Assalamu’alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh

Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim

1. Introduction

Friends beloved by Allah,

When the cost of education, the price of physical books, and access to learning spaces grow ever more expensive, the poor and underprivileged children are the first to be marginalized from the stage of knowledge. Scientifically, in information dissemination theory and the digitalization of education, the most radical and efficient solution to overcome this financial gap is to provide free or extremely affordable materials. By leveraging technology—such as distributing digital books [e-books], producing free learning videos on social media, and opening study circles with no registration fees—we are democratizing knowledge. When knowledge is spread inclusively without a price tag, we are demolishing economic walls and granting every soul an equal right to grow intellectually. Islam is a religion that strongly condemns concealing or commercializing knowledge to the point of blocking access for those who need it. Making teaching materials free for the needy is a form of ṣadaqah jāriyah whose reach transcends space and time.

Allah Subḥānahu wa Ta‘ālā condemns those who hide the truth and the knowledge that should flow as guidance for humanity:

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَكْتُمُونَ مَآ أَنزَلْنَا مِنَ ٱلْبَيِّنَٰتِ وَٱلْهُدَىٰ مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَا بَيَّنَّٰهُ لِلنَّاسِ فِي ٱلْكِتَٰبِ ۙ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ يَلْعَنُهُمُ ٱللَّهُ وَيَلْعَنُهُمُ ٱللَّٰعِنُونَ

“Indeed, those who conceal what We sent down of clear proofs and guidance after We made it clear for the people in the Scripture—those are cursed by Allah and cursed by those who curse.” (QS. Al-Baqarah: 159)

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ also gave a very stern warning in a hadith about the danger of withholding knowledge from those who need it:

مَنْ سُئِلَ عَنْ عِلْمٍ فَكَتَمَهُ أُلْجِمَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ بِجِامٍ مِنْ نَارٍ

“Whoever is asked about knowledge and conceals it will be bridled with a bridle of fire on the Day of Resurrection.” (HR. Abu Dawud)

2. Lessons and Message

Let us picture a young man in a remote post-disaster village. He has an extraordinary passion to deepen his religious and linguistic knowledge, but to buy even one physical book, his mother must go into debt or sacrifice three days’ worth of grocery money. One afternoon, he stands in front of a bookstore, gazing tearfully at the rows of beautiful book covers through the glass. He feels his empty pocket, then walks home with drooping shoulders, wiping his tears. He feels the world is terribly unfair because knowledge belongs only to those with thick wallets. But how moving it is when an educational institution or youth activists of digital da‘wah arrive with a solution. They create a website or a dedicated social media channel that provides hundreds of free digital book download links, recorded video explanations chapter by chapter, and a free Q&A service. When the young man finds that channel on his simple phone, he sits down in the dark corner of his room and weeps uncontrollably with joy. That night, he can read the book he dreamed of without making his mother go hungry. That free access has saved the future of a would-be scholar of the ummah.

Friends, the analogy is like a clear spring gushing at the peak of a mountain in the midst of a severe dry season. That water is the source of life needed by all the thirsty residents of the valley. But imagine if a group of wealthy people built a high concrete fence around the spring and charged an exorbitant fee for anyone who wanted to take a single ladle of water. What happens? The poor people in the valley below will die of thirst or be forced to drink from dirty, toxic puddles. Knowledge is that spring of life. Selling knowledge at prices the poor cannot afford is the same as fencing off the spring of civilization. The true solution is to build free digital pipelines that channel that clear water straight to the homes of the residents in the valley below. Let everyone—whether the child of an official or the child of a farm laborer—drink the water of knowledge to their fill without paying a cent.

There is a humorous story about a father in a village who really wanted to learn tajwīd in depth, but was embarrassed because of his age and had no money to join private lessons. Coincidentally, a creative young ustadz launched a free tajwīd video program on TikTok and YouTube that anyone could access. Every night the father would lock himself in his room, place his phone on his pillow, and mimic the letter pronunciations from the video in a loud voice to improve his recitation. “Aaaa… Baaa… Taaa…” the father shouted from inside the room. His wife in the kitchen panicked and knocked hard on the door, “Sir! Why are you shouting inside? Are you sick with some strange illness or possessed by a jinn?” The father opened the door with a wide smile and showed his phone screen, “I’m not possessed by a jinn, Ma! I’m being entered by free tajwīd knowledge from the digital ustadz! Imagine—free tissues, free learning data, and most importantly: free from the shame of being teased by neighbors because I’m learning inside my sarong!” The wife burst out laughing at her husband’s explanation. This funny story carries a profound lesson: providing free and easy materials through digital media not only solves financial problems, but also tears down the psychological walls of inferiority and shame for people who want to return to the path of knowledge.

3. Conclusion and Closing

Brothers and sisters, financial limitation must no longer be the classic excuse that imprisons the ummah’s intelligence in this modern era. The concrete solution to this external obstacle lies in the hands of us educators, Muslim content creators, and institution managers: let us provide learning materials for free or at low cost. Share digital books, create high-quality educational videos without paywalls, and revive study circles that are free of charge. When we waive the cost of knowledge for Allah’s servants who need it, be certain that Allah Subḥānahu wa Ta‘ālā will multiply our provision and the blessings in our lives from directions we never expected. Let us make digital technology a bridge of blessing that channels the light of knowledge to every corner of the earth, without economic barriers.

والله أعلم بالصواب

الحمد لله رب العالمين

Wassalamu’alaikum Warahmaullahi Wabarakatuh.

ِAbu Sultan Al-Qadrie