“And [recall] when Moses prayed for water for his people, so We said, “Strike with your staff the stone.” And there gushed forth from it twelve springs, and every people [i.e., tribe] knew its watering place…” Chapter 2 Al Baqarah, verse 60.
Even though the amount of Islamic scholars and lecturers and Islamic educational material have increased over time yet, the strength of muslims has only decreased. There are many factors for this. One of the main reasons is that the intention of the listeners is not correct. They attend lectures not for the sake of Allah, the Exalted, and changing for the better instead many only attend lectures searching for a spiritual high just like a music concert. They seek entertainment not reformation. They purposely only attend lectures which discuss the miracles of the Holy Prophets, peace be upon them, believing this is the purpose of Islam. They concentrate more on memorising these great events instead of understanding the purpose and teachings behind them which aim to strengthen the faith of the listeners. Without understanding their purpose a muslim cannot strengthen their faith by increasing their sincere obedience to Allah, the Exalted, which involves fulfilling His commands, refraining from His prohibitions and facing destiny with patience. They please themselves by claiming they are working hard in order to act on Islamic teachings by attending many events and gatherings yet, because of their attitude they do not change for the better by acting on the lessons they have heard. They believe merely listening to these stories is good enough to please Allah, the Exalted, and to succeed. It is a why some attend lectures for decades yet do not change at all for the better.
A good way to determine whether one is acting with the right attitude is by assessing themselves after taking part in the activity. If they gained useful knowledge or were reminded of useful knowledge which inspires them to increase their obedience to Allah, the Exalted, then it is useful. If this does not occur then either the religious gathering or lecture has a fault in it or the listener has a fault in their intention. Either way they have not fulfilled the main purpose of religious gatherings or lectures. A muslim should avoid gatherings and lectures which concentrate more on entertainment such as telling stories which may fascinate the crowd but do not explain the lessons behind them. Only through attending the correct gatherings with the correct intention will a muslim achieve the closeness of Allah, the Exalted. Otherwise they are merely taking part in gatherings of entertainment which will not improve their character nor will they increase them in the obedience and closeness of Allah, the Exalted.
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