Renown Cleric Arrests Delegates’ Interest in Knowledge

The interest of delegates at the 100th Islamic Vacation Course (IVC) holding at the Human Capital Development Centre, Epe has been further boosted by a renown lecturer, Dr Luqman AbdurRaheem.

In a lecture titled “Knowledge: The Starting Point”, the erudite scholar described knowledge as ‘light’, which paves into and overwhelms darkness.

According to him, ‘When you have knowledge, you have information, fact, which can never be taken by mere analysis.’

He furthered by classifying knowledge as done by Imam Abu Hamid Al Ghazali into; “Sacred/revealed knowledge, non-revealed knowledge, compulsory knowledge (praying, parenting…), praiseworthy knowledge (engineers, other fields), blameworthy knowledge – magic, soothsaying.

Delegates – brothers and sisters alike were seen out-rightly arrested by the descriptive finesse of the speaker who expertly delved into the ‘significance of knowledge’ by quoting from Qur’anic verses and the tradition of the prophet.

He explained also that being literally minded and logically philosophical is a part of the basis of Islam as early Muslims were great thinkers and philosophers, the pioneers of science, medicine, and many fields of study, the Golden Era of the old Andalusia- now Spain. He cited examples of Imam Hamblin, Ibn Rushd, Ali bn Sa’d, Aljabbar (algebra), alkhwarithmi (algorithm), Khalifah almansur (764 AD) who instituted an institution, Abbas bn Firnas in Cordoba who first made an aeroplane.

He concluded the lecture by highlighting the challenges of knowledge seeking which were; lack of priority, misplacement of reason (Allah’s sake), worldly affluence, poverty, waning of determination and non-application of the knowledge had.

Abdur Raheem who is the National Amir of The Muslim Congress (TMC), urged all to seek knowledge as a foundation in Islam. He cautioned that it should be done solely for Allah’s sake in the right channel so as to yield in manifold in the world and the hereafter.