Advice to Students of Knowledge & Those Who Love the Sunnah

 

Advice
to Students of Knowledge and all Those Who Love the Sunnah

by Shaykh Abul-Hasan Al-Ma'rabee ( A noble
Shaykh and student of knowledge, initially from Egypt now living and teaching
in Yemen).

---

 

Verily the praise is for Allaah; we praise
Him, seek His Assistance, and

seek His Forgiveness.  And we seek
refuge in Him from the evil of our own

selves and the bad results of our actions. 
Whomever Allaah guides, there is

no one to lead him astray, and whomever
is lead astray, there is no guide

for him.  I testify that there is
no deity worthy of worship except Allaah,

who is alone without partners, and I testify
that Muhammad is His Slave and

Messenger.  To proceed:

   

I ask Allaah, Glorified and Exalted, to
accept our righteous deeds, to place

(the reward for) this sitting on our Scale
of good deeds, and to keep every

evil and disliked thing away from us.

 

In this sitting, in shaa' Allaah, I would
like to advise myself and my

brothers, those in front of me now, as
well as those listening by way of

telephone link - and this is one of Allaah's
blessings - with a few points

of advice.

 

Surely the information available regarding
seeking knowledge is abundant,

about the virtues of knowledge, its status,
the position of its possessors,

and the nation's need for it.  So
much so that there is no need for me to go

over it once more.

 

Rather I would like to simply put forth
some points of advice to the

students of knowledge.  For verily,
the students of knowledge are the elite

members of this nation, the great hope
that we look forward to, in shaa'

Allaah.  They are the ones we expect
Allaah to use to revive the

distinguishing characteristics of this
Religion, spreading good virtues by

them, and using them to conquer wickedness.

 

So this part of our nation deserves more
of our concern, careful watch, and

guidance than any other group, since they
benefit a great number of people.

As opposed to others, their benefits are
not restricted to themselves;

rather they extend to the whole nation,
those present in our time and those

yet to come.

 

 

 

Remaining Close to the Scholars

 

So I say, dear brothers, may Allaah bless
you all, take special care to

remain close to the people of knowledge. 
For taking matters to the people

of knowledge surely keeps one away from
fitnah.  It secures one from going

astray and protects one from falling into
error.  No people ever went astray

while continually consulting the people
of knowledge.  How could they go

astray obeying Allaah's Order and His
Guidance (Al-Anbiyaa' 21:7):

 

So ask the people of knowledge when you
do not know

 

So whoever asks the people of knowledge
and consults them, then he has been

granted success, as he has fulfilled what
has been asked of him.  Whoever

carries out what Allaah has made obligatory
on him, then Allaah does not go

back on His Promises (At-Talaaq 65:4):

 

And whoever has taqwaa of Allaah,

then He gives him ease in his affair

 

The one who returns to the people of knowledge,
going to them in all

affairs, in both the apparent and the
confusing issues, is granted success,

in shaa' Allaah.  So from this important
advice of returning to the people

of knowledge is that taking knowledge
is done by way of the akaabir (senior

scholars), and knowledge is not taken
from the asaaghir.

 

(Translator's note - Shaykh Abul-Hasan,
in using the word asaaghir, seems to

be alluding to a hadeeth of the Prophet
(sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam),

"Verily from the signs of the Hour is
that knowledge will be sought from the

asaaghir."  In Basaa'iru Thawish-Sharaf,
Shaykh Saleem Al-Hilaalee calls it

saheeh and traces it to Ibn Mubaarak's
Az-Zuhd (p.61), Al-Laalakaa'ee's

Sharh Usool I'tiqaad Ahlis-Sunnati wal-Jamaa'ah
(p.102), and Al-Khateeb

Al-Baghdaadee's Al-Jaami' li-Akhlaaqir-Raawee
wa Adaabis-Saami' (v.1,

p.137).  The forthcoming explanations
are for the word asaaghir as found in

the hadeeth, and Allaah knows best.)

