100 Principles for Purposeful Living

The concept of universality of knowledge is very important. Without this, the development of knowledge is not possible. The treasure of knowledge is as vast as the ocean. No matter how much it is used, its reserves will never exhaust. 5. The Acquisition of Knowledge The Prophet of Islam once observed, “Seek knowledge, even if you have to go as far as China.” (Shuabul Iman, Hadith No. 1543) This shows that there should not be any kind of prejudice or obstacle to acquiring knowledge. Traveling to China, in ancient times, was considered a very difficult journey. Therefore, the Prophet’s saying means enduring every difficulty towards this end. Nothing should be taken as an obstacle in this matter. Knowledge is what converts man’s state of ore to steel. This tradition shows the importance of undertaking travel for knowledge. Travel enhances a person’s mental horizon. Travels help man to move from the limited local sphere to the unlimited global one. 6. The Gift of Knowledge The Prophet of Islam said: A father cannot give his children a better gift than a proper education. (Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith No. 1952) Any other gift is always temporary but the gift of knowledge is lifelong. Every man’s first school is his own home. The parents are its teachers. We learn two things from this hadith. First, parents should acquire education, for, without it, they will neither be able to understand its importance nor will they be able to play the requisite role in educating their children. Secondly, the home is not only the place of a child’s