The Importance of Knowledge

Assalamu'alaikum wrwb......

Just about an hour ago (well, before I fell asleep briefly, I couldn't tahan the sleepiness hehe), I was listening to 1 of Malcolm X's recorded speeches on Youtube before this colleague of mine came to me about something. He saw the screen on my laptop and somehow, what he said about Malcolm X disturbed me..It was something about him joining an islamic extremist organisation so I googled Malcolm X up, and read Wikipedia....

Reading the article on him amazed me...It made how different environments and knowledge can shape a person's life and his determination to do something, while others might just wait at the background for a miracle to happen or somebody else to do something they believe they couldn't do....As I read, I became disturbed, sad and a feeling of wanting to do something washed over me...According to this article by Wikipedia (sorry, I was just reading from 1 source so I myself might be biased in giving a brief 'account' of what he went through and giving my opinion here, as I do not know this man very well and his life in reality), Malcolm X was a brilliant student when he was in junior high school but dropped out due to a racist statement by his teacher (when he said he wanted to become a lawyer)....He went through a lot in his 39 or 40 years of life, starting from becoming a troubled teenager and adult, which got him imprisoned for about 10 years...While in prison, and right after he went out of prison, he came to know an organisation, the Nation of Islam (NOI), and became  a very important figure in the organisation and outside, became an activist fighting against racism (something like that), giving talks for NOI to the public, esp the African-American who felt the injustice of racism back then, until the time when he was killed and the allegations after that...You can read more on his life from the website, his autobiography, and from other sources....Talking about Malcolm X is not my main reason for publishing this entry...I browsed down the article and my eyes caught 'The Man Who Didn't Shoot Malcolm X' and checked this interesting article.

The man who didn't shoot Malcolm X, Khalil Islam (then known as Thomas 15X), was imprisoned for 22 years for the crime he allegedly didn't commit (I can't say he truly didn't although it seems like he is innocent, cz I do not know for sure) and told his side of the story and how he know of Malcolm X...What interests me is not his innocence, but instead his story back then when he was a lieutenant of NOI's Temple No. 7. (Please do read the article fully).  He was also a troubled teenager (addicted to heroine by the age of 12) until he was imprisoned at Attica if I am not mistaken. There, he came to know about NOI and after his release from prison, he went to join this organisation.

It was really saddening reading what he had gone through in life. It was clear from his interview in this article (he was imprisoned for 22 years for the crime he claimed he didn't do) that he was 'manipulated' by this organisation in believing that the founder was a God (in human form or something) and Elijah Muhammad, the leader of NOI at that time, was a prophet or a messenger of God.....Knowing the teachings of islam, we clearly know that this is wrong...how can a mere human be God (Allah), how can Allah be in the form of a being (makhluk), be the same as what He has Created? He surely would not be a Creator if He is the same as what He Creates, right? And how can there be a prophet after Nabi Muhammad SAW (pbuh) when he is the last prophet to be sent for us until the Day of Judgement? How can a person, calling himself a muslim, acknowledge this? We cannot and should not sneer at them or blame them for not knowing this because they at that time didn't know the truth. We should pity them because they didn't know. And we should also reflect upon this matter, that there are probably a lot of other people now who might have a similar problem too, not knowing and not understanding about islam, so they cannot see and feel the beauty of islam. Upon knowing and realising this, we should remember that it is our job to help these people out, to see islam as it actually is and to live a true life of a muslim as how our loved Prophet Muhammad SAW taught, with guidance from the Qur'an.

Knowledge is power. Even Rasulullah had stated in at the end of his khutbah after the opening of Mecca, 'sampaikan daripadaku walau satu ayat'....islam encourages the seeking of knowledge and to use knowledge appropriately, as long as it doesn't go against the syari'at of islam. 

So, what are we going to do? Sit back & wait for others to teach, talk and spread islam, or are we going to proactively help other people to understand islam? Islam is not a religion that promotes violence, and it is not a deen that restricts its embracers and followers from becoming successful in life here in the dunia as well....well, one can only know once they truly embrace the silamic teachings and applying them in their daily lives, Allahu a'lam.....