Returning to Seeking Knowledge after learning Arabic

Without a doubt, being in the path of seeking knowledge is a great blessing granted by Allah (SWT) upon His slaves. The verses and the reports which talks about the virtues of being on this path are too many to account.

Those who have tread the path of seeking knowledge knows the sweetness of being upon this path, and those who have come out of it, yearn and long to return back to it. Perhaps after coming out of seeking knowledge, one may recall the moments and the memories that had passed by him whilst being upon that noble path. Whether these moments were good or bad, it results to one thing for many, the longing to go back to that time once more. For many of us this may not be possible, as one may have commitments, or have busied himself with the worldly matters, or the worldly matters have kept him busy.

It was known from the Salaf, that once they had embarked this path of knowledge, they truly kept them self busy with it and did not let the worldly matters busy them; the accounts of the Salaf are many, and from some of their statements:

Abu Yousaf al-Qaadi said: “Knowledge is something that will not give you even a fraction of itself until you give it all of yourself.”

Al-Khatib Al-Baghdaadi mentioned in his Jaami’: “The knowledge is not granted to except he who shuts down his factory, destroy his garden, abandon his friends, and whose closest relatives have died, such that he does not have to attend a funeral!”

Az-Zubair ibn Abi Baks said: “My niece said to our family: “My uncle is the best to his family. He did not take a second wife or purchase a slave.” So I said, “My wife said that these books of mine are more distracting for me than three other wives would be.””

Az-Zarnooji said: “Muhammad bin al-Hasan ash-Shaibaani would not sleep at night. He would place his books on front of him, and if he became bored of one book, he’d move to another...”

Some of the quotes from them may seem very extreme to the reader, but they reached their stations because of the way they were. From these statements what we understand that the Salaf gave a lot of their time to knowledge, and they kept away from things that would distract the gathering of their thoughts and their concentration for knowledge.

As mentioned many of us may not be able to return to seeking knowledge, such as travelling abroad again after returning, sitting in the circles of the knowledge’s, moving from one country to another – so what is the solution? One may say, ‘I have my collection of Arabic books, so I will just read them!’ This may be a solution for some and not for others. People vary in the way they learn the best, some learn the best by hearing, others by seeing and whilst others learn the best through interaction.

For a person who has learnt the basic Arabic, it may be more confusing at times as what to do or where to start, after returning from learning Arabic, some may be even sitting in idle, and whilst others may be sitting in circles which are not ‘juicy’ enough for them. What we wanted to do here is to lay down a basic study plan for the brothers and sisters who know basic Arabic. It can also be used by the English speakers, if these books and lectures are also available in English. Before laying down the study plan, we should lay down some pre-conditions; otherwise it will be just another study plan.

The Pre-Conditions:

Intention: Having the correct intention for knowledge is very important, as it is what drives a person to do it. So the intention should consist of: gaining nearness to Allah (SWT), seeking Al-Jannah, seek knowledge to lift ignorance from oneself and from others, to bring life to His Shar’iah and to defend it against those who oppose it and desire to give it a false interpretation. So one must feel that he has a lot of responsibility on his shoulders. When one feels exhaustion from seeking this knowledge, let him return to his intention to re-energise.

Patience and Consistence: To be consistent at doing that action, even if it is something insignificant. Great fruits results from being consistent in an action. Some of the Salaf said: “Whoever is not patient upon the humiliation of learning will spend the rest of his life in the blindness of ignorance, and whoever is patient upon it will spend this life and the next in a state of honour.” Ash-Shafi said: “Be patient upon the sourness and the dryness of knowledge, because failure in knowledge is turning away from it. And he who does not taste the sourness of knowledge for an hour, will swallow the humiliation of ignorance for his whole life.”

Having a ‘fixed’ Time Slot: Ibn al-Qayyim’s saying is sufficient: “Getting what you want depends on cutting of habits and attachment to anything else.”

With these pre-requisites, one should engage in study, these pre-conditions are his companion in his road to knowledge.

The Methods:

Method One: Audio Learning in Arabic

This is a great way of learning after picking up the basic Arabic language. One may not be able to be with the teachers physically or bodily but can reap the same benefits, as if the person was present in those lessons, by listening to it. Some people learn best by listening, so this is the ideal path for them. Audio learning is great in another sense, for example if a person did not understand an issue he can always go back to it [by rewinding], which at times is not possible in some of the circles of knowledge.

