educational seminars

Bismillah,
'Read in the name of your Lord who has created you'

Knowledge in Islam is the beginning of one's servitude to God. He (swt) mentioned, 'Know for surety that there's no one worthy of worship except Allah'. The Prophet (s) was instructed to repeat the dua' ‘Rabbi zidni 'ilma’ – ‘O my Lord, increase me in knowledge.’

The Prophet (s) mentioned about the one who is on the path to seek knowledge is on the path to paradise. Such is the beautiful example of a student seeking knowledge in Islam.
Here I would like to mention how pleased I am with the recent proliferation of Islamic educational seminars. In central Jersey, we have al-Mishkat, al-Maghrib Institute, and Gibraltar Educational Initiative with a lineup of scholars such as Imam Dr. Djafer Sebkhaoui, Sheikh AbdulBary Yahya, and Dr. Shadee Elmasry. This is a great blessing and a mercy of God. May God increase our quest for knowledge.
Lastly, I want to mention a word of caution for the students of knowledge. Please beware of the following pitfalls:

1. Arrogance - 'dude, that's my fatwa on this issue'.
2. Tribalism - 'my group is the saved sect'.
3. Shaykh-ism - 'my shaykh is the scholar of all scholars and the Imam at the local masjid is so boring'.
4. Groupie - 'Islam is following my jamat'

Remember, knowledge is not simply mindless memorization. Rather, knowledge is that which benefits people in this world and in the hereafter. In conclusion, sufficient is the statement of Allah for all students of knowledge, "Have taqwa of God, and He will teach you".