#drops of knowledge

"Imagine a person who knows how to swim. And he is thrown into the ocean. But doesn't swim. Even though he knows how to swim, he chooses not to swim. We'd think he's crazy. THAT is having knowledge but no action." - Khateeb M.R

Let's start with a fundamental. Salaah. You KNOW it's a fundamental. It's not a blurred line or what's halal and what isn't and if it's really mandatory or not. You KNOW that you need it. You KNOW that it's 5x a day. And you KNOW it has an allotted time.

You also very well know that it's the first thing you are asked about on the Day of Judgement. And you know how to pray. Your mother, your father, someone who loves you, a friend, anyone, someone once taught you how to pray.

So how do you not pray? How do you CHOOSE to drown when you know how to swim?

And on that note, students of knowledge need to be so wary. You can't keep accumulating hadith and tafseer and fiqh and not implementing it. You can't be like the yahoodis. It's written that that's what they did. Donkeys with heavy stacks of books on their back. You can have juzz's of Quran and tafseer memorized, you can have all of hadith qudsi memorized. You can take Al-Maghrib courses and FKAD courses and attend all the halaqas around you.

What difference did it make? How many Nouman Ali Khan videos have you seen. How many Omar Suleiman and Yasir Qadhi lectures have you heard.

What difference did it make?

Do you actually read the Quran every day the way you should? Okay, once a week? Okay, once a month? Does the mushaf get your fingertips on it at least once a month?

Did you implement the tafseers you learned - about patience, about endurance, about looking forward to the akhira and fearing Allah. Did you implement the rulings you learned about slowing down your wudhu, using water cautiously, feeding the poor, being kind to your family, holding your tongue.

"If your level of knowledge is above average, you should not be content with worship that is average."

It boggles my mind that people who have such knowledge, who can reverberate where this ayah is from and know the esoteric rulings and have a clear understanding of seerah - can just forgo sunnah rakats on a daily basis. That people who spend their time seeking knowledge, don't pray duha at least once a week or once a month.

It's scary - that you can attain knowledge and not make use of it. Do you think Allah's giving it to you to just hoard inside your mind. Shouldn't it reach your heart. Shouldn't it change your character? Shouldn't it be more than fluffy information you share with others.

I think it's the burden of seeking this knowledge, but it must be addicting to fall in love with this religion.

And that's why renewing intentions, constantly thinking, being alone and reflecting on who you are and what you're doing is so important.

Don't have all the tools and know how to swim but let yourself drown.

SubhanAllah shares root letters with sibaha - to swim.

Because without Him you'd be drowning, and He gave you the ability to swim, it's up to you to use it.