Most of the lectures that take place in the Mosque of the Prophet (pbuh) in Medina are recorded and are available. These lectures are very beneficial. So, that student who wished to sit with scholars of Medina and did not get that chance, then this is the closet he will get to them. By listening to these lectures, it is as if you are sitting in the Prophet’s Mosque and being with scholars of Medina! Their methodology is excellent too; it covers all the levels in learning: from the beginners, to intermediate and to higher – so when one finishes with the first level, they can move to the next. The study plan is as follows for the first level:

Usool al-Fiqh : Al-Waraqaat

Al-Qawaaid Al-Fiqhiyyah : Al-Qawaaid Al-Fiqhiyaah As-Sa’adi

Al-Fiqh : Umdat al-Fiqh

Al-Meeraath : Ar-Rahbiyyah

Fiqh al-Hadith : Umdat al-Ahkaam

Asmaa’ wa as-Sifaat : Al-Waasitiyyah

At-Tawheed : Al-Usool Ath-Thalatha

Al-Mustalah : Al-Bayqooniyyah

Al-Hadeeth : Al-Lu’lu wa al-Marjaan

An-Nahu : Al-Aajroomiyyah

Ar-Raqaaiq : Al-Waabil As-Sayyib

At-Tafseer : Aysir at-Tafaasir

How to study these books?

One should not be afraid by the number of books nor by the number of lectures in each of these subjects:

Firstly, return to the pre-requisites.

Secondly, do not take more than two or three books in one go. Take perhaps two books, one for the evening and one for the morning.

Thirdly, listen to ‘one lecture a day only’ from each chosen subject.

Forthy, do not just listen to lectures, take notes from it – either in a separate note book or just add footnotes to the book that’s being studied. Do not write down everything the Shaykh says, but write in summary from.

Fifthly, in this way complete ‘all’ the lectures for that specific book. Have a little chart on the wall, with the names of the books – once you have completed a book, write down the date of completion. This will give you motivation for you to start and finish the next book.

Sixthly, once you have finished a book, choose another book to start. Remember to take around two at a time; the aim is to finish with understanding and not take many books and not finish any of them.

In this way, finish the first level, and then move on to the next. This way of learning and finishing this study plan may take a long time – even years – but do not let this dishearten or scare you, think about the virtues and fruits that you will reap from it. If the Medina lectures are not available to a person, one can simply study the same books which were taught by other Shaykhs – which are available in islamway.com as I believe.

Method Two: Learning by Reading

Some people benefit more by reading than listening. A student of knowledge should train himself to read a lot. But just reading many long books at times may not yeild fruitful results, one should always try to summarize that book, by passing every chapter – this will broaden one understanding and multiply one’s knowledge as it will be with him in a summarized form. It is great to having passion for books, but its rights needs to be given to it; the least one should do is read its foreword and its index to know at least what the book contains. A study plan for this type of learning for the Arabic speakers has been written in detail, refer back to: abuqutaybah.blogspot.com

Method Three: Visual Learning

This is probably the most beneficial way of learning for most people, as it involves interaction and mixing with the teacher and students. This may not be available abundantly for the Arabic speakers in London and the West in general, so it can be somewhat difficult. But I believe that there are some lessons that takes place in Arabic, one need to inquire and do a bit more research. If no avail, then perhaps the next best option is to search for visual lectures that are available on the net or try to attend circles of knowledge – even if it is in the English language as not to distant oneself away from knowledge totally. Allah know best.

Abu Siyaam.

Jihaadi Nasheed

The onlookers are seeing that the Muslim society in the West experiencing tribulations and pressures from every direction, especially when an individual begins to hold on to his Deen. We know that many allegations will be thrown at the practicing Muslim, as it has been foretold by our Prophet (pbuh). Some allegations thrown at Muslims, makes one laugh while others makes one cry. I recollect one controversial issue that occurred during my university days – which caused me to write this post – where an individual’s life was made very difficult because he reverted to Islam, and because of the sudden changes people saw in his appearance and character.

Many individuals that lives in the West, and then enters in the circle of being a ‘practicing Muslim’ may have noticed certain trends as to how a person is in their early days of ‘practicing Islam’, what interests them, what they go through in the initial stages etc. This individual may go through certain oft-repeated steps and phases initially, before this Muslim matures in his Deen over the years. One of the things I happen to notice, from many individuals, friends and family – the listening of nasheed, especially those individuals who were heavily entrenched in listening to music during their jahiliyyah; whose lives were revolved around music. So the nasheed was an alternative form of entertainment for them, from the lyrics of R‘n’B, Hip-Hop and the likes of them.

