Good Deed: #17 Seek knowledge
- “And say: My Lord increase me in knowledge.” (Qur’an, Ta-Ha 20:114)
- Ibn ‘Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) narrated, the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said: “Any person who goes along a course seeking knowledge, Allah will make for him the path to Paradise easy because of it. And he who is slow-paced in doing good deeds, his noble lineage will not give him priority [into Paradise].” (Muslim, Sahih; Ad-Darimi, Sunan; An-Nawawi, Riyad As-Salihin)
- Safwan Ibn ‘Assal (Allah be pleased with him) said: I came to the Prophet (Peace be upon him) while he was reclining on a red coat [in the mosque] and I said to him:“O’ Messenger of Allah! I came to seek knowledge. He said: Welcome knowledge seeker!
Indeed, the angels surround the knowledge seeker with their wings, then they pile on top of each other until they reach the lower heaven out of their love of what he is seeking.” (Ahmad Ibn Hanbal; At-Tabarani; Ibn Hajar Al-‘Asqalani, Mukhtasar
At-Targhib; Ibn Hajar Al-‘Asqalani, Al-Isabah fi Tamyziz As-Sahabah, article “Safwan Ibn ‘Assal”)
- Ibn ‘Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) reported, the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said [to a group of companions]: “When you pass by the meadows of Paradise indulge freely in it! They said: O Messenger of Allah! What are the meadows of Paradise? He said: The circles
of ‘Ilm.” (knowledge) (At-Tabarani, Al-Mu’jam Al-Kabir)
Strengthening one’s memory – Kamal Mekki
Action Plan
Etiquettes of Seeking Islamic Knowledge
Etiquettes Pertaining to the Student’s Relationship with His Lord:
1. The student should be sincere to Allah in his intentions for seeking knowledge. He should not seek Islamic knowledge for fame or status.
2. The student should not transgress the limits set by Allah.
3. A student of religious knowledge should feel strongly about the teachings of his faith. He should feel enough concern to enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong.
4. The student should accept what Allah has set forth in the scriptures of religious rulings and teachings. He should not give his personal opinions preference over the clear dictates of the Qur’ân and Sunnah.
Etiquettes Pertaining to the Student’s Personal Conduct:
1. A student of religious knowledge should put what he learns into practice.
2. The student should inculcate good conduct in his personality as he learns it from his teachers.
3. The student should be diligent and patient in his studies.
He should not procrastinate and put off his acquisition of knowledge until he has free time. There is always something to busy one and there will always be an excuse. A student should always aspire to greater knowledge and never be content with what he already has.
4. The student should approach the task of learning one step at a time. This is a general rule for learning. A student who seeks to learn everything at one’s loses everything. He can learn one or two hadîth at a time.
This may be one of the reasons why Allah sent the Qur’ân down gradually over the whole time of the Prophet’s mission, and why he ordered the Prophet (peace be upon him) to
5. The student should strive to acquaint himself with as much of the knowledge of his day as he can. He should be acquainted with all fields.
6. The student must pay the dues that his knowledge requires of him. This is for him to impart it to others. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Convey form me if but a single verse.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (3461)]
Etiquettes Pertaining to the Student’s Attitude towards the Scholars:
1. The student should show respect to the scholars, and he should beseech Allah’s mercy and forgiveness upon them in his prayers.
2. The student should focus on the scholars’ strengths and overlook their shortcomings.
3. The student should always assume the best about the scholars. He should never disparage any of them on account of an opinion that he might have held.
4. The student should beseech Allah to reward the scholars for what they got right and to forgive them for their mistakes and shortcomings.
Etiquettes Pertaining to the Student’s Relationship with His Teachers:
1. The student should take as much care as he can to select teachers known for their piety, humility, and religious commitment.
2. The student should behave humbly in his teachers’ presence and should show them respect.
3. A student should remain under his teachers’ tutelage in order to benefit from their conduct and their practice. He should seek to emulate their good manners and behaviors. He should avoid behaving contrarily.
3. The student should sit in the presence of his teachers attentively. He should not let his mind wander.
4. The student should bear patiently any harsh treatment or sternness that his teachers might sometimes exhibit. He should find some excuse for their behavior.
5. The student should be considerate and polite in asking his teachers questions. Indeed, one of the best approaches to seeking knowledge is to ask questions in the right way. If the teacher remains silent, the student should not press him to answer.
6. The student should be attentive, even when the topic is one that he is already well versed in. This is one of the best manners a student of knowledge can exhibit.
Etiquettes Pertaining to the Student’s Relationship with His Classmates:
1. A student of religious knowledge should show humility when he is among his classmates. He should never behave arrogantly. He should never set himself above them. If he has a stronger memory or a quicker grasp of things, he should know that it is Allah’s blessing upon him and he should be thankful.
2. A student should work with his classmates in improving their knowledge together. He should benefit them with whatever he may have learned, and he should not be too proud to learn from them as well.
3. The student should desire for his peers the same success that he desires for himself. He should encourage and help his classmates as much as he can.
4. A student should not joke around too much with his fellows. He should never belittle any of them them or envy them.
other resources
Imam Subki’s Counsel on Seeking Islamic Knowledge
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