The Importance of Seeking
Knowledge
ICN Community Dinner
September 14, 2012
Blessings of Seeking Knowledge
• Allah has made it obligatory
▫ “Seeking knowledge is compulsory on every Muslim.”
• Allah has praised knowledge
▫ “Whoever Allah wants good for He gives him understanding
of the religion.”
• Allah showed the superiority of human beings through
their knowledge and intellect
▫ What’s the proof of this?
• What is one of the only things Allah commanded the
Prophet ‫ صلى هللا عليه و سلم‬to ask for more of in the Quran?
▫ Allah said “And say O my Lord increase me in knowledge”
Taha:114
Benefits of Seeking Knowledge
Continued
• Increases a person in the fear and love of Allah
‫سبحانه و تعالى‬
▫ ‫هللا ِمنْ ِع َبا ِد ِه ْال ُعلَ َما ُء‬
َ َّ ‫إِ َّن َما َي ْخ َشى‬
▫ Only those who have knowledge among his slaves
that fear Allâh. Al-Faatir 28
• The benefit of the knowledge remains even after
a person passes away
▫ Evidence?
• Who is better a person of knowledge or a
worshipper?
Etiquettes of Seeking Knowledge
• Manners of the Student
▫ Sincerity- we know the hadeeth of the first three
people that will be dragged on their face into the
fire of hell
▫ Leaving sins
▫ Strong determination
▫ Prioritizing knowledge
▫ Purifying the heart
▫ Not looking at things simplistically
Etiquettes with the Teacher
• Choosing the right teacher
• Respect
▫ For the teacher and more importantly for the
information that he is teaching you
• Proper etiquette with the teacher
▫ Varies from person to person
• Patience with the faults of a teacher
▫ No one is perfect
▫ Because of one mistake do not neglect and give up
on the person
Etiquettes with Fellow Students
•
•
•
•
Love them, and respect them
avoid feeling jealousy
help them out with their studies and lives,
make dua for them
ICN Islamic Institute of Naperville
• Alhumdulilah IIN was started in the Fall of 2011
• A higher level Islamic Studies Institute
• -Understand the basic principles of Faith (Aqeedah) and
how it relates to their lives living in America
• - Understand the importance of the Sunnah
• -Be introduced to the goals of the Shariah ‫مقاصد الشريعة‬
• -Have an introduction to the Imams of the Four Major
Schools of Fiqh, and appreciation for their efforts
• - Understand the proofs, rules, and regulations
pertaining to Taharah, Salah, Sawm, Zakah, and Hajj
Objectives
• Studying business transactions, and things pertaining to
marriage, divorce, etc.
• - Be able to analyze and derive benefits pertaining to
their own lives from major events of the Seerah and lives
of the Khulafa
• - Be able to analyze and derive benefits from Hadeeth
• - Be introduced to the Sciences of Hadeeth ‫مصطلح الحديث‬
• -Be introduced to the Principles of Fiqh ‫أصول الفقه‬
• -Be introduced to the Sciences of the Quran ‫علوم القرآن‬
• -Have the skills to do dawah using wisdom and
reasoning to both Muslims and Non-Muslims
• -Have the skills to research, prepare, and deliver khutbas
and Islamic speeches
Classes We have Had So Far
• Fall 2011
▫ Aqeedah I
 Understanding, defining, and explaining Aqeeda
 Examining the relationship between Aqeedah, Eeman,
and Shariah
 Proving the existence of Allah ‫سبحانه و تعالى‬
 Connecting our hearts to Allah ‫سبحانه و تعالى‬
 Knowing Allah through the texts of the Quran and
Sunnah
 Understanding and believing the beautiful names and
attributes of Allah ‫سبحانه و تعالى‬
 Recognizing and appreciating the importance of Tawheed
 Understanding Concept of Worship in Islam
 Avoiding the actions which negate Tawheed
Evolution of Fiqh
• Understanding, defining, and explaining Fiqh
• Examining the relationship between Aqeedah, Fiqh, and
Shariah
• Comparing and contrasting the differences between divine
laws and man made laws.
• Understanding and appreciating the uniqueness of Islamic
Law
• Analyzing the sources of Islamic Law
• Tracing the development of Islamic Law through different
time periods: The time of the Messenger of Allah ‫صلى هللا عليه و‬
, ‫سلم‬the time of the Sahabah , ‫رضي هللا عنهم‬the time of the
followers of the Sahabah, the time of codifications and the
great Imams, the time of stagnation and blind following, and
the current state of Islamic Law.
EOF Objectives Continued
• An introduction to the great Imams and the
principles they used in understanding Islamic
Law.
• An introduction to the different approaches used
in understanding Fiqh ‫مدرسة أهل الرأي و مدرسة أهل‬
‫الحديث‬
• Opening the students’ minds and understanding
permissible and impermissible differences of
opinion when it comes to religious matters.
Other classes
• Winter 2012
▫ Fiqh of Taharah and Salah
▫ Authority of Sunnah
• Spring 2012
▫ Tafseer I
▫ Fiqh of Janaaiz, Zakah, and Hajj
Dates, Times, and Locations
• Classes are usually 8 weeks long
• Saturdays and Sundays between 10:30-1
• Students have the option of registering for one
or both classes
• At Ogden
Insha’Allah Next Semester Starts
Tomorrow
• Saturdays-World of the Angels and Jinn
• Sundays- Principles of Fiqh
• For more information please come to the class,
contact me or Sr. Beena Farid