Nabi SAW For Whomever Allah intends good, he gives him an understanding of the Deen.

Hazrat Ali RA said, “Ilm is an everlasting treasure which will not perish.”

Another definition of Ilm that has been given: Knowledge is that entity which no thief can steal, no eliminator can eliminate, no divider can divide, fire cannot burn it, the ocean cannot drown it and worms cannot devour it. It remains attached to the aalim wherever he goes and in whatever condition he may be in.”

So I have a few pointers here to take heed of, so we may gain maximum benefit from our journey towards seeking ilm

Sincerity of intention

    Rasoolullaah SAW has said that every action is based on its intention and every person will receive according to his intention. Our motive shouldn’t be to boast with qualifications or to show off or to dispute with the ulemaa or to argue with ignorant people. Our intention should be to come closer to Allaah, please Allaah, to raise the word of Allaah, to live for the Aakhirah, to be flag bearers of Allaah’s Deen and to be a means of guidance for others

    Abdullaah bin Mubaarak RA said that to attain knowledge, the first step is to have a good intention, thereafter to have good understanding, then to practice on what you learn, then to memorise it, then to propagate it.

    The second etiquette is 

    Refraining from evil

      True knowledge cannot be attained without Taqwa. Before we go any further let’s discuss the word Taqwa. Taqwa comes from the word  وقي يقي وقاية . Wiqaaya is a is a helmet,…so like when someone is riding a motorbike, they put on their helmet to protect themselves from the possible dangers on a journey, our Taqwa is the preparation we make for our journey on the Dunya to save ourselves from the fire. خير الزاد التقوى Allah tells us in Quran that the best provision for this journey on the Dunya is the provision of Taqwa

      If there no taqwa, no refraining from sin, even if we spend a lifetime acquiring Ilm, it will be of no use: we won’t attain the blessings and noor of Ilm.

      Every student should continuously try their utmost to purify their soul from bad habits & evil qualities;eg  lies, gheeba, slander, stealing, unnecessary speech etc because acquiring Deeni Ilm is an Ibaadah related to the heart.

      So just like one can’t perform the Ibaadah of Salaah w/o purifying ourselves externally with ghusl/wudhu etc, in the same way acquiring ilm is an ibaadat which can’t be attained without  w/o inner purification.

      If a student of Deen keeps away from sin…people will benefit from his knowledge and the sources of Ilm will open up for that person

      The third etiquette is

      Respect for Asaatitha

        Students should make respect for their ustaadhs incumbent upon themselves. 

        Some people claim that ustaadhs of the calibre of our pious predecessors don’t exist, that the ustadhs and ulemaa of todays time have spiritual ailments (in other words) the people find fault with the ulema, their character etc and thus claim that they cannot respect and honour the ustaadh’. This is incorrect and it is from shaytaan.

        No matter what, It is necessary for students to hold their ustaadhs in high esteem, and to have good thoughts about them, ie not to entertain gheebah, suspicion etc. It is of absolute importance, as the spiritual benefit of Ilm for the student isn’t possible….. without the ustaadh.

        Hazrat Aboo Saeed Khudri (RA) narrates that Rasoolullaah SAW said “Seek knowledge with determination and dignity, be humble and submissive to those from whom you acquire knowledge”

        Hazrat Husain RA advised his son that in the company of the ustaadh he should make an effort to learn instead of speaking.

        Imaam Shafiee RA said that “In the presence of Imaam Maalik RA, I would turn the pages of the kitaabs silently…., so that the sounds of the pages turning, ….would not disturb him

        Imaam Aboo Yusuf (RA) had said “It is waajib for a person to be courteous and polite to his ustaadh. …He should tolerate his harshness and severity. …If one’s ustaadh has to correct him or admonish him for doing something wrong,  then it is necessary to thank him for it….. If he explains some subtle point to you which you already know, don’t make it obvious that you are aware of it”

        Also, service to one’s ustaadh is a means of success… Those students who serve their asaatidha, Allaah will make them move forward in this world and the next. These students will eventually spread the Deen of Allaah, resulting in 100s of Allah’s servants attaining guidance.

