Thought Oasis

9. Challenges in Seeking Knowledge

💧 first drop : 🌱 last nurtured : 👤 teacher : Ustadh Abdurrahman Hasan⏱️ 16 min read

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The world is a place full of trials and tribulations, not a place for enternal play and enjoyment

  • This session will talk about the obstacles and distresses one will endure while seeking knowledge. Either you have gone through them already, are currently undergoing it, or might face it in the future.
  • When Allah created humans, Allah created them in the best of forms.
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  • Nothing in the earth that can replace a part of the human body. For example: there is no replacement for an eye.
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  • Every single part of our body has a purpose, and there is one organ that controls it all. The organ that if it gets affected, the whole body gets affected. That is the heart.
  • As the statement by Abu Hurairah regarding the heart:

“The heart is king and the limbs are its soldiers. So if the king is good, his soldiers will be good. And if he is evil, his soldiers will be evil.”

  • This is inline with the hadith of the prophet:

    Sahih Muslim 1599a - The Book of Musaqah - كتاب المساقاة - Sunnah.com - Sayings and Teachings of Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه و سلم)

    حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ نُمَيْرٍ الْهَمْدَانِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي، حَدَّثَنَا زَكَرِيَّاءُ، عَنِ الشَّعْبِيِّ، عَنِ النُّعْمَانِ بْنِ بَشِيرٍ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ وَأَهْوَى النُّعْمَانُ بِإِصْبَعَيْهِ إِلَى أُذُنَيْهِ ‏ ”‏ إِنَّ الْحَلاَلَ بَيِّنٌ وَإِنَّ الْحَرَامَ بَيِّنٌ وَبَيْنَهُمَا مُشْتَبِهَاتٌ لاَ يَعْلَمُهُنَّ كَثِيرٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ فَمَنِ اتَّقَى الشُّبُهَاتِ اسْتَبْرَأَ لِدِينِهِ وَعِرْضِهِ وَمَنْ وَقَعَ فِي الشُّبُهَاتِ وَقَعَ فِي الْحَرَامِ كَالرَّاعِي يَرْعَى حَوْلَ الْحِمَى يُوشِكُ أَنْ يَرْتَعَ فِيهِ أَلاَ وَإِنَّ لِكُلِّ مَلِكٍ حِمًى أَلاَ وَإِنَّ حِمَى اللَّهِ مَحَارِمُهُ أَلاَ وَإِنَّ فِي الْجَسَدِ مُضْغَةً إِذَا صَلَحَتْ صَلَحَ الْجَسَدُ كُلُّهُ وَإِذَا فَسَدَتْ فَسَدَ الْجَسَدُ كُلُّهُ أَلاَ وَهِيَ الْقَلْبُ ‏”‏ ‏.‏

    Nu’man b. Bashir (Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon himn) as having said this (and Nu’man) pointed towards his ears with his fingers): What is lawful is evident and what is unlawful is evident, and in between them are the things doubtful which many people do not know. So he who guards against doubtful things keeps his religion and honour blameless, and he who indulges in doubtful things indulges in fact in unlawful things, just as a shepherd who pastures his animals round a preserve will soon pasture them in it. Beware, every king has a preserve, and the things God his declaced unlawful are His preserves. Beware, in the body there is a piece of flesh; if it is sound, the whole body is sound and if it is corrupt the whole body is corrupt, and hearken it is the heart.

    Sahih Muslim 1599a https://sunnah.com/muslim:1599a

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  • Allah further reinforces the importance of having a pure heart:
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Benefit

A student of knowledge should know the importance of the heart and how it should be protected. You should know the power the heart holds over you and how to take good care of it. Otherwise, you will suffer. Knowing the heart is one of the greatest fiqh for a student of knowledge.

“Everything that is in the Quran and Sunnah is a solution for all problems; it brings happiness. I swear by Allah that there is not a person who vocalises his points but without the Quran and Sunnah in his speech, what he says is nonsense; there is no basis to what he is saying.”

