علم
ʿilm
Seeking knowledge is a duty in Islam, from the first word of revelation, “Read”.
What it means
The first revelation was “Read in the name of your Lord who created… who taught by the pen” (96:1–5). “Say: are those who know equal to those who do not know?” (39:9). The Prophet said that seeking knowledge is a duty on every Muslim (Ibn Majah), and that the path to knowledge is a path to Paradise (Sahih Muslim). The Quran asks people to study creation (3:190–191) and to travel to see (29:20).