Knowledge: The Foundation for True Virtue

Alhamdulillah. Continuing the sixth chapter, the chapter of authored by we heard yesterday the statement of the prophet very powerful statement. He said the best of them speaking about the tribes of the Arabs and the tribes of the Arabs are precious metals. The prophet sallallah.aii alaihi wasallam said in the narration of also in he said.

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He said people are precious metals. The best of them in Jahyah are still the best of them after the coming of Islam as long as they have knowledge and knowledge here being referred to as understanding right it's not just facts it is true understanding and insight of the book of Allah of the sunnah of the prophet Sam. And so there is no way that a person can reach the heights of virtue without knowledge. No matter how good their intention is. As a matter of fact, the idea that one's intention can be very very good without knowledge is also incorrect because intention has details to it. Intention needs understanding and knowledge in order to purify it in order that a person may perfect his intention. And so all of these things need knowledge. There's no way to climb the rungs of the ladder of emen without knowledge. It is not possible. It's just you do not have the technology that you need in order to obtain that highness. No matter how much a person wants something, no matter how good their intention may be, no matter how strongly they desire it, if they don't have the means to do it, they will not be able to do it. And so the prophet sallall.aii wasallam places this as a condition. We see the next narration here. The narration which is number 70 in the order of the narrations of the book and it is the second narration in this chapter. Chapter number six says do we know what what his name is? Who knows his name? No, mentioned it before.

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And listen to this statement. Memorize it. Memorize it and think about it all the time. As a matter of fact, place this narration on the forefront of your mind. And whenever you look to do something or say something or make a decision, remember this statement.

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He says indeed the life of this duny this world is sweet and green. It's very alluring. It's very seductive. At first taste, it's very sweet. At first glance, it's very green. And indeed, Allah has placed you here in this dunya in order to watch what you do. and to observe your decisions and choices and so shield yourselves from the misguidance or the mischief of the dunya and specifically the seduction of women. Here he's saying shield yourselves the same wording we said it we said it is what using a shield shielding yourself shielding yourself how do we shield ourselves by observing Allah's commandments and abstaining from his prohibitions. So he's saying so shield yourselves from the seduction of the dunya and the seduction of women specifically are women and the seduction of women not the you know a part of the seduction of the general seduction of the dunya. Yeah, it's the same thing, right? So, it's it's all part of the same thing, but but here he's pointing out this specifically because of its danger. it a very specific and potent danger on its own all on its own and that is the seduction of women. So here he's saying from the seduction of the dunya and the seduction of women. The seduction of women is part of the seduction of the dunya, but it is so potent, so dangerous, so deadly that it warrants its own mention. He says, "So protect yourselves from the seduction of the dunya and specifically the seduction of women. For indeed, the first fitna that Bi is led astray with was that of women and had to do with the seduction of women. And so these this here is our prophet sallall.aii alaihi wasallam warning us from stepping off of the path. And one of the things that will take a person off of the path most thoroughly and most swiftly is the seduction of the dunya in general, specifically the seduction of women. And the seduction of women is not just speaking about that of Zena. He could have said Zena and but it's more broad than that. It's not just the seduction of Zena, but it's also the seduction of, you know, anything that has to do with a romantic love which causes a person to sacrifice their hereafter for. This is what is intended, right? If a person is not blessed with a good wife for instance, a wife that fears Allah, a wife that doesn't drive him to evil, a person could have his fortune befall him with a woman that is incredibly seductive to him and only pulls him to evil. this person, even though she may be his wife, her obedience may take him off the path as well because romantic love or romantic interest is incredibly potent to the point that the prophet sallall.aii wasallam said he he described it as that there is no seduction more powerful than the seduction of a woman with respect to blinding a man, making a man almost seemingly lose his mind even if he is a very intelligent person. And this is not necessarily a bad thing. It is a bad thing when it is used for bad. And so we see a good woman will have a very good effect on her husband. A companion her dowy. This is Anna Malik's mother. her dowy, her m was that Abu Tala accept Islam, right? And so her dowy was that Abu Tala accept Islam. And so because of a good woman and she used her seduction to introduce him to the best of the life of this world, companionship of the prophet Muhammad sallall.aii wasallam and the best of the hereafter. However, that can be the opposite as well. There were people during the time of the companions the who completely left Islam left the prophet sallall.aii wasallam's u companionship because they fell in with the wrong woman. And this is something that I'm sure all of us have stories about. So sometimes it's oh is it only women? No, no. Men are very powerful in their own right. Women are extremely powerful in their own right. A man may conquer the world and then a woman may conquer a man. Right? And so this is very potent. Seduction of a woman is incredibly potent. So the prophet sallallah.aii alaihi wasallam points it out and that it is a warning for men and it is a warning for women as well to not use this tool or not use this ability for bad or evil. Sai.