Knowledge is Powerful than Money Respected president, honorable faculty staff and my fellow students A. O. A. Knowledge is powerful than wealth is our today’s topic of discussion. When we say that knowledge is power we mean that knowledge is the only source of strength in the world. The idea that wealth is power is also quite common, it is believed to be true by a number of people but that is wrong; wealth is not a permanent thing. A man may be wealthy today but he may become very poor tomorrow. So man’s wealth cannot be a true source of power. Thus it is only knowledge that is a real source of power.

Knowledge is wealth; if you have knowledge of market condition, you can become a rich trader and stock broker, you can get well-salaried jobs. If you want to engage in any trade of occupation, you have to learn it as an apprentice, otherwise you are lost at seas and will lose your capital instead of earning more. Knowledge and experience are most important in order to become wealthy man. MR PRESIDENT: Although in the present age money has become very necessary thing and people are giving much more importance to it, they are considering it as a ruling force. But they are wrong.

We have to ponder over it with a keen eye. If money is ruling force than how we can justify the golden sayings of holy prophet (PBUH) when he says that ignorant and wise cannot be equal- when he says that to get knowledge is the basic responsibility of every man-male and female. When holy prophet is giving much more importance to knowledge, education and wisdom then we have a reasonable right to ask those people who are the advocates of money that holy prophet did not give importance to money. Why he always avoid accumulating money? The answer is very simple-wisdom is ruling power.

Holy prophet ruled over a domain without money and on the basis of wisdom. MR PRESIDENT: If you have no knowledge of enemy fight and movements in war you can not organize your strategy to conquer him, this how Napoleon lost the battle of water too, he overslept that night against his routine and so he could not be informed about the changing pattern of enemy’s positions. When he got up he was too late to re-adjust his own forces before Lord Wellington launched a massive invasion against him. Wealth can be lost; more you spend it, it becomes less but knowledge is a thing that cannot be stolen by time or thieves.

MR PRESIDENT: An educated man better understands his duties and obligations and serves his country in best possible way. Knowledge people are seeds of great civilization and progress. Russia and America owe their technological progress and space rocketry system to German scientists who they kidnapped after Second World War and paid them the highest salaries. Through knowledge, man is to earn livelihood and to maintain family. MR PRESIDENT: Knowledge comes first than money. If there is wisdom than earning of money is no difficult. Without wisdom earning money, saving money and using money is very very difficult.

The history is replete with the examples where man had denied the wealth and prospered in life. Mehmood of Ghanznavi invaded India many times to spread Islam. He had the opportunity to plunder Temple of Somnaat. He had also been offered jewels and gold and wealth by the worshippers and administration of the Temple, but he refused to take it saying “I want to go in history as idol breaker instead of idol seller”. Hazrat Ali (RA) says and I quote Knowledge is better than money, since you have to protect money, while knowledge protects you.

And money is depleted from spending, while knowledge grows when you spend it. And knowledge makes rulings, while money is ruled over. Their souls may have passed away, but their effects remain present in the hearts of people. People who hoard money have died while they are still living and scholars live on through the ages. . . I unquote. On the creation of Adam, in the Heavens, the Almighty bestowed upon him the gift of knowledge. The first verse of holy Quran which was revealed on Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) was also IQRA BI-ISMI RAB-I-KALLAZI KHALQ read with the name of thy lord who created you.

Desire to excel by mean of education and knowledge had been inculcated by Allah Almighty. MR PRESIDENT: It has become a misconception in the prevalent era that desire of wealth and money is everything. It is the sole reason behind the progress of man. It may be an exception but, I would say, one cannot generalize this notion. This is a fallacy. Knowledge reinforces the natural sympathies of a person; create in him a large fund of fellow-feelings. Inspire him to deeds of charity and sacrifice and makes him to love mankind in general.

Knowledge of person feels satisfaction and thinks that he is having everything. It also strengthen moral instincts and impulses curbs and restrain lawless desire and teach a man the art of living in human society according to recognized values and principles. Knowledge makes a man to think for himself, everybody enlarges his mental horizon and develops his mental and intellectual powers. Knowledge equips a man with social manners, etiquettes and the art of speech making and conversation. It gives a certain polish and refinements to men and women. Finally knowledge raises our prestige in all ways. Thank you.