The word nasheed in Arabic means raising the voice when reciting verses and making the voice sound beautiful and gentle. The word nasheed is the singular and the plural of it is anaasheed. The true Islamic anaasheed does not contain lamella phone instruments, string instruments, or wind and brass instruments. The only instrument commonly allowed is the duff, which is a small hand drum, similar in size to a tambourine, but lacking bells. Anaasheed are popular throughout the Islamic world. The material and lyrics of anaasheed usually make reference to Islamic beliefs, history, and religion, as well as current events – in general.

It is nothing strange for an individual that had started practicing Islam to listen to anaasheed even if it happens to be ‘jihaadi’ anaasheed. What is strange in the face of a Muslim, perhaps even non-Muslims, when these anaasheed are labeled as “incitement for extremism” and the person who listens to it is labeled as “extremist”– whether these accusations are from government officials or ignorant Muslims, which has been witnessed and experienced.

Firstly, what needs to understood is that Arabic anaasheed is not effortlessly understood by even the lay-Arabs because of the rich and deep usage of Arabic Language in them. Some of the anaasheed are in the form of poetry, which makes it even harder to be understood. Hence, if it is difficult for a lay-Arab to understand such anaasheed, then it is even harder for a person with little Arabic background. I recall some years ago, asking some individuals (non-Arabs) who studied abroad for a year or so to translate a few phrases of a nasheed but it was very difficult upon them. If this is the reality of anaasheed, then how much understanding will a newly practicing person have of such anaasheed who does not have background in the Arabic language – which are most individuals in the West? The answer is, very little or even nothing. Anaasheed has become like a culture amongst newly practicing Muslims, call it the “nasheed culture” if you like. So if these ‘jihaadi anaasheed’ was sending out so called ‘messages’- it simply will not be understood!

Secondly, even if it was understood, by listening to it – is it logical to accuse that person of being extreme? The answer is obviously no. Lets strike an example from the music industry to illustrate this point which these people fail to perceive: ‘Gangster Rap’ music often includes many foul lyrics about raping, killing, shootings, revenge attacks on other gangs, fornication etc. Now if an individual listens to such jargon, can this person be accused of rape, murder and etc without any evidence simply because this individual listens to it? Obviously not – the same is applied for the individual who listens to anaasheed.

Finally, the listeners find anaasheed as a source of relaxation and entertament to pass time, and an alternative to all the haraam music that promotes evil and the following of lusts and desires. So such allegations are obviously false.

As Muslims, listening to anaasheed which are halaal, should not be a justification or a mean for us to be far from listening to the Qur’an – and this is very rampant these days. Being a Muslim, our focus and priority should be the listening to the Qur’an and benefitting from the many benefits within it. Anaasheed which are free from music, are permissible. Many of the anaasheed we find these days are musical, occupying many people and distancing us from the Qur’an. The Muslim should protect himself in falling into such pit-holes. There are some points Shaikh Munajjid mentioned regarding listening to anaasheed, which are as follows:

Not using forbidden musical instruments in nasheed.

Not doing it too much or making it the focus of the Muslim’s mind, occupying all his time, or neglecting obligatory duties because of it.

Nasheed should not be recited by women, or include haraam or obscene speech.

They should not resemble the tunes of the people of immorality and promiscuity.

They should be free of vocal effects that produce sounds like those of musical instruments.

They should not have moving tunes which make the listener feel “high” as happens to those who listen to songs. This is the case with many of the nasheed which appear nowadays, so that the listeners no longer pay any attention to the good meaning of the words, because they are so entranced by the tunes.

Just wanted to write these brief words, as some accusation such as the one mentioned are so bizarre, yet – many Muslims have accepted this idea and may even feel as if they are doing something extreme if they happen to be listening to such material.

Abu Siyaam [written from Taiz]

Mukhtasar al-Khiraqi: The First Matn’ of the Hanbali Madhab

This post will be a concise book review regarding the first matn’ [text] in the Madhab of Imam Ahmad. I had a drive to write about this particular book because my search to find a copy of this matn’ has finally come to an end after five years!!! That’s right, I have finally managed to purchase a copy of this rare book! Al-Hamdulilah! It is very interesting to note, the publishers of this book is called: “Daar An-Nawaadir”. The word “nawaadir” is from the verb nadhar’ yanduru’ which means, “to be rare” and “to be uncommon”, – and the word “nawaadir” is the plural of “naadira” which means, “rarity” or “rare thing” – so publishers were certainly accurate about their claim, as this book took me almost five years to locate and purchase!

