Signposts Upon the Path to Seeking Knowledge

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http://AbdurRahman.Org

Signposts Upon the Path to Seeking Knowledge Book: Signposts Upon the Path to Seeking Knowledge

Author:Shaykh Abdul-Azeez As-Sadhaan

http://knowledgeforsuccess.multiply.com

Adab of Taalibul Ilm Etiquettes of the student of knowledge

Everything mentioned in the Quraan that praises the servant is from the fruits of

knowledge and everything mentioned therein that is a dispraise of the servant is from

the fruits of ignorance. ~Ibnul Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

The student of knowledge or whoever desires to learn knowledge is in need of adab

(manners) and making those manners a part of his character. The student of knowledge

is in need of following the narrations of As-Salaf-us-Saalih, following the methodology

As-Salaf-us-Saalih took in seeking knowledge so that he can acquire this knowledge. He

is in need of knowing how they (As-Salaf-us-Saalih) would stay up deep and late into thenight many nights over and they would leave off the pleasures of sleep in order to obtain this

knowledge. The student of knowledge needs to take on these adaab, these etiquettes, morals

and manners, when he is in his homeland and when he travels, when he is with his teachers

and when he is with the scholars and when he with his peers and with his students.

And this study is a very broad study, since knowledge is a wide and expansive ocean that

has no shores. So the deficiency is not in the books, for many of us own tens or hundreds of

books. And the deficiency is not in our time for most of us have time. But rather knowledge

is noor (light) that Allaah hurls into the hearts. And it is not acquired solely by reading

nor is knowledge acquired by acquiring and collecting books.

There is no one who follows the Shafiee madhhaab except that Imaam Ash -Shafiee has

more virtue over him, except for Abu Bakr Al-Bayhaqi, for surely this individual has some

virtues over Imaam Ash-Shafiee due to the abundance of books he has authored in order to

assist the Shafiee madhhaab. This imaam who possessed this outstanding personality, Abu

Bakr Al-Bayhaqi, this is the individual who authored the largest compilation of narrationsconcerning ahkaam (religious verdicts) entitled As-Sunan Al-Kubra. And he looked at

some of the books utilized as reference points in his time and he deemed them to be

insufficient. Some of the books that the student of knowledge of today depends upon, such as

the Sunan of Ibn Majah and the Jamaah of At-Tirmidhi. And when he found this he didnt

allow this to suppress him or keep him from acquiring knowledge. Rather he sought ahadeeth

beyond this and compiled the largest book of religious verdicts. So therefore seeking

knowledge requires purifying your intentions and putting forth efforts to purify thoseintentions. And after it requires putting forth much physical effort, and effort with regards to

your time, and putting forth efforts with regards to your soul. And sometimes it requires

putting efforts with regards to your wealth.

So if Allaah gathers for the servant purity of intention and also puts forth the means that

someone would need to acquire knowledge, those things that were once difficult will become

easy for the servant. It is upon the individual who does not have knowledge in his

homeleand, to travel to seek knowledge.

There has come in some ahadeeth that have been graded hasan.
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The youth will come to you to seek the knowledge, so when you meet them then advise

them with the good, for surely they are the inheritors of Muhammad sallallaahu alayhi

wa sallam. Relayed by Ibn Abdul-Barr, Ibn Majah. Graded hasan by Al-Albaani.

So those who travel to seek knowledge, these individuals are reviving and bringing backto life the narrations of the Salaf, those narrations many of which have been abandoned and

boycotted. And it is said to those individuals that seek knowledge in this fashion, Surely

you with this action of yours encourage others to do the same. And whoever directs to

the khair (good) then he will have the reward of whoever else follows him in this

action. And it is possible a person will be rewarded for this action (of seeking knowledge)

without realizing it, for he does not know people are following him.

From the effects that good, moral character can have on a student of knowledge:

Perhaps you may see a man and he may not be known by the people, however this person

who is unknown may say some words and his character may be lofty, and his character and

words, even though you do not know him, his character and words may affect the people.And the benefit that one can obtain from ones character and words can be more

valuable than the benefit that a person can acquire from a thousand books.

Imaam Adh-Dhahabi (died 748 after hijrah), the student of Ibn Taymiyyah and died 20 years

after Ibn Taymiyyah.

Adh-Dhahabi mentions in his book As-Siyar A'laam An-Nubala (compiled bios of

pertinent personalities from the time of the Prophet up until his time. This book is a major

source for biographies in learning about the scholars of the past):

People would gather for the lessons of Imaam Ahmad and the people that would gather

for the circles of Imaam Ahmad would number 5,000 people or more. (Note: Circles of

knowledge of Imaam Al-Bukhaari numbered over 20,000)

People in that time understood ilm (knowledge) is the deen and so they sought it diligently.

So 5,000 or more would attend the circles of Imaam Ahmad. Maybe only 500 of those

5,000 were actually recording the ahadeeth mentioned and the rest of the attendeeswould be learning good manners and good moral character from Imaam Ahmad. This

shows the importance of learning morals and manners and learning the etiquettes of seeking

knowledge

Abu Bakr bin Al-Mutuwiee: I was present with Abu Abdillaah (Imaam Ahmad) for 12

years while he was reading Al-Musnad (book compilation of 30,000 ahadeeth) to his

children. And I did not record one hadeeth from him. But I was only looking and

examining his guidance and his character.

Ibn Abbaas defined Al-Imaam Ar-Rabbaani (the imaam who is rabbaani): He is the one

who teaches the people the smaller knowledge before the larger and more expansive

knowledge.

(What does it mean to be Ar-Rabbaani? One who is rabbaani is one who learns the religionand teaches the religion to the people)


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Another understanding of Ar-Rabbaani is the one who teaches the people what they

need to know at the time they need to know it and does not exceed their level. He

teaches them with his actions, with his speech, and in everything he carries out.

So the taalibul ilm (student of knowledge), it is appropriate for him to be an example inall of his affairs so he does not speak or make a movement except that it is upon

guidance and noor (light). So due to this, we live in a time when the means to acquire the

knowledge are many that can assist the student of knowledge upon his quest and make it easy

to obtain this knowledge. So a person amongst us is able to find one hadeeth amongst

hundreds of books in less than a few minutes. This is from the virtues of Allaah aza wa jal

and from having a table of contents, which is fairly knew in the books of knowledge. It used

to be that if you wanted a particular benefit, you would have to seek out the volume of a book

and then read through the entire volume. This is one of the reasons that you find the people

of the past were upon a higher level of knowledge because they had to read through

more information to get to that which they were seeking.

Even with this, you find many of us not taking advantage of this nimah (blessing) nor

recognizing this virtue that has been given to us. So therefore we do not find fault with the

references we have in our time or with the mashaykh (scholars) nor do we find fault with

time. All of these things have been made easy for us and are in abundance. That which we are

in need of is taqwaa (piety) and putting forth all the efforts that we are able to obtain the

fruits of this knowledge.

Study circles of knowledge (Halaqaatul-ilm)

Study circles have spread far and wide in our countries and these individuals who are

teaching, we consider them to be of the people of knowledge, from the truthful people of

knowledge, and from the forefront of them are the noble mashaykh (scholars). A day and

time will come when we will have remorse over not attending their study circles and placing

importance upon those study circles.

Imaam Al Khateeb: Ar-Rihlaah. An individual travels to a particular shaykh for a chain of

narration for a particular hadeeth and the scholar passed (away) before he reached that land

so that he could acquire that hadeeth from him. And the Salaf, whenever someone would

pass from their time from the scholars it would affect them.

Abdullah bin Dawood: The reason I went to Basrah was in order to meet Ibnul-Awnso when I reached that region I was not able to acquire from Ibnul-Awn what I

intended to acquire. For that thing occurred which the All-Knowledgeable decreed to

occur (i.e. death).

Us, in our quest for knowledge, we live in a time that the four imams lived in (Imaam

Muqbil, Al-Albaani, Bin Baaz, Uthaymeen raheemahumullaah). These individuals were an

ocean of knowledge and we were not able to benefit from them the way we would have liked.

Those who know and understand when people of knowledge live in their time and they are

not able to take knowledge from these people, this affects them.

Many of the Salaf would travel. From them some would travel just to participate in the


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funeral of a shaykh, or just to meet the shaykh before he passed. And some would travel just

to put the dirt on his grave after his passing, all the while being regretful and remorseful for

not being able to benefit from the scholars.

If we live for a long period of time, we may see generations who blame themselves for not

being able to take benefit from the scholars.

