“Learning, Acting, and Teaching for the Sake of Allah: The Timeless Islamic Ethos of Beneficial Knowledge”

Introduction

This week marks the anniversaries of the passing of three towering scholars in the Islamic tradition: ‘Allāmah al-Ḥillī (d. 726 AH) on the 21st of Muḥarram, Shaykh al-Ṭūsī (d. 460 AH) on the 22nd, and Mullā Muḥammad Narāqī (d. 1297 AH) on the 23rd. The coincidence of their memorials reminds us of the enduring value that Islam places on knowledge (‘ilm), not just as information, but as a means of spiritual growth and societal improvement.

Islam’s emphasis on learning emerged at a time when most societies did not value the pursuit of knowledge, let alone its ethical application. The Prophet Muḥammad (peace be upon him and his family) was sent with a message that radically redefined the purpose and nature of learning: it was not merely for status or worldly gain, but for the sake of Allah. This Islamic vision, still as fresh and relevant today, calls us to reflect on how knowledge can shape us and the world around us. To honour these great scholars and the Quranic ethos they lived by this week’s Hadith section reflects on a powerful narration by Imam Ja‘far al-Ṣādiq (peace be upon him):

امام الجعفر الصادق (ع): مَن تَعَلَّمَ العِلمَ وَ عَمِلَ بِهِ وَ عَلَّمَ لِلّهِ دُعِىَ فى مَلَكُوتِ السَّماواتِ عَظيما فَقيلَ: تَعَلَّمَ لِلّهِ وَ عَمِلَ لِلّهِ وَ عَلَّمَ لِلّهِ

“Whoever learns knowledge, acts upon it, and teaches it for the sake of Allah will be called great in the kingdom of the heavens. It will be said: ‘He learned for Allah, acted for Allah, and taught for Allah.” (Sharḥ Uṣūl al-Kāfī, Vol. 1, p. 56)

Some of the educational messages of this Hadith for the different groups in Muslim society are outlined here.

Educational Lessons from the Ḥadīth for Youth & Adolescents

Message 1: Learn for the Sake of Allah

Seek knowledge with sincere intention. It is natural to pursue education for career and life improvement but align your ultimate goal with seeking Allah’s pleasure. This gives your learning a higher purpose and greater reward. Purity of intention transforms every subject into an act of worship.

Practical Challenge: Write down your top three reasons for learning something this week and reflect on how each can be redirected towards pleasing Allah.

Message 2: Act Upon What You Learn

Knowledge without action is incomplete. Implementing what you learn shapes your character and makes your learning meaningful. Living your knowledge builds credibility and earns trust. Apply even small lessons, as consistency matters more than quantity.

Practical Challenge: Identify one principle you’ve learned recently and apply it in your behaviour over the next three days.

Message 3: Teach Others What You Know

Sharing knowledge is a powerful way to deepen your own understanding. Teaching reinforces what you’ve learned and benefits others. It also connects you to a broader purpose. Islam views the act of teaching as a sacred duty when done for Allah.

Practical Challenge: Choose one helpful concept you know and explain it to a sibling, friend, or online group.

Educational Lessons from the Ḥadīth for Parents

Message 4: Emphasise the Value of Divine Intention

Teach your children that actions should be done with sincerity and for Allah’s sake. Embed this mindset in everyday conversations. Use your own examples to show how intention changes outcomes. This builds spiritual awareness in your household.

Practical Challenge: At the dinner table, ask each family member to name one thing they did for the sake of Allah that day.

Message 5: Encourage Your Children to Teach Others What They Learn

Inspire a culture of sharing beneficial knowledge at home. When your children learn something new at school, mosque, or online, invite them to explain it to the family – even at the dinner table. This builds confidence and reinforces that knowledge has purpose beyond exams – it’s meant to be spread.

Practical Challenge: Ask each child to share one lesson they’ve learned this week and discuss how it can be applied in daily life.

Educational Lessons from the Ḥadīth for Religious Leaders & Imams

Message 6: Be a Living Example of the Hadith

Your community watches not just what you say, but what you do. Embodying sincerity in learning, acting, and teaching adds authenticity to your message. Use the pulpit to encourage intention-driven education. Inspire others by sharing your own journey of learning.

Practical Challenge: Begin your next khutbah or talk by reflecting on how this Hadith influences your own teaching philosophy.

Message 7: Revive the Tradition of Meaningful Teaching

Don’t just transmit information but nurture hearts. Teach in a way that connects knowledge to real life, ethics, and divine accountability. Encourage your community to seek beneficial knowledge (‘ilm nafi’). Highlight role models from our heritage who exemplified this Hadith.

Practical Challenge: Host a short series or online post about a scholar who lived by this Hadith and what we can learn from their legacy.

Message 8: Teach Clearly and Sincerely for the Sake of Allah

To truly teach for Allah’s sake, one must ensure that knowledge is delivered in a way people can genuinely benefit from. This means speaking at the audience’s level, avoiding unnecessary complexity, and using meaningful analogies. Making knowledge clear is part of sincere teaching, and sincere teaching is what the hadith honours as spiritually great.

Simplifying Islamic teachings is not about diluting them; it’s about fulfilling your trust as a teacher; to convey guidance accessibly, compassionately, and for Allah alone.

Practical Challenge: Craft and deliver one Friday khutbah or lesson without any jargon or technical terms. Aim to make every point understandable to a teenager and spiritually meaningful to a seeker.

Message 9: Foster Community Teaching

This sacred tradition reminds us that knowledge in Islam is not meant to be hoarded, it is a trust to be shared. Teaching, when done sincerely for the sake of Allah, is elevated to an act of worship and honoured by the angels. The hadith encourages every believer not only to seek knowledge and act upon it, but also to nurture a culture of sharing it with others, especially within one’s local community.

This doesn’t require formal qualifications. Whether you are a parent, youth leader, or community member, you can create simple, regular spaces where knowledge is exchanged sincerely; for example, a weekly Qur’an reflection circle, a storytelling evening for children, or basic tajwid practice among neighbours. These efforts bring light to the community and embody the very spirit of the hadith.

Practical Challenge: Choose one small topic you’ve learned recently and organise a monthly “knowledge exchange” gathering at your home, local mosque, or online platform. Invite others to do the same, with the sole intention of pleasing Allah.