 

The asaaghir, as some scholars have explained,
are the people of innovation,

even if their reputation has been magnified
to some people.  The people of

innovation are lowly and wicked, even
if they possess some prestige with

some of the people, those who do not even
know the straight path.

 

Other scholars explained the asaaghir to
be those new to seeking knowledge,

those who started seeking knowledge but
never became strong in the affair

and never attained the proper fundamentals. 
Knowledge is not taken from

these kinds of people, since they themselves
were not able to master the

affair they began.  So how can they
help others become to master it?!

 

In every situation, returning to the people
of knowledge, and taking from

them, protects one from

fitnah.  So be warned about the wicked
asaaghir, the people of desires and

straying, the people who make statements
that contradict Ahlus-Sunnah

wal-Jamaa'ah!  (Be warned about)
the people who try to divide and split the

ranks of those who follow the truth!

 

All of this is closely related to my advice
about sticking closely to the

people of knowledge, since remaining close
to them prevents one from falling

into these kinds of errors.  For
keeping distant from the people of

knowledge leads one to fall into these
affairs, and with Allaah is the

refuge.

 

 

 

Manners in Seeking Knowledge

 

It is a must for us to learn the proper
manners needed to seek knowledge.

We must not seek knowledge to look down
on the people.  We must not seek

knowledge to draw attention to ourselves. 
We must not seek knowledge to

argue with the foolish people, or to gain
positions over them.  We must not

seek knowledge to argue with the scholars.

 

We must only seek knowledge for Allaah,
and we must be humble.  For verily

if a man has been granted some knowledge,
then it is binding on him to make

that knowledge a way for him to become
humble.  As for the one who is

granted knowledge, but he does not become
humble, then this is a very bad

sign.

 

Right now, every one of us is able to interrogate
himself, saying, "How well

are you acting according to what you know? 
How is your humility, your

character, and your humbleness?"

 

Some students, when given knowledge by
Allaah, and He grants them an

abundance of it, deal proudly with their
brothers, look down on them, and

view themselves as being far above them
and much greater than them.  This

kind of man has not received any beneficial
knowledge, since he is being

harmed by what he knows.  His knowledge,
and with Allaah is the refuge, is

causing his destruction.

 

Ayyoob As-Sakhtiyaanee, as well as 'Abdullaah
ibn Mubaarak, may Allaah have

mercy on them, used to say to their companions,
"You people are in need of

learning a little bit of manners more
than you need to learn a lot of

knowledge."

 

So good manners to a student of knowledge
are like the leaves of a tree that

shield and protect him.  Any student
who is not well-mannered, nor is he

humble with his brothers, nor have favorable
behavior, how can he be

considered a true student of knowledge?! 
He is running the people away from

knowledge!  Verily he is preventing
people from following the Religion, from

Allaah's Path!  How many call to
Allaah's Way but prevent the people from

following it?!  And how many are
quick to remind the people about Allaah but

are heedless themselves about their own
reminders?!  We ask Allaah to pardon

and excuse us.

 

So the student of knowledge must be upon
righteous character.  He must

behave well with his teacher.  He
must have good manners with his companions

and brothers, and with those younger than
him.  He must behave well with his

elders and those over him in authority. 
He must have good manners with

those who assist him and do favors for
him; he must have good manners with

the young and old alike.  He must
fulfill the rights that Allaah gave all

those around him.

 

So look to a man's knowledge, if you see
him studying this year upon good

moral character, and then two years later
you find him with much better

character, know that his knowledge is
affecting him, he is benefiting from

it.  Whoever benefits from his knowledge,
Allaah will benefit the people by

him.

 

And if you see the opposite in someone,
then know that he is on the brink of

destruction, unless, from Allaah's Mercy,
He blesses him to not be one of

these ruined people.  Allaah says
(35:28):

 

Verily the ones who (truly) fear Allaah

from among His Servants are the scholars

 

Knowledge cultivates humility and humbleness. 
Knowledge grants one the

ability to fight desires and gain control
over one's self and culture it.

This is how our Salaf were!  They
used to be very concerned with their own

selves and their relationship with Allaah.

