7. Conditions for a Student of Knowledge

The pre-requisites for the student of knowledge:

1. The person has acts of Ibadah
2. The person has to uphold manners/akhlaq
3. The person has to have a methodology (manhaj)
4. The person has to have fiqh

Allah describes the people of Ilm

1. They are grounded/rooted in knowledge

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   • It means that the person is grounded in understanding & precision.
   • It is also mentioned that the verses in the Qur’an is categorized into 2:
     1. Clear cut verses
     2. Ambiguous verses, and it is said the only ones who know are Allah and the people who are grounded in kowledge.
2. They are Ar-Rabbaniyun

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   • It is not possible for the person who Allah gave Qur’an and Sunnah and then the person says “worship me”.
   • Imam Al-Qurtubi said the Rabbani means the scholar who acts upon his knowledge.
   • Abdullah ibn Abbas said the Rabbani is the one who nurtures the people in knowledge.
   • Pay attention to the sequence of the verse. In order to be a Rabbani, you have to be someone who is rooted in knowledge first.

Condition 1 : Ibadah

^e359a5 And the conditions for Ibadah are:

1. Ikhlas / Sincerity

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• The poet said “The building is not built except the foundation is strong to hold it”
• If you look at the early imams, they work very hard on their intentions.
• Sufyan Ats-Tsauri said he never struggled more than with his intentions.
• Abu Hassan Ali Ibn Umar

• Hadith 6, 40 Hadith Qudsi - Forty Hadith Qudsi - Sunnah.com - Sayings and Teachings of Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه و سلم)

  الحديث القدسي

  Forty Hadith Qudsi

  I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: The first of people against whom judgment will be pronounced on the Day of Resurrection will be a man who died a martyr. He will be brought and Allah will make known to him His favours and he will recognize them. [ The Almighty] will say: And what did you do about them? He will say: I fought for you until I died a martyr. He will say: You have lied - you did but fight that it might be said [of you]: He is courageous. And so it was said. Then he will be ordered to be dragged along on his face until he is cast into Hell-fire. [Another] will be a man who has studied [religious] knowledge and has taught it and who used to recite the Quran. He will be brought and Allah will make known to him His favours and he will recognize them. [The Almighty] will say: And what did you do about them? He will say: I studied [religious] knowledge and I taught it and I recited the Quran for Your sake. He will say: You have lied - you did but study [religious] knowledge that it might be said [of you]: He is learned. And you recited the Quran that it might be said [of you]: He is a reciter. And so it was said. Then he will be ordered to be dragged along on his face until he is cast into Hell-fire. [Another] will be a man whom Allah had made rich and to whom He had given all kinds of wealth. He will be brought and Allah will make known to him His favours and he will recognize them. [The Almighty] will say: And what did you do about them? He will say: I left no path [untrodden] in which You like money to be spent without spending in it for Your sake. He will say: You have lied - you did but do so that it might be said [of you]: He is open-handed. And so it was said. Then he will be ordered to be dragged along on his face until he is cast into Hell-fire. It was related by Muslim (also by at-Tirmidhi and an-Nasa’i).

  عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ: ” إِنَّ أَوَّلَ النَّاسِ يُقْضَى يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ عَلَيْهِ رَجُلٌ اسْتُشْهِدَ، فَأُتِيَ بِهِ فَعَرَّفَهُ نِعَمَهُ فَعَرَفَهَا، قَالَ: فَمَا عَمِلْتَ فِيهَا؟ قَالَ قَاتَلْتُ فِيكَ حَتَّى اسْتُشْهِدْتُ، قَالَ: كَذَبْتَ، وَلَكِنَّكَ قَاتَلْتَ لِأَنْ يُقَالَ: جَرِيءٌ، فَقَدْ قِيلَ، ثُمَّ أُمِرَ بِهِ فَسُحِبَ عَلَى وَجْهِهِ حَتَّى أُلْقِيَ فِي النَّارِ. وَرَجُلٌ تَعَلَّمَ الْعِلْمَ وَعَلَّمَهُ وَقَرَأَ الْقُرْآنَ، فَأُتِيَ بِهِ، فَعَرَّفَهُ نِعَمَهُ فَعَرَفَهَا، قَالَ: فَمَا عَمِلْتَ فِيهَا؟ قَالَ: تَعَلَّمْتُ الْعِلْمَ وَعَلَّمْتُهُ، وَقَرَأْتُ فِيكَ الْقُرْآنَ، قَالَ: كَذَبْتَ، وَلَكِنَّكَ تَعَلَّمْتَ الْعِلْمَ لِيُقَالَ: عَالِمٌ، وَقَرَأْتَ الْقُرْآنَ لِيُقَالَ: هُوَ قَارِئٌ، فَقَدْ قِيلَ، ثُمَّ أُمِرَ بِهِ، فَسُحِبَ عَلَى وَجْهِهِ حَتَّى أُلْقِيَ فِي النَّارِ. وَرَجُلٌ وَسَّعَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ، وَأَعْطَاهُ مِنْ أَصْنَافِ الْمَالِ كُلِّهِ، فَأُتِيَ بِهِ، فَعَرَّفَهُ نِعَمَهُ فَعَرَفَهَا، قَالَ: فَمَا عَمِلْتَ فِيهَا؟ قَالَ: مَا تَرَكْتُ مِنْ سَبِيلٍ تُحِبُّ أَنْ يُنْفَقَ فِيهَا إِلَّا أَنْفَقْتُ فِيهَا لَكَ، قَالَ: كَذَبْتَ، وَلَكِنَّكَ فَعَلْتَ لِيُقَالَ: هُوَ جَوَادٌ، فَقَدْ قِيلَ، ثُمَّ أُمِرَ بِهِ فَسُحِبَ عَلَى وَجْهِهِ، ثُمَّ أُلْقِيَ فِي النَّارِ”.

  رواه مسلم (وكذلك الترمذي والنسائي)

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• What the prophet feared the most for his ummah

  وَعَنْ مَحْمُودِ بْنِ لَبِيدٍ ‏- رضى الله عنه ‏- قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اَللَّهِ ‏- صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏-{ إِنَّ أَخْوَفَ مَا أَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمْ اَلشِّرْكُ اَلْأَصْغَرُ: اَلرِّيَاءُ } أَخْرَجَهُ أَحْمَدُ بِسَنَدٍ حَسَنٍ.‏ 1‏ .‏ ‏1 ‏- حسن.‏ رواه أحمد (5 / 428 و 429)‏ وزاد: ” يقول الله ‏-عز وجل‏- لهم يوم القيامة ‏-إذا جزى الناس بأعمالهم‏-: اذهبوا إلى الذين كنتم تراءون في الدنيا فانظروا هل تجدون عندهم جزاء”.‏

  Mahmud bin Labid (RAA) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "The thing I fear most for you is the lesser shirk (polytheism), showing-off (of good deeds)."Related by Ahmad with a good chain of narrators,

  Bulugh al-Maram https://sunnah.com/bulugh/16/48

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Stories of the salaf regarding sincerity

• Imam Asy-Syatibi mentioned that one day Umar ibn Khatab saw another companion, Abu Ubay walking and there were people behind him. Upon seeing this Umar said “stay away from this because this is a fitnah for you and a humiliation for them” This tells us that it is not good to have people constantly following you as this might affect your sincerity and it degrades the other person.
• Imam Ad-Dhahabi was mentioned in the biography of Ayyub As-Sikhtiyani, he said “People mention me, and I do not like it when people mention me.”. The imam would not allow him to come with him, and would take routes through the alleyways so that the he will not be recognized by the people.
• Bishir Ibn Al-Harith mentioned that a person who loves fame doesn’t come with taqwa.
• Imam Ahmad said “I want to be in a valley in Makkah where no one knows me. I have been tested with fame.”
• Abdullah ibn Mubarak, one day he wanted to drink water so he went to a well where there was a lot of people. Everyone was pushing and shoving and they did not know/recognize who he was. Amidst it, he praised Allah and asked Allah to let him live like this where no one knows who he is. This was the sincerity of the salaf.
• A man came to Imam Ahmad and told him the muslims who are currently in jihad, makes dua for the Imam when they are in their prayer. Upon hearing this, the Imam’s face changed and he said “I wish it was not istidraj”.
• Abu Bakr Manruudi, (or Al-Mirdaawi I’m not sure) a student of Imam Ahmad, said I saw a Christian doctor come out of Imam Ahmad’s house, accompanied by a monk, and he said: He asked me to let him come with me to see Abu ‘Abdillah.” and the monk told Imam Ahmad that “You remaining in Bujdaad, with us is not only benefitting the muslims, it is good for all of creations. Amongst us monks there is none of us except we are all pleased with you as a person for what you stand for and your morals.” To this the Imam replied “If a person really knows himself, what the people say about him will not benefit him.” (Siyar A’lam Al-Nubala 11/211).
• Abdurrahman ibn Abi Layla said he met with 120 of the Anshar from the companions of the prophet ﷺ. There was not one of them when asked a question regarding a matter except that he wishes his brother could answer it. They would not want to boast about the knowledge that they have. This tells us the importance of not wanting to be first in the eyes of the people. Wanting to hide out of humility (tawadhu).

