CHAPTER 3

THE OBLIGATION TO ACQUIRE KNOWLEDGE AND REFLECT UPON THE HOLY Quran AND A WARNING TO THE HEEDLESS The Holy Quran says: "And We place upon their hearts veils lest they should understand it, and in their ears a deafness." (17 :46) In another verse the Almighty Allah says: "Lo! the worst of beasts in Allah's sight are the deaf, the dumb who have no sense." (8: 22) Again the Holy Quran says: "But he who turneth away from remembrance of Me, his will be a narrow life, and I shell bring him blind to the assembly on the Day of Resurrection." (20 :124) Abu Musa Ash'ari (Allah be pleased with him) reported Allah's Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) as saying: The similitude of that guidance and knowledge with which Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, has sent me is that of rain falling upon the earth. There is a good piece of land which receives the rainfall (eagerly) and as a result of it there is grown in it herbage and grass abundantly. Then there is a land hard and barren which retains water and the people derive benefit from it and they drink it and make the animals drink. Then there is another land which is barren. Neither water is retained in it, nor is the grass grown in it. And that is the similitude of the first one who develops the understanding of the Religion of Allah and it becomes a source of benefit to him with which Allah sent me. (The second one is that) who acquires the knowledge of religion and imparts it to others. (Then the other type is) one does not pay attention to (the revealed knowledge) and thus does not accept guidance of Allah with which I have been sent. Bukhari and Muslim transmitted it. 'Abdullah Ibn 'Umar (Allah be pleased with him) reported Allah's Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) as saying: Be merciful to others and Allah will be merciful to you. Forgive when others wrong thee and Allah will forgive you your sins. There is destruction for a man in whose words and deeds exists contradiction and also for those who persist upon their deeds willfully. Ahmad transmitted it.