The Prophet Muhammad (Sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) said to seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave.
The very first verse came down: ‘Read.’ You are required to try to know something about your creator through meditation, through analysis, experimentation, and observation.”
From coffee to cheques and the three-course meal, the Muslim world has given us many innovations that we take for granted in daily life.
The story goes that an Arab named Khalid was tending his goats in the Kaffa region of southern Ethiopia, when he noticed his animals became livelier after eating a certain berry.
He boiled the berries to make the first coffee.
Certainly the first record of the drink is of beans exported from Ethiopia to Yemen where Sufis drank it to stay awake all night to pray on special occasions.
By the late 15th century it had arrived in Mecca and Turkey from where it made its way to Venice in 1645.
It was brought to England in 1650 by a Turk named Pasqua Rosee who opened the first coffee house in Lombard Street in the City of London.
The Arabic qahwa became the Turkish kahve then the Italian caffé and then English coffee.
“Men who celebrate the praises of Allah, standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, and contemplate the (wonders of) creation in the heavens and the earth, (With the thought): "Our Lord! Not for naught Hast Thou created (all) this! Glory to Thee! Give us salvation from the penalty of the Fire. “Qur’an 3:191
By the 9th century, many Muslim scholars took it for granted that the Earth was a sphere.
The proof, said astronomer Ibn Hazm "is that the Sun is always vertical to a particular spot on Earth".
It was 500 years before that realization dawned on Galileo.
The calculations of Muslim astronomers were so accurate that in the 9th century they reckoned the Earth's circumference to be 40,253.4km - less than 200km out.
The scholar al-Idrisi took a globe depicting the world to the court of King Roger of Sicily in 1139.
'His throne comprises the heavens and earth'
Qur'an, II, 256
For Muslims the Qur'an establishes God's Law and reveals the true nature of reality.
It is said to contain all knowledge and thus the acquisition of knowledge is seen as a religious act.
Muslim scholars did not separate areas of learning such as medicine, mathematics and literature; instead, each was regarded as a single part of a unified whole truth.
To "Write a check" you need a nice pen:-The modern cheque comes from the Arabic saqq, a written vow to pay for goods when they were delivered, to avoid money having to be transported across dangerous terrain. In the 9th century, a Muslim businessman could cash a cheque in China drawn on his bank in Baghdad.
Writing:
The fountain pen was invented for the Sultan of Egypt in 953 after he demanded a pen which would not stain his hands or clothes. It held ink in a reservoir and, as with modern pens, fed ink to the nib by a combination of gravity and capillary action.
The system of numbering in use all round the world is probably Indian in origin but the style of the numerals is Arabic and first appears in print in the work of the Muslim mathematician’s al-Khwarizmi and al-Kindi around 825. Algebra was named after al-Khwarizmi’s book, Al-Jabber wa-al-Muqabilah, much of whose contents are still in use. The work of Muslim math’s scholars was imported into Europe 300 years later by the Italian mathematician Fibonacci. Algorithms and much of the theory of trigonometry came from the Muslim world. And Al-Kind’s discovery of frequency analysis rendered all the codes of the ancient world soluble and created the basis of modern cryptology.
Eyes:
The ancient Greeks thought our eyes emitted rays, like a laser, which enabled us to see. The first person to realize that light enters the eye, rather than leaving it, was the 10th-century Muslim mathematician, astronomer and physicist Ibn al-Haitham. He invented the first pin-hole camera after noticing the way light came through a hole in window shutters. The smaller the hole, the better the picture, he worked out, and set up the first Camera Obscura (from the Arab word qamara for a dark or private room). He is also credited with being the first man to shift physics from a philosophical activity to an experimental one.
Carpets were introduced
Carpets were regarded as part of Paradise by medieval Muslims, thanks to their advanced weaving techniques, new tinctures from Islamic chemistry and highly developed sense of pattern and arabesque which were the basis of Islam's non-representational art. In contrast, Europe's floors were distinctly earthly, not to say earthy, until Arabian and Persian carpets were introduced. In England, as Erasmus recorded, floors were "covered in rushes, occasionally renewed, but so imperfectly that the bottom layer is left undisturbed, sometimes for 20 years, harboring expectoration, vomiting, the leakage of dogs and men, ale droppings, scraps of fish, and other abominations not fit to be mentioned". Carpets, unsurprisingly, caught on quickly
Bathing are religious requirements
Washing and bathing are religious requirements for Muslims, which is perhaps why they perfected the recipe for soap which we still use today.
