Connect yourself to a community of learners
Hujjat al-Islam Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali address to staff and students of the Hawza Ilmiyya in London as it opened for a new academic year
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Today we find that we have a paradox in the world, for,
In my understanding, another characteristic of this is disconnectedness. You may be surprised, for this is the age of connection and the age of communication. Although that is true, our souls are disconnected and more than ever human beings are disconnected. Yes, bodies are connected and you can travel by fast planes. Today you are here, but in the evening you are in Canada or the US. Yes, you can communicate over Skype, but I do not think in any time in history people were so disconnected from their family members or neighbours. Even sometimes you are disconnected from your children or parents; you do not know what is going on in the mind of the person who you are living with for years. Therefore, in the same
Thirdly, I think humanity has become very weak. It is true that we have learned how to develop our muscles and how to make machines that serve us in everything so that we do not need to do that much; we do not need to walk or do any farming because robots are
In one Akhlaq (ethics) lecture, I explained this issue of how it seems we are becoming more and more like elephants. Although an elephant is massive in size, it can be managed by a child. Jinns are massive in their power, but they can be captured and controlled by human beings. Thus, you can not measure strength by physical power and mobility; you can only measure it by willpower. Unfortunately, I believe that today the willpower of humanity is in decline. How much are we able to resist temptations, fashion, trends, and advertisements? This is the age of instant satisfaction. You only do those things by which you can quickly get back some pleasure and satisfaction. To summarise, we have three characteristics among other characteristics, but these three are extremely important in my mind. The first is uncertainty, the second is disconnectedness and loneliness, and the third is
Therefore, what is the solution? The solution is to connect yourself to a community of learners who are connected to the sources of true knowledge. Imam Ali(a) eloquently explains this point, and with the introduction, I have mentioned perhaps now you can have a new look at this hadith(tradition). Recently in
“These hearts are containers and the best of them are the best in containing. They can contain more and better.” I do not have time to explain this statement”. The Imam further said: “Remember what I am telling you”. “People are of three types: godly scholars.” Through their knowledge, they reflect the light of God on their own life and the lives of others. “And seekers of knowledge, learners who are on the path of salvation.” And the third is like “flies who have no significance, whenever a wind comes they go to the direction of the wind. They have not been seeking and enlightened with the light of knowledge. They have not been able to hold onto a firm pillar.”
I think this hadith of Imam Ali(a) can be very well understood today. Either you are a godly scholar, a member of a community of seekers of knowledge under the guidance of ‘ulama, or a misguided person.
It seems this is the only way to save ourselves. If we need to overcome uncertainty, if we want to overcome disconnectedness, and if we want to be powerful, not in our body but in our soul and spirit, then we have to dedicate our
I hope that God would see in our little community that we have here in this Hawzah a real thirst for knowledge and true dedication to what we learn so that God would accept us as a group of
It is inevitable that obstacles will be faced, for they come whenever you want to do something good. However, if you want to study in Hawzah obstacles come from the ‘sky and the earth’. I remember that my first teacher used to say to me: “For
“All praise belongs to God, the Lord of allthe Worlds.”
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