The History of Islamic Learning - II
Islam attaches such great importance to learning that the Quran says: “Only those of His servants who possess knowledge, fear God.” (35:28). Scholars are considered to be like angels (3:18), given their potential for discovering the oneness and the glory of the Creator. To inculcate this importance of knowledge in the minds of the believers, the Prophet observed that the worship of a learned man is a thousand times better than that of the ignorant worshipper (Mustadrak al-Hakim). By way of encouraging reflection on the universe and nature in order to explore divine glories, the Prophet is reported to have said: “An hour of reflection is better than a hundred years of worship without reflection.” (Al-Bayhaqi)
From the Islamic point of view, A sane society is but an extension of a sane family. Human society is nothing other than a single-family gradually extended throughout history. That is why Islam has greatly emphasized the significance of family life being disciplined and well-organised so that it may play its part in maintaining social stability.
A society composed of such homes or training units where these values are embodied will never suffer from the chaos and destructive instabilities that modern societies are suffering nowadays.