It is upon the student of knowledge to take advantage of the lives of the scholars and

utilize their lives in order to assist them upon their quest for knowledge before the affair

occurs that the All-Knowledgeable decrees to occur (i.e. death).

And this is foretold in the hadeeth of the Messenger sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam:

Allaah will not take knowledge away by snatching it away from the chests, but rather

He will take the knowledge away by taking the scholars away (by death). So that when

there is not any scholar or person of knowledge that remains, the people will begin

taking the ignorant as their leaders. So they will ask these individuals questions andthese individuals will give religious verdicts without knowledge. So they will be

misguided and they will misguide others. (Saheeh Al-Bukhaari & Muslim)

***

Min Aadaabi Taalibul-Ilm (Etiquettes of Seeking Knowledge) continued

From the section on: Halaqaatil-Ilm (Circles of Knowledge)

Hadeeth: Allaah will not take knowledge away by snatching it away from the chests,

but rather He will take the knowledge away by taking the scholars away (by death). Sothat when there is not any scholar or person of knowledge that remains, the people will

begin taking the ignorant as their leaders. So they will ask these individuals questions

and these individuals will give religious verdicts without knowledge. So they will be

misguided and they will misguide others. (Saheeh Al-Bukhaari & Muslim)

So from this text we understand that knowledge will eventually be taken away. And the intent

here is not that the knowledge itself will be taken away directly; rather the intent is that the

scholars will be taken away who carry the knowledge. So when the scholars pass away, it is a

grave loss. And this grave loss of losing the scholars of Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamaah, it

cannot be replaced with wealth, power, influence, or authority.

And due to this, Adh-Dhahabi (d. 748 after hijrah) mentions in his book As-Seer while

giving the biography of Ishaaq bin Firaq:

There were three scholars who passed at the same time. The likes of these three

individuals, when they are taken away from a region all at once the deficiency of that

region becomes evident.

(Note: And this is something we have experienced ourselves in our time. We lived in a time

where, by the Mercy of Allaah, we experienced the lives of mujaddidoon (revivers of Islaam)

of our era. The likes of Al-Albaani, Bin Baaz, Uthaymeen, and Muqbil raheemahumullaah.These individuals were mujaddidoon (revivers of Islaam). As the Messenger has mentioned:


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There will come at the beginning of every 100 years, someone who will revive for this

Ummah their religion. These people were the revivers of our time. Think about the time

period they passed, within the same time period. When these four individuals passed, the

entire earth changed. The level of righteousness decreased. The Muslims began to be

aggressed against. The plots began and the plots thickened to try to suppress this beautiful,

pure religion. We saw innovations emerge and people of innovation emerge the likes ofwhom we have not seen. We saw knowledge decrease and ignorance become more prevalent.

We saw more sins and vile acts occur after these people passed.)

So by the presence of the scholar the hearts are enlivened. And the hearts having life is

more profound than bodies having life. May Allaah bestow His Mercy upon Shaykhul

Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah, when he made the statement:

The message is a dire necessity for the servant. It is imperative that they have the

message. And their need for the message is more severe than their need for everything

else. And the message, it is the spirit of the world. And it is the light of the world. And it

is the life of the world. So how can the world be upright if it lacks its spirit, if it lacks itslife, if it lacks its light? This world is dark and cursed, except for what the message of

the sun shines upon [Note: The Shaykh is striking a simile between the message (i.e. the

truth, Islaam) and the sun].

So the message gives life to the hearts, just as food and drink gives life to the body. And

without these two things, without the heart receiving its nutrition and without the body

receiving its nutrition, the heart will die just as the body will die. Therefore, these circles

of knowledge and those people of knowledge who have attained knowledge, who have given

up much of their time to obtain this knowledge. And then they open their hearts to this

knowledge and open their homes to this knowledge so that they can spread this knowledge.

After all of this, it is imperative to take advantage of their presence. So we should rush to be

in the presence, in the circles of their lessons, before we lose them, just as we have lost some

of them. So yes, there is no doubt that whoever trades the circles of knowledge, the circles ofexcellence, the circles of Allaahs remembrance for evil sittings, for sittings where people

have idle speech, then this person is like an imbecile, a simpleton, if he is not actually one. So

the one who has intellect, he is the one who utilizes every single moment of his life. And

due to this some of the Salaf would feel remorse and would say:

If a day passes me by that I have not increased in knowledge, then I have not received

any blessing in that day.

So we have to ask ourselves, how many days have passed us by and we have not increased in

knowledge at all? We have not learned anything new or benefited ourselves in anything? And

when these days pass us by, do we feel grief, do we feel remorse, are we distressed that wehavent increased in knowledge that day? Do we really feel as though we have not been

blessed that day? If not, then we need to rectify ourselves.

And some of the Salaf were very stingy with their time, so if a person would speak to

them and there was no benefit in the persons speech, they would say to that person:

Look at the sun. Do you see it? Its there everyday by the order of Allaah. So go hold

onto the sun until I come back to speak to you. Because speaking to you is just out ofspeech and its a waste of my time. And if Im not sinful in speaking to you, Ill never be


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rewarded.

So this is how we have to be with our time. We have to try to acquire benefit from our

speaking with others.

So it is appropriate for us to feel as though we can never get enough of the knowledge, thatwe can never get enough of sitting with the scholars. We should feel as though we can never

get enough, so that we gulp what they have given us. And then the scholars may pass without

us benefiting from them. So it is appropriate to pay attention to and to take care of those

affairs that will allow us to benefit from the circles of knowledge.

The first affair that will allow us to take benefit from the circles of knowledge:

Sincerity in worship: When we go out to the circles of knowledge and we sit in the circles of

knowledge, we should do this sincerely for the Face of Allaah taaalaa and we should not let

anything enter into that intention, be it riyaa or be it sumaa, i.e. doing something to be seen

by men so that they can praise you for your action. So riyaa is performing an action to beseen by men or not performing an action out of fear of what the people will say. As for

sumaa, its saying something or doing something in order to be heard by the people.

So we dont allow riyaa and sumaa to spoil our ikhlaas (sincerity in worship). And there

are only a few people who can save themselves from these things. But Allaah is kind to His

servants and ones intention may be attached to riyaa or sumaa, but if the servant strives

against these things and dislikes these things and calls upon His Lord then Allaah is however

the servant thinks of Him. If you think good of Allaah you will receive good from Allaah.

And if you think ill of Allaah, you will receive ill from Allaah.

The point is, there are many things that can attack a persons intentions, specifically if you

are an individual who has exceeded your peers in what you have acquired of knowledge, you

will be tested by your intention. So it is upon us to hold on firmly to having ikhlaas for the

sake of Allaah. So we should strive and we should try to distance our intentions from

anything that would spoil its purity. So once Allaah knows this from us and knows that we

are sincere and truthful in out intentions and truthful and sincere in why we are trying to

obtain knowledge, we will never see from Allaah other than ease in obtaining knowledge. For

Allaah has stated in Sooratul Ankaboot, verse 69:

And those who strive in Our cause, We will guide them to Our path. Surely, Allaah is

with the Muhsineen (the good-dooers).

This is a promise from Allaah subhaanahu wa taaalaa.

The people of knowledge have mentioned that the student of knowledge may find some

difficulties in purifying his intentions, however, he will still be rewarded for his efforts so

long as he is striving to purify his intentions. Since the intention is a mighty affair and if our

Salaf themselves made statements at times that showed they struggled with their intentions

and were fearful of having riyaa, then what is our level compared to their level? So therefore

it is incumbent upon us that we turn towards Allaah and ask Allaah to grant us ikhlaas in all

of our affairs and we should also take whatever means we can to assist us in purifying our

intentions.


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Statement of Sufyaan Ath-Thawri regarding intentions: I have not corrected anything that

has been more difficult for me than my intentions. Surely it turns back and forth on

me.

So this is how the Salaf were. They strove to correct their intentions. And in you striving for

that, Allaah will reward you and the more you strive to purify your intentions, the better youwill get at it.

The second affair that you are in need of in order to benefit from the circles of

knowledge is: being enthusiastic about attending the circles of knowledge. Being

consistent in having enthusiasm and being present at the lessons that are being given,

without becoming lazy and without becoming bored.

So the servant, the more he is enthused, Allaah will know the truthfulness of his intention. So

because of that, Allaah will open His blessing for him. He will bring ease to his affair and He

will assist him in all of his affairs in their entirety.