  • The heart strives for 2 things:
    1. Looking for something it wants
    2. Running away from what it fears
  • Distress comes from either one or both of them. The word “Al Hammu (الْحَّمُ)” is used to describe stress by the scholars. It is the root word for 2 polar opposites. Example: Wara’ → can be behind, but it can also mean the front in the Qur’an. The word “Hamm” can also be used for high aspirations.
  • Allah created the world full of distress. You find a lot of people becoming sad because their perception of this life is to be joyful, lavish, fun, etc. When in reality, Allah created this world as a place full of trials and tribulations. Happiness is not the default position of this world. The happiness that you feel is just a small part.
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Reflection

If a company were to make a product & they told people the product is faulty & stop using it, would the people still believe it? Of course. The makers are the one who know. Of course we will believe the makers.

  • When Allah mentioned about the world being a place of trials and tribulations, we should believe Him because He is the creator of this world. We take it from Him.
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    Sunan Ibn Majah 4035 - Tribulations - كتاب الفتن - Sunnah.com - Sayings and Teachings of Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه و سلم)

    حَدَّثَنَا غِيَاثُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ الرَّحْبِيُّ، أَنْبَأَنَا الْوَلِيدُ بْنُ مُسْلِمٍ، سَمِعْتُ ابْنَ جَابِرٍ، يَقُولُ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ رَبِّهِ، يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ مُعَاوِيَةَ، يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ النَّبِيَّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ يَقُولُ ‏ ”‏ لَمْ يَبْقَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا إِلاَّ بَلاَءٌ وَفِتْنَةٌ ‏”‏ ‏.‏

    Mu’awiyah said: “I heard the Prophet (ﷺ) say: ‘There is nothing left of this world except trials and tribulations.‘”

    Sunan Ibn Majah 4035 Grade: Hasan (Darussalam) https://sunnah.com/ibnmajah:4035

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  • Ibn Taymiyyah mentioned this poetry of Abu Hasan Al-Tihami a lot because he went through many trials during his life.

  • I pity those who envy me, because hatred burns within their bosoms. They see God’s kindness towards me, and thus their eyes are in paradise, whilst their hearts are in hell…

    [The world] is composed of turbid elements, yet you hope to find it free from dregs and sediment! He who requires of time what is contrary to its nature, is as the man who seeks in water for a firebrand.

    He who expects what is impossible, builds his hopes on the brink of a tottering sand-bank.

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  • Main points from the poetry is we keep seeing this world not for what it is. Allah and His Prophet has stated that Allah created this world filled with hardships but we humans want this world to be free from it. And if we want to go agains the course of nature, we will be doomed.
  • Fathul musli said
  • Analogy: If you are taken away from a luxurious life, would you not be sad? Especially when the person who takes you out turns you into a captive with your own sins.
  • Insha Allah, Jannah will be that final resting place, and where true happiness will be. So we ask Allah to make us among its inhabitants.

General causes of distress

1. The natural way Allah created humans

  • Sometimes we (the nafs) want things that Allah did not will for us to have.
  • Sometimes we are running away from things we are scared of but it will come to us.
  • We are so comfortable with so many things. The nafs is naturally made to feel sad when it doesn’t get what it wants.
  • The following verse Allah basically says the human nafs, when good comes his way, he is happy, but when sadness strikes, he is heartbroken.
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2. Whispers of shaytan

  • He places fear in you and makes you scared
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  • For example, he whispers “if you give this money away for sadaqah, you will not have enough for yourself”
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3. Thoughts the people have

  • The people when they sit down and think about life, and overthinks about the past (driving in reverse, bringing back the dead) or worrying about the future. It puts the weight on a person.
  • What has happened in the past has happened, has been written.
  • Just think about the present and focus on what you can do now.
  • Sadness comes from the past (heartbreaks) that you thought about, and the future that you really want to know.
  • What you have is the present.

4. Increase of trials and tribulations

  • It is easier to see fitnah due to social media nowadays.
  • We are living in a time full of fitnah.