The ancient Egyptians had soap of a kind, as did the Romans who used it more as pomade.
But it was the Arabs who combined vegetable oils with sodium hydroxide and aromatics such as thyme oil.
One of the Crusaders' most striking characteristics, to Arab nostrils, was that they did not wash.
Shampoo was introduced to England by a Muslim who opened Mohamed’s Indian Vapor Baths on Brighton seafront in 1759 and was appointed Shampooing Surgeon to Kings George IV and William IV.
Gothic cathedrals
The pointed arch so characteristic of Europe's Gothic cathedrals was an invention borrowed from Islamic architecture.
It was much stronger than the rounded arch used by the Romans and Normans, thus allowing the building of bigger, higher, more complex and grander buildings.
Other borrowings from Muslim genius included ribbed vaulting, rose windows and dome-building techniques.
Europe's castles were also adapted to copy the Islamic world's - with arrow slits, battlements, a barbican and parapets.
Square towers and keeps gave way to more easily defended round ones. Henry V's castle architect was a Muslim.
Astronomy
Muslims have always had a special interest in astronomy.
The moon and the sun are of vital importance in the daily life of every Muslim.
By the moon, Muslims determine the beginning and the end of the months in their lunar calendar.
By the sun the Muslims calculate the times for prayer and fasting.
It is also by means of astronomy that Muslims can determine the precise direction of the Qiblah, to face the Ka’ba in Makkah, during prayer.
The most precise solar calendar, superior to the Julian, is the Jilali, devised under the supervision of Umar Khayyam.
The Quran contains many references to astronomy:
"And it is He who created the night and the day and the sun and the moon; all [heavenly bodies] in an orbit are swimming."
[Noble Quran 21:33]
These references, and the injunctions to learn, inspired the early Muslim scholars to study the heavens.
They integrated the earlier works of the Indians, Persians and Greeks into a new synthesis.
Ptolemy's Almagest (the title as we know it today is actually Arabic) was translated, studied and criticized.
Many new stars were discovered, as we see in their Arabic names - Algol, Deneb, Betelgeuse, Rigel, and Aldebaran. Astronomical tables were compiled, among them the Toledan tables, which were used by Copernicus, Tyco Brae and Kepler.
Also compiled were almanacs - another Arabic term. Other terms from Arabic are zenith, nadir, Aledo, azimuth.
Muslim astronomers were the first to establish observatories, like the one built at Mughirah by Hulagu, the son of Genghis Khan, in Persia, and they invented instruments such as the quadrant and astrolabe, which led to advances not only in astronomy but in oceanic navigation, contributing to the European age of exploration.
Geography
Muslim scholars paid great attention to geography. In fact, the Muslims' great concern for geography originated with their religion.
The Quran encourages people to travel throughout the earth to see God's signs and patterns everywhere. Islam also requires each Muslim to have at least enough knowledge of geography to know the direction of the Qiblah (the position of the Ka’ba in Makkah) in order to pray five times a day.
Muslims were also used to taking long journeys to conduct trade as well as to make the Hajj and spread their religion. The far-flung Islamic empire enabled scholar-explorers to compile large amounts of geographical and climatic information from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
Among the most famous names in the field of geography, even in the West, are Ibn Khaldun and Ibn Batuta, renowned for their written accounts of their extensive explorations.
In 1166, Al-Idrisi, the well-known Muslim scholar who served the Sicilian court, produced very accurate maps, including a world map with all the continents and their mountains, rivers and famous cities. Al-Muqdishi was the first geographer to produce accurate maps in color.
