The necessity for knowledge is absolute
For this world and the Hereafter, it is the truth,
But while we persistently go to school since we were a young child,
Why is Islamic education not being equally prioritized?
Most of us say that being able to perform salah is already enough
To utter the shahada gets the job done,
Whatever we cannot do, “Allah will understand”
Because after all, Allah is “Ar-Rahman”.
Most of us don’t see the value of learning Arabic
Because the Qur’an is transcribed and translated already into English,
We also refuse to learn how to distinguish the fake from the fact
Because there is just someone whom we can ask.
Muslims love to dream of getting into Jannah
To be united with our loved ones there, including the Rasul and meet Allah,
Yet we refuse to take the path that makes getting into Jannah easy
We refuse to understand the matter that grants us His favor and mercy.
Muslims are often troubled with the nature of imaan
Of how it’s never steady; it always go up then down,
Yet we refuse to cultivate the seeds from which imaan blooms
We refuse to feed our soul with its energy food.
Muslims desire to invest in what is lasting
In good deeds that weigh heavy on the Day of Accounting,
Yet we don’t invest on what will last until the Hereafter;
We refuse to learn our deen and teach it to others.
Seeking knowledge is a noble act of ibadah
It shows how much we are in love and interested to know more about Allah,
It shows that being Muslims is passion, not just fashion
That being Muslims is not just a name, it’s our identity as persons.
Muslims without knowledge are like lost travelers
We may enjoy the journey, until we forget why we’re here,
But when we eventually become tired and hope that the journey will soon be over,
We arrive at a destination that will fuel us with nothing but regret and fear.
So even when the path of knowledge is long and tedious
We still must take it if we want to be pious,
At the end of the day, knowledge is what makes us serve our purpose:
To worship Allah and not be amongst those who are at loss.