2. Acting upon the knowledge that you have

The pious predecessors never considered it to be knowledge unless it was acted upon.

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Condition 2 : Akhlaq (Mannerisms and Ettiquetes a Student of Knowledge Should Uphold)

1. Sincerity

• It means doing it only for the sake of Allah.

• About One Who Seeks The World With His Knowledge

  حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الأَشْعَثِ، أَحْمَدُ بْنُ الْمِقْدَامِ الْعِجْلِيُّ الْبَصْرِيُّ حَدَّثَنَا أُمَيَّةُ بْنُ خَالِدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ يَحْيَى بْنِ طَلْحَةَ، حَدَّثَنِي ابْنُ كَعْبِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ ‏ ”‏ مَنْ طَلَبَ الْعِلْمَ لِيُجَارِيَ بِهِ الْعُلَمَاءَ أَوْ لِيُمَارِيَ بِهِ السُّفَهَاءَ أَوْ يَصْرِفَ بِهِ وُجُوهَ النَّاسِ إِلَيْهِ أَدْخَلَهُ اللَّهُ النَّارَ ‏”‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ غَرِيبٌ لاَ نَعْرِفُهُ إِلاَّ مِنْ هَذَا الْوَجْهِ ‏.‏ وَإِسْحَاقُ بْنُ يَحْيَى بْنِ طَلْحَةَ لَيْسَ بِذَاكَ الْقَوِيِّ عِنْدَهُمْ تُكُلِّمَ فِيهِ مِنْ قِبَلِ حِفْظِهِ ‏.‏

  Narrated Ibn Ka’b bin Malik: from his father that he heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying: “Whoever seeks knowledge to contend with the scholars, or to use it to argue with the fools, and to have people’s faces turn towards him, then he shall be admitted to the Fire.”

  Jami at-Tirmidhi 2654 Grade: Da’if (Darussalam) https://sunnah.com/tirmidhi:2654

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• Abdullah ibn Mubarak said the steps to knowledge are. 4:
  1. First is the intention,
  2. then it is to listen,
  3. then it is to act upon it,
  4. then it is to spread it.
• Imam Ahmad said “Knowledge, nothing is equal to it if a person perfects his intention”.

2. Being truthful (sidq) to yourself

• It means knowledge does not like shirk. You have to give it your all, and you don’t go half-hearted.
• Story of the Truthful Bedouin Man
• The main difference between this and sincerity is, sincerity is doing it only for the sake of Allah, and sidq is you don’t do it with anything else. It becomes your priority.

3. Have high aspirations

• You are patient at whatever knowledge throws at you.
• Patience is not easy.

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• A man came to Sheikh ibn Baz and said he was tired of giving da’wah for so long. The sheikh asked the man to hold up his palm and said open your fingers one by one while reciting the verse. He told the man that success only comes after these four thing (believe, persevere, endure, and remain stationed).
• It takes years to study and learn. You will not see results right away.
• Endurance, patience, resilience, and longevity are all needed to attain knowledge.

Stories of the salaf regarding high aspirations

• Abdullah ibn Abbas, when he was still young and wanted to learn knowledge.