The Author:

He was Abul Qasim Umar ibn Ali al-Husayn bin Abdullah bin Ahmad al-Khiraqi [d.299 AH] He was a prominent Hanbali jurist from Bagdad. He was first guided to Hanbali School by his father and Al-Khiraqi knew the two son of Ahmad ibn Hanbal: Abdullah and Saalih. Al-Khiraqi’s father was very closely associated with companions of Ahmad, and he mostly associated himself with the very close companion of Ahmad: Abu Bakr al-Marwadhi [d.275 AH]. Al-Khiraqi studied under Abu Bakr al-Marwadhi, Harb al-Kirmani and two sons of Ahmad: Abdullah and Saalih. He was also a pupil of Abu Bark al-Khallah (d.311 AH).

The Book:

The Mukhtasar is a comprehensive treatise covering the whole range of legal issues. The treatise at hand is known as Mukhtasar al-Khiraqi as well as Al-Mukhtasar fee al-Fiqh. As mentioned before, it is first book that was written for the Madhab of Ahmad. It is book in fiqh [Islamic jurisprudence]. Al-Khiraqi is the one who summarised the responsa of Imam Ahmad into a book form.

As per normal, as it is a fiqh book it has been written in masaa’il format, with hardly any quotation from the Qur’an and the Sunnah. This shows us that this method of teaching fiqh through masaa’il has existed for a very long time, and it is not something new. It also shows us that a student in his initial stage in seeking knowledge should not study fiqh via hadith primarily. Secondly, a beginner should cease from requesting for evidences at every single issue and should have a certain degree of trust upon his teacher/sheikh. The student should gradually build himself in this way and understand the masaa’il through evidences from the Qur’an and Sunnah. Studying fiqh through hadith come at later stage.

The book itself has been divided into sub-books [kitaab] and then the sub-books have been divided into sub-chapters [baab], containing the different issues. I can’t confirm if the author actually divided the book in this way, but what is apparent from the pictures of the manuscripts – it seems so. The book contains two thousand and three hundred masaa’il according to Abu Ishaaq.

All the books in fiqh, such as al-mutoon, as-shrooh, al-hawaashe, al-mukhtasaaraat from the Madhab until now is one way or another way related to this book! Subhan-Allah!

Ibn al-Bannaah said in the introduction of his explanation of Mukhtasar al-Khiraqi:

“Some of our sheikhs used to say: ‘There are three mukhtasaaraat in three subjects that I have not come across the likes of: al-Faseh’ by Thalab, al-Lumah’ by Ibn Jinney and al-Mukhtasar by al-Khiraqi, no one who engages himself with these [books] and understands them as they should be understood, will succeed and surpass.”’

Al-Haafid Al-Deyaah’ said:

“I saw Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal in a dream. He dictated to me an issue in fiqh. So I said: ‘This is in Al-Khiraqi.’ And then he (Imam Ahmad) said: ‘Your companion, al-Muwaffaq did not fall short in his explanation of Al-Khiraqi.”’

From these narrations we understand the position and the status of this book in the Madhab of Ahmad.

The Commentaries:

This matn’ has had many commentaries attached to it, in fact it is the most commented upon matn’ in the Madhab of Ahmad. According to Yusuf ibn Abdil-Hadi [d.909 AH], there were three hundred commentaries of Al-Khiraqi available during his time. Sheikh Bakr Abu Zayd [d.1429 AH] listed twenty eight commentaries of Al-Khiraqi in his Madkhal. As we can see that this book has been heavily commented upon, Insha-Allah as a sign of its acceptance.