 

 

 

The Thikr (Remembrance) of Allaah

 

My advice to the students of knowledge
also includes that they must remember

Allaah.  From the greatest of all
mistakes, dear brothers, is that the

students heedlessly abandon the remembrance
of Allaah and the acts of

obedience that draw would them closer
to Him.

 

Some students may think that as they seek
knowledge they do not need to pray

any of the optional prayers, nor do they
need to fast optional days.  They

may feel that they are not in need of
these kinds of deeds, even though the

Salaf used to be the most concerned of
the people about them.  And despite

this, they may say, "I follow the manhaj
of the Salaf!"  The way of the

Salaf involves statements and actions,
not simply the refutation of the

people of innovation.  This was just
one door, from the many great doors of

good that the Salaf opened for this nation.

 

Just as the Salaf used to refute innovators,
they used to have great moments

between them and Allaah, Mighty and Majestic. 
They used to worship Allaah

privately.  They used to have sittings
wherein they would take account of

themselves, taking charge of their desires. 
If we are going to follow the

path of the Salaf, we should love to follow
their way in all affairs, open

and private.

 

The one who excels in his search for knowledge,
but abandons the optional

prayers, and loses out here and there,
he can not truly be considered a

student of knowledge, even though he has
knowledge and is able to quote

references from Alfiyyah and other books.

 

Imaam Ath-Thahabee, when he mentioned the
biography of Mis'ar ibn Kidaam

Al-Hilaalee, he talked about his worship,
and that he was not only exemplary

in his worship, but in his studies of
hadeeth as well a scholar of hadeeth

and, at the same time, an outstanding
worshipper!  He saw the people

expelling their efforts seeking strange
hadeeths and rare additions to

certain narrations that they used to consider
points of benefit, some of

them dha'eef, some munkar, some saheeh,
and the likes.  He saw that the

people used to busy themselves for long
periods of time with these things,

so he said, "Verily this hadeeth has diverted
you from the remembrance of

Allaah and from prayer.  So will
you not stop this now?"

 

Mis'ar used to say this, as Al-Khateeb
reported, as well as Ath-Thahabi.

When Ath-Thahabi mentioned it, he explained
it saying, "Whoever seeks

knowledge just for the thrill of it, just
because he is driven to learn, not

for a religious reason, then we fear for
him.  And whoever seeks knowledge

and abandons optional forms of worship,
he is lazy and despicable.  He is

lazy and despicable."  Then he mentioned
that when the Salaf used to seek

knowledge, they used to give their optional
deeds their proper share of

attention.

 

It is binding on the student of knowledge
that he concerns himself with the

thikr of Allaah, those phrases of remembrance
for the morning and the

evening, and the thikr that follows the
five daily prayers.  So many of the

students do not recite the phrases "subhaan
allaah" the prescribed 33 times,

nor "alhamdu lillaah," nor "allaahu akbar,"
nor the likes, as if that is

something for the common people only!

 

Too many students of knowledge, when you
see them coming to the prayer, you

find them in the last rows.  The
common people are lined up in the first

row, and they are in the last one. 
It is as if trying to get in the first

rows, or coming early to Jumu'ah prayer,
these are things for common people,

not for us - we are special people!

 

This is not correct, dear brothers! 
These are things that the Prophet

(sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) guided
all the people to.  And the

Companions were the most pious of the
people after the Messenger

(sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam), and they
used to take care to consistently

do these things.  And the Companions
were the most knowledgeable people of

this nation after its Prophet (sallallaahu
'alayhe wa sallam), and they used

to guard over their performance of these
things.

 

The Athkaar (phrases of Allaah's remembrance)
have a great effect on the

cultivation of the heart. They are our
provisions, dear brothers, our

provisions for the journey.  If a
man remembers Allaah, Mighty and Majestic,

and pays attention to his consistent phrases
of remembrance, then he has

taken his provisions, that which sees
him through his journey to Allaah,

Mighty and Majestic.  Provisions
that help him get past all the obstacles in

this worldly life, the many problems that
will keep him busy.  Provisions

that will help him carry his heavy load!

