Islam is the religion of society and it expects from its followers to develop a society where every individual works towards helping and taking care of each other and where everyone should do good deeds for the sake of Allah Almighty. Islam has given the instructions that those who have the objective of Islam, could change their lives for the better and continue living it in a better manner.

Can you picture a society where each and every member strove and worked really hard to do Good Deeds and exerted themselves in shunning evil, what a beautiful society and community this would be! This is what the Madinah of Nabi ﷺ was like!

To Learn Matters of Faith

It is the duty of every Muslim to know as much about his Faith as to enable him to lead his life according to it, it is not necessary for everyone to become a theologian, only necessary learning is necessary; e.g. important points about prayers, hajj and zakat (poor-due) and what is allowed and what is forbidden in matters of everyday life. While acquisition of knowledge is a duty, observance of religious duties in the light of this knowledge has obviously been promised much reward and merit. Every act of learning Faith is a good deed in itself and has been much lauded in Qur’an and also in the Hadith. For instance, according to Abu Darda’ RA, our eternally blessed Prophet ﷺ said:

ومن سلك طريقًا يلتمس فيه علما سهل الله له به طريقًا إلى الجنة‏

Abu Hurairah RA reported:

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “Allah makes the way to Jannah easy for him who treads the path in search of knowledge.”[Muslim].

Another version has it:

“For the one who walks a path in order to acquire some knowledge. Allah makes the path to Paradise easy; and angels being pleased with this deed of the seeker after knowledge, spread their wings in his path”. [Abu Dawud; Tirmidhi]

This encompasses not only those seekers of knowledge who study religion in a regular way but also those who seek answers to their problems by going to a learned person or by sitting in a sermon.

Hadhrat Anas RA has quoted the following words of the Holy Prophet:

مَن خرَج في طَلَبِ العِلمِ، كان في سَبيلِ اللَّهِ حَتَّى يرجِعَ

”He who goes out of his home to seek knowledge is in the way of Allah till he returns. [Jam`i-Tirmidhi].

Thus, whatever step one takes to learn any aspect of the faith of Islam would, Allah willing, earn himself the merit and reward due to a seeker of knowledge: even study of religious books, provided they are genuine, earns for one the same merit and reward. Hence one should choose one’s books in consultation with a learned man. One should never pass up an opportunity to learn anything of the faith. It will increase knowledge, improve one’s life and increases the good in one’s record. Knowledge is an unbounded ocean and the more one learns the more becomes his thirst for knowledge, and it should be so. Hadith tells us that one who is greedy for knowledge is never satiated. He is ever seeking more knowledge and thus the acquisition of merit goes on and on.