The first commentary of the book was by the author himself, Al-Khiraqi. So, he was the first person to author a book in fiqh for the Madhab and the first person to comment upon it also! This unfortunately has not reached us. I have only come across only three commentaries, which are available in print:

The First: Al-Mughni by Ibn Qudamah [d.620 AD]. Without any doubt, the greatest of the commentaries is Al-Mughni; it has been praised by Hanbali and non-Hanbali scholars alike. The Shafi`i mujtahid Imam Al-Izz bin `Abdus-Salam held back from giving verdicts until obtaining a copy of Al-Mughni. Al-Mughni builds on the previous works of Ibn Qadamah [i.e. Al-Umdah’, Al-Muqni and al-Kaafi’] by adding opinions from the other Madhabs from the Companions and early Imams whether it is still followed or extinct. Also, he brings in the opinions within the Mathab with a particular emphasis on what is transmitted from the Imam (Ahmad). The evidence for all of these various positions are included, and then a defence of the predominant position in Ibn Qudamah’s opinion. The book is also full of minute branch issues.

The Second: Al-Wadih by Abdur-Rahman ibn Umar ibn Abul-Qasim al-Basri [d.684 AH]. This is available in three volumes, and it has been completed.

The Third: Sharh’ al-Zarkashi ala al-Khiraqi by Muhammad ibn Abdullah al-Zarkashi al-Misri [d.772 AH]. This is available in five volumes. The author actually authored two commentaries upon the book; the first being a detailed commentary and the second being an abridged version. He was not able to complete the abridged version, but this was completed by a later scholar from the Hanbali School.

Al-Hamdulilah! With this we have completed the brief book review of Mukhtasar al-Khiraqi. Until the next post: As-Salamu’aliykum wa-Rahmatullah wa-barkaatuh.

Abu Siyaam

What comes after Seeking Knowledge?

Implementation and action:

The Prophet (pbuh) said: "The two feet of the son of Adam will not move from near his Lord on the day of Judgement until he is asked about five (matters) about his life - how he spent it; about his youth - how he took care of it; about his wealth - how he earned it; and where he spent it and about that which he acted upon from the knowledge he acquired."

(at Tirmidhi)

The Prophet (pbuh) said: "Verily Allah says: O son of Adam, free yourself for my worship, I will (in turn) fill your chest with satisfaction and remove your poverty, and if you don't I will fill your hands with distraction and will not remove your poverty." In another narration, "I will fill your chest with distraction."

(Ahmad, at Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, Ibn Hibban and others)

And we should hasten in the implementation:

The Prophet (pbuh) said: "There is hesitation in everything except in the actions of the Hereafter."

(Abu Dawud)

And do the actions with perfection and this is achieved by leaving that which don't concern him:

The Prophet (pbuh) "From a man's perfecting his religion is his leaving alone that which does not concern him".

(Ahmad in his Musnad, at-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah and others)

In Fayd ul Qadeer, the author [al Manaawee] writes in explaining this hadith: “It is understood from this that from a man's deficiency in his religion is his indulging in that which does not concern him. This includes everything of secondary importance, whichever form it may take. What should concern him is all that relates to the essentials of his livelihood, that which fulfills his need for sustenance, clothing, keeping himself chaste thereby, and the like thereof from the necessities of life, excluding those things relating to his own personal pleasures. He should be concerned with all that relates to his salvation in the Hereafter, that being Islaam, imaan, and ihsaan. In this way he stays safe from ruin, all forms of evil and from argumentation. This is part of perfecting his religion, firm establishment of his piety and keeping away from following his desires. Whereas striving to accomplish other than this is loss of irreplaceable valuable time, in doing what he was not created for. So whoever worships his Lord, with realization of his closeness to his Lord, and of his Lord's closeness to him, has perfected his religion, as has proceeded".

With this brief post, I would like to say, Jazakumullah Khair, may Allah reward you all for visiting this blog. As from now on I will be not able to put up posts as regularly as I would like to do so due to some commitments. Until next time, I will end with the greetings of Jannah, may Allah (SWT) make us from amongst them! Ameen!

Assalamu’ alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh

Your brother Abu Siyaam.

Characteristic of a Seeker!

Narrated by Ibn Abee Haatim ar-Raazee:

I entered upon the students of hadith and I passed by the circle of Qaasim al-Joo’ee. I found a group sitting around him and he was speaking. Their appearence amazed me and I herad him saying:

“Seize the benefit of five things from the people of your time: When you are present you are not known; When you are absent you are not missed; When you are seen your advice is not saught; When you say something your saying is not accepted and When you have some knowledge you are not given anything for it. I also advised you with five things: When you are treated unjustly then do not behave unjustly; When you are praised then do not become happy; When you are criticized do not be upset; When your are not believed do not become angry; And if people act deceitfully towards you do not act deceitfully towards them.”