5. Lack of knowledge of what causes the problems and how to avoid it.

  • Due to ignorance of not knowing things that may cause distress to a person, a person can become distressed. This is because they go towards those things that causes distress (due to not knowing).
  • Only later, they find out it’s what caused it.
  • ==Ustadh recommends to read the book Al-Fawaaid & Zad Al -Ma’ad. In the fourth volume he talks about the cures of distress.==

The cures to distress

1. Perscribed by the sharia

  • Tawheed
  • Exalting Allah & not putting the ‘blame’ / ‘opression’ towards Him. For example, many people when calamity hits, they say “Why did Allah do this to me?”
  • Recognizing calamities happened because of your own shortcomings.
  • Turn towards Allah’s names and attributes.
  • Ask Allah for help, relying on Him.
  • Reciting the book of Allah & becoming its companion
  • Ask Allah for forgiveness, repenting from your mistakes
  • Striving in the cause of Allah
  • Salah/Prayer
  • Staying away from thinking the good that you get is from your own hard work. No, it is from Allah.
  • Dhikr & Dua. Supplicate & consistently remember Him.
  • Put your heart towards what is beneficial. Focus on the important stuffs. Avoid wasting time on things that have little to no benefit.
  • Do not occupy yourself with what happened in the past.
  • Have husnuzan (good thoughts) of Allah
  • Always remember the blessings Allah has bestowed upon you. Like the Prophet Ayyub:

    After some time Rahma asked Ayyub (AS), “How long is this going to last?“. Ayyub (AS) became upset as he felt he was surrendering to the decree of Allah. So he asked her, “How long did Allah bless me with goodness?”, and she responded, “Eighty Years”. He asked her, “And how may years has he been testing me for?”, and she responded, “The last seven years”. Se he told her, “How do you want me to lose hope in the mercy of Allah, when I haven’t even reached par with what goodness I had and the difficulty I am facing”.

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    Ayyub then said,
    “In that case I am ashamed to call on my Lord to remove my hardship, for I have not suffered longer than the years of good health and plenty. It seems your faith has weakened, and you are dissatisfied with the fate of Allah. If I ever regain health, I swear I will punish you with a hundred strokes! From this day onward, I forbid myself to eat or drink anything by your hand. Leave me alone and let my Lord do with me as He pleases.”

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2. Not perscribed by the sharia

By the specialist, Through experience and observing

  • Do not procrastinate. Leaving work at the last minute causes stress. Get rid of anything outstanding.
  • Avoid doing things that are outside of your ability.
  • Choosing good, productive things to do.
  • Don’t look for praise and recognition from other people.
    • When you only seek Allah’s face, He will never let you down.
    • What the people say/do towards you, doesn’t really harm you. In fact, it’s going to harm them on yaumul qiyamah.
    • Sometimes, they project on to you what they think of themselves.
  • Remind yourself how short this life is. Whatever is happening to you now will not last forever.
  • Places you go to helps distress. Example: learn in places with lots of greenery/colors.
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  • Intimacy if you are married. Ibn Rajab mentions this.
  • Archery. Ibn Qayyim mentions when a person learns archery, it’s like the stress goes inside the archery & releases with it.
  • Wearing silver jewelry for men, and for women gold. This was mentioned by Ibn Qayyim.
  • Having colorful things and looking at those things. Mentioned by Jalaluddeen As-Suyuthi.
  • Certain types of noises like rain, ocean sounds.

Distress for the student of knowledge

1. Sincerity

  • Everyone who is seeking knowledge should be terrified about their intentions. “Am I doing this sincerely for Allah?“. You should be scared of showing off. The only people who are not showing off are the sincere people. They are constantly reading about it, questioning yourself about it. But when you start saying “Im not showing off”, that’s when you should be worried.

    Seek knowledge for the face of Allah, without showing off or competing. Intend four things before beginning, to learn in order to gain the price of guidance. The first, is to come out of ignorance. The second, to benefit the creation of the owner of Majesty, The third, to bring knowledge to life,1 And the fourth, to act upon what you know.2

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  • Ma’mar ibn Rashid said

“A person will seek knowledge for other than Allah, and knowledge will say no.”

“Yes, the person when he first seeks knowledge, he’s doing it for the love of ilm. And he doesn’t know the sincerity that is needed from him. And he doesn’t know the truthfulness towards knowledge. But the more the person learns knowledge, the more that he knows, the more that he questions himself. And he starts to feel the fear of his actions. Then the good intentions starts kicking in.”