Spain was ruled by Muslims under the banner of Islam for over 700 years. By the 15th century of the Gregorian calendar the ruler-ship of Islam had been seated in Spain and Muslims had established centers of learning which commanded respect all over the known world at that time. There were no "Dark Ages" such the rest of Europe experienced for the Muslims in Spain and those who lived there with them. In January of 1492 Muslim Spain capitulated to Catholic Rome under King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. By July of the same year, Muslims were instrumental in helping navigate Christopher Columbus to the Caribbean South of Florida.
It was, moreover, with the help of Muslim navigators and their inventions that Magellan was able to traverse the Cape of Good Hope and Da -Gamma and Columbus had Muslim navigators on board their ships.
May Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala (GOD) help us to do that which He loves and which pleases Him?
And Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala (GOD) knows best.
May Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala (GOD) make our efforts sincere and keep us all on the straight path...........
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Showing posts with label Muslim world. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Muslim world. Show all posts
Sunday, 13 November 2011
Monday, 8 March 2010
Islam is the Path of "knowledge."
In the Islamic theory of knowledge, the term used for knowledge in Arabic is 'ilm,
'Knowledge' falls short of expressing all the aspects of 'ilm. Knowledge in the Western world means information about something, divine or corporeal, while 'ilm is an all-embracing term covering theory, action and education.
In fact there is no concept that has been operative as a determinant of the Muslim civilization in all its aspects to the same extent as 'ilm. This holds good even for the most powerful among the terms of Muslim religious life such as, for instance, tawhid "recognition of the oneness of God," ad-din, "the true religion," and many others that are used constantly and emphatically. None of them equals ilm in depth of meaning and wide incidence of use. There is no branch of Muslim intellectual life, of Muslim religious and political life, and of the daily life of the average Muslim that remains untouched by the all pervasive attitude toward "knowledge" as something of supreme value for Muslim being. 'ilm is Islam, even if the theologians have been hesitant to accept the technical correctness of this equation. The very fact of their passionate discussion of the concept attests to its fundamental importance for Islam.
Before one sets out to seek knowledge we must bear in mind there are etiquettes for seeking knowledge. Only when one attains knowledge according to them, will the knowledge gained be beneficial. If we have no respect for the knowledge that we gain, that knowledge will merely remain information. Knowledge can only be beneficial for us if we gain it according to the following guidelines:
Be patient – To gain ‘ilm is not easy and a lot of hard effort and sacrifice is required. For this reason it is very important that one remains patient.
It may be said that Islam is the path of "knowledge." No other religion or ideology has so much emphasized the importance of 'ilm. In the Qur'an the word 'alim has occurred in 140 places, while al-'ilm in 27. In all, the total number of verses in which 'ilm or its derivatives and associated words are used is 704. The aids of knowledge such as book, pen, ink etc. amount to almost the same number. Qalam occurs in two places, al-kitab in 230 verses, among which al-kitab for al-Qur'an occurs in 81 verses. Other words associated with writing occur in 319 verses. It is important to note that pen and book are essential to the acquisition of knowledge. The Islamic revelation started with the word iqra' ('read!' or 'recite!').
According to the Qur'an, the first teaching class for Adam started soon after his creation and Adam was taught 'all the Names'.
Allah is the first teacher and the absolute guide of humanity. This knowledge was not imparted to even the Angels. In Usul al-Kafi there is a tradition narrated by Imam Musa al-Kazim ('a) that 'ilm is of three types: ayatun muhkamah (irrefutable signs of God), faridatun 'adilah (just obligations) and sunnat al-qa'imah (established traditions of the Prophet [s]). This implies that 'ilm, attainment of which is obligatory upon all Muslims covers the sciences of theology, philosophy, law, ethics, politics and the wisdom imparted to the Ummah by the Prophet (S). Al-Ghazali has unjustifiably differentiated between useful and useless types of knowledge. Islam actually does not consider any type of knowledge as harmful to human beings. However, what has been called in the Qur'an as useless or rather harmful knowledge, consists of pseudo sciences or the lores prevalent in the Jahiliyyah.
