Essential Knowledge

In order to live entirely for Islam and follow the Islamic path, one must master some basic elements of knowledge, among which the following five should be highlighted:
1- The Divine Purpose of Life
“To serve and worship Allah Only.” [Qur’an, Surah Adh-Dhariyat, 51:56] “He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in six Days - and His Throne was over the waters - that He might try you to determine who is best in conduct.” [Qur’an Surah Hud, 11:7]

2- The Value of the World
Allah tells us:
“Do you prefer the life of this world to the Hereafter? But little is the comfort of this life as compared with the Life to Come.” [Qur’an, Surah At-Taubah, 9:38]

“Such are the possessions of this world’s life; but the nearness to Allah is the best of the goals.” [Qur’an, Surah Al-‘Imran 3:14]

And in the hadith we read:
It has been narrated that one day the Prophet (Peace be upon him) was standing beside a garbage dump and he called to the companions and said: “Pursue the world.” Then he took a smelly piece of garbage and a rotten bone and said: “This is the world.”

On another day, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) saw the cadaver of a young sheep that had been thrown away by the owner. Then the Prophet (Peace be upon him) turned towards his companions and said: “Have you ever thought how worthless is this cadaver to the owner. By Allah, the world is more worthless in the eyes of Allah than this cadaver in the eyes of its owner. If the world were equal in value to a mosquito’s wing, surely Allah would not have given the unbelievers even a sip of water.”

Then the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: “Doomsday is around the corner, but humans are still lusting for the world and are distant from Allah.” Then he added.  “The world is a prison for the believers and paradise for the unbelievers.” [Reported by Muslim]

3- The Certainty of Death Allah tells us
“All that is on earth will perish, but the face of your Lord will abide for ever - Full of Majesty, Bounty and Honor.” [Qur’an, Surah Ar-Rahman, 55:26-27]

“Every soul shall have a taste of death, but only on the Day of Judgement shall you be paid your full recompense. Only he who is saved from the Fire and admitted to the Garden will have attained his purpose in life, for the life of this world is but goods and chattels of deception.” [Qur’an, Surah Al-‘Imran, 3:185]

Several ahadith are relevant:
Abu Dharr AI-Ghifari reports: “I asked the Messenger of Allah, ’What was the message of the revelation to Moses?’ The Prophet (Peace be upon him) replied: ‘The books revealed to Moses are a reminder. It is surprising to see people who believe in death but still feel happy, people who believe in Hell but still laugh, people who believe in Allah’s assurance but still feel unsatisfied, people who notice how the world treats those who live in it and still desire it, and people who believe in the Day of Judgement and still do not do good deeds’.”

It has been narrated from Abu Hurairah that he said:
“We went out together with the Prophet (Peace be upon him) to accompany a funeral. As the Prophet (Peace be upon him) was sitting next to the grave, he said, “Whenever a person comes to this grave it will shout: “Oh son of Adam, have you forgotten me? Do you realize that I am a lonely place to be in, a quiet place, a place for insects, and a narrow place unless Allah makes me wider?” Then the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said, ‘The grave is either part of a garden of Paradise or a hole in Hell”.” [Reported by Tabrani]

4- The Difference Between Right and Wrong
In order to live for Islam one must learn the essentials of Islam jurisprudence, which is foundation of Islam and of all Knowledge. Allah the Almighty has said:

“Do not approach the Qur’an in Haste, before it has been revealed to you in full, but say, “O my Sustainer, make me grow in knowledge.”” [Qur’an, Surah Ta-Ha, 20:114]

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:
“Verily, knowledge is obtained by learning while understanding is obtained by experience. Whenever Allah wants to benefit a person, He gives him understanding of the din.” [Reported by Tabrani]

“Verily, the prophets did not want dinars of dirhams, but knowledge. Whoever will accept it, will receive a real wealth.” [Reported by Abu Da’ud and Tabrani]

5- The Fallacies of Ignorant
The wise man should learn to know his enemies. He should understand their way of thinking, their factional divisions, and their way of fighting. Moreover, should study their defects and shortcomings. Since one’s greatest enemy is ignorance, one must know the fallacies of the ignorant and their direct and indirect consequences, so then one can be prepared confront and fight them. The advice of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) is true:

“Whoever learns the language of tribe, will be safe from (their) tricks.”