2. Worrying about being on the right path

The scholars say you should observe 2 things:

  1. Have a knowledgeable person as a teacher, who knows the struggle, has experience, knows what he’s doing.

    Sunan Abi Dawud 3659 - Knowledge (Kitab Al-Ilm) - كتاب العلم - Sunnah.com - Sayings and Teachings of Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه و سلم)

    حَدَّثَنَا زُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ، وَعُثْمَانُ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا جَرِيرٌ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ جُبَيْرٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ ”‏ تَسْمَعُونَ وَيُسْمَعُ مِنْكُمْ وَيُسْمَعُ مِمَّنْ سَمِعَ مِنْكُمْ ‏”‏ ‏.‏

    Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: You hear (from me), and others will hear from you; and people will hear from them who heard from you.

    Sunan Abi Dawud 3659 Grade: Sahih (Al-Albani) https://sunnah.com/abudawud:3659

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  2. A strong methodology

3. Knowledge seems very hard

  • Feeling like you cannot do it (i.e, study). So remember that Allah says the Qur’an has been made easy for the people.
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  • The sunnah is also a revelation from Allah through His prophet.
  • So, knowledge is easy, but you need Allah’s help and support.
  • Ali Ibn Abi Thalib said

Knowledge is just a drop, the ignorant people made it many.

  • Meaning knowledge is easy but people said unecessary things that made it a lot.
  • In AMAU we will go through from small books first.

4. Different teachers

  • Doesn’t know who to learn from
  • You need to study with anyone who is qualified & has the knowledge. Known for having knowledge, has sought it, has grounded foundation.
  • The teacher should also have high level of discipline and akhlaq (good role model) and high level of implementation of that knowledge.

5. Too many sciences

  • AMAU has organized pathways
  • Some people are more comfortable in pursuing the sciences one by one. Not parallel at the same time. And some scholars hold this opinion.

6. Too many classes

  • Sometimes classes happen at the same time and makes the student have to choose.
  • In AMAU there’s no problem because these classes are online and you can watch at your most convenient time.

7. Understanding & memorizing

  • 2 things are required from you when seeking knowledge:
    1. High level of memorization
    2. High level of comprehension
  • 3 fundamental advice:
    1. Know what you need to memorize. Do not worry, it will be recommended by AMAU. It will be divided into 2:
      • High level books (for those who want to push their limits)
      • Basic books
    2. Know what you need to understand. Understand the most important topics first. You have to do good in the foundation. It is the key for understanding the next levels. Some videos you have to go over again and again.
    3. Knowing how to keep things memorized
      • Revision & consistency is important
      • The time of memorization is important, don’t do it in a fatigued state. Example: don’t memorize after a 9 hour shift, maybe set a time after fajr.
      • The place of memorization is important
  • Muhammad Mush’ab Az-zuhri said

What makes knowledge go is forgetting it and not revising it

8. Too focused on the finish line

  • Try focusing on what is in front of you now
  • Learning about the biographies of the great imams of Islam
  • Imam Malik said a scholar would take knowledge from another scholar for 30 years.
  • Ath-thabrani was asked how did he get knowledge and he said “I was sitting on the ground, legs crossed, for 30 years”
  • Patience with what you have to endure

9. Not seeing changes after just a short period

  • The student of knowledge is like the farmer. Before you can harvest the fruits, there is hard labour that must be done. They have to first turn the soil upside down to get rid of anything that may cause harm to the plants. Then they make sure the soil is ready to be planted. The seeds takes time to grow, it needs contant nurture and good nutrients in order for it to produce great fruits.
  • Knowledge does 2 things:
    1. Cleanses the heart from all its dirt
    2. Fills it up with beneficial and virtuous deeds afterwards.

10. Curating your own library

So many people buy books in the wrong way & from bad publications.

  1. Get all the books that the teachers are going to teach in the institute AND get a sharh (explanation) for it. E.g. Fathul Bari is an explanation (Sharh) of Sahih Al-Bukhari written by Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalaani (d. 852H)
  2. Buy the books considered as reference books e..g. Sahih Bukhari, Tafsir ibn Kathir, Abi Dawud
  3. Buy important books that scholars said you need e.g. sickness and Cure
  4. Buying books that are for after studying the sciences
    • This is based on the sciences you have completed
    • E.g. for 6 months, you spend all your money on fiqh + focus on that one science until you can finish all the books you can think of in that science

11. Combining AMAU & studying from other institute

  • Do not leave one for the other.
  • This similar situation that occurs to the students in Madinah. Between going to halaqah and university.
  • When you get holidays, study back to back at AMAU.
  • Make time on the weekends.
  • If you finished from other institute, continue studying. Ibn Jawzi never studied qiraat before the age of 80.

