Page 185 - Quranic Wisdom - New.indd

Quranic Wisdom

knowledge has to be a mutual venture, in the course of which
everyone gains something from everyone else. Here the taker is
the giver and the giver is the taker. Everyone plays both roles.

There are several ways of acquiring knowledge, one of them
being through discussion or dialogue. Discussion or dialogue
is not just a debating practice; it is an intellectual exchange.
Discussion, if it is to be fruitful, requires objectivity and must be
carried on in the questing spirit of give and take.
Books are a great source of knowledge. But the study of books
is not simply reading. It is establishing contact and consulting
with other thinkers and scholars. It is like a global discussion,
if the reader has the true spirit, and has the ability to acquire
knowledge from universal sources. The library is the place for
this, for it is like a global conference room. A library makes it
possible for you to reach all the world’s minds.

Discussion or dialogue is not just a debating
practice; it is an intellectual exchange. Discussion, if
it is to be fruitful, requires objectivity and must be
carried on in the questing spirit of give and take.

The learning process is a must for everyone and that applies
to both men and women. The old man is just as much in need
of it as the young man. Even great scholars are no exception in
this regard. One scholar has rightly said, ‘Live with the spirit of
learning and die with the spirit of learning.’ Learning is a lifelong
process. It has a beginning, but no end.
The Prophet of Islam once said that you should acquire
wisdom, even if you have to go to the ends of the earth. This
shows the true spirit of learning. And all men and women should
become imbued with this spirit.

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