Ibn Abee Haatim said: “So I took that as my benefit from Damascus.”

How to act during a lesson?

I wanted to write this article to remind myself and by brothers and sisters about manners that one should observe during an Islamic lesson. This is something that is very easy to forget at times as most of us have been raised up in the west and many of us have not travelled abroad and sat amongst the scholars and students of knowledge to observe and imitate their manners in classes. This is especially important for those brothers and sisters who are looking to seek in-depth knowledge of the Deen to become callers of Islam, serious students of knowledge, scholars or to become leaders. Having good manners opens many doors of goodness for a person; in fact it is reported in an authentic hadith that good manners will be something that will be very heavy on the Scales. Good manner is to deal with people as you like to be dealt with. Our discussion here will only deal with in-class manners.

Firstly; coming to the class early and not strolling in late.

This shows ones zeal, determination and enthusiasm for seeking knowledge. The Salaf always practiced this in their quest for knowledge.

‘Abdullah bin Ahmad bin Hanbal narrated that he heard his father say: “Sometimes, I would want to go out early to hear hadith. So, my mother would grab my clothes, saying: “At least wait for the prayer to be called and the people to wake up.” I would go out early to the classes of Abu Bakr bin ‘Ayyash and others.”

However, if one cannot come on time or cannot attend the lesson then one should inform the teacher and apologise beforehand.

Secondly; greet everyone with the salam and one should greet the Sheikh or the teacher with extra attention and honor. One should come to class with best clothes and the best perfumes on. Also one should attend the classes fully equipped with a note pad and a luscious pen to write down the knowledge. The person should come to class in a state of wudu’ and be well groomed – all this will physiologically prepare for the intake of the knowledge. One must feel like a seeker of knowledge to become a student of knowledge.

Thirdly; sitting down properly.

How is this achieved? One should try to sit on the edge of the circles, avoid sitting too close or at the middle of the circle.

Imam az-Zarnooji said: “It further behooves the student not to sit too close to the teacher during a lecture except under necessity. In fact, it is important that the pupils sit in a semi-circle at a certain distance from the teacher; this is more appropriate [in showing] due respect.”

Al-Khatib (may Allah have Mercy on him) that Sufyan bin ‘Uyaynah said: “Ka’b was with ‘Umar bin al-Khattab, and he sat far from the circle. ‘Umar reprimanded him for this, and Ka’b said: “O Commander of the Believers! From the wisdoms of Luqman and his advices to his son are: “O son! If you sit next to the ruler, allow enough space for one man between you and him, as someone might come along who is more important to him than you, and would then have to get up and move, and this would be a form of degradation for you.”””

Muhammad Raslaan further clarifies this issue by saying, “He should not lean against a wall or pillow in the presence of his shaykh, or place his hands on them. He should not give his shaykh his side or back, and should not lean on his hand to the back or side... He should sit with humility and character in the manner of a student, not a teacher. He shouldn’t raise his voice often without a reason. Rather, he should sit in front of his teacher fully attentive and listening, and shouldn’t precede him in explaining or answering a question. And he shouldn’t make anyone get up from his spot, and if anyone takes his spot, he shouldn’t take it back unless there is some benefit in doing so. He shouldn’t sit in the middle of the circle unless there is a need for this, and he shouldn’t sit between two companions except with their permission...”

In addition to all these points, one should not sit whilst stretching his legs towards his teacher or his fellow students; this is not from good manners. Secondly, one should not sit or occupy the teacher’s seat which then forces the teacher to move elsewhere! If one is new to a circle, and the person does not know where the teacher normally sits – the person should ask his fellow students who have been attending before him to clarify this.

Fourthly; during the lesson itself.

Imam az-Zarnooji said: “And do not begin speaking in his presence without his permission, and do not speak to any great extent before him without his permission.”

Bakr Abu Zayd added: “Do not precede him in speech or in your steps, or talk excessively in his presence, and do not continually interrupt him while he is speaking or during his lecture. Do not continually pester him for an answer to your question and avoid extensive questioning especially in the presence of an audience, for indeed this attracts self-delusion [on your behalf] and [causes the sheikh] to become bored.”

The students should have the best manners in dealing with his fellow students and this itself is a manifestation of respect for the teacher and the class itself. The person should avoid getting angry, showing annoyance towards a fellow student, making jokes in the class and laughing loud and excessively. In the west, we are so costumed to these things in our everyday lives and thus we forget when we fall in to these things. All these things mar the relationship between that student and the teacher, and one is deprived of much good in his seeking knowledge.

