Friday sermon: Reading is the key to knowledge

ABU DHABI // Reading is the key to harness sciences, master skills, learn religious teachings and acquire the knowledge and heritage of former and later peoples, today's sermon says.

Muslims have been urged to recite the Quran to seek God's help, guidance and forgiveness.

The sermon talks about the merits of reading, particularly the Quran which imparts a delight for the soul and a feed for the thought.

"You are advised to read different kinds of sciences and texts as there are a large number of materials translated into Arabic, making knowledge conveniently available in our mother tongue," the sermon says.

This is accentuated by the evolution of reading tools, which are no longer the preserve of conventional mediums: books, journals, magazines and so on. Reading has become electronic through the internet, featuring varied knowledge content that feeds the souls and thoughts, it says.

It is no wonder then that it is a reason for elevating the status of man either in his lifetime or after his death. Allah the most exalted says in the Quran: "Allah will raise those who have believed among you and those who were given knowledge, by degrees. And Allah is acquainted with what you do."

The sermon says: "Allah has bestowed upon us existence, but He made our life restricted in span. It remains short no matter how much it lasts. For this reason the Quran urges us to invest in our time by doing good deeds so as to benefit ourselves and nation."