It is incumbent upon us to increase in knowledge as much as we can, to make sure we are

present in the circles of knowledge. For surely there is large amount of ignorance that we

have, while the knowledge that we have is only a little bit. So due to this, it is said that a

person should want to surround himself with knowledge more than he wants to surround

himself with ignorance, since the servant is ignorant of many things. So every time a person

obtains something of benefit, a portion of his ignorance leaves him. And so on and so

forth.

So whenever you are able to take advantage and be present when lessons are being

disseminated, then you should praise Allaah for this and ask Him for His tawfeeq (success)

and ask Him for an increase in blessings and virtue and know that this enthusiasm that you

may have, if it were not for the blessing that Allaah has bestowed upon you, all of your

striving and efforts you put forth, you would not obtain any benefit.

Poetry: If a person does not seek Allaahs aid, then it doesnt matter how much effort he puts

forth. So ask Allaah for His aid and assistance. Ask Allaah to facilitate the knowledge for

you. For this is the only way for you to obtain knowledge, by Allaah assisting you with it.

Imaam Al-Bukhaari was asked, What is the cure for forgetfulness? What was his

response?

Response: Constantly looking into, examining, reviewing the books. This is the cure for

forgetfulness.

Statement of Imaam Ash-Shafiee:

I complained to Waqi bin Jarra about my poor memory. So he d irected me towards

leaving off sins. And know that knowledge is light from Allaah and He does not grant

His light to a sinner. (From the book Al-Umm, one of the most advanced books of fiqh inthe Shafiee madhhaab)

***


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Affairs that will aid a person in benefiting from the circles of knowledge:

Fifth affair: Taking notes on your book.

Sixth Affair: Listening and not being distracted with regards to the circles ofknowledge.

We see in the circles of knowledge that some of the students they become distracted or they

preoccupy themselves with other things outside of the lesson. And this is in opposition to the

manners that have been transmitted to us from the Salaf. Adh-Dhahabi mentions in As-Seer

on Ahmad bin Sinaan, who stated:

During the study circles of Abdur-Rahmaan bin Mahdi (?), no one would speak in his

circles nor would anyone sharpen a pencil. Nor would anyone stand. It was as though a

bird could sit on top of their heads or it was as though they were in the salaat. (This is

how still they were in the circles of knowledge)

And in another narration: No one would speak in the study circles of Abdur-Rahmaan,

nor would anyone sharpen a pencil, nor would anyone smile, nor would anyone stand

up, and it was though birds could sit on top of their heads or as though they were in a

state of salaat. And if he saw any one of them smiling or speaking, then he would put on

his shoes and he would leave.

Because, the circles of knowledge they are circles where sakeenah (tranquility) descends, the

people in these circles are enveloped in rahmah (mercy), and all of this is going on and then a

person does something that distracts the students or the teacher, this is something that will

take away from the prestige and the dignity of the circles of knowledge.

Seventh affair: Being present as much as you are able to be present in the circles of

knowledge.

Some of the people they may have some things that preoccupy them and some may live a far

distance away from the study circle, or some of the people may not have a very strong drive.

And all these things occur, however, all these things will cease and stop once the servant

tastes the succulent flavor of knowledge. Or he realizes how much benefit that he has

obtained from the circles and at that point he will only desire that benefit that he has obtained.

Imaam An-Nawawi would attend 12 lessons a day. And he stated about himself, I would

take notes about everything it was possible to take notes on, concerning the explanation

of those affairs that needed further clarification, taking notes and being precise with

clear explanation, and after that Allaah began to bless my time.

And he (Imaam An-Nawawi) became an imaam in the religion, and he authored many books.

And he died at the age of 45.

And in another statement he stated, I never slept on my side for two whole years just so

that I could obtain the knowledge.He didnt even want to give his body proper rest so that

he would miss something of knowledge.


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So when Allaah blesses your time and Allaah grants you determination with regards to this

knowledge, you will obtain an abundance of benefit, but there is a condition and that is that

Allaah knows that you have truthfulness in your heart and that you are not attending the

circles of knowledge seeking to impress others, and you are not lazy or fall short of the mark

with regards to the circles of knowledge. And its possible that a period of time may pass and

a portion of your life has left and you will begin to regret and bite your fingers out ofremorse. Shaykh Ibn Jibreen mentions regarding some students of knowledge, during the

time they were seeking knowledge, they would feel remorse if there were some scholars that

were living during their time but they were not able to attend their study circles.

Al-Khateeb Al-Baghdaadee, he wrote something and when he wrote, he mentioned an

individual who traveled to a particular shaykh in order to increase the level of his isnaad. And

that particular shaykh died before the man reached that land. And this caused him great

sorrow.

Allah has blessed us in our times with many avenues of seeking knowledge through books

and tapes, however, even though you may have books or audio recordings it does not freeyou from attending the circles of knowledge in person since the person who is actually

attending the circles of knowledge will have a reward for that and if a person attends

the circles of knowledge, their act of attending the circle is worship and for that reason

the angels will pray for him, seeking forgiveness for him. The person who attends the

circles of knowledge, his mind will be more focused on the lesson itself, moreso than hearing

it on a tape. And you know, that being an eyewitness has a more profound affect on the

soul than simply hearing about it.

Saying:O son of a noblemen, humble yourself. And go see what they have informed of

yourself. For the person who sees it is not like the person who hears about it.

Statement of the Messenger: Being informed about something is not like being an

eyewitness. (Imam Ahmad, Haakim, and others)

So attending the circles and being with the scholars and students of knowledge and being

close to the people of knowledge, there is a great difference between this and hearing their

words on an audio recording.

Eighth affair: Being cautious of giving up hope.

Some of us may attend the study circles of a shaykh or a teacher for a long period of time andhe may be explaining the book of ribaa, hudood, or nikaah and talaaq, and you may find

yourself not understanding from it except a little bit. And this happens. And all of us have a

portion of this. Even still with all of this, the knowledge, the more a person reviews it and

goes over it, he will find his problem starting to decrease and diminish.

Imaam Ahmad was on a high level and status, and he stated about himself: I stayed in the

Book of Menstruation for nine years until I was finally able to understand it.

So dont become angry and annoyed with yourself and dont give up hope, for Allaah has

given man intellect and the ability to comprehend. And his mind it grows and his intellect

will increase the more he utilizes it and the more he exercises his mind , the more his bodyand soul will adjust to it.


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Stories that show we should not give up hope:

Muhammad Ash-Shanqeetee (originally from Mauritania and made hijrah to Saudi Arabia

and became one of the major scholars. And many from the major scholars living today are

from his students) in the intro to his tafseer, stated that his shaykh was explaining an issueand he didnt fully understand it so he said, The issue wasnt clear to me so I returned

back to my home. So I started to research and I didnt stop researching it. And the

servant was standing over me holding a wax candle and I did not stop searching. I

continued to search all the while I was drinking green tea until three-fourths of the day

had elapsed to the point that fajr was coming close. And then the problems that I had

ceased and I felt better the next day when I went to the lesson of the shaykh, because of

all the knowledge I had received the night before.

The Shaykh continued: Pay attention. Look at how he spent his entire day just researching

one issue that he didnt comprehend.

Some of the people, they mention to me about some of the men of hadeeth, those who study

those who narrated ahadeeth. They spent six or seven days in the books of biographies trying

to find these men in the chains of ahadeeth. So do not belittle yourself or the strength that

Allaah has given you. And seek aid in Allaah and seek the assistance of what Allaah has

given you of a strong mind and healthy limbs so that you can obtain this knowledge without

fatigue.

And some people spent tens, hundreds of diraahim just in order to obtain knowledge of one

science. So if one of us leaves a particular lesson and we didnt understand the book

fully or an issue fully, its not anything outside of the norm to return back to the shaykh

or teacher and review the issue over. Nor is there anything wrong with reviewing with

the other students in the lesson. Because some of them, Allah may have blessed them

with the ability to understand an issue. So dont be shy as we find some of the people

being too shy to ask his peer a question. Even if the person is on a lower level than you

in the knowledge, it may be possible that he understands something that you didnt, and

he may be able to teach you something that you dont know. So it is upon you to ask. So

ask him and leave off this arrogance. Ask him and leave off the shyness that is not

beneficial.

Imaam Muhaajid stated, A person will not learn knowledge who is too shy or too

arrogant. It is possible that the Shaytaan comes to some of us and you see one brotheror sister that is lower in knowledge than you and they understand an issue that you

dont understand and so you become arrogant and because of the Shaytaan whispering

to you, it prevents you from asking from that person for fear that it would be said about

you, such and such asked such and such about an issue. There is no doubt that this is

from the deception of Iblees.

