Spiritual and Intellectual Development

Spiritual and Intellectual Development Learning from Everyone The Quran lays great importance on learning, for it is learning that promotes and sustains the process of intellectual development. A verse of the Quran in the chapter Maryam (Mary) gives a notable example of this in a conversation the Prophet Abraham had with his father: Father, I have been given some knowledge which has not come to you, so follow me: I shall guide you along a straight path. (19:43) Obviously, Abraham’s father, who was called Azar, was Abraham’s senior. So he could have been reluctant to take advice from someone who was very much his junior. But in the matter of learning, senior and junior have no meaning, for words of wisdom should be heeded, even if the speaker is a much younger person. If you want to be an intellectually developed person, adopt the habit of acquiring knowledge from all and sundry.