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The Heritage of Knowledge Belongs to Muslism-Zakzaky

THE HERITAGE OF KNOWLEDGE BELONGS TO THE MUSLIMS.

The Polo ground in the Kano Metropolis witnessed a mammoth crowd on Saturday 6th Shawwal 1432 H/ 3rd Sept 2011. All were there to witness the 2nd graduation ceremony of the Fudiyya Rijiyar Lemo Tahfeez for its tender aged pupils who have successfully committed the whole Quran into memory within five years. The special guest speaker was the revered leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, Sayyid Ibraheem Zakzaky (H).

The guest Speaker Sayyid Zakzaky (H), in his opening remarks, seized the opportunity to congratulate the Muslim Ummah on the occasion of the id-el-Fitr. He re- emphasized the important lesson to be derived after Ramadan Fast: Attaqwa (righteousness). He quoted the verse: “O you who believe! fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may guard (against evil).” [Quran 2.183] Taqwa, explained Sayyid (H), is the act of being conscious of Allah (SWT) everywhere and at any time. Somebody who fasts keeps away from foods and drinks even though he could eat and drink without being seen by anybody. This type of attitude is expected to be exhibited in all our other affairs: In the offices, farms, shops, market and at home. It should continue even after Ramadan. Unfortunately some people feel constrained in Ramadan and thus become eager to revert towards things that may distance them away from acts of righteousness.

It is expected that once a believer obtains the certificate of Taqwa after graduating from the Ramadan school, he should strive to safeguard and maintain it.  To buttress this point, Malam (H) cited the example of a person who washed his clothes and later soaked them in filth. Certainly this person could not claim cleanliness just because he had one time washed his clothes! Therefore, one is expected to continue purifying himself up to the last breadth of his life.
Sayyid (H) congratulated the graduating pupils for having obtained such blessings at tender ages. He mentioned the enviable position to be attained in paradise by those who memorized the Quran. On the issue of knowledge versus education, Malam (H) noted that a lot of people misconceive these two concepts. Knowledge is universal. Education on the other hand is a set of steps taken to impart a particular knowledge. Our people lump knowledge and education and call them ‘western’ education. In essence, the foundation of contemporary literary prowess was established from the Muslim ‘East’.


There were up to fourteen Universities already operative in the Muslim World before any one in Europe. They were absolved in ‘dark ages’ when the Muslims have already attained an appreciable degree of advancement in knowledge. Even the root of the word Jami’ah (University) is from the Arabic Jami’, which denotes mosques used for conducting studies apart from the performance of the routine Muslim prayers. The architecture of the early European Universities such as the Oxford clearly portrays the influence of the Muslim Madrasah system.


Sayyid (H) further explained that the names of many branches of contemporary natural science subjects could be traced to Arabic roots. In fact for a long period of time, one could not become a medical doctor in Europe without the knowledge of the Arabic language. All these indicate that the heritage of knowledge belongs to the Muslims. The West acquired knowledge but not in the name of God. So they employed inhuman barbarism, suppressed us and coerced us into looking merely for ways to survive. The Ummah (Muslim society) thus became humiliated.

Sayyid Zakzaky (H) made a pointer to the reason behind the humiliation of the Muslim Ummah. He drew the attention of the teeming audience to the pivotal fact that the Prophet (SAWA) has left for us two ‘weighty’ things (thaqalyn) to follow in order not to derail from the straight path of God, the path of dignity, the path of prosperity: These are the Quran and the Itrah (the pure progeny of the Prophet, his Ahlul Bayt). The Ummah left one and it lost all.
The Muslims, of course, continue to recite, memorize and adorn the Quran even in gold scripts. However, the injunctions contained therein, are not acted upon. Sayyid (H) cited what happened at the calamity (internal battle) of Siffin when the army loyal to Mu’awiyah bin Abu Sufyan, while envisaging defeat, raised the Holy Quran so as to lure  Imam Ali bn Abu Talib’s (AS) army to ceasefire. Imam (AS) told them that “the Quran you raised does not talk. I am the Quran in action.”

So at least if one is not aware of the Ahlul Bayt(AS) of the Prophet, he may not be unaware of Imam Ali AS). The Prophet said: ‘Ali is with the truth and the Truth is with Ali.’ Malam (H) noted that there are people who go about alleging that some Muslims undermine the status of the companions of the Prophet. Those who make such unfounded allegations are the people who do not like the Ahlul Bayt. The followers of the Ahlul Bayt (AS) are those who excel and they revere the Prophet, his Itrah and the upright companions.

Before concluding, Sayyid (H) made some remarks on the current humiliation suffered by Muslims in Nigeria in particular. He noted with dismay, that in this country, the enemies of Islam hate anything ‘Islamic’ even if it is nominal. The current attack on ‘islamic’ banking issue raised by the Central Bank is a clear example to this phobia. Sayyid (H) reiterated that the way out is holding fast to the
thaqalyn (Quran and progeny) as ordered by the Prophet (SAWA).

He gave the vivid case of the Islamic Republic in Iran which despite an imposed war, assets freeze and several sanctions, has excelled in modern technological and social advancement. Before the closing prayers which were offered by the Sayyid (H), different prizes were awarded. All the graduating pupils received awards. M. Muhammad Isa Ahmad, who chairs the Fudiyya Management Committee and M. Awwal Shamsu who is the Headmaster, also received awards for outstanding performance. Gwani Lawiy also received special award. To crown it all, the guest speaker, Sayyid Zakzaky (H) received as an award, the copy of the Holy Quran which was written by one of the tahfeez teachers, Alaramma M. Mustapha.

By Dauda Nalado