Ninth affair: Not cutting the teacher off.

This is something from the etiquette of the circles of knowledge. So sometimes we might be

tested by way of a person who is present in the study circles and he cuts the teacher off while

he is speaking. Rather some of them will even try to refute the teacher while hes teaching toshow that he has some faults, while he is teaching. There is no doubt that this comes from bad


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manners. And the Prophet, he taught us good morals and good manners and he stated, He is

not from us who does not honor his elders nor is he merciful to the youth nor does he

know the rights of the scholar. (Ahmad, Haakim, Tirmidhee, and others)

And there are things that can be found in the texts of the circles of knowledge. A person

should not cut off the teacher while he is going over a particular issue, until the teacher hasfinished his point. And for this reason, Imaam Al-Bukhaari entitled a chapter: Whoever is

asked about an affair of knowledge, while he is still busy speaking, then he should

complete what he is saying. And then he brings the hadeeth: A bedouin came and he

asked him, while the Prophet was giving a khutbah, When will the Hour be

established? The Messenger of Allaah continued speaking and he ignored him. Until he

finished what he was saying then he said, Where is the one that was asking about the

Hour? (Bukhaari)

Understanding this hadeeth, it shows us that the Prophet did hear him however he ignored

him in order to teach him proper manners.

Tenth affair: Having manners in the way you ask a question to the shaykh or teacher.

We see in some of the circles of knowledge and we hear some of the students asking a

question and he makes it blatantly clear in his asking the question exactly how smart he is,

that he knows the answer. But he will ask the shaykh or teacher to try to test the shaykhs

level or to try to stump the shaykh. Or just to show the level of his own knowledge. It should

be recognized that the questioner when he asked these type of questions will hint that he

knows the answer, so when one does this, he shows bad manners in the way he asks the

question and by intending to ask a question to test the level of shaykh or stump the shaykh

and get him to say I dont know. And he has bad manners with Allaah because this shows

that he has bad intentions. And some of the people dont intend to ask a question with bad

manners, but he doesnt apply the etiquettes of knowledge. For the ones who did this, the

Salaf would reprimand them or strike them. For Adh-Dhahabi has mentioned in As-Seer,

Imaam Maalik was in one of his study circle teaching and then he was asked about a

particular affair in fiqh so he gave the answer that Zayd bin Thaabit gave to this issue. SoIsmaeel ibnu Bint (?) stated, And what did Ali say about this issue and what did Ibn

Masood say about this issue? So Imaam Malik brought him to the side. Imaam Maalik

stated, And some people came to me and they asked me, What should we do with his books

and what should we do with his ink well? And he (Imaam Maalik) said, Take it from him

and be easy. So they brought him to me and I said to him, Where are you from? He said,

I am from Kufaa (iraq). So Imaam Maalik said, Where did you leave your manners? Hesaid, I only mentioned this to you, just to bring about more benefit. So then Imaam Maalik

stated, As for Ali and Abdullaah (bin Masood), no one denies their virtue, however, the

people of our land, they are upon the statement of Zayd bin Thaabit. And if you mention this

issue to the people, they are not aware of the issue and this might be reason for them become

confused in this issue.

So a person may say, is it not appropriate that we debate one another about the issues of

knowledge? And so you say, yes, but we uphold the proper manners particularly if we are

doing this with a shaykh, for debating with him, with their teacher, it has manners that are

appropriate to enact. And it may cause you to be inclined to ask a question that you know the

answer to in order to show off or to stump your teacher and the likes of this.


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This type of display is haraam concerning the affairs of knowledge. Particularly if you are

debating with someone who is more knowledgeable than you. And all the while when you do

this, you are going too far with your questions. And also from the likes of this, Imaam Adh-

Dhahabi in As-Seer, stated about Shubitoon, a scholar of Anduloos, he was in a study circle

teaching and a piece of paper was brought to him. A person of authority was asking about the

two plates on the scale: Should they be made of gold or silver? So he folded a piece of paperand wrote, He sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, stated, From the perfection of a persons

Islaam is leaving off that which does not concern him. And the Salaf would reprimand

the person who would ask about things that did not yet occur. And they would say, Leave

us and dont ask about these things until they occur and only ask about those things

that have occurred.

The ruling on an issue is relative to how it is stated.

***

The eleventh affair that will assist a person in benefiting from the circles of knowledge:Taking benefit from the character of the shaykh, taking benefit from the manners of the

teacher

Aperson may say, Should I attend the study circles of this particular shaykh since when I do

attend I am only able to understand a small portion of what is being conveyed? It is said to

this individual, You should attend. For the goal in attending the circles of knowledge is

not only the benefit you receive from the knowledge itself. Rather, you can look and

examine the character of the shaykh and you can emulate him.

For surely Imam As-Sadhaanee and other than him, they have mentioned the study circles of

Imaam Ahmad bin Hanbal, raheemahullaah. 5,000 would attend his study circles and it wassaid about his study circles, that only 500 of that 5,000 would be taking notes. And the rest of

them would be taking benefit from his disposition, from his character and from his manners.

And Abu Bakr al-Mutawwiee stated,I attended the study circles of Abu Abdillaah

(Ahmad bin Hanbal), while he was reading Al-Musnad to his children for twelve years,

and I did not record anything. I only examined his manners and his character.

Brother Aqil Ingram stated: Our first year in Madinah, the first shaykh that we sat with andwe were stringent in our sitting with him was Shaykh Alee bin Naasir Al -Faqeeh. And at

that time we were not able to understand the Arabic language or speak it. But we were

familiar with some of the texts. But we werent able to get much benefit from what the

shaykh was saying. But we sat anyway to examine his manners and character. To examine

how he sits, his tone when he speaks, how he deals with the people. And walaahil hamd, we

benefited much from the shaykh.

Imaam As-Sadhaan continues: So like this, attending the lessons, study circles, is not only

so a person can obtain knowledge and comprehend everything that is said, rather it is upon

him to benefit from every single thing, even some of the students of knowledge who are

attending the study circle with him, for it is possible you may be affected by their good

character as well. Wallaahi, that I know a young man who was young in his years but if a

person were to visit him to examine him, research with him, listen to him, you would see

from him amazing character, lofty manners, and a good disposition, to the point that it willenvelope you. And it is appropriate for the student of knowledge to not defer from visiting


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the scholars, for the benefit of this will return back to the individual who is seeking the

knowledge. Moreover this is something that is from the character of the student of knowledge

with his teachers. We should visit our teachers. Because after Allaah aza wa jaal, our

teachers are the reason for us being educated. Even if these individuals are not your

teachers specifically. Just because you know that they are from the ulamaa, you should

understand that they have a right over you that you visit them when they are healthy andwhen they are sick. And you follow their funeral processions when they pass. And how could

a student of knowledge or one seeking knowledge not visit the mashaykh, his teachers who

are benefiting him and others. He should rush to visit them and check in on them. He should

rush to take anything he can from their virtue and he should not stop visiting them for an

individual may find that there are people that are more virtuous, more righteous than him that

will visit his own teacher. And there has come in the biography of Husayn bin Al-Fadl, one

of the aimmah of the religion, that when he had gotten older and he had a lot of years under

his belt a big student of knowledge walked by him (without speaking to him) and he had a

large group with him and Husayn bin Al-Fadl raised his eyebrows at this. And he said, Who

are these people? And it was said, Thats so-and-so. And he (Husayn bin Al-Fadl) said,

SubhaanAllaah, (voice was inaudible)our imperfections. Afterwe have been visited inthis very home by the likes of Ishaaq bin and Muhammad bin (two major scholars of the

Salaf)) and then so-and-so and so-and-so passes by and he cannot give us the salaams?

Reading: I am going to mention to you a number of affairs concerning reading.

The first affair: Reading the books that will encourage you to seek knowledge.

So when a person begins his quest to seeking knowledge it is imperative that he has certain

things that will strengthen his resolve and his determination and after the success of Allaah,

and then by reading the legislative texts concerning this issue, there is nothing more virtuous

than what has been conveyed about the Salaf-us-Saalih concerning those narrations which

give us a glimpse into their lives and shows us their zeal in seeking knowledge. So reading

these types of books will make a person see that seeking knowledge is of the utmost

importance so that he deems knowledge to be the most important thing in his life and at the

same time reading these books about the Salaf it will cause us to become less impressed

with our own selves. So a person may become amazed of his own self if he reads a certain

book and he completes it, however if he reads the biographies of the ulamaa, if he reads the

books concerning seeking knowledge he will find therein many examples of the levels of the

scholars that we are very far away from and then his amazement of his own self will vanish

and at the same time this will be an encouragement for him to traverse upon the path that

those before him were upon and reach their level.

