Knowledge & Sacrifice Build Muslim Communities

In this keynote address delivered at SeekersGuidance’s New Home benefit luncheon, Shaykh Yahya Rhodus explains the crucial role knowledge plays in bringing communities to life and the importance of sacrifice to spread knowledge. Shaykh Yahya begins by reading a memorandum on the state of our community and the challenges its leaders face, explaining how it fits into the agenda set by their illuminated teachers: “If you can’t plow seeds, so plow the land so that it is fertile enough for the next generation to plant seeds.” He also draws attention to the vision, foresight, and sacrifice of SeekersGuidance’s founder Shaykh Faraz Rabbani. Next, Shaykh Yahya stresses the importance of knowledge and religious education, necessary for wholistic Islamic living in the world today. He highlights the importance of building and laying foundations, and the crucial role of institutions like SeekersGuidance in preserving the wellbeing of the community. Shaykh Yahya closes by reminding that knowledge is the number one way to bring a heart, family, community, and society to life. Knowledge should be an excuse for other things, not vice versa. We should make knowledge a priority—not only in seeking it, but in supporting initiatives spreading the knowledge which gives one one’s orientation in life.