'Ilm is of three types: information (as opposed to ignorance), natural laws, and knowledge by conjecture. The first and second types of knowledge are considered useful and their acquisition is made obligatory. As for the third type, which refers to what is known through guesswork and conjecture, or is accompanied with doubt, we shall take that into consideration later, since conjecture or doubt are sometimes essential for knowledge as a means, but not as an end.
Beside various Qur'anic verses emphasizing the importance of knowledge, there are hundreds of Prophetic traditions that encourage Muslims to acquire all types of knowledge from any corner of the world. Muslims, during their periods of stagnation and decline, confined themselves to theology as the only obligatory knowledge, an attitude which is generally but wrongly attributed to al-Ghazali's destruction of philosophy and sciences in the Muslim world. Al-Ghazali, of course, passed through a turbulent period of skepticism, but he was really in search of certainty, which he found not in discursive knowledge but in mystic experience. In his favour it must be said that he paved the way for liberating the believer from blind imitation and helping him approach the goal of certain knowledge.
...........The Aadaab of Seeking Knowledge..............
These are some points which should be taken into consideration when setting out to seek knowledge:
1. Have the correct intention
The Prophet Muhammad (saw) said, “All actions are by their intentions” meaning all actions are judged according to the niyyah with which they have been done. So even if a good deed was done with a bad intention, it will not be accepted as a good deed because the intention behind it was bad.
2. Stay away from sins
Staying away from sins is essential when seeking knowledge. The story of Imam ash-Shafi’i rahimahullah is very famous where he complained to his teacher Waki’ rahimahullah about his bad memory. So ash-Shafi’i says: “fa-arshadanee ila tark il-ma’aasi” “He advised me to leave the disobedient acts.”
Al-Muhaddith, Allaamah Yusuf Binnouri rahimahullah mentions in his book, Ma’aarif us-Sunan that looking with an evil gaze weakens one’s memory.
3. Act upon what you have learnt
It is essential that whatever is learnt, you should try your utmost to act upon it. It is said, “Knowledge without action is like a load without a carrier.”
It is narrated in a hadith to the nearest meaning, “man ‘amila bi-ma ‘alim ‘allamahu-llaaha bi-ma lam ‘alim” “The one acts on what he has learnt, Allah will teach him that which he has not learnt.” So if we act on what we have learnt, even if it is very little, Allah will give us more.
It is said that the thing Sayyidina Abud-Dardaa radiAllahu anh used to fear the most was that he would be asked on yawm ul-qiyaamah about what actions he did with all the knowledge he had learnt.
4. Stay away from the mushtabahaat in food and drink
It is very important, especially in the student days to make sure that everything you eat is halaal, upto the point that even the things you are not sure about, you should leave them. The Prophet (saw) said, to the nearest meaning, “da’ maa yuribuk ilaa maa laa yuribuk” “Leave the things which put you in doubt for those things which do not put you in doubt.”
It is narrated of Abdullah ibn Mubaarak rahimahullah that when he went from his home town to ash-Shaam, he borrowed a pen from somebody there. Later on, he forgot about this pen and returned home. When he had reached home, he remembered that he had borrowed a pen from somebody in ash-Shaam, so he travelled all the way back just to return the one pen. He said, “To give back one dirham which I am unsure about is more beloved to me than to spend 1000 daraahim in the path of Allah.”
5. Don’t be lazy in the mustahabbaat
It is fairly common nowadays so hear, “Oh it is only mandub” or “It’s only sunnah, you don’t have to do it”. But the truth of the matter is that our a’maal are such that we cannot afford to lose out on a single sunnah, be it however small.
Whoever thinks lowly of the aadaab and mustahabbaat, he will soon begin to think lowly of the sunnah. And whoever thinks lowly of the sunnah, he will soon begin to think lowly of the faraaid. And whoever thinks lowly of the faraaid and does not fulfil them, then surely he has lost the dunyaa and the aakhirah.
6. Be humble
It is absolutely necessary to stay away from kibr in any form. Especially in this case, it is impossible to gain any beneficial knowledge without humility. It is said, “Humility is for the one from whom knowledge is learnt” so it is essential that especially with your teachers, and fellow pupils you adopt a humble attitude.