And there are many books that explain the methodology of seeking knowledge and how

we can benefit from seeking knowledge. From those in English:

Book of Knowledge (Kitaabul-'Ilm)Imaam Muhammad bin Saalih Al-Uthaymeen

The Beautification of the Student of Knowledge (or Etiquettes of Seeking Knowledge)

Bakr bin Abdillaah Abu Zayd

The Manners of the Scholar and the Student of KnowledgeSaleem Al-Hilaali

If one does not apply these etiquettes of seeking knowledge, one will not obtain the true

benefit of seeking knowledge.


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Statement of one of the imams of the past: Knowledge without manners is like a fire

without firewood. And manners without knowledge is like a soul without a body.

The second affair that will assist the person in his reading: Reading the biographies of

some of the scholars.

I advise all of my brothers (and sisters) to take the time out even if it is only a short period of

time and read the books where they have biographies. You will find therein that which will

bring tranquility to the soul and at the same time you will also find beneficial knowledge.

The third affair concerning reading: Recording the benefits you have obtained from a

book on the inside cover of a book.

Open any book and you will see white pages in the beginning. These are some of the most

important pages of a book. What you do with these pages as you are reading through the

book, whatever benefit you come across (an aayah, hadeeth, quote, etc.) you can create your

own table of contents on these white pages. And you mention enough of it so that you willknow what it is when going back to that page.

And this is something that has been experienced and we have already spoken about it.

SubhaanAllaah if you do this you will be able to turn a book that is 200 pages, into 2 or 3 or 4

pages. This is something that saves an immense amount of time. And it causes you to retain

more and truly understand what you are reading.

The fourth affair: Gathering all of these benefits when you have finished a number of

books.

Think about any one book you have read. If you were to record all of the benefit from that

book, just one book, how much benefit would you obtain if you recorded all the info. Then

you do this with 2 or 3 books. After this, you record all the benefits in a separate notebook

with their sources. Only a short period will pass before you see yourself increasing in

knowledge.

The fifth affair: Reading about certain issues just before their time comes to pass.

For examples: Just before the month of Ramadaan, put aside some free time before this

month, even if its just a month before to be reading the books on fasting, listening to tapes

on fasting. If you can attend lessons on these topics and pay attention to whatever it is you arereading or listening to. Likewise do this before an eclipse comes. So before these events

come to pass, you will find your soul is at ease. And you will be knowledgeable about most

religious verdicts on these issues.

The sixth affair: Purchasing books on specific fiqh issues.

Perhaps it may be a book that only deals with witr and the rulings concerning witr, or rulings

on making itikaaf. The likes of these books even if they are small, if you dont obtain any

benefit from them except that it puts things in order, this will be sufficient and you will be

familiar with the affairs surrounding these issues.

The seventh affair: Striving to understand the books you are reading, even if you need


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to read it over again once or twice.

If one of us is reading a book and then you find you dont understand a page or two, thats

not sufficient, you cannot keep reading. You have to be able to fully understand the entire

book. And it wont do you any harm if you go back and read the book another time. As was

the case of Al-Miznee. He read the book Ar-Risaalah of Imaam Ash-Shafiee 50 times.

The eighth affair: Choosing appropriate times for reading.

And the people concerning this, everyone is different. And in any case give yourself a

specific time for reading where you find yourself at ease. You have tranquility so that you

can read.

The ninth affair: If one if us purchases a book, particularly if the book has several

volumes, you must flip through the book.

For sometimes you will find in some books, that some of the pages are completely blank andother times you may find another book inside of the book you bought. Or the volume number

that is written on the book may be different from the volume that the book actually is. And

the likes of these things.

[Recapping what the shaykh said earlier: When you first purchase a book, you should look at

the title and the author of the book. And you may want to read the back of the book as well.

Then you go to the table of contents and read it. So you can familiarize yourself with what

the book is actually speaking about, because sometimes the title of the book can be deceiving.

Then if you have more time, read some of the intro and then flip through the book and read

some portions of the book here and there. And this also aids you if you are familiarized with

the book, if you have to research a particular topic, you will know what books you can go to.]

***

And now I am going to mention to you two important affairs in your quest for knowledge:

The first affair: How do you begin seeking knowledge?

There is no doubt that the student of knowledge or the one who desires to seek knowledge

having high-aiming ambition is desired however, this high-aiming ambition could decline or

become weak or become deficient. It could even possibly die in totality if a person traverses

the incorrect path. So if a person knows the path and he knows how to travel upon the path

then he will reap many succulent fruits. And some of the students of knowledge and some of

the people who seek knowledge, they fall into error by taking on more than they can handle.

So because of these things, hes not able to achieve his goals and he may end up achieving

the opposite of what he originally desired. And our Salaf have laid out signposts for us along

the path so whoever travels in the light of their signposts will be successful. As for the

individual who hastily tries to bring something forth before its time, he will be punished by

being prevented from achieving his goal. So how many of these students of knowledge are

there (those who hastily try to bring something forth before its time)? How many of these

students are in the circles of knowledge and only a short period of time passes before you

begin to see a short change. And then he leaves off seeking knowledge in totality. And thereason for this is that he has traversed upon the path that once embarking upon it, you cant


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stop, except for some particular affairs that may make it incumbent for you to stop. And I will

give you some examples to clarify what I have just said to you.

Note from Aqil Ingram: Imaam Ahmed stated, From the inkwell to the grave. This is

how we are to be in seeking knowledge. And we must understand that knowledge in Islaam is

not just something virtuous, something voluntary or extra. But rather the deen is ilm, thereligion is knowledge. And once you understand this, you realize that you are in need of

knowledge to practice the religion properly. Knowledge in this religion is necessary and it

(the religion) cannot be practiced properly without knowledge. Once we truly understand this,

we will give knowledge and the people of knowledge their proper status, those who call to

the religion upon baseerah, clear evidence.

Abu Jafar has stated: I entered upon Aboo Abdillaah and I said to him, Can I make

wudoo with lime water? He said, I dont like that. Then I said, Can I make wudoo

with the water of baqalaa? And he said, I dont like that either. So I said to him,

Can I make wudoo with rose water? He said, I dont like that either. So I got up

and he latched onto my thobe. Then he said to me, What do you say when you comeinto the masjid? Then I was silent. Then he said, What do you say when you exit outof the masjid? Then I was silent again. So he said, Then go and learn this. Meaning,

this person is asking about very intricate things when he didnt have knowledge of those

affairs more important than that.

And a man came and he was a noble man and he had a large beard. So this man, he

came to the study circles of Amash. And he asked them about a very simplistic issue of

the prayer. So the one who narrated the story said, So Amash turned to us and said,

Look at him. His beard looks as though he memorized 4,000 ahadeeth and the question

that he asked is on a kindergarten level. So this individual tried to ask about and delve

deeply into a specific affair and he left off the things that are more important than that. And

this is a characteristic that is not becoming of the student of knowledge.

Ibnu Jurayj entered and came to the sitting of Ataa bin Asad in the beginning of his

quest for knowledge and he was in the sitting of Abu Umayr, one of the aimmah, one of

the great imaams. And he (Ataa bin Asad) said to him (Ibnu Jurayj), Have you read

the Quraan? (Note: And understand that when the scholars of the past say Qaraa, it

means to both read and memorize) So I (Ibnu Jurayj)) said No. So he (Ataa bin Asad)

said to me, Go and read this. Go and memorize this. And after this, go and seek

knowledge. So I left and I was gone for a period of time until I had memorized the

Quraan. Then I went back to Ataa and Abdullah was with him and he said, Have youread and memorized the obligations of Islaam? I said, No. So he said to me, Go and

read the things that are obligatory first and then seek knowledge. So I went and sought

knowledge of those things that are obligatory and I went back to him and he said, Now

you can seek knowledge. So I stayed with Ataa seeking knowledge with him for 17

years.

This is the methodology of seeking knowledge. First, memorizing the Quraan, then

learning those things that are obligatory upon us and then once we have done this, we

can delve off into different areas of Islaam. So this indicates to us the first things that are

needed for a person to seek knowledge properly.