• Sa’id ibn Jubayr (rahimahullah) reports that ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas (radiyallahu ‘anhuma) said: “When Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) passed away, I told an Ansari man, “Let us go seek knowledge for the Sahabah of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) are alive.” He replied, “You are strange O Ibn ‘Abbas, where do you think people will refer to you when there are (senior) Sahabah around?” I left him and began seeking knowledge. When I heard of a Sahabi who had a Hadith which he heard from Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam), I would go to him and sit at his door. The wind would blow dust onto my face. When he would emerge, he would say, “O cousin of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam), why have you come? What do you require?” I would reply, “I have heard that you have a Hadith which you report from Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam).” [i.e. I would like you to report it to me]. The Sahabi would say, “Why didn’t you send for me?” I would reply, “I am the one who should come to you.” [For knowledge is sought]. People then started gathering by ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas (radiyallahu ‘anhuma). The Ansari man would say, “This youngster was more intelligent than me.”

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  Fom this we know that there will always be people who will try and break your spirits.

• His (Abdullah ibn Abbas) statement “When I was seeking knowledge, I felt humiliated. Now that Allah has taught me, I’ve gained respect.”

If you want to seek knowledge and comfort, you will not find it.

• Yahya ibn Abi Kathir said “Knowledge is not gained by a relaxed body. Knowledge is gained by excessive effort.”

Discipline yourself. Revelations are not going to come to you. It is for the prophets. For you, you have to seek it out.

• Al-Sha’bi was asked about where did he get his knowledge from, and he said:
  • “I stopped depending on myself, I started depending on Allah,
  • I travelled the earth,
  • I showed patience like a donkey (doesn’t complain), and
  • I was up in the early morning like the crow.”
• Imam Malik said “You are not going to attain this affair (knowledge) until you taste poverty.”
• Imam As-Syafi’i said what a student of knowledge should be is exerting extreme effort to push yourself to the limit and be patient with every obstacle thrown at you, and also be sincere in doing it, and show your desire in wanting Allah’s help.
• Abu Yusuf a student of Abu Hanifah said “Knowledge won’t give you something until you give them everything.”

4. Acting upon the knowledge

• Al-Sha’bi mentions one of the ways that would help us (students of knowledge) memorize was by acting upon it.

5. Don’t try to be a sheikh right away

• There is so many holes inside you. When you study, the water is filling up, and until the holes are covered, it won't come to the surface (apparent). It is filling but you can't see it yet.

• We complained to Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) (of the persecution inflicted on us by the infidels) while he was sitting in the shade of the Ka`ba, leaning over his Burd (i.e. covering sheet). We said to him, “Would you seek help for us? Would you pray to Allah for us?” He said, “Among the nations before you a (believing) man would be put in a ditch that was dug for him, and a saw would be put over his head and he would be cut into two pieces; yet that (torture) would not make him give up his religion. His body would be combed with iron combs that would remove his flesh from the bones and nerves, yet that would not make him abandon his religion. By Allah, this religion (i.e. Islam) will prevail till a traveler from Sana (in Yemen) to Hadrarmaut will fear none but Allah, or a wolf as regards his sheep, but you (people) are hasty.

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• Victory (gaining knowledge) requires time and patience.
• And when you decided to not study properly, without a teacher, not doing it step by step, and deciding to do it ‘your way’, what’s gonna happen to you is you are going to be like the lost person. The lost person, will spend more time running around looking for the right way, and they are not going to get anywhere. He tries to find his way & gets tired from not finding the right way.
• Take it easy, slow down, move at a pace where it feels comfortable for you.
• Yunus ibn Yazid ibn Abi Najjad said “My teacher (Muhammad Mush’ab Az-zuhri) said to me “Don’t try to take all the knowledge all at once, because knowledge is like a valley. If you take all of them (streams), you will get lost. Try to take it over time and days. If you take it all at once, it will go all at once. Take it gradually.""

6. Stick to the people of knowledge

• Study, revise, and ask questions with/to them.
• There was a time when the scholars would say “Knowledge won’t come to you, you have to go get it.” But Alhamdulillah, with the online platform, knowledge is now knocking on our doors. But you still have to treat it like real halaqas.
• Be ready, be dressed like a student of knowledge would in the Masjid.
• Set a dedicated place to study and stay away from the common shared rooms.

• Verily, Allah does not take away knowledge by snatching it from the people but He takes away knowledge by taking away the scholars, so that when He leaves no learned person, people turn to the ignorant as their leaders; then they are asked to deliver religious verdicts and they deliver them without knowledge, they go astray, and lead others astray.