7. Tolerate all hardships in the way of knowledge with patience
It was the way of the salaf that on the road of seeking ‘ilm, they would tolerate all kinds of difficulties with utmost patience, hoping only for a reward in the aakhirah.
Sheikh Abdul-Fattaah Abu Ghuddah rahimahullah has written on this topic ‘Safahat min Sabr il-Ulama and Shada'id al-Ilm wa tahseel’ in which he mentions some of the difficulties the ulamaa faced whilst studying and seeking knowledge.
Imam Abu Yusuf rahimahullah says, “al-ilmu izzun la zhulla feeh – wa yuj’alu bi-zhullin la izza feeh” Nothing is gained without hardship. Ilm is an honour but to get to it you will have to undergo much humiliation.
Imam Maalik rahimahullah says that the condition of Rabee’ rahimahullah was such that he had even sold the roof of his house for the sake of seeking ‘ilm.
SubhanAllah. This is the true zeal for knowledge. Nothing came in is his to knowledge, till he even sold the roof of his own house! Rabee’ has realised the true importance of knowledge, so he let nothing come in his way when he was seeking it, may Allah have mercy on him.
8. Realise the status of ilm and know your position as one who seeks it
It is said, “al-ilmu yu’taa wa la ya’ti” so it is you yourself who will have to go through trouble to gain ilm, it will not come to you by itself. Remember that you are the taalib and ilm is the matloob not the other way round. And this is illustrated in the story of Imam Maalik rahimahullah who, when asked to teach the sons of the king refused, as ilm is not something so cheap that it will come to the princes in their palace. Ilm is something which must be sought for.
Imam Abu Yusuf rahimahullah says, “al-ilmu shay’un la yu’tika ba’duhu hattaa tu’til-insaana kulluh.” “Ilm is a thing which will not give you even a part of itself until man gives himself wholly to it.”
It comes without saying that to achieve such a high status as that of a taalib ilm, for whom the angels spread out their wings, and even the fish in the sea seek forgiveness, you have to fulfil duties and take up responsibilities.
# Good company – Pious company and friends should be kept so that one can attain their good qualites. It is also good to keep company with those who have a great zeal for knowledge instead of those who do not. This is so that one can never be put off wanting to learn more. The ‘Ulama state, that in order to gain good habits and to acquire beneficial knowledge, it is vital to stay in the presence of good and pious people. If one is not able to be in the company of the pious, then one should read the books written by these pious people.
# Respect and have good conduct with the teacher – One should ensure that respect is always shown towards the teacher. One cannot gain all knowledge from books without the guidance of a good teacher.
'Knowledge' falls short of expressing all the aspects of 'ilm. Knowledge in the Western world means information about something, divine or corporeal, while 'ilm is an all-embracing term covering theory, action and education.
In fact there is no concept that has been operative as a determinant of the Muslim civilization in all its aspects to the same extent as 'ilm. This holds good even for the most powerful among the terms of Muslim religious life such as, for instance, tawhid "recognition of the oneness of God," ad-din, "the true religion," and many others that are used constantly and emphatically. None of them equals ilm in depth of meaning and wide incidence of use. There is no branch of Muslim intellectual life, of Muslim religious and political life, and of the daily life of the average Muslim that remains untouched by the all pervasive attitude toward "knowledge" as something of supreme value for Muslim being. 'ilm is Islam, even if the theologians have been hesitant to accept the technical correctness of this equation. The very fact of their passionate discussion of the concept attests to its fundamental importance for Islam.
Before one sets out to seek knowledge we must bear in mind there are etiquettes for seeking knowledge. Only when one attains knowledge according to them, will the knowledge gained be beneficial. If we have no respect for the knowledge that we gain, that knowledge will merely remain information. Knowledge can only be beneficial for us if we gain it according to the following guidelines:
Be patient – To gain ‘ilm is not easy and a lot of hard effort and sacrifice is required. For this reason it is very important that one remains patient.