And Imaam Ibnu Wahhab(?) came to Maalik bin Anas (one of the four imaams of fiqh


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who died 179 AH) and said to him, What do you say about seeking knowledge? So he

(Imaam Maalik) said, This is superb and its beautiful, but examine those things that

you always come across from the morning to the night and stick to that.

So Shaykh As-Sadhaan states: And due to this some of the students of knowledge if you

mention some things to him he may think that you are trying to belittle him and debase him.And there is no doubt that this is one of the plots of the Shaytaan. Is it not becoming of the

student of knowledge to be aware of things that pass them by every single day and every

single night before seeking knowledge of more intricate affairs.

There are some smaller books that I advise a person to utilize in the beginning of his quest for

knowledge.

The first book he mentions: Zaadul Muslim Al-Yawmee (The Daily Provisions of the

Muslim) by Shaykh Abdullah bin Jaadilah.

The second book: Imaam An-Nawawees 40 Hadeeth. And the author of this book hascompiled 42 ahadeeth and these ahadeeth cover issues of creed and worship and the ahadeeth

therein are either saheeh or hasan. (Note: This book is extremely important and it is the first

book that is memorized and studied in the science of hadeeth. And this book, it covers issues

of creed, worship, zuhd, fiqh, minhaaj, adab, etc. This book actually covers the entire of the

religion and gives you a foundation in the entire of the religion. And this is what Imaam An-

Nawawee intended to do with compiling this book and Allaah blessed him in being able to do

so.)

The third book: Kitaabut-Tawheed (The Book of Tawheed) by Shaykhul IslaamMuhammad bin Abdil-Wahhaab. And this is another book that has to be memorized. And

if you have along with this book the footnotes of Shaykh Ibnul Qaasim it will be beneficial.

And this book is one that is often utilized so there are many explanations and footnotes to this

book. But the footnotes of Ibnul Qaasim may be from the best because he has summarized

and gathered many foundational quotations and brought many valuable benefits. And there is

another explanation that has been authored by my shaykh (the shaykh of Shaykh As-

Sadhaan) Abdullah bin Jaadilah (Al-Jaamiul-Fareed) and it has some distinguishing

characteristics, as his explanation of the book is set up in a question and answer format. And

most of the students of knowledge, its easy for them to read a book s et up in question and

answer format. Some people may not fully understand an issue, but if they read that issue, see

a question asked, and see the answer. And then they repeat this process 2 or 3 times, this

methodology will allow them to firmly understand and it will be firmly implanted in theirmind.

The fourth book: Al-Aqeedatul Waasitiyyah by Shaykhul Islaam Ibnu Taymiyyah.(Note:He authored this book between asr and maghrib. There was a man from a region

called Waasit and he came to Ibnu Taymiyyah and asked him to write a treatise that included

the complete beliefs of Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamaah. So Ibnu Taymiyyah sat down and wrote

it off the top of his head between asr and maghrib) And you should utilize the explanation of

Shaykh Saalih Al-Fawzaan. And the shaykh has explained this book in a summarized format

but he brings a plethora of benefit in explaining this book. And this explanation is

distinguished by the simple language he utilizes in explaining the book.

The fifth book: Sifatus-Salaat An-Nabee (The Prophets Prayer Described), both the


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one by Shaykh bin Baaz and the one by Shaykh Al-Albaani, raheemahumullaah.

The sixth book: Sifatul-Wudoo An-Nabee (The Prophets Wudoo Described) by Fahad

Ash-Shuayb. And the author of this book has gathered the description of the Prophets

wudoo from individual books of salaat and then explained it in a fashion by which it is easy

for a student of knowledge to understand and benefit. And it is very beneficial. And I havementioned this book because you will see the people do things that are in direct opposition tothe Sunnah of the wudoo.

And also connected to this is what Ibnul Ammaad Al-Hanbaali has mentioned in Shabarat

Adh-Dhahab (?) that Ibnul Hajar Al-Asqalaani (who died 852 AH. Author of Fathul Baari,

the most expansive explanation of Saheehul-Bukhaari) has mentioned that one of the people

of knowledge, he had the nickname Shaykhul-Mutaahir (The Shaykh of Purification or The

Shaykh of Wudoo). And he placed himself in a position where he would s tand at the place

that people would make wudoo and he would examine the people make wudoo. And he

would say, This person got it correct and This person did it incorrect and This person

needs to correct this. Until he got the name Shaykhul Mutaahir.

The next book is Riyadus-Saaliheen (Guidance for the Righteous) by Imaam An-

Nawawee. This book, some of us only know it as a book that is read after Salaatul-Asr (In

some of the Muslim lands, it is the custom of the imaam to read from Riyadus-Saaliheen after

Salaatul-Asr). The reality is that this book encompasses an immense abundance of good.

Particularly if a person is able to read its explanation. And it has many explanations, from

them those that are lengthy, such as A Guide for the Successful by Ibnul Halaan or from

the contemporary scholars, Nuzhatul Muttaqeen. Then lastly we have found this book has

been explained by Shaykh Uthaymeen, may Allaah reward him. And his explanation has a

lot of good in it and his language is very easy to comprehend. In any regard, this book, if you

were just to read the table of contents before reading the book. And you followed the table ofcontents chapter by chapter, it would amaze you. And I am sure that there is no home except

that this book is present. But how many of is have actually read it? This is the intent. And in

any regard, if a person has to give himself a particular portion of his day and dedicate it to

simply reading one chapter of this book a day, you will recognize the fact that you will obtain

a lot of benefit from doing this. But the museeba (calamity) is that many of us leave off these

types of books and hold on to other books in which there may be only a tenth of the benefit of

books such as Riyadus-Saaliheen. In many of the chapters, he will give you the verses that

apply to that particular topic. Then after the verses he will give you the ahadeeth that pertain

to that particular topic. And these ahadeeth have been checked by Al-Albaani and other

scholars of ahadeeth.

***

The student of knowledge has to realize that the most important thing for him is to stay upon

the path of seeking knowledge and stay upon those things that will benefit him. As we

mentioned, the student has to memorize the Quraan, and memorize the books mentioned

previously of ahadeeth, fiqh, aqeedah, etc. This is what is most important and not necessarily

following the mistakes of so-and-so. Sometimes people get so involved in these affairs (i.e.

this person is upon the correct minhaaj, this person is not upon the correct minhaaj, etc.) to

the point that it will take them away from seeking knowledge and this (the state of other

people's manaahij, etc.) becomes their seeking knowledge and so they are taken away from

memorizing the Quraan, knowing how to make salaat and make wudoo properly. Thesethings have their place, but we should not take them out of their place. So, if we hear that a


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scholar has spoken against someone or has stated that someone has some issues in their

minhaaj or in their aqeedah, then we listen to this, we take it for what it is, and then we get

back to seeking knowledge (i.e. we dont dwell on it). Because whether or not someone has

issues or a scholar has spoken against someone, you still are going to have to wake up in the

morning and make fajr (i.e. there are more important things that are from those actions and

affairs which it is an obligation upon us to have knowledge of in order to properly andcompletely practice our deen).

***

Two important affairs for the student of knowledge

The first: Beginning your quest.

Mentioned a number of books for the student of knowledge. Last book mentioned was

Riyaadus-Saaliheen.

Shaykh As-Sadhaan continues: The next book is a book concerning hadeeth terminology.

This book, I studied it myself when I was in the knowledge-based (academic) institutes and it

is a book Mustalahul-Hadeeth by Shaykh Al-Uthaymeen. His style is a summarized style

of writing. And some of us belittle books that we studied while we were in school and leave

off these books. This is due to either being lazy or due to ignorance. For these books that we

have studied and the lessons we have studied when in school, they are not from the

distortions that have been made concerning the Tawrah and Injeel. Rather, the principles are

extracted from the Quraan and Sunnah. And whoever has studied in the legislative faculties

in those areas where Islaamic knowledge is disseminated then this person will recall that we

have studied many knowledge-based topics therein. And many people feel remorse since they

have not reviewed what they have studied in university. And if a person were to just look

over that which we studied while in these Islaamic universities, you will find something

amazing. You swill see how much you have left off of your studies and how you have not

taken advantage of the benefit in its totality.

The students, they used to go to these schools and universities every day except for Thursday

and Friday. They would go to academic institutes and schools and colleges in order to seek

and hear knowledge every day for close to six hours a day. Where has this knowledge gone?

