Knowledge

Knowledge

1986 7 July 4 Knowledge: (376) The Greatest Charity Abu Hurairah reported the Prophet Mohammad as saying: “The greatest charity is for a Muslim to learn something, and then teach it to his Muslim brother.” (Ahmad)

What is charity? One might define it as an expression of sincere good will towards one’s fellow men – a genuine act of brotherly love. This good will manifest itself in various ways – sometimes in the form of a material gift, sometimes as a piece of good advice. Whatever form it takes, the good will that wells up in one person’s heart towards another is a sign of God’s own munificence. The most noble form that it can take in the human world is the imparting of knowledge.

Knowledge – by which we mean realization of truth – is the most wonderful thing in the whole universe. That is why there is nothing greater than knowledge that one human being can impart to another. All true knowledge has come from God. To hand it on to others means that one desires the very best for them; one wishes them to share in a gift of God.

To give knowledge to others often requires a spirit of self-denial. It is a question of sympathizing with the plight of others – then striving to improve their condition. One stands oneself in others’ shoes – seeing things from their point of view and then approaching them from the appropriate angle. And one has to do something more which, for some, is in the nature of a great sacrifice: one has to put an end to all bones of contention that exists between oneself and others. If one feels that one has something to give others – some knowledge to impart then one cannot stop for differences of opinion or simply wait for others to take the initiative. One has to do so oneself, taking unilateral action in order to create a harmonious atmosphere, conducive to communication of ideas.

To give to others, one has frequently to make sacrifices. This is true of knowledge – the greatest charity – just as it is true of material charity. But it is this sacrifice that people are usually not ready to make. Unable to resign themselves to any loss, they fall far short of giving others the benefit of what they themselves possess.