 

When Shaykh Al-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah, may
Allaah have Mercy on him, used to

pray Fajr, he would sit making thikr until
the sun rose.  He used to say,

"This is my morning meal, if I don't do
this, I would lose my strength," or

something to the likes of this. 
He used to actually nourish himself with

thikr!

 

So the man who misses out, not remembering
Allaah, the foolish people will

get bold with him!  If you miss out
on these athkaar, not sticking to them

consistently, the people will boldly go
after you  this one insults you,

that one is talking about you, this one
refutes you, that one takes a stab

at you, etc, with truthful things or with
falsehoods!

 

Abandoning thikr causes a man to exit his
fortress.  Thikr is a mighty

fortress, whoever enters it will be safeguarded. 
Abandoning thikr, or being

heedless about it, makes a man susceptible
to the attacks of human devils,

as well as those from the Jinn.

 

As students of knowledge, how many times
in our lives have we faced grief

and pain?  How many times have we
been attacked, talked about, slandered,

and insulted even by those who ascribe
themselves to the Sunnah!?  Those

biased partisans who ascribe themselves
to the Sunnah that cause division to

this nation, busying it with these affairs,
and with Allaah is the refuge -

they are the first ones who will talk
about you!

 

How bad is it when you find the closest
people to you are the ones talking

about you?!  No doubt this is a great
burden on the soul, as it has been

said, "The oppression of the close relatives
is more severe and more

difficult to deal with within one's soul
than the striking of the enemy's

sword."  This is such a difficult
blow to the soul!  So then what about

those not so close to you?!

 

The Daa'iyah, the one who calls to Allaah's
Way, and this is to be expected

when one ascribes himself to the Sunnah,
is being refuted by this one, and

that one is talking about him, and some
are distorting his reputation, this

one is setting people against him, and
there are people trying to kill him

or jail him, and some are trying to make
his life difficult - all of these

things happen.  So you will not be
able to become strong in the midst of

this surging, restless ocean and its tidal
waves of fitnah, except with the

thikr of Allaah.

 

The thikr of Allaah is security and a mighty
fortress for you.  So be

warned!  Be warned about failing
to take advantage of this fortress and thus

exiting from it, making yourself vulnerable
to the devils, or simply opening

your door and your enemies from the human
devils and those from the

Jinn enter upon you, disturbing and frustrating
you tremendously, and with

Allaah is the refuge!

 

So I advise all the students of knowledge,
as well as all those who love the

Sunnah, to consistently recite the phrases
of Allaah's remembrance that come

to us by way of the Messenger of Allaah
(sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam), in

their correct forms, at their correct
times, repeating them the correct

number of times, at the occasions that
the Sunnah specified, so that we may

become, with Allaah's Permission, from
(Al-Ahzaab 33:35):

 

And those who remember Allaah much

 

For when Allaah, Glorified and Exalted,
ordered us to make thikr, He did not

merely say, "Remember Allaah," rather
He said (Al-Ahzaab 33:41):

 

Remember Allaah with a great amount of
remembrance!

 

So a man may make thikr, but he may not
necessarily be from  Those who

remember Allaah much .  He said, 
Remember Allaah with a great amount of

remembrance! .

 

And truly Allaah made thikr one of the
main reasons for a person's

stability, as He says (Al-Anfaal 8:45):

 

O you who believe!  When you meet
a group (of the enemy),

then be firm and remember Allaah with
a great amount

of remembrance so that you might be successful

 

The remembrance of Allaah in times of fear,
when you prepare to face the

enemy and fight their strong ones, is
a factor that leads to victory.

 

So dear brothers, do not look at thikr
as the common people do, as if it is

a simple task of counting some words of
praise on their fingers and then

they are finished with it.  No, the
remembrance of Allaah is with the heart,

as you remember Allaah in the whole of
your heart, saying words that the

Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam)
said and thinking about their

meanings, especially when these small
words carry great and numerous

meanings.