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• Strive, don't be lazy, be driven in wanting to finish all the lessons.
• Abul Abbas ibn Suraij As-Syafi’i Al-Baghdadi said about his teacher Ibrahim Al-Harbi “I never saw him absent in a lugah (arabic grammar class) for 50 years.” No ifs not buts and he became a great ulama.
• Imam Ahmad said “Knowledge is a gift that Allah gives to whoever He wishes. You will not gain it because of your lineage.” If lineage plays a part then Abu Lahab will be the first to receive it, but the reality is no. It takes hard work and effort.
• Abul Hasan Al Karkhi said “I used to come to my teacher’s (Abu Hazim) lessons on Friday and I would go to the masjid and sit there even though no one was there, just because I want to be consistent.” He was doing it from the perspective of disciplining his soul. The nafs is like a child, we have to be the one to control it.
• Hasan Al-Basri said one night his body was so tired that it wouldn’t allow him to stand up in prayer. So he decided to stay up the whole night. He said “My body stopped me from praying, and I stopped it from sleeping.” If you can't control yourself, how do you expect to control other people's situation? How do you want to have power/governance over your family when you can't get a hold of yourself?
• Wahab ibn Jarir mentioned from his father (Jarir ibn Hazim ibn Ziyad) “I sat with Hasan Al-Basri for 7 years and I never missed any halaqah”
• Anas ibn Malik used to teach and never missed a class he was teaching. All of his students were also like him but especially Qatadah. One day Anas was late and just so the people won’t be upset, Qatadah stood up and started to narrate the prior lessons. Anas ibn Malik was standing far from where Qatadah was standing but he could see and hear him. Qatadah’s memorization fascinated him so when he reached him, he asked Qatadah to stand up and said “You have picked up all of my knowledge.”
• Anyone who is consistent will reap the benefits in the later age just like what the poet said

Poetry

“If you don’t plant your seeds, you will regret it the day everyone harversted their vegetations.”

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The Salaf in the Circle of Knowledge

1. Coming early to the class

• If the class is live, come before the teacher comes. Being absent and late is the same when it comes to seeking knowledge.

2. Catch up with what is missed

• Do it in your spare time, don’t miss the live classes because there are barakah in the live sessions.

3. Write down benefits heard

• Don’t rely on writing it later. Jolt it down on the book (mutun) or a special notebook.

4. Be quiet in lesson

• Don't chat or be on your phone. The salaf would never allow people to talk during their lessons.
• Abdurrahman ibn Mahdi was mentioned about him from Ahmad ibn Sina, “No one would talk during his gatherings. No one could stand up to sharpen their pens. It was like birds were on their heads. It was like during salah.” One time, someone smiled/spoke in one of the gathering, so the teacher put on his shoes and leave.

5. Do not give up

• Imam Ahmad said he studied the kitab on Haid, a part of the book of Thaharah for 9 years.
• Muhammad ibn Abi As Shaqqitiyu mentioned in the muqaddimah of his tafseer, his teacher explained a matter that wasn’t clear to him. He came back home and searched until Fajr came, only then he got his answer.

6. Do not disconnect yourself from the lesson

• Do not say i’m not going to come.
• Cutting from the sheikh can fall to suul adab, bad manners to the teacher.
• Do not interrupt the teacher while they’re talking.

7. Perfect the way you ask the questions

• Do not treat your teacher like you are friends.
• Imam Ad-Dhahabi mentioned in his Siyar A’lam Al-Nubala, Imam Malik was in one of the circle of knowledge when he was asked about the matters of inheritance. Imam Malik gave the fatwa of Zaid Ismail Ibn Sundi said “What about the opinion of Abdullah ibn Mas’ud and Ali Ibn Abi Thalib and the like?” and the Imam became very angry (as if he doesn’t know the opinions of the other sahabas) towards this man and told him to leave the halaqah.
• A great imam of Islam was teaching in his house and the students were sitting there, then somebody knocked the door, then he said to the student who is about to open the door “If it’s from the people of ahlul hadith don’t let him in, if it’s the people of ahlul ra’i let them in” and the student was confused “Sheikh, doesn’t it makes more sense to let the people of hadith in?” and the sheik replied “No, the people of hadith should know to come on time, whereas the ra’i they are just like that”
• This teaches us that what is expected from the students of knowledge is different from the regular person. So you need to have that manners of coming to the dars & being consistent.