        Not only should ustaadhs be respected but all the medium, that is used and associated with aquiring deeni knowledge,…. Including the kitaabs, the paper, the desks, and the madresa building, and being considerate towards your friends and classmates etc

        The next 4 points all involve juhd, effort and sacrifice in seeking deeni knowledge

        A pious person once said: Al Ilmu laa yu’teeka ba’dhahu hattaa tu’tiyahu kullak

        Knowledge will not give you any portion of it untill you hand yourself over completely to it

        So the 4th ettiquette is

        Mutaala (preparation before the lesson)

        It is essential to make that sacrifice, of comfort and time to make proper mutaala….and As far as possible, Mutaala must be made before attending each lesson in class. 

        Mutaala refers to the self – study of lessons prior to attending classes. It is made up of 3 aspects…

        1. Solving all problems pertaining to ‘Ilmus Sarf
        2. Solving all problems pertaining to ‘Ilmun Nahw
        3. Establishing the actual meaning of the lesson

        Mutaala is from the word طلع يطلع طلوعا which means to rise, then when you put that on the scale of  مفاعلة, one of the characteristics of this Baab is ta’diya, which means to transform a verb into an active state. So the meaning of Mutaalaá is to extricate (which means to bring something out of difficulty) so it is as if, after solving all the intricacies we are bringing the lesson out of the difficulty, thus making the meaning and concept and answers of the lesson emerge.

        Mutaala doesn’t mean just to brush over the lesson or glance over the words and rattle them off. It doesn’t mean to sit with your dictionary in front of the Tv and write down all the vocabs you don’t know then you klaar and put your books away.

        The Taalibul ‘Ilm has to bear in mind the reality and importance of this system of self-study and immerse yourself into it.  A very important requirement for mutaala is solitude. The greater the degree of solitude, the more successful the mutaala will be.

        In the beginning, you may experience difficulty,  and spend very very long when making proper mutaala and you may feel despondent and that you are making very little progress. 

        But, inshaaAllaah if you continue –  without just asking others for the answer or looking at the translation of the same kitaab –  your ability to figure out the intricacies of the lessons, and the rate/speed at which you will do it, will improve greatly.

        Your intellectual ability will increase and you will experience such great pleasure and sweetness from your Mutaala,… and your lessons will be more grounded in your mind.

        Imaam Shafi RA says once I spent an entire night by Imaam Muhammed RA, he passed the entire night in such a manner that he would study for some time then he would lay down. He would then arise and continue his studies at the time of fajr. This means that he remained in the state of wudhu – which means that he never slept the entire night.

        It has been recorded that Imaam Muhammad RA used to sleep very little. Most of his night was spent in learning, teaching and in Mutaala. Some of his friends asked why he slept so little… and why he endured so much difficulty…. He replied… “all the people are sleeping peacefully …with the thought that if a Masála crops up… then we will ask Imam Muhammad. If I also sleep and I avoid studying, then there is a fear of destroying Deen.

        The 5th etiquette is 

        Dars Attendance and Punctuality.

        Students of Deen should never miss their lessons. By missing lessons, one is deprived of baraka and one can be deprived of Ilm as a result of this lack of respect and interest.

        Imaam Abu Yusuf RA mentioned that “One of my sons passed away. I could not be present, neither could I take part in the janaazah. I entrusted the responsibility of the kafan and burial to the neighbours and relatives out of the apprehension that I may miss out a lesson by my Ustaadh, the grief of which will never end

        I am not saying that we are not allowed to attend to family matters. But we need to look at our lives and see when we are late or miss a lesson, what reason are we missing the lesson, is it a legitimate reason? Compare it to the likes of Imam Abu Yusuf RA 

        And we see his love for his Dars, the importance he attached to it. And see how he said that grief over a lesson (deeni work, a’maal, something that has everlasting benefit in the aakhirah) he would never ever be able to get over it, compared to the grief of his child (because he knows his child’s body is gone in the dunya, but he will be able to see him again in the aakhirah, and the grief of son to him is bearable and not comparable to the grief of missing his lesson