 

I mean to say that you should remember
Allaah with these concise but

meaningful phrases, those that are established
on the Prophet (sallallaahu

'alayhe wa sallam), and that you should
not bring some phrases from your own

self, despite the fact that it is permissible
to do that.  Rather the

phrases used by the Prophet (sallallaahu
'alayhe wa sallam) are more concise

with deeper meanings, the first and the
last of them have a great benefit.

So guard closely your adherence to the
athkaar of the morning so that you

will be in the protection of Allaah until
the nightfall, and then

consistently make the athkaar of the evening
so that you will be in the

protection of Allaah until the morning.

 

Guard closely over your supplications to
Allaah, those that Allaah will

remove your distresses because of them. 
The Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa

sallam) told us about the farewell advice
of the Prophet Nooh

('alayhis-salaam) to his son.  Nooh
said, "I order you with two things and I

forbid you from two things.  I order
you with laa ilaaha ill-Allaah and

subhaan allaahi wa bihamdihi (glorified
is Allaah and to Him is the praise)

by way of it the entire creation is provided
for."

 

(Translator's note - The two things the
Prophet Nooh, 'alayhis-salaam,

prohibited his son from were shirk and
pride.  The hadeeth is found in the

Musnad of Imaam Ahmad.)

 

So saying subhaan allaahi wa bihamdihi
causes one to be provided for.  So

let the poverty-stricken, troubled man
increase his use of this phrase,

subhaan allaahi wa bihamdihi, let him
increase his tasbeeh.  Subhaan allaahi

wa bihamdihi - by way of it, the entire
creation is provided for!  Allaah

says (Al-Israa' 17:44):

 

There is nothing that exists except that
it glorifies and praises Allaah

 

So this tasbeeh, brothers, all of the creation
is making it.  So please

recite this phrase frequently and consistently,
subhaan allaahi wa

bihamdihi.

 

And also "subhaan allaahi wa bihamdihi
'adada khalqihi wa ridhaa nafsihi"

and all the athkaar of the morning, dear
brothers, are a great bounty, the

doors to much good!

 

The conditions of time we live in have
overtaken us to the point where our

minds often only think about tangible,
material things!  Where is the

spirituality, the use of the hearts, the
relying on Allaah the Mighty and

Majestic?!  Where are those who understand
and actualize thikr and

du'aa'?!  Du'aa' is a great avenue
to seek after what you want.

 

How well are we utilizing it?  How
many diseases strike the people, and they

run here and there, frantically seeking
the cure? Perhaps someone may seek

medical treatment for years, but has he
sat just one time allowing his heart

to flee to Allaah, making a firm request
of Allaah that He heals this

sickness?!  Has he sat one time and
emptied the affairs from his heart and

soul, raising his hands to Allaah, Mighty
and Majestic?!

 

Ibn Al-Qayyim, may Allaah have Mercy on
him, mentioned that if a man calls

on Allaah the Mighty and Majestic at the
times when his supplication is

likely to be answered according to the
Sunnah, facing the qiblah, raising

his hands with humility, beginning by
praising Allaah and sending

salutations on the Prophet (sallallaahu
'alayhe wa sallam), thinking well of

Allaah and being persistent in his request,
then rarely would his

supplication go unanswered.  I say
that we have great doors in front of us,

doors that lead to plenty of benefits.

 

It has occurred that many people today
understand that the way of the Salaf

is not to talk about these kinds of affairs,
nor busy one's self with these

kinds of issues.  That they only
talk about "so-and-so is this and so-and-so

is that," and this is not correct! 
The call to the way of the Salaf

includes discussions about the spirituality
of the heart!  It includes

discussions about healing the heart, and
the things that harm the heart.

 

Read the works of Ibn Al-Qayyim, may Allaah
have Mercy on him!  Read the

works of Shaykh Al-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah,
may Allaah have Mercy on him!  Read

the Speech of Allaah the Mighty and Majestic! 
Read the narrations of the

Messenger (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam)
about how he used to supplicate to

Allaah; these narrations carry tremendous
meanings, meanings that will stir

up the heart!  If people would only
read these supplications with a live

heart, with an attentive heart, not with
an absent, heedless, unmindful

heart, and with Allaah is the refuge!

