphabet in kufi writing it was an elif and it had a line under it as معطوف he says it's as if an elif but it's not complete that's what you have from our knowledge and it was seeped and you can look the first second third Khalif as the hadiths were not there they were taken away they were burnt the message of the prophet burnt taken away there was a massive loophole where knowledge ceased to exist except the knowledge which they wanted to be preached that's why we have people such as خوريرة at the time but even in the time of Abu Bakr after he used Abu Khura'ira we find أمر ابن الخطاب begins to whip Abu Khura'ira in the 50 after after the death of the prophet he begins to whip Abu Khura'ira he says stop fabricating a hadith but no one looks at that particular a hadith they say no Abu Khura'ira that's the topic for a different night inshallah but inshallah we want to focus on tonight and we end on this note that there is a huge significance and importance to acquiring knowledge and how it may be utilized today was the beginning stages tomorrow I want to look at the depth of knowledge tomorrow I want to look at what knowledge the imams had tomorrow I want to look at what kind of knowledge we can attain I want to look at the knowledge that that Allah Subhanu Wa Ta'ala has instilled in the mirror reflections that he had on earth when a person comes to Ali ibn Abi Talib and he asks him a question that we can't even comprehend back then they say oh Ali in our books and these were monks in our books we are told of a source of water that is not from the heavens nor the earth if you tell us this will come towards your religion not from the earth not from the skies what does Ali ibn Abi Talib say because this will shock you Ali ibn Abi Talib says the sweat of a horse the sweat of a horse no sodium concentrate pure water who takes that scientist nowadays in 2000 I believe in 2007-2008 and they analysed the sweat of a horse they found no sodium concentrate which makes it water now there is a hygienic obviously things that we have to look at but in essence it's pure water another person comes he says oh Ali trying to stop him from Salah because Ali was going towards Salah on the way he says it was Jewish man he says oh Ali can you tell or can you categorize which animals give birth and which animals lay eggs Ali ibn Abi Talib on his way towards the mosque nowadays we have evolution theory which is all fabrication upon fabrication and we have the ideas and the concept that are given and this animal and this species and this genes will cause this person to give birth and this person to lay what does he say categorize it one two words he says any animal that has a physical E gives birth anyone doesn't have a physical E lays eggs think about it food for thought and he walks Ali ibn Talib walks away scientists take that I believe 2010-2011 they said the only exception to Ali ibn Abi Talib was the whale they said it gives birth but we cannot see the physical E a couple of months later they said no the whale has a physical E صدق Ali صلى علام محمد ورحمد إن شاء الله tonight will be the first of two night series in the concept of knowledge we pray to Allah إن شاء الله and an ending note for tonight's lecture that Allah elevates us in knowledge and lets us apply it to our life because it's not enough having knowledge brothers and sisters we have to apply it that's where the importance lies because the people that fought Ali had knowledge of Ali the people that fought حسين أمام حسين علي أبضل صلى علام had knowledge of Imam Hussain didn't have the application in their daily lives so we pray to Allah that Allah elevates us in knowledge and gives us a توفيق in which we can apply it to our lives we pray to Allah this particular دعاء and we end with a صورة المباركة الفاتسة but before it three of your loudest محمد وقال محمد