Listening is Learning: Abrahamic and World Religions Call It Divine Virtue
By Arman Neyazi, New Age Islam
2 January 2026
Listening is Learning: Abrahamic and Other World Religions Call it a Divine Virtue
Intro:
We, the people, are divided into nations and communities (Quran: 49-13), but the holy message of spiritual learning is the same across religion, the Abrahamic, Sanatan, and Christianity, etc.
God created human beings (as the Holy Quran says, "Indeed, we created humans in the best form" Quran 95:4), as the best of His creations. He embedded this creation with divinity, wisdom, intellect, spirituality, and above all power to listen, so that he could understand the wise men and himself become one.
Main Points:
· The world is a classroom, and we are students here. We have to learn to understand our spiritual and divine being by listening to our respective religious Gurus and Ulema.
· The question is ‘are we listening to anyone around us’, the answer is, had we been listening, we would have understood our Creator’s plan of sending us on the earth and our worldly teacher’s wish of seeing us among the successful men.
· Most of us do not listen to anyone as we think, ‘there is nothing in the world that we do not know’.
· The power of listening has been given by our Creator to animals as well.
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God created human beings (as the Holy Quran says, "Indeed, We created humans in the best form" Quran 95:4), as the best of His creations. He embedded this creation with divinity, wisdom, intellect, spirituality, and above all power to listen, so that he could understand the wise men and himself become one.
When a child is born, he has all his senses in working condition. There are innumerable examples of his seeing and listening to what is said and done around him. He listens and learns the words, watches the actions, and expresses it the same way when he is capable of. When a child is born, he is just a human being. He becomes a Muslim, a Hindu, a Christian, a Buddhist, etc., after he watches and listens to what his elders do or say.
The world is a classroom, and we are students here. We have to learn to understand our spiritual and divine being by listening to our respective religious Gurus and Ulema. To be successful in worldly affairs, we have to listen to our teachers at our educational institutions. The question is ‘are we listening to anyone around us’, the answer is, had we been listening, we would have understood our Creator’s plan of sending us on the earth and our worldly teacher’s wish of seeing us among the successful men. Very few of us listen and become good human beings and successful men. Most of us do not listen to anyone as we think, ‘there is nothing in the world that we do not know’. I am a Bihari and a proud Bihari for that matter, and I have listened to my fellow Biharis saying, ‘संसारमैंअइसनकुछोनखेजोहमनजानील’ (There is nothing in the world that I do not know). This is a worldwide phenomenon; degrees may differ, not limited to any particular area.
We should carefully listen to our religious leaders (sermons and Khutba), our teachers at the educational institutions, without being disturbed in between, if we wish to learn from them. We should question, but not before trying our best to understand what they said. If we did not do so, we would not be learning anything but imitating to learn. Such learnings are self-destructing. This is self-destruction that has spread hatred and disbelief in society.
The power of listening has been given by our Creator to animals as well. That is why they listen to nature and understand that a tsunami is around the corner and take themselves to safer places. The animals listen to the air around them and the speeches of fellow animals that they learn of the danger around.
With the advent of materialistic phenomena, human beings have lost many of their inborn divine attributes. The most important of them being ‘the power of listening’. Looking around the world, we find that the majority of us have stopped listening to others.
We, the people, are divided into nations and communities (Quran: 49-13), but the holy message of spiritual learning is the same across religion, the Abrahamic, Sanatan, and Christianity, etc. The following are the messages from various Holy Scriptures to establish the fact that we are one and making the same mistakes that are responsible for our religious and social downfall.
Islam: Quranic Ayahs and Prophet Muhammad (SAW)’s Ahadith on Listening
"So, when the Quran is recited, then listen to it and pay attention that you may receive mercy" (Surah Al-A'ra
f, 7:204)
“And they say, ‘We hear and obey.” Al-Quran 2:285
“Those who listen attentively and follow the best of it, they are the ones whom Allah has guided, and they are the wise.” (Surah Az-Zumar, verse 18)
The Prophet’s ﷺ listening skills were based on him finding ways to bring the message of Islam to humanity. Allah Al-Mighty says:
It was by a mercy from Allah that you were gentle with them. Had you been coarse and hard-hearted, they would have scattered from your midst [Qur’an 3:159]
Ahadith on the Benefits of Listening
"Whoever listens to a verse from the Book of Allah will have a multiplied reward recorded for them, and whoever recites it, it will serve as a light for them on the Day of Resurrection." (Narrated by Abu Huraira).
One who listens attentively to the Friday sermon (Jumu'ah) without idle talk gets double reward; one far away but attentive gets one share; one close but distracted gets a share of sin. (Reported by Ali ibn Abi Talib).
Judaism: The Command to Hear
The Shema: "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one" (Deuteronomy 6:4)
Christianity: Listening as Discipleship
The New Testament frequently includes the phrase "He who has ears, let him hear."
Bhagvad Gita
Krishna as the Silent Listener
The first chapter of the Gita depicts Krishna as a patient, silent listener. Krishna only begins to speak in the second chapter (BG 2.10) once Arjuna has exhausted his own arguments and explicitly asks for help.
BG 10.1: The Lord said: Listen again to My divine teachings, O mighty-armed one. Desiring your welfare because you are My beloved friend, I shall reveal them to you.
Sikhism: Guru Granth Sahib’s Teaching on Listening
All four Pauris (stanza in the Gurbani) (8 to 11) end with the following statement:
Naanak Bhagtaa Sadaa Vigaas. Suṇiai Dookh Paap Kaa Naas.
The message of all the Pauris (stanza in the Gurbani) (8 to 11 is that those who listen attentively and grasp the essence of Gurbani’s teachings are forever in bloom, overflowing with spiritual joy and happiness.
Be a student of divine spirituality and listen to everybody. Listening does not mean accepting. Accepting the teachings or advice is your discretion. But to make a decent life for yourself and a decent society to live in, one has to listen to all, without any prejudice, and decide carefully. The stamp of a Ulema, a Dharmik Guru, a preacher, or a politician does not make one good or bad. Only listening and then understanding what they are saying should be the parameter or their goodwill.
It is not that all are wicked; many are virtuous and morally right.
And Allah Knows the Best.
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Arman Neyazi is a columnist with NewAgeIslam.com.
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