 

It could be that a person mentions Allaah
in such a way that he falls into

disobedience with this

thikr, and with Allaah is the refuge! 
It has been narrated that one of the

rulers was sitting with another man. 
Some people came and said, "So-and-so

has said such-and-such!"  So a man
from those present stood up and said to

the ruler, "Subhaan allaah!  O subhaan
allaah, he said that?!"  His saying

subhaan allaah in this fashion was only
to incite the ruler's anger against

that man.  So someone from those
present said, "I never knew that subhaan

allaah could be used to disobey Allaah
until now!"

 

Do you see how the phrase subhaan allaah
was used to disobey Allaah?  He

only wanted to incite the ruler to try
and get revenge against the one who

said the statement.  "O subhaan allaah,
he said that?!"  He did not intend

thikr by it.  He did not intend to
remember Allaah with it, nor to glorify

Allaah the Mighty and Majestic by it. 
He only intended mischievous slander

and provocation by it, hoping to provoke
the ruler against that man.

 

So thikr, dear brothers, must be intended
for Allaah the Mighty and

Majestic.  And the students of knowledge
must be the foremost people who

remember Allaah.  There were men
from the

Salaf, whenever they were seen, Allaah
would be mentioned, wherever they

were seen!  Wherever they were seen! 
That has been reported about

'Abdur-Rahmaan ibn Abee Haatim; when he
was seen, Allaah would be

remembered.  Ayyoob was also described
this way, and Ibn Seereen as well,

and Hammaad ibn Salamah.  Simply
by looking at them, Allaah would be

remembered.  One of them was sought
after to seek rain, another was sought

after to end calamities.  The people
used to understand that by their mere

presence, Allaah would remove their calamities! 
They used to believe that

Allaah would send down rain because of
their presence amongst them.

 

So, brothers, where are the people of hadeeth
like this?!  Imaam

Ath-Thahabee said, "I am not able to see
them, except in the books or in

their graves!"  And that was in the
time of Ath-Thahabee!  He said, "I am

not able to see them, except in the books
or in their graves!"  We ask

Allaah to excuse us and to grant us security. 
Where are the people of

hadeeth like this?!

 

The people of hadeeth were the ones who,
due to their presence, Allaah

removed trials from the places they went,
as Ibraaheem ibn Adham said.

Allaah had removed calamities from the
places they traveled to because of

their journey there!

 

The people of hadeeth are the blessed possessors
of virtues on this earth,

after Allaah Glorified and Exalted. 
The people of hadeeth are those who

memorized and preserved the Religion and
conveyed it to the people.  For

this, they journeyed far, and were seen
as strangers, and because of this

they were harmed.  And every businessman
stands behind his business.  Every

king stands behind his kingdom. 
And every owner of some worldly thing

stands behind his piece of the dunyaa. 
And every follower of desires stands

behind his cravings.

 

As for the people of hadeeth, they were
the ones who traveled through the

Earth from the East to the West, gathering
the Religion from the chests of

men, organizing chapters and arranging
them, authoring books, and

propagating the Religion amongst the people. 
And from the characteristics

of the people of hadeeth  they were
the people of thikr.  They used to

remember Allaah much.  They were
also the people of hard work and

perseverance (which leads us to the next
piece of advice)...

 

 

 

Perseverance

 

I advise my brothers to be people of hard
work and perseverance, doing good

deeds and acts of obedience.  It
is not for a man to do some act of

obedience, and then allow it to dwindle
away and leave it, no!  If Allaah

makes a way for you to perform an act
of obedience, then stick to it!  If

you have been granted to ability to pray
at night, then do not abandon it!

