CHAPTER XIV

CULTURE IN ISLAM

Islam laid a great deal of stress on educational aspcet from beginning, because of its
importance in the life of human beings. The first verses of the holy qur’an which were
sevealed ordered the prophet to read. They say :

“Read, in the name of thy lord, who created created man from a cloth of congealed blood
read! And thy lord is most bountiful. He who taught the use of the pen. Taught man that
which he knew not.”

This leads us to understand that muslims should gains as much knowledge as they can,
because the holy qur’an also considers knowledge as light and the ignorance as darkness and
considers the knowledgeable man as a live man and the ignoranc man as a dead man and that
those who have knowledge fear god most for allah says:

“those truly fear god among his servants, who have knowledge.”

“the blind and the seeing are not a like. Nor are the depths of darkness and the light.”

There are many sayings of the prophet which encourate muslims to seek knowledge from the
beginning of their lives untd the end, and which also consider knowledge as the way which
leads to pradise.

First he said : “seek knowledge from the womb to the grave,” and he also said: “whoever sets
foot on their way to knowledge, allah directs him to the way to paradise.”

Once the prophet entred the mosque, and found two groups of muslims setting there. One of
them was occupied in contemplation of god, and the others were studying. He joined the
group of those whi were studying and this was a sign that he appreciated their way and
encouraged muslims to seek knowledge by any means. In another hadith he said:

“the angels spread dwon their wings in appreciation for the seeker of knowledge.”

The prophet not only gave verbal encouragement to people to seek knowledge but took every
chance to provide opportunities for a large number of people learn to read and write, as this is
a way to knowledge. This is clearly illustrated after the battle of badr, when the muslims took
a number of prisoners from the quraysh in the battle. Some of them were literate. The ransom
of those who could read and write was that they should teach muslims children to read and
write.

When you read the holy qur’an you will find many verses urging muslim to study what they
see around them on earth and in the sky, and to use these things for the benefit of muslim
society. They cannot use them correctly unless they have some knowledge. And
knowledgeable people are of high rank in the sight of god. For the holy qur’an says:

“those who know and those who do not know cannot be regarded as equal.”

The muslim people understood clearly the approach of islam awards education. Therefore
they started to gain knowledge, taking the guidance of the holy qur’an as a light to show the
right way. And therefore they established Islamic civilization which prevailed throughout
most of the world, and gave human beings the benefit which they got from the teaching of the
holy qur’an, and the history of islam is full of famous muslim thinkers in every branch of
knowledge: philosophy, law, science, astronomy and art.