It may be said that Islam is the path of "knowledge." No other religion or ideology has so much emphasized the importance of 'ilm. In the Qur'an the word 'alim has occurred in 140 places, while al-'ilm in 27. In all, the total number of verses in which 'ilm or its derivatives and associated words are used is 704. The aids of knowledge such as book, pen, ink etc. amount to almost the same number. Qalam occurs in two places, al-kitab in 230 verses, among which al-kitab for al-Qur'an occurs in 81 verses. Other words associated with writing occur in 319 verses. It is important to note that pen and book are essential to the acquisition of knowledge. The Islamic revelation started with the word iqra' ('read!' or 'recite!').
According to the Qur'an, the first teaching class for Adam started soon after his creation and Adam was taught 'all the Names'.
Allah is the first teacher and the absolute guide of humanity. This knowledge was not imparted to even the Angels. In Usul al-Kafi there is a tradition narrated by Imam Musa al-Kazim ('a) that 'ilm is of three types: ayatun muhkamah (irrefutable signs of God), faridatun 'adilah (just obligations) and sunnat al-qa'imah (established traditions of the Prophet [s]). This implies that 'ilm, attainment of which is obligatory upon all Muslims covers the sciences of theology, philosophy, law, ethics, politics and the wisdom imparted to the Ummah by the Prophet (S). Al-Ghazali has unjustifiably differentiated between useful and useless types of knowledge. Islam actually does not consider any type of knowledge as harmful to human beings. However, what has been called in the Qur'an as useless or rather harmful knowledge, consists of pseudo sciences or the lores prevalent in the Jahiliyyah.
'Ilm is of three types: information (as opposed to ignorance), natural laws, and knowledge by conjecture. The first and second types of knowledge are considered useful and their acquisition is made obligatory. As for the third type, which refers to what is known through guesswork and conjecture, or is accompanied with doubt, we shall take that into consideration later, since conjecture or doubt are sometimes essential for knowledge as a means, but not as an end.
Beside various Qur'anic verses emphasizing the importance of knowledge, there are hundreds of Prophetic traditions that encourage Muslims to acquire all types of knowledge from any corner of the world. Muslims, during their periods of stagnation and decline, confined themselves to theology as the only obligatory knowledge, an attitude which is generally but wrongly attributed to al-Ghazali's destruction of philosophy and sciences in the Muslim world. Al-Ghazali, of course, passed through a turbulent period of skepticism, but he was really in search of certainty, which he found not in discursive knowledge but in mystic experience. In his favour it must be said that he paved the way for liberating the believer from blind imitation and helping him approach the goal of certain knowledge.
...........The Aadaab of Seeking Knowledge..............
These are some points which should be taken into consideration when setting out to seek knowledge:
1. Have the correct intention
The Prophet Muhammad (saw) said, “All actions are by their intentions” meaning all actions are judged according to the niyyah with which they have been done. So even if a good deed was done with a bad intention, it will not be accepted as a good deed because the intention behind it was bad.
2. Stay away from sins
Staying away from sins is essential when seeking knowledge. The story of Imam ash-Shafi’i rahimahullah is very famous where he complained to his teacher Waki’ rahimahullah about his bad memory. So ash-Shafi’i says: “fa-arshadanee ila tark il-ma’aasi” “He advised me to leave the disobedient acts.”
Al-Muhaddith, Allaamah Yusuf Binnouri rahimahullah mentions in his book, Ma’aarif us-Sunan that looking with an evil gaze weakens one’s memory.
3. Act upon what you have learnt
It is essential that whatever is learnt, you should try your utmost to act upon it. It is said, “Knowledge without action is like a load without a carrier.”
It is narrated in a hadith to the nearest meaning, “man ‘amila bi-ma ‘alim ‘allamahu-llaaha bi-ma lam ‘alim” “The one acts on what he has learnt, Allah will teach him that which he has not learnt.” So if we act on what we have learnt, even if it is very little, Allah will give us more.
It is said that the thing Sayyidina Abud-Dardaa radiAllahu anh used to fear the most was that he would be asked on yawm ul-qiyaamah about what actions he did with all the knowledge he had learnt.
