Learning from Everyone

knowledge has to be a mutual venture, in the course of which everyone gains something from everyone else. Here the taker is the giver and the giver is the taker. Everyone plays both roles. There are several ways of acquiring knowledge, one of them being through discussion or dialogue. Discussion or dialogue is not just a debating practice; it is an intellectual exchange. Discussion, if it is to be fruitful, requires objectivity and must be carried on in the questing spirit of give and take. Books are a great source of knowledge. But the study of books is not simply reading. It is establishing contact and consulting with other thinkers and scholars. It is like a global discussion, if the reader has the true spirit, and has the ability to acquire knowledge from universal sources. The library is the place for this, for it is like a global conference room. A library makes it possible for you to reach all the world’s minds. Discussion or dialogue is not just a debating practice; it is an intellectual exchange. Discussion, if it is to be fruitful, requires objectivity and must be carried on in the questing spirit of give and take. The learning process is a must for everyone and that applies to both men and women. The old man is just as much in need of it as the young man. Even great scholars are no exception in this regard. One scholar has rightly said, ‘Live with the spirit of learning and die with the spirit of learning.’ Learning is a lifelong process. It has a beginning, but no end. The Prophet of Islam once said that you should acquire wisdom, even if you have to go to the ends of the earth. This shows the true spirit of learning. And all men and women should become imbued with this spirit.