CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER TWELVE EDUCATION AND KNOWLEDGE IN THE FAMILY

Knowledge is the means that makes us understand the truths. If there is no knowledge, if we do not occupy ourselves with knowledge, each of us will sink into the swamp of ignorance. Imagine: every family a family of readers, every family deeply understanding the value of knowledge and acting on its knowledge with sincerity. Knowledge varies according to its purpose and function. First of all, knowledge is divided into beneficial and non-beneficial knowledge. Beneficial knowledge makes your difficulties easy, brings the heart and mind out of darkness into light, and grants your soul tranquility. Non-beneficial knowledge plunges you into even more difficulty, casts your heart and mind from light into darkness, and afflicts your soul with anxiety and evil whispers. Beneficial knowledge is practical knowledge. Practical knowledge is divided into two parts: the knowledge needed for dealings in life and for peace of soul, and the knowledge related to professions and crafts. For dealings in life a person needs the knowledge of adab, good manners. Adab is the conduct needed toward everyone and everything. The knowledge of adab develops discernment and reason. The knowledge of adab is needed for a person’s inner and outer self. Outward adab is speaking, choosing words, and turning to every person around one in a fitting way. The very first rule of outward adab is to speak less; all calamities come through talking much. The second rule is to say only good words when speaking. Knowledge about acts of worship is counted as beneficial knowledge, and we will discuss it in the section “Acts of Worship in the Family.” Inward adab is the knowledge of purifying the heart and imagination from evil thoughts. This knowledge is considered necessary to be free of thinking ill of people, of indulging in lustful and animal thoughts, and the like. The knowledge of professions and crafts consists in this: whatever profession or craft a person is engaged in, he must know the knowledge of that field deeply and thoroughly, and he must also never stop expanding his skill and information in it. Whether it is manufacturing, services or any other field, let a person master its knowledge thoroughly and put it into practice, for this is obligatory for him. The knowledge of professions and crafts is necessary for a person’s material livelihood, and for that reason most people do not face very serious hardships in this matter; but keeping the heart and inner world pure and at peace, and keeping the mind constantly occupied with beneficial reflection, creates a very great difficulty for most people. Just as a human being needs food and water every day, as well as bodily cleansing, he also needs to nourish his soul. The need of the soul is satisfied by knowledge and enlightenment. That is why a human being should constantly turn to the knowledge, books, reading and conversations that call to humanity and goodness and turn one away from savagery and evil. Since there is a need for food at least three times a day and for washing twice, one should give no less attention to acquiring knowledge and to conversations of enlightenment. For the strength and comfort of the body we offer it pure and halal food and sweet, clear water; if we put impure and filthy food into our body, we will surely fall ill. The most interesting thing is that a person’s body gives off the smell of what he eats. If he eats pork, he smells of the pig; if he eats dog, he smells of the dog; if he drinks vodka, he smells of vodka; if he drinks rose water, he smells of rose water. The true smell of a sheep is fragrant; only if the place beneath it is not cleaned, the dung piles up, and the sheep keeps lying on the dung, does the meat of the living sheep come to smell. For this reason good smells also come from the skin of a person who eats mutton. Since knowledge and enlightenment, books and reading, conversation and meeting are the nourishment of the heart, the purity and lawfulness of this nourishment also matter. Just as food goes from the mouth to the throat, from the throat to the gullet, and from the gullet inside, knowledge and enlightenment make their way to the heart through the eyes and ears. One cannot stuff just anything into the mouth, and it is also not good to pour just anything in through the eyes and ears. Just as impure food, as soon as it reaches the stomach, puts the human body into a heavy and sluggish state, so impure words and impure images throw the heart into the same torment.

Just as one cannot eat foods mixed together, it is natural that reading, hearing and seeing things whose meanings contradict one another also distracts the heart and imagination. Because our body is physical, the poison in it soon shows itself; but because our heart is subtle and invisible to the eye, poisonous knowledge and useless information are not felt by us at once. Yet there is no doubt that the attack of these things does not keep us waiting long: depression, causeless sorrow, envy, evil whispers, anxiety, laziness, a dull mind, the inability to concentrate, absent-mindedness and a number of other spiritual ailments are precisely the results of these poisons. These poisons even affect the body, for the soul resides in every part of the body, and poison that enters the soul crushes the whole body. Unable to escape this poison, the soul beats itself in every direction, like a bird in a cage beating itself against the bars, and at that time a person falls into depression and low spirits. It follows that we must abstain from any words and images that are poisonous for our heart and mind. All these words of ours have been about the importance of knowledge, its essence and its place in human life; now we will talk about how to establish knowledge in the family. The people of knowledge are very few compared to the society as a whole. Unfortunately, people have never valued the people of knowledge as they deserve; on the contrary, they cause them harm and suffering. That is why the first task of the family is to value and respect the people of knowledge. The second task is, for example, once a month to invite to the home a trustworthy person of knowledge whose deeds are beautiful, and to learn from him together with the children. The teacher is asked to share the knowledge needed for our upbringing, our reason and discernment, the knowledge that teaches adab and humanity; the teacher is invited home, received as a guest and honored, then the father and children gather and sit, the teacher reads to them from a book for about an hour and holds questions and answers. For this service one should give the teacher a fine gift and gladden his heart with good words. The third task is that, of course, there should be a library in the home. One should buy good and new books, read them and, discussing them in the presence of the teacher, uncover their meaning. Of course, one also keeps an eye on the children’s studies and school lessons, and if they have difficulties, these are made easy. The job is not done by sending a child to a tutor or a learning center; that is why the advice we are giving is, insha Allah, sound advice that will bear practical fruit. Besides this, one should attend good scholarly events and talks held in the city. Wherever knowledge is spoken of, one should certainly benefit from it. No doubt, here we are speaking about beneficial knowledge. If this is done, if every family makes it a habit, knowledge will surely make people honored, beautify their character, and serve to make them fair and conscientious, patient and steadfast.

Akrom MALIK