If you are able to fast, then do not abandon
it!  If you were able to

perform an act of worship, then do not
leave it off!  "For verily the most

beloved of deeds to Allaah are those performed
consistently, even if they

are few." (As the Prophet (sallallaahu
'alayhe wa sallam) said in a hadeeth

found in Al-Bukhaaree, Muslim, and others,
on the authority of 'Aa'ishah,

may Allaah be pleased with her - Translator)

 

Some people become active, and soon after
weaken until they become inactive.

They are active for a month and then stagnant
for years!  The most beloved

deeds to Allaah are the consistent ones,
even if they are few.

 

Patience has, as the scholars say, three
main categories: Patience upon

obedience, patience against disobedience,
and patience through trials.

Patience upon obedience means to continue
and be consistent in your good

deeds, and that you do not do something
and then leave it off.  It means

that you do not persist with a good action
and then abandon it.  Patience in

against disobedience means that you restrain
yourself from falling into acts

of disobedience, and patience though trials
needs no explanation.

 

The most difficult of these categories
is patience upon obedience; indeed

the most difficult of them is patience
upon obedience.  For example, a man

may pray Dhuhaa prayer for a week and
then abandon it for months.  A man may

become consistent with certain athkaar
or he dedicates a certain time

consistently to private worship, and then
he becomes busy and no longer does

it.

 

My advice to the students of knowledge
is that, if they become acquainted

with a beneficial action, they must stick
to it, guard their performance of

it, and continue with it.  For verily
this is a great indication for a

believer and a good sign for him. 
A great sign for the believer is that he

increases in something good every day,
every day he increases in goodness.

 

 

 

The Real Fiqh

 

I advise the student of knowledge to look
to the kinds of gatherings that

increase him in his

eemaan.  He must sit in the gatherings
that cause his faith to increase.

And the gatherings that decrease his faith,
he must stay away from them.  Be

warned about sitting in gatherings that
cause your faith to diminish!  Be

warned about your companionship with a
man who causes a decline in your

faith!

 

Look to the meaning of fiqh, my brothers! 
This is the real fiqh!  The

faqeeh is the one who is aware of the
reasons for the increases and

decreases of his faith.  This is
the real faqeeh!  The

faqeeh is not the one who only knows the
points of differing in certain

issues, and that this person said this
and that one said that, and the

correct opinion is such-and-such. 
This one is the faqeeh regarding the

orders of Allaah.  But if he does
not combine this with an understanding of

the affairs of the heart, then he is ignorant
about Allaah, but

knowledgeable regarding the orders of
Allaah.

 

The Jews used to have knowledge, but it
was merely information to them.

Meanwhile they used to be ignorant about
Allaah the Mighty and Majestic.

They were bold in their dealings with
Allaah, inventing lies against Him.

They used to accuse Allaah, Glorified
and Exalted, of having ugly

characteristics, saying that His Hand
is tied up, or that He is poor and

they are wealthy.  They used to make
these horrible statements about Allaah

while they had knowledge of Him! 
They were possessors of knowledge and

awareness (despite these statements)!

 

So the student of knowledge must keep close
watch over this.  He must

concern himself with this moral excellence
and become from the people of

righteousness, those firmly established
upon good, those who stop at the

limits of Allaah, Glorified and Exalted. 
Do not transgress Allaah's

limits - you are students of knowledge,
dear brothers!  You are the youth of

today and the elders of tomorrow. 
Today you are listening and tomorrow the

people are listening to you, yes today
you are listening and tomorrow you

will be listened to!

 

So the student of knowledge, his task is
an extensive one, his phase is

lengthy.  And no one will pass through
it successfully except those who bear

through the entire length of the phase,
without stumbling.  Do not think

that you are on the right path even if
Allaah willed that you study for 50

years and you are in the 49th year. 
You may slip in the 50th year and then

the first 49 years will be no benefit
for you!  I mean to say that the 49

years did not preserve your reputation.
And I do not mean to say that your

deeds will be lost with Allaah.