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Condition 3 : Al-Manhajiyah (Methodology)

In AMAU you will go through 3 stages. But generally speaking the student of knowledge should go through 4 levels.

1. Marhalatul Ta’sis (Beginning)

• The student is given perception of the basic principles.
• Studying, summarizing books.
• To perceive that particular science correctly.
• Placing the foundation.
• The first level of every subject.

2. Marhalatul Tad’lil (Intermediate)

• Being introduced with evidences & proof for the sciences.

3. Marhalatul Al-Ilm Muqaran (Comparative Knowledge)

• Now you know your evidence & the evidence of the people who might disagree with you.
• Comparing & contrasting opinions.

4. Marhalatul Ta’lil (Specialization)

• Not available in AMAU yet.

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Condition 4 : Fiqh

• Some people think fiqh is only understanding the rulings on certain matters. Some people think fiqh is memorizing. Fiqh is when you know the correct rulings in matters. When you can respond to doubts that has been presented to you. When many opinions are presented out there, you can sift through the right ones. A person who has fiqh doesn’t contradict himself in his rulings. To sum it up fiqh is deep understanding.

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• It was mentioned from one of the great scholars of Islam, that if he came across a parable in the Qur’an and he didn’t understand it, he would cry. Because he thinks if I’m not a person of knowledge then I’m an ignorant individual.
• Allah praised the prophets Daud & Sulaiman. Prophet Daud gave a ruling but was incorrect, so his son Sulaiman gave the correct ruling. Both prophets had the knowledge but Sulaiman had a deeper understanding.

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• As mentioned in the Qur’an, Allah gives wisdom to whoever he wills.

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• Abdullah ibn Abbas said Al-Hikmah means the Qur’an and understanding what’s in it.
• A person may memorize the whole Qur’an but doesn’t have fiqh, the hikmah, the deep understanding of it.

  Ibn Mas’ud (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, “May Allah freshen the affairs of a person who hears something from us and communicates it to others exactly as he has heard it (i.e., both the meaning and the words), for it may be that the recipient of knowledge understands it better than the one who has heard it.” [At-Tirmidhi].

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• Allah gives understanding to select few of people.

  The Prophet (ﷺ) delivered a sermon and said, “Allah gave a choice to one of (His) slaves either to choose this world or what is with Him in the Hereafter. He chose the latter.” Abu Bakr wept. I said to myself, “Why is this Sheikh weeping, if Allah gave choice to one (of His) slaves either to choose this world or what is with Him in the Here after and he chose the latter?” And that slave was Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) himself. Abu Bakr knew more than us. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “O Abu Bakr! Don’t weep. The Prophet (ﷺ) added: Abu- Bakr has favored me much with his property and company. If I were to take a Khalil from mankind I would certainly have taken Abu Bakr but the Islamic brotherhood and friendship is sufficient. Close all the gates in the mosque except that of Abu Bakr.

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  Post by @storiesofthesahabah · 1 image

  When ‘Umar Ibn Al Khattab Radiyallahu Anhu became the Amir ul Mu’mineen - he used to convene gatherings with the Muslim elders (the eminent Sahabah).- as most would call it - shura. However, these gatherings were completely exclusive. Exclusive in such a way that only those who were invited had the right to attend. One day, ‘Umar RA called for a gathering of such - when everyone were seated and were about to start one little boy came in. He was ‘Abdullah Ibn Abbas, the son of ‘Al Abbas (the uncle of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ).  At first, they thought to themselves ‘Abdullah was ‘Abdullah (meaning he came from the family of the Prophet) but then again they thought they also had children who were just as same age as ‘Abdullah but never were they invited to come and attend the elite gathering - so this struck some of them as being unfair. So they went and complained to ‘Umar RA and he did acknowledge their complaint and said “he is among those that you know about” (i.e those that you know are people of distinction and honor and knowledge). However, to fully answer their question - several days later ‘Umar again called for a gathering again with the same attendees with ‘Abdullah RA being present once again.

  When the meeting commenced, ‘Umar RA opened it with a question directed to everyone “What do you have to say about the following (verses)?” He RA then proceeded to recite portion of Surah An Nasr - Chapter 110.