This book (Mustalahul-Hadeeth) was studied by the students in their second year of high

school in the academic institutes. And this book is comprehensive and the beginning studentcan understand it. And we say this examining the easy style that the shaykh has utilized and

the shaykh speaks on a level that is appropriate for the beginning student of knowledge. And

if we connect to this the book, the bookAl-Bayquniyyah (by Al-Hasan). And it is a book of

about 34 verses of poetry that gives you your beginning of understanding hadeeth

terminology (i.e. What exactly is a hadeeth saheeh? What are the conditions that declare a

hadeeth saheeh? And other than this). This book here, its a good book because its poetry

and many of the people, its easier for them to memorize poetry than straight speech. And

that is because of the rhythm and rhyming. And it can make it easy to be memorized.

So the book, it has been explained many times over so when the student of knowledge

memorizes this book and then he reads after it the book of Shaykh Al-Uthaymeen onhadeeth terminology, many of the affairs of hadeeth terminology will become clear to him.


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Next book: Al Usool Min Ilmil-Usool (The Fundamentals Concerning the Knowledge ofPrinciples of Fiqh) This book was studied in the academic institutes and it was explained by

Imaam Al-Uthaymeen. And he utilizes a very easy style which is easy to comprehend.

And lastly: The books of fataawa, such as that of Ibn Baaz, and Uthaymeen, andJibreen, and Al-Fawzaan, may Allaah preserve them both.Im not saying these books in

order to restrict who we take fataawa from. Ive only mentioned these four individuals

because their fataawa are the best to be utilized for the beginning student of knowledge. And

if you want these fataawa to settle firmly in your mind you should read the question, then

wait. Dont read the answer until you bring forth all the knowledge you have on the issue.

And answer the question and try to bring forth all the knowledge you have on this issue.

There is no sin on you for doing this. By this method, you will come to know the answer to

those questions. And I advised some of our beloved brothers who wanted to seek knowledge

with this, I told them to read the fataawa. So they took the fataawa of Shaykh Ibn Baaz and

they utilized that which was printed by the Dawah Foundation. So one from them would

read the question and then everyone would respond according to the knowledge they have.And no one was sinning because this was not the place for actually giving a fatwa. But rather

it was in order to extract whatever knowledge was within the fatwa. And then the one who

read the question he read the answer. So when the student of knowledge hears the answer,

then the answer will be firmly planted and rooted in your mind. And these fataawa, they are

easy to understand because in truth we all live in one community and we live amongst the

people who their problems are redundant. And many times they ask the same questions forthe same problems. And its amazing you will find the repetition of particular questions, even

tens of time. And it will be asked over and over again due to the people being tested with the

same thing repeatedly. And you will find the people unable to give the answer. So stick to

these fataawa especially those that have the evidences within the answers. So these are some

important books we should strive to collect and read.

Second important affair for the student of knowledge: Taking some examples that will

strengthen your ambition. Im going to mention these examples because they will assist you

in abandoning falling into despair and giving up hope and belittling your own self. Because

some people despair, give up hope, and belittle themselves. We have mentioned this

previously. So it is upon a person to often read the biographies of the Salaf. And there is an

immense benefit inside of them. So that you know what the human soul can actually achieve

and it can strengthen your zeal and ambition. For surely Allaah has given you intellect. So for

this reason, do not belittle anything from the good at all. For, some of the people, they were

encouraged and their ambition was strengthened by simply one word or one statement. Andthis one word or statement would cause them to carry out many actions and hard tasks. And I

will give you three examples of this:

Examples that will strengthen your ambition:

First: The book of Al-Bukhaari (died in 256 AH), Jamia Saheeh or Saheeh Al-Bukhaari.

The most authentic book in Islaam after the Noble Quraan. This book is a book, that if you

were to take any one man, any one narrator for any of the narrations, you already know he

will be trustworthy. If a person says it has been collected by Bukhaari, a person rejoices and

feels serenity from hearing this. And the reason behind Bukhaari authoring this book, it was

one statement that was made in one sitting, one statement that fell upon the ears of Bukhaariand this book raised Bukhaari to an extremely high level. And the most famous reason for his


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authoring this book is, he was in the study circle of Ishaaq bin Rahaway. And he (Ishaaq)

stated, If one of you would collect a book that had the authentic statements of the Sunnah of

the Messenger. This is all Ishaaq said and this affected Bukhaaris soul so he authored this

tremendous book that became the most authentic book of the Sunnah in the most restricted

sense.

Next, the example of Imaam Adh-Dhahabi (d. 740 AH), this imaam who had an outstanding

personality, this imaam who As-Subqee stated about him, As for our teacher Abu Abdillaah,

he had deep insight and he did not have any equals. He was a treasure chest that was a

sanctuary for the people when a dilemma would occur. He was the imaam in his

memorization, when compared to the people present in his time. And he was the gold of that

time, in word and meaning. The shaykh of the science of criticizing and praising men. He

was a mans man in every aspect of the word. It was as though the Ummah was gathered for

him in one area and he was able to look at them and examine them. Then, he would begin to

explain and inform about the intricate matters of each individual who was present.

The reason he sought knowledge of hadeeth was one statement. He stated about himself thatAl-Imaam Al-Barzaali, when he looked at his handwriting he said to him, Your handwriting

looks like the handwriting of the muhadditheen. Imaam Adh-Dhahabee stated about himself,

So after that Allaah granted me love for the knowledge of ahadeeth. To the point that he

authored many books, including the tremendous book Seer Aalam An-Nubula. Look at how

one sentence affected Imaam Adh-Dhahabee. He became amongst the imaams of hadeeth and

one of the people who had such knowledge of hadeeth he could criticize people regarding

ahadeeth.

Muhammad bin Nasr in his book, An Abridgment of the Book Qiyaamul-Layl, he

mentions Silah bin Ashyam. Silah would go to a place to worship and he would pass by a

group of boys and they were involved in idle talk and jesting and he would say to them, Tell

me about a people who they want to travel but during the day they are resting on the side of

the road and they sleep through the night. So how can they reach their destination? And this

was the case that he would pass by these young boys and say this. So he passed by them one

day and he made this statement to them. And one of the young boys paid attention and stated,O my people, by Allaah, that he is not talking about anyone other than us. During the

daytime we are just involved in idle talk and vain speech. In the night we are asleep. After

this, this young boy began to follow Silah bin Ashyam. And he did not leave his company.

He would go out to the area where he worshipped and worship with him until he died. So

therefore, do not belittle from the good at all. You might be reading a small book or youre

present at the study circle of a small student of knowledge and you hear him say somethingthat profoundly affects your soul to the point that you cannot describe how it has affected

you.

After these three examples, I would like to mention to you some examples of the ambition

that the scholars have had so that it can strengthen your ambition and purify your souls.

***

Last week we ended taking some examples of the people of the past and how some of them,

one statement ignited their ambition to seek the knowledge. So we took the statements and

stories about Al-Bukhaari and Imaam Adh-Dhahabee and Silah bin Ashyam. And now we aregoing to look at some more stories to show us the ambition and the zeal of the scholars and


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the efforts they would put forth to obtain knowledge.

And from the first of the examples is Shaykhul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah: All of us know him

and it has been mentioned concerning him, concerning the strength of his ambitions, that if he

wanted to comprehend a particular issue, he would not be satisfied until he reached his aim of

understanding that particular issue, for he has mentioned concerning himself at the end of histafseer of Sooratan-Noor, he stated, Surely all of the verses of the Quraan that deal with

Allaahs Attributes, the Companions of the Messenger of Allaah did not differ in

understanding any of those Attributes of Allaah. I have read the different books of tafseer that

mention the statements of the Companions and what has been collected concerning the

hadeeth of the tafseer of the Quraan. And I have read and come across by the Will of Allaah,

The Exalted, large expansive books and shorter books, and more than 100 books of tafseer.

And I have not found, until this very hour of ours, any of the Companions distorting the

meaning of the verses and ahadeeth that mention Allaahs Attributes. And I have not seen one

of them explaining it in any other fashion other than that which is well known to us.

And this is Ibn Taymiyyah. This was his zeal and his drive in order to understand this oneissue. In order to be sure that the Companions were unified with regards to the issue of

taweel, of distorting Allaahs Names and Attributes. He went over 100 books to make sure

the Companions were unified in this.

