Assalamu’alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh

Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim

1. Introduction

Friends whom Allah has blessed, in this digital age everyone is racing to increase engagement, followers, or social status in the eyes of people. But do we know what the best investment is to elevate our rank directly before the Creator of the universe?The answer is knowledge. Knowledge is not merely a pile of theories in books; it is a light that illuminates the path for a soul thirsting for truth.

Allah Subḥānahu wa Ta‘ālā has promised in the Qur’an :

يَرْفَعِ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنْكُمْ وَالَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْعِلْمَ دَرَجَاتٍ

“Allah will raise those who have believed among you and those who were given knowledge, by degrees.” (QS. Al-Mujādilah: 11)

The rank Allah gives to people of knowledge is not merely a position in this world, but an honor that extends all the way to Paradise. Why? Because through knowledge we come to know Allah (ma‘rifatullāh), understand how to worship correctly, and spread benefit throughout creation.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ emphasized how noble the path of seeking knowledge is :

مَنْ سَلَكَ طَرِيقًا يَلْتَمِسُ فِيهِ عِلْمًا سَهَّلَ اللَّهُ لَهُ بِهِ طَرِيقًا إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ

Whoever treads a path seeking knowledge, Allah will make easy for him a path to Paradise.” (HR. Muslim)

2. Lessons and Message

Knowledge is the only wealth that, when shared, does not decrease but only increases. The moral message is clear: Never stop being a learner. High rank with Allah is not attained by being idle, but through sincerity, the humility to keep learning, and sincerity in putting it into practice.Let us recall the story of Imām Ash-Shāfi‘ī raḥimahullāh in his childhood. He was an orphan raised in extreme poverty. Unable to afford paper, young Ash-Shāfi‘ī would collect bones, palm fronds, and broken pottery from the streets just to record the hadiths of the Prophet ﷺ.One night, under the dim light of a neighbor’s oil lamp that he “borrowed,” he wept—not from hunger, but from fear that his memorized knowledge would be lost. It was that perseverance, watered by tears in poverty, that raised his name. Centuries after his passing, millions of people around the world still mention his name with reverence. Allah truly elevated his rank!Imagine knowledge as a spring at the peak of a mountain. Its clear water flows downward, moistening dry soil, growing trees, and giving drink to all living creatures around it.A person of knowledge is that mountain peak—firm, elevated, and a source of life for those around them. Conversely, a person who refuses to seek knowledge is like barren soil in the middle of a desert—arid, producing nothing, and exhausting anyone who passes through it.Speaking of knowledge, there’s a unique phenomenon today. Many people feel “most knowledgeable” just from reading article headlines on social media or watching 15-second video clips. The moment there’s a discussion, they immediately type a comment as long as a train, full of emotion.There’s a saying: “A person of knowledge is like rice— the fuller it is, the lower it bows.” Well, if the fuller it is, the noisier it gets, then that’s not rice, friend… that’s an empty tin, a cracker can! The lesson is this: knowledge calms the soul and makes us wise, not makes us obsessed with finding other people’s faults in the comments section.

3. Conclusion and Closing

Brothers and sisters, pursuing worldly degrees is good, but pursuing rank with Allah through religious knowledge and beneficial action is far greater. A person who chases the world may not even get it, and will certainly miss the Hereafter. But a person of knowledge who seeks the Hereafter—Allah will raise their rank in this world and ease their path to Paradise.Let us correct our intention today. Let us use our gadgets not for what is futile, but as a means to seek and spread beneficial knowledge.May Allah Subḥānahu wa Ta‘ālā always guide our hearts, increase us in beneficial knowledge, and gather us with His beloved ones in Paradise.

والله أعلم بالصواب

الحمد لله رب العالمين

Wassalamu’alaikum Warahmaullahi Wabarakatuh.

ِAbu Sultan Al-Qadrie