18 May On becoming a person of knowledge
The ayah speaks of the unlettered, the ummiyoon, who make up the common folk of the population. It speaks of people who can read and write but are described as unlettered because they did not know what their Book contained. They only knew of speculation and unfounded beliefs, blindly following their leaders. Although this ayah refers to the Bani Isra’il, we can take an important lesson from them; do we recite and memorise the Qur’an without knowing what it means? We should reflect upon the state of our relationship and understanding of the Qur’an, as ignorance of it only leads to us making untrue assumptions about the religion.
When people lack knowledge of the deen, they speculate what is right and wrong, what is allowed and what is not, what is the criteria of success and what of loss. None of these can be said based on mere assumption, but rather it has to be based on what Allah has said; He, His Messenger ﷺ, and the people of knowledge. Guesswork can never trump the place of truth.
Being a person of knowledge means knowing the Book of Allah. Even if you have a doctorate degree in the world but have no understanding of the Qur’an, you are an unlettered person in the sight of Allah. Studying the Book is not only for the few; it is a guidance for humanity, covering every aspect of human conduct and behaviour. However, it is not enough to merely understand, for the goal is implementation; we must act to attain our ultimate goal of gaining Allah’s Pleasure.
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