 

And the student's personal history is widely
circulated, as if it is printed

on his forehead, and it can not be hidden
from view.  Every time he falls

into error, a black dot is placed in his
personal history, one that can

hardly be forgotten.  So, no doubt,
the student of knowledge guards

carefully over this issue.  He must
be careful and stick closely to right

guidance and judge properly in his affairs.

 

For verily among the supplications the
Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa

sallam) used to make was, "Allaahumma
Innee As-Alukal-Hudaa was-Sadaad!"

(Which means, "O Allaah  verily I
ask you for guidance and correctness!

'Alee  reported it, and it is found
in Saheeh Muslim in the Chapter of

Ath-Thikru wad-Du'aa'.  - Translator) 
So a man should ask Allaah for

guidance, correctness, direction, and
success in his affairs.

 

 

 

Wisdom, Understanding, and Lenience

 

The students of knowledge and all those
who love the Sunnah are also advised

to have wisdom, to carry out their affairs
with wisdom.  They should go

about their affairs with deliberateness
and carefulness, and they should

have leniency, may Allaah bless you all,
in their call to Allaah the Mighty

and Majestic.  Likewise they must
look to the long-term results of their

affairs, the benefits and harms that may
occur.  They must not simply act

according to the present situation in
a way that leads ultimately to the

demise of the da'wah, or its isolation
or restriction.  We ask Allaah to be

excused and pardoned.

 

So the successful student of knowledge
is the one who is wise is his call,

kind and merciful to Allaah's Creation,
knowledgeable about the Truth, and

with all of that, lenient and nice with
the people.  For verily the call of

Ahlus-Sunnah, as Shaykh Al-Islaam Ibn
Taymiyyah mentioned, is the call to

the Truth, the invitation to the Truth
based on knowledge and mercy to the

creation.

 

So if a man has knowledge of the Truth,
but he is harsh and rough with the

people, then he is not fulfilling what
Allaah made obligatory on him!  It

would be better for him to focus on working
on himself and establishing his

own self, and not to become a caller to
Allaah.  That is because Allaah,

Glorified and Exalted, warned us against
that.  He warned His own Prophet

against that (Aali 'Imraan 3:159)!

 

If you had been severe and hard-hearted,
they would have fled from you

 

And he was the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe
wa sallam)!  So be warned about

being severe and harsh-hearted! 
Be warned about being rough and difficult

with your brothers!  So do not add
to the difficulties of this age that your

brothers are already facing!  Do
not add your own set of difficulties,

adding calamity after calamity upon what
they are already facing in this

time!  Be compassionate with your
brothers, taking them by their hands,

correcting and guiding them!  Be
patient with them, and make excuses for

them!  They are the ones being pressured,
day and night, by the people of

falsehood and desires, due to their adherence
to the Sunnah of the Prophet

(sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam)! 
So then it is binding on you to be patient

with them, to correct them, bearing their
companionship, taking them by

their hands toward Allaah, Glorified and
Exalted!

 

The student of knowledge who has no wisdom
causes more harm than benefit, so

it is not expected for him to become an
imaam for the Muslims, nor one that

his brothers refer to, if he is not a
man having wisdom.  So having said

this, it is binding on the student to
be wise, intellectual, and aware.  The

Salaf used to say about a man who is wise
and intelligent that his intellect

is greater than his knowledge.  But
if a man is reckless and feebleminded,

displaying rashness and indiscretion,
then they would say about him that his

knowledge was greater than his intellect. 
He may have knowledge, but his

intellect or understanding is limited.

 

So our affair, dear brother, is not simply
gathering knowledge of the

various sciences of the Religion, rather
it is coupling this knowledge with

understanding.  Understanding and
leniency must accompany knowledge, so that

Allaah, Glorified and Exalted, will benefit
you by it, and then benefit

others by you.

 

These are the points of advice that I wanted
to advise myself with, as well

as my brothers, those present as well
as those listening in.  I ask Allaah

to grant me, and all of you, keys to goodness
and shields against evil, and

to save us all from the trials of evil
sayings and actions.  May Allaah

raise the rank of our Prophet Muhammad,
and that of his family and

companions, and may He grant them security.