And we have the imaam, Abu Jafar Muhammad bin Jareer At-Tabari. And Imaam At-Tabari,

he has authored the most expansive book of tafseer that is known to man. The affair of this

man is amazing. If we were to divide the number of pages that he wrote throughout his entire

life from the time he was born then you will find that the average of his writing every day

would equate to 60 pages or more that he wrote per day. And this is something that is

amazing. And his students, they had indicated to him that they wanted him to write a book of

tareekh (history) and a book of tafseer of the Qur'aan. And in each case, each time, he ordered

them to bring him 30,000 pages so he could write a summarized tafseer of the Quraan and a

summarized history of Islaam. So the students said to him, There are people who are falling

short of the mark trying to achieve less than this. So then he said to them, having a dislike

for this statement of theirs, Allaahu Akbar, the peoples zeal for the knowledge has died. So

just give me 3,000 pages. And these 3,000 pages that were given to him became the tafseer

of At-Tabari that we know today and the tareekh of At-Tabari that we know today.

And Imaan An-Nawawi, at the time of his death, he was close to 45 years old. And he has

writings that he has authored that are close to 20 volumes or more. And he only died at the

age of 45. And along with this, he would attend twelve lessons every day with differentscholars, and from the works he has authored, are the explanation ofSaheeh Muslim, and the

bookAl-Majmoo. And this bookAl-Majmoowith the Shafiiyyah is likeAl-Mughni is to the

Hanaabilah.

Note: Imam An-Nawawi was Shafiee in his fiqh. And those who utilize the Hanbali madh-

haab to understand fiqh, there is certain books they study at different levels. And the bookAl-

Mughni is the highest level of studying fiqh and it is a book comprised of 15 large volumes.

So thisAl-Majmoois from the highest levels of studying Shafiee fiqh, and Imaam An -

Nawawi had a hand in this. So he wrote many books, not to mention the small books he

wrote, such as the biography of the Messenger of Allaah, and The Etiquettes of Carrying the

Quraan, andRiyaadus-Saaliheen, andAl-Adhkar, and the 40 Ahadeeth. May Allaah extendHis mercy upon him.


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And since we mentioned the bookAl-Majmoo, this book, many people of knowledge today

refer to this book since it the book of fiqh that is famous and very comprehensive and you

find the people mentioning, Imam An-Nawawi said this and Imaam An-Nawawi said

that. And some people may think that this entire book was authored by Imaam An -Nawawi,

but the book had three authors: Imaam An-Nawawi, As-Subqee, and Al-Muteeee. There arethree authors to the bookAl-Majmoo, for Imaam An-Nawawi was explaining the bookAl-

Muhadh-dham of Shiraazee. And if we would like to speak about a book, it is obligatory that

we give everyone their proper dues. So for this reason we have to mention that this book is

split into three categories. So this is Imam An-Nawawi on his zeal and drive to spread the

deen.

And this is the Imaam Al-Haafidh Abu Fadl Ibnul Haajar Al-Asqalaani, the author of the

bookFathul Baari, the explanation ofSaheeh Al-Bukhaari. And Fathul Baari is the biggest

and broadest explanation ofSaheehul Bukhaari that exists today and it is the most famous.

And this book as well is 15 large volumes. And this book,Al-Bukhaari being in need of an

explanation, the Ummah was in debt to Saheeh Al-Bukhaari, until Al-Haafidh came alongand explained this book.

Ibnul Qoodoon, he states, An explanation toAl-Bukhaari, the Ummah is in debt to Saheeh

Al-Bukhaari until this very time, meaning they were in need of an explanation to Saheehul

Bukhaari.

Abu Khair mentions, If Ibnul Qoodoon, if he was able to see the explanation of Ibnul Haajar

forAl-Bukhaari, his eyes would have been cooled (meaning he would have been satisfied)

and he would have known that the debt that the Ummah had was fulfilled.

And this imaam has authored tens of books and with all of these books he still found the time

to teach the people, give fataaawa and admonition to the people. And he had extremely high

ambitions in seeking the knowledge and spreading it to the point that he mentioned abouthimself and about the hadeeth, the actions are based upon their intentions, that he searched

for the different narrations of this hadeeth in more than 100 books. And it was mentioned

about him that he read the bookAl-Mujim, that he sat down and read the entire book between

dhuhr and asr. And this is a very difficult task to read a book of this size. But this was

because of his ambition and drive that he had to achieve this knowledge. And because of this

he benefited from the knowledge after Allaah granted him success.

And this is the imaam, the noble imaam, Muhammah bin Shihaab Az-Zuhri, and this nameAz-Zuhri is an ascription to the tribe of Bani Zuhraa. And Ibnul Haajar mentioned about

him, His nobility and his precision is agreed upon. And Shaykh Muqbil bin Haadi Al -

Waadiee mentions that Ibnul Haajar was correct in his wording and he chose the best

wording to describe him (Az-Zuhri) here, since Al-Haafidh (Ibnul Haajar) has defended Ibnu

Shihaab and deflected any (phone disconnected).

And this is Imaam Az-Zuhri and it was said about him that he would go to the old and feeble

and the children, asking them about affairs of knowledge, trying to find any knowledge that

they had until he obtained a large portion of the knowledge.

And this is Abu Aalaa Al-Hasan bin Ahmad. And Abul Fadl stated, After dhuhr, AbuAalaa was in one of the masaajid in Baghdaad (Iraq) and he was writing and he was standing


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on his feet writing because the lamp that he was using to see with was very high so he needed

to stand to see what he was writing.

And Shaykh As-Sadhaan states: This level of ambition and striving for the knowledge is

amazing. And because of the efforts of Abul Aalaa, he became one of the famous scholars of

Islaam and this knowledge didnt come to him through wishful thinking or sitting and lookingpretty, but rather it is something that firmly settles into the hearts and is substantiated by the

tongue and actions.

And this is the scholar of hadeeth of Baghdaad (still speaking of Abul Aalaa?) and from the

examples of his strong ambition is that he would copy by hand many large books of

knowledge, for he wrote by hand the bookAt-Tabaqatof Ibn Sad and the bookTareekh Al-

Baghdaad. And if we were to try to achieve this, this would be something that would be

difficult for us if we were able to do it at all. So, many of us would not be able to carry

weight such as this. So what about this individual who did this?

And Al-Miznee, he read the bookAr-Risaalah dealing with the fundamental principles offiqh by Ash-Shafiee. He read this book 50 times.

And Abdullaah bin Muhammad, the faqeeh of Iraaq, he read the bookAl-Mughni 23 times.

And this is Al-Harr bin Abdur-Rahman and he states about himself, I sought out knowledge

of how to make iraab of the Quraan, how to grammatically understand every word of the

Quraan, for 40 years.

So these men, their ambition was as large as the mountains. They did not allow their desires

to overcome them, they did not allow rest and soft couches to get in the way of their

ambitions, they did not allow ease and rest to get in the way of their ambitions. But rather as

it is stated, From the inkwell to the grave (they seek knowledge). And this is how we

should be.

And Ibraheem Al-Harbee, Abul-Abbaas Salab stated concerning him, I did not see him

absent in a lesson of Arabic grammar or a lesson of Arabic language for more than 50 years.

Fifty years and Ibraheem Al-Harbee was going back and forth sitting in the circles of

knowledge until he reached level of knowledge and matured until his peers stated about him

that he was like Imaam Ahmad bin Hanbal.

***

From the section entitled, "How the Student of Knowledge Should be with Himself"

Shaykh As-Sadhaan states: From the most beneficial affairs for you to become aware of are

your deficiencies and your errors that may be hidden from you. And after that, finding the

cures or the correct treatment for those deficiencies and errors, after Allaah granting you

success, is the servant taking his own self to account. This is one of the most beneficial things

that can allow a person to recognize his own faults and errors that may otherwise be hidden

from him or her. And the person taking his own self to account will aid that person in

correcting those deficiencies and errors. And also, along with taking your own self into

account, is not utilizing weak excuses to justify your errors. This is because, when a personutilizes weak excuses to justify ones errors, this is something that will increase a person in


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his errors and make him more fortified in his errors. It may even reach the point with these

errors that a person may justify it to the point that they think they are right. And this is an

enormous calamity.

And based upon this, it is appropriate for the student of knowledge to take his own self to

account in truth and constantly place this in front of your eyes, meaning, make this part ofyour normal routine to take yourself to account. And if you do this, then you will find

yourself being successful and being upon an abundance of good. As it is said, A person will

not truly have taqwaa until he is more severe on himself in taking himself into account

for his own actions then a co-owner would examine a possible business partner. If you

were going to go into business with someone, there would be many thing you would want to

know about that person so that a person can be aware of where his clothing and food and

drink is coming from. A person will not truly have taqwaa until he takes his own self to

account moreso than a perso

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Signposts Upon the Path to Seeking Knowledge