12. Demand from life

  • There are a lot of things demanded upon you. Example: health, parents, wife, husband, children.
  • How to overcome? These responsibilities are for you to overocome. Give each person their rights. Organize the level of rights people have on you. After designating time, you actually realize you have time for yourself.

13. Distress about da’wah

  • Da’wah has scales.
  • Knowledge is the key.
  • The beginner’s student of knowledge, it’s going to be counter productive to perform da’wah in public. You will be pushed into things that you might not now yet and even might throw yourslef into destruction.
  • It’s better for the beginner to teach himself and the ones closest to him.
  • Some people are afraid to fall into the hadith about the person who conceals knowledge.
  • Imam Malik never gave fatwa until he consulted many scholars in Medina.

14. Financial worries

  • One of the deception of shaytan
  • Shaytan increases a person’s love to the dunya.
  • In order to repell this, you have to constantly remind yourself that your rizq has been written.
  • Remember that Allah aids whom he wills & who he loves. He is not going to forsake you.
  • If you make dunya your ultimate goal, it’s going to distress you.
  • The poet said

Why is it poverty has distress you and cause you hardship, and your entire heart and mind. The One who took good care of you in the past…

  • Allah also tells us to look for the provision of Allah, so get up and work.
  • You have to know, the provision that you look for, you only take what you need in order for you to study, to live. Don’t be excessive.
  • harun al Rashid was asked if he were to trade his kingdom for a cup of water that he desperately needs, and his answer was yes.

15. Marriage

  • The fitrah of human is to desire the opposite gender.
  • Shaytan whispers into our mind thinking we can’t seek knowledge if we get married.
  • But this desire can become a distraction, so marrying can be beneficial in terms of reducing this distraction.
  • Find someone who wants to seek knowledge together.
  • Remind each other about the virtue of knowledge.
  • Buy lots of gifts for appreciating the support your partner has given.

16. Children

  • Organzie time
  • Bring family on board with what you are doing
  • Make dua for them, that Allah takes care of them

17. Dunya seems glamorous

To be ecstatic detached from the dunya, it actually relaxes the mind and body. And to have desire for you will cause you to have hamm & hazn (distress & hardships), and laziness.

  • Some scholars also says

Distress, sadness, depression occurs from deficiency in obedience. Running after the dunya will destroy you.’*

Thinking that you will have a long life in this dunya, because of them tasks are delayed, and money is accumulated

18. Seeing the situations of the muslims

  • Keep thinking “How can I deal with this issue?”, “What can I do about it?”
  • Work on yourself first before trying to rectify the ummah outside of your home.
  • If that is done well within the home, then it actually contributes to bettering the ummah.
  • Many scholars of Islam bring change through teaching and learning. Example, one of the Muslim Indian scholar (didn’t catch the name), was imprisoned during the time of the British colonization. He used to say “To remove the harms to the muslims caused by the brithish, is for me to teach Sahih Al-Bukhari”. So he taught the prisoners there.

19. Desiring leadership position

-Umar ibn Khatab says to learn first before becoming leaders.

Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, wisely advised, “Seek knowledge before you become leaders.” Imam Bukhari added, And continue seeking knowledge even after becoming leaders.” Ibn Hajar commented, elucidating that leadership should not prevent one from pursuing knowledge, as pride or dignity might dissuade a leader from sitting among learners. This echoes Imam Malik’s criticism of judgeship: a dismissed judge may not return to their previous learning circles. (Fath Al-Bari, 1/219)

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  • This usually happens to those who are at the beginning or middle of their journey.
  • Sometimes its hard to reconcile between seeking knowledge and becoming leaders.
  • If you try to achieve something and you hasten it before its time, you can be prevented from it.

20. Wanting to benefit the people

  • As a student of knowledge, there are 2 phases:
    1. Taking the knowledge
    2. Spreading/giving knowledge
  • Spend more time taking the knowledge so that once the second phase comes, you can be precise.

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