The Truth: Knowledge

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim.. In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious and Compassionate, for letting us live in His Deen, for letting me and you be born in the truest of the truest and the only truth of islam. How are you all my beloved friends? May you all be within the showering of His blessings and guidance, insya Allah.

Today, I am moved to share the discussion about us. Who are you? Some will say I am Hidayah, I am Amin, I am Malay, I am Muslim. But what I want to talk about is Muslims. What makes a Muslim? Are you Muslim simply just because you were born in a Muslim family, or are you Muslim for bearing the Muslim's name? And if so we are confident that we are Muslims, what makes a Muslim? How do we be Muslims? Why do we be Muslims? (Remember the 5W and 1H- who, what, why, when, where and how (^^)

I would like to share what I've read in a book by Sayyid Abul A'la Mawdudi. Let's start with a sentence from the al-Quran, Surah Al-Mai'dah, verse 3:

"Today I have perfected your Din (way of life) for you, and I
completed My blessing upon you, and I have willed that Islam
be the Way for you"

Allah has said so. Islam is the perfect religion. The perfect belief. Who held this belief is the righteous, Muslims.

Thus, how do we be Muslims? Is it simply by saying, I believed in Allah. Full stop. No, it's not. It lies in us to actually consciously and deliberately accept the teachings of Rasullah s.a.w and act accordingly. How do we know what the teachings are? The most important question, how do we know the true Deen?

And the answer to that is, simply, by seeking knowledge. Yes, the first step in search of the truth is knowledge. Why? Because knowledge is like a light that will illuminate the path for you. Knowledge will tell you what is and what not. And remember, there is a hadith that states: "Whoever follows a path of knowledge, Allah will make a path to Heaven easy for him" Hadith Bukhari. SubhannAllah! By searching knowledge, not only we will know the truth, but it is easier to reach Heaven! Heaven with rivers flowing beneath it for each of us...

I am lucky, some of you is lucky, we were born in Islamic family. Thus, all the teachings comes first to us without us really searching for it. But truthfully, it is not enough, simply doing something, without understanding it. That is why, whatever we are doing, look for the knowledge of it, not be a blind follower. And also for non-Muslims, if they really in search of truth, insya Allah, by searching knowledge of islam, you will find the truth, and insya Allah, you will find Iman. We will find Iman in pursuit of knowledge, if Allah permits. Thus, being a Muslim is a choice, not a chance, nor blind faith, never by name or birthright! A choice that we choose to believe when we seek knowledge and find the truth.

Therefore, Islam consists firstly of knowledge (al-Quran and Sunnah) and putting these knowledge into practice. When you add these two with faith and belief, you have truthfully be a Muslim, insya Allah.. For without knowledge, we will always be in a state of ignorance and anytime, the little knowledge that we do not strive to add on, can easily be taken away from us, God forbid.

Thus, brothers, sisters, friends that I love and cherished, seek knowledge, seek it, you'll find the truth. Put it into practice and you will be a righteous Muslim, and faith, will come easily with these two together, insya Allah! May we always be in right path of Islam, may we all be the true Muslim in a sense of being! Ameen..