Al-Khatib (may Allah have Mercy on him) reported that Ahmad bin Sinan al-Qattan said:“Nobody in the class of Abd ar-Rahman bin Mahdi would even speak, sharpen a pen, or smile. If he saw that someone spoke or sharpened a pen, he would get up, put on his shoes, and go home.”

‘Abd ar-Rahman bin ‘Umar said that a man laughed in the class of ‘Abd ar-Rahman bin Mahdi, and he asked: “Who laughed?” Everyone pointed to the man, and he scolded him: “You seek knowledge and laugh? I will not teach any of you for a month!”

Also, Waki’ and his students were as if they were in prayer during their classes, and if something happened in the class that annoyed him, he would put on his shoes and go home and Ibn Numayr would get angry and leave, and his face would change colour if he saw someone sharpening a pencil.

Imam az-Zarnooji further said: “In seeking knowledge, it is essential to listen to [words of] knowledge and wisdom with reverence and veneration, even if one hears the same question and same words a thousand times. It is said that when one’s respect [for knowledge] after [hearing it] a thousand times is not equal to his respect the first time [he heard it], he is not worthy of knowledge.”

Muhammad Raslaan wrote: “He should not precede the shaykh in explaining an issue, answering a question, or showing his knowledge of a matter before his shaykh. He should not cut him off in speech and then talk, and he shouldn’t speak with someone else while the shaykh is speaking to him or the class.”

So what we learn from all these statements is that one should take the seeking knowledge seriously; it is a serious matter – it is worship, some scholars said, “Knowledge is a secretive prayer and the worship of the heart.” One should constantly strive to shun the bad manners that have accumulated over the years. In doing so, it will help the person excel in knowledge, Insha-Allah.

Fifthly; asking questions in the class.

We have already touch upon this issue, asking questions and having dialogues is a great way to learn but there are times and place for it. During the class itself, one should avoid asking questions. The questions should be asked in its correct place, in doing so one should be soft and gentle in asking the correct questions. If one has a question, it should be just noted on the side to be asked after the class if the teacher permits it. One should also avoid asking questions when the teacher is tired or when is in a hurry. The teacher may not refuse to answer a question or a request even though the teacher may be tired or busy, but this will certainly cause annoyance to the teacher – which one should definitely avoid! One should generally avoid asking for things or requests during the class from the teachers as this may put the teacher in inconvenience.

If the teacher asks, ‘Did you understand this issue?’ – The person should not say, ‘Yes!’ unless he has actually understood the issue at hand. The person should not be shy from saying, ‘I don’t know.’ or ‘I don’t understand.’ if he did not understand it. This is the time when a person should speak because the teacher has asked him a question. The fellow students should be patients if they have understood the issue.

Mujahid (may Allah have Mercy on him) said: “Nobody who is either too shy or too arrogant will learn this knowledge.”

‘A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: “How excellent are the women of the Ansar! They did not let their shyness prevent them from learning the Religion.”

Al-Khalil bin Ahmad (may Allah have Mercy on him) said: “The station of ignorance is between shyness and arrogance.”

Finally; departing from the class.

One should leave the class after the teacher has permitted this. If he needs to leave before the class ends, he should inform the teacher beforehand. If he needs to leave during lesson, he should apologise and seek the teacher permission before departing, i.e. ‘I seek your permission to leave Sheikh.’ Before leaving, one should greet the teacher and make a du’a for him, i.e. ‘Jazakumullah Khair...’ and make his way after greeting the fellow students.

We will end with a comprehensive statement from Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) which summarises what has come before.

‘Ali (may Allah be Pleased with him) said: “From the rights of the scholar are that you greet the gathering and then greet the shaykh specifically; you should sit in front of him; you should not point here and there, wink, etc. in front of him; do not come out and tell him that fulan differs with him in a given matter; do not backbite anybody in his presence; and do not ask him intricate and complicated questions. If he makes a mistake, make an excuse for him, and it is upon you to honor him for the Sake of Allah, the Exalted. If he needs something, you should be the first to tend to his need; do not attract attention in his circle; do not grab his clothing; do not insist on something if he is too tired; do not think that you can have enough of his friendship, as he is like the palm tree from which you wait for something to fall on you.”

And Allah (SWT) knows best. Abu Siyaam.