  “When there comes the Help of Allah (to you, O Muhammad ﷺ against your enemies) and the conquest (of Makkah), and you see the people enter Allah’s Religion (Islam) in crowds.]”

  Some of them replied with “I do not know” while others did not give any reply. Remember that these were the eminent Sahabah - so you know it is a very difficult question if they were not able to answer it. So, ‘Umar RA gave everyone a chance to answer it - one after another and made the youngest of the group, ‘Abdullah RA, the last to respond.  ‘Umar RA said: “O son of Al Abbas, is that what you say also? (meaning do you also have nothing to say in reply to my question?)  ‘Abdullah RA replied: “No.” ‘Umar RA asked, “Then what do you say of these verses?” ‘Abdullah RA replied: “Through these verses, Allah Azza Wa Jall was informing the Prophet ﷺ about the nearness of his death. When Allah Azza Wa Jall said, “When there comes the help of Allah (to you, O Muhammad ﷺ against your enemies) and the conquest (of Makkah), and you see the people enter Allah’s Religion (Islam) in crowds,” it was as if Allah Azza Wa Jall was saying the following to the Prophet ﷺ: “When Allah’s help comes to you in the form of the conquest of Makkah, then that is a sign of your imminent death…”  ‘Umar RA then said to ‘Abdullah RA, “What I know regarding this chapter is not any different than what you know regarding it (regarding its correct interpretation).

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• Umar ibn Khatab wrote a letter to Abu Musa Al-Ashari when he made him governor of Iraq, he started the letter with “Al fahm mal fahm” or “Understand and understand” or strive to understand.
• Ali Ibn Abi Thalib during his time and when the Shia started to come up, there were whispers that Prophet Muhammad ﷺ gave him something that others don’t have. So they questioned him, and he said “No, I swear by the Lord who created the seeds and from the seed vegetations grow from it, the prophet never gave me anything special to me except understanding that one of us has been given (by Allah)“.
• Imam Malik used to say this a lot “Knowledge is not excessive narrations, it’s the light Allah put in people’s hearts.”. His own students Ahmad ibn Salih Al Misri, used to mention the same thing and explained what his teacher meant is knowledge is not memorization, it is understanding.
• Ibn Abdil Barri said that the scholars and people of knowledge all agree that you should not take much without understanding what you have already taken.
• Al-Khatib Al-Baghdadi said “Knowledge is understanding and comprehension of it, and not going overboard in memorizing it”.
• Ibn Qayyim said “Understanding is a blessing from Allah, and it’s a light that Allah throws at a person’s heart. And through that light a person can understand what other people don’t understand.”

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• A person of knowledge will know what Allah meant, while those who don’t have knowledge will only know what Allah said.

The Conditions of Fiqh are 5:

1. Perceive everything that you study

• Really try your best to understand. Do not move forward unless you understand. Understand it the way it’s supposed to be understood.
• Example: In fiqh, you hear “The water that is used is pure but it doesn’t purifies.”
• Example: The prophet said in the hadith, any animal that any portion of it is cut off then the whole animal is considered dead. Question: Is it an animal that you just cut off or is it when i send a dog to catch an animal and he cut the animal’s leg off and I got there in time to slaughter the animal?
• Example: Affirm Allah’s name and attributes ala dzahiriha. What does it mean?

2. Know the rulings

• Now that you have understood it properly,
• Example: Used gold, you don’t have to pay zakah for it. What does used mean? Is it the one the woman wears or the one the person stores?

3. Know the evidences for the ruling

• What are ahkams?
• Its going to come from the qur’an, the sunnah, the statement of the sahabas, the consensus, or qiyas even.
• Example: The evidence that the water that is used is pure but doesn’t purifies is the hadith narrated in sunan abi dawud.

4. Know the differences and similarities

• There might be something that is similar when in reality it is different.
• Example: A person forgot to make thaharah must repeat his prayer, but a person whose clothing got impure & he forgot, we won’t tell him to repeat his prayer. Therefore the context matters.

5. Know the levels of the issues

• The levels of things Allah has commanded
• Example: Should I get married or seek knowledge? Should I pray the outstanding fasts of Ramadan first or 6 days of Shawwal?