        The 6th ettiquette is

        Takraar

        It is incumbent on a student that he should not move forward onto the next lesson, until and unless he has made takraar and learns the previous lesson well. Takraar is imperative and extremely beneficial. It means to re-study a lesson after it has been done in class. Usually a group of students gather to make takraar, the benefit of this is that if one student forgot something, another can remind them and those who understand something can explain to the one who doesn’t. However, you don’t need a group in order to make takraar. Even in solitude, a student of deen should fulfil this requirement of takraar.

        One person said my Ustaadh Hazrat Mufti Saeed Ahmad RA related to me: “After lessons if I couldn’t find any student to make takraar with, I would sit in front of the wall and then, addressing the wall, I would repeat my lessons. I would imagine that the person I am talking to, didn’t understand, so I would repeat it. In this manner I would repeat the lesson several times until I memorised it. 

        Hazrat Hakeemul Ummat said; There are 3 essential ingredients for the success of the student: “If the student executes 3 duties, I guarantee that he will acquire [at least] book knowledge 1. Mutaala 2. Regular attendance and paying full attention 3. Takraar

        A 4th duty of a student of deen is to daily take a portion of the older work and revise that. (Dhor)

        In a Kitaab  Ta’leemul Mutaállim, the method of Takraar is as follows: The previous lesson should be revised 5 times, the lesson before it, 4 times, the lesson before it 3 times, the lesson before it 2 times, and the lesson before that should be revised once. This should be one’s daily practice. This is the best technique of retaining the learnt knowledge.

        The 7th etiquette is

        Solitude

        The awliyaa and the pious predecessors  encourage students of deen to adopt both physical and intellectual solitude. That the student of deen should free their mind from unnecessary distractions…. and abstain from friendly relationships and gatherings. And that the student should shun anything that can divert their attention, such as entertainment, reading fiction books, magazines etc.. and of course in our time, the huge time waster – social media…(what else you guys do, playstation and all that stuff.)

        The Taalibul Ilm on this journey to attain the treasure of deeni Ilm, can’t afford to be impeded, obstructed, distracted by all these things that create corruption and confusion in the mind and in the very least, waste our mutala and takraar time. It removes our peace of mind which is imperative for the search of Deeni Ilm.

        Now when I talk about solitude……. I am not talking about becoming like a hermit crab… and telling everyone, get away from me, I am a student of deen and I need to be alone. ….But I am trying to make you understand that you need to protect and cultivate your special relationship with Allah.

        Everyone knows the nasheed by Mishaari Rashid Al Efasy: Daóo nee Unaajee . Munaajaat means to whisper in someone’s ear and tell them your secrets and confide in them. So the meaning of this nasheed is Leave me so that I may have this special  and private conversation with my Glorious and sublime Rabb, my protector, my companion…..

        What happened prior to Quran being revealed to Rasoolullaah SAW? He was meditating in seclusion in the cave of Hira before he was ready to receive the noble kalaam of Allah.

        What happened before Nabi Eesa AS was born, his mother Maryam alBatool (the Virgin Mary) was given in service to her Rabb, and she remained in her private quarters in the Baytul Maqdis exclusively dedicated to worshipping Allah…

        The greater the degree of solitude the Taalibul Ilm adopts, the greater the degree of success you will attain,, and be able to unlock the doors to progress and success, the doors of Allah’s Nusrah, the doors of Allah’s mercy.

        May Alllah grant us Taufeeq to be sincere in our search of Ilm, grant us beneficial Ilm, make us of those who practice on our Ilm and of those who teach and spread His Deen Aameen. 

        References: 

        Ilm, Madaaris and Strikes, Maseehul Ummat Maulana Muhammed Maseehul Khan Sherwani RA

        Aadaabul Mutaállim (Ettiquettes for students) – Hazrat Maulana Qaari Sideeq Ahmad Baandhwi Saheb RA

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