Read!

I want to write something, but not sure what, or how. Last night was a full moon. We, Muslims, have fasted for half a month already.

Tomorrow, some states will have a day off, in commemorating Nuzul Quran - the descent of Quran. People of the past don't celebrate this day, but probably it's a good thing we make it a holiday that we remember our history, on the day our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) got his first revelation that shall shed light to all humankind.

I hate to make preaching blog writings, it makes this blog boring. Nevertheless, we are all connected to religion, regardless of how strong we practice it. I like to make lay people like me feel connected to what we believe in. When people talk about Nuzul Quran, they can either talk about the Quran itself - the greatest miracle Allah has ever bestowed on Earth - or there is another significant message on that historic event that we shall be reminded of - the importance of knowledge.

I got an email from my aunt quite some time ago that I would like to share. Thanks to Gmail's search mail feature, here it is:

Demographics:

World Jewish population: 14 million.

Distribution: 7m in America, 5m in Asia, 2m in Europe and hundreds of thousands in Africa.

World Muslim population: 1.5 billion.

Distribution: 1 billion in Asia/Mid-East, 400m in Africa, 44m in Europe, 6m in the Americas.

Every fifth human being is a Muslim.

For every single Hindu there are two Muslims.

For every Buddhist there are two Muslims.

For every Jew there are 107 Muslims.

Yet the 14 million Jews are more powerful than the entire 1.5 billion Muslims. Why?

Why are they powerful and why are Muslims powerless?

Here's another reason. We have lost the capacity to produce knowledge.

In the entire Muslim world (57 Muslim countries) there are only 500 universities.

In USA alone, 5,758 universities.

In India alone, 8,407 universities.

Not one university in the entire Islamic world features in the top 500 ranking universities of the world.

Literacy in the Christian world - 90%

Literacy in the Muslim world - 40%

15 Christian-majority countries' literacy rate - 100%

Muslim-majority countries with 100% - None

98% in Christian countries completed primary education

Only 50% in Muslim countries completed primary education

40% in Christian countries attended university

In Muslim countries, a dismal 2% attended university

Muslim-majority countries have 230 scientists per million

The USA has 5000 per million

The Christian world - 1000 technicians per million

Entire Arab world - only 50 technicians per million

Muslim world spending on R&D - 0.2% of GDP

Christian world's R&D - 5.0% of GDP

Conclusion: The Muslim world lacks the capacity to produce knowledge.

Another way of testing the degree of knowledge is the degree of diffusing knowledge.

Pakistan: 23 daily newspapers per 1000 citizens

Singapore: 460 per 1000 citizens

UK book titles per million is 2000

Egypt book titles per million is only 17

Conclusion: Muslim World is failing to diffuse knowledge.

Applying knowledge is another such test.

Exports of high-tech products from Pakistan: 0.9%

In Saudi Arabia: Only 0.2%

Kuwait, Morocco and Algeria: Only 0.3%

Tiny Singapore (4 million population): 68%!

Conclusion: Muslim world is failing to apply knowledge.

What do you conclude? No need to tell, the figures are speaking themselves very loudly but we are unable to use the ears Allah gave us to listen and eyes to let us see.

Advice

Please educate yourself and your children. Excuses like lack of money, ability or opening are nothing more than that - excuses.

Always promote education, don't compromise on it. We hate to be weak, illiterate and poor but are we too weak to give our children the opportunity to break the curse?

Don't ignore your children's slightest misguidance from education. And please, for Allah's sake, don't use your personal contacts to promote your children in their education. If they fail, let them because it will make them learn the sweetness of success. Remember, if they can't do it now, they can't ever.

With knowledge comes power, and with it even the small can rule over the big. We are world's biggest but sadly NOT strongest nation.

All we need is to identify and explore our inner selves. Insha-Allah, our weapon to victory, our duty to spread God's words and our opportunity save all humankind is best through knowledge, creativity, literacy. And nothing else.

Wake up O khalifahs of the land, wake up.

First of all, I'm a great skeptic when it comes to forwarded emails. I doubt everything, even when proved with seemingly scientific facts or seemingly words of Prophet (peace be upon him). Why? People make up facts and quotes to convince people, even to the extent of forging hadiths to convey their message. Perhaps this email forged their own statistics, too. I'm sure Malaysia has some universities in the top 500, and the term 'high-tech product' is ambiguous. But the message is there, and it is clear and undeniable that we Muslims are severely lacking and lagging behind.

Second, don't hate the Jews when their controlling the world's economy. Hate ourselves that we are incapable of doing what they're doing. We should envy their success and make it a driving force for us to be even better than them.

And most importantly, the point I'm trying to connect with Nuzul Quran, is about the first word from the Holy Book that descended from His Heavens to His servant. It is Iqra'. Read.

Islam puts immense emphasis on knowledge, so much so that it is the first message that was passed down to humans. I don't think there is any other religion that pays such emphasis on knowledge than Islam. We are obliged to seek knowledge for every Muslim men and women, from birth to death. In Quran it is scattered with knowledge - science or religion, law or economy - to give us a headstart, an advantage over the others, and yet we are trailing way behind. We used to be in front, but now we are eating their dust.

Seek knowledge. Spread knowledge. Help others in their quest for knowledge. Is it only religious studies? Allah didn't say so, nor did our Prophet (peace be upon him). To achieve greatness, we must balance our worldly life and the hereafter, and that includes religious studies as well as chemistry, medicine, physics, economy, literature, sociology, technology, mathematics, politics, astronomy and list is endless.

In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.

Read! In the Name of your Lord, Who has created (all that exists),

Has created man from a clot (embryo),

Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous,

Who has taught (the writing) by the pen,

Has taught man that which he knew not.

(Al-Alaq:1-5)