4. Stay away from the mushtabahaat in food and drink
It is very important, especially in the student days to make sure that everything you eat is halaal, upto the point that even the things you are not sure about, you should leave them. The Prophet (saw) said, to the nearest meaning, “da’ maa yuribuk ilaa maa laa yuribuk” “Leave the things which put you in doubt for those things which do not put you in doubt.”
It is narrated of Abdullah ibn Mubaarak rahimahullah that when he went from his home town to ash-Shaam, he borrowed a pen from somebody there. Later on, he forgot about this pen and returned home. When he had reached home, he remembered that he had borrowed a pen from somebody in ash-Shaam, so he travelled all the way back just to return the one pen. He said, “To give back one dirham which I am unsure about is more beloved to me than to spend 1000 daraahim in the path of Allah.”
5. Don’t be lazy in the mustahabbaat
It is fairly common nowadays so hear, “Oh it is only mandub” or “It’s only sunnah, you don’t have to do it”. But the truth of the matter is that our a’maal are such that we cannot afford to lose out on a single sunnah, be it however small.
Whoever thinks lowly of the aadaab and mustahabbaat, he will soon begin to think lowly of the sunnah. And whoever thinks lowly of the sunnah, he will soon begin to think lowly of the faraaid. And whoever thinks lowly of the faraaid and does not fulfil them, then surely he has lost the dunyaa and the aakhirah.
6. Be humble
It is absolutely necessary to stay away from kibr in any form. Especially in this case, it is impossible to gain any beneficial knowledge without humility. It is said, “Humility is for the one from whom knowledge is learnt” so it is essential that especially with your teachers, and fellow pupils you adopt a humble attitude.
7. Tolerate all hardships in the way of knowledge with patience
It was the way of the salaf that on the road of seeking ‘ilm, they would tolerate all kinds of difficulties with utmost patience, hoping only for a reward in the aakhirah.
Sheikh Abdul-Fattaah Abu Ghuddah rahimahullah has written on this topic ‘Safahat min Sabr il-Ulama and Shada'id al-Ilm wa tahseel’ in which he mentions some of the difficulties the ulamaa faced whilst studying and seeking knowledge.
Imam Abu Yusuf rahimahullah says, “al-ilmu izzun la zhulla feeh – wa yuj’alu bi-zhullin la izza feeh” Nothing is gained without hardship. Ilm is an honour but to get to it you will have to undergo much humiliation.
Imam Maalik rahimahullah says that the condition of Rabee’ rahimahullah was such that he had even sold the roof of his house for the sake of seeking ‘ilm.
SubhanAllah. This is the true zeal for knowledge. Nothing came in is his to knowledge, till he even sold the roof of his own house! Rabee’ has realised the true importance of knowledge, so he let nothing come in his way when he was seeking it, may Allah have mercy on him.
8. Realise the status of ilm and know your position as one who seeks it
It is said, “al-ilmu yu’taa wa la ya’ti” so it is you yourself who will have to go through trouble to gain ilm, it will not come to you by itself. Remember that you are the taalib and ilm is the matloob not the other way round. And this is illustrated in the story of Imam Maalik rahimahullah who, when asked to teach the sons of the king refused, as ilm is not something so cheap that it will come to the princes in their palace. Ilm is something which must be sought for.
Imam Abu Yusuf rahimahullah says, “al-ilmu shay’un la yu’tika ba’duhu hattaa tu’til-insaana kulluh.” “Ilm is a thing which will not give you even a part of itself until man gives himself wholly to it.”
It comes without saying that to achieve such a high status as that of a taalib ilm, for whom the angels spread out their wings, and even the fish in the sea seek forgiveness, you have to fulfil duties and take up responsibilities.
# Good company – Pious company and friends should be kept so that one can attain their good qualites. It is also good to keep company with those who have a great zeal for knowledge instead of those who do not. This is so that one can never be put off wanting to learn more. The ‘Ulama state, that in order to gain good habits and to acquire beneficial knowledge, it is vital to stay in the presence of good and pious people. If one is not able to be in the company of the pious, then one should read the books written by these pious people.
# Respect and have good conduct with the teacher – One should ensure that respect is always shown towards the teacher. One cannot gain all knowledge from books without the guidance of a good teacher.
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