Lethargy in the Pursuit of Knowledge
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Q14: How do we deal with lethargy in the pursuit of knowledge?
A14: The pursuit of knowledge is an act of worship by which one draws near to Allah. Whoever walks a path seeking knowledge, Allah will make the path to Paradise easy for him. Satan sits in wait for the son of
Adam on the path of good to discourage him and make him lethargic. The student of knowledge must adorn himself with the etiquettes that help him in his pursuit and continuing his journey in seeking it. Among these are: 1. Sincerity to Allah (Mighty and Majestic), which is to seek knowledge for the sake of Allah and the Hereafter, not for worldly gain or fame. Whoever is sincere to Allah in this will find it a motivation to exert effort in seeking it and to bear its hardships and troubles, and he will be aided in walking his path and continuing it. 2. Diligence in seeking and patience in acquiring it and bearing its hardships, for knowledge is not attained by bodily comfort, nor by wishing, nor by mere talk, even if I were to say so, but it is attained by diligence in it and patience with its hardships. 3. Gradualism in acquisition, by focusing on the foundations of knowledge before its branches, and the small matters of knowledge before the large ones. Whoever tries to acquire knowledge all at once will leave it all at once, and whoever progresses in it and builds it brick by brick will reach its completion by the permission of Allah. 4. Eagerly removing the obstacles in his way, whether they are scholarly obstacles or otherwise. Removing scholarly obstacles is done by asking questions, discussing, studying knowledge with colleagues and teachers, and debating its issues while avoiding contentious argumentation. 5. Specializing in one of the scholarly disciplines, while taking a portion of the other related sciences. And
the other related to the discipline, andsaidIbn Qutaybah: (Whoever wants knowledge, let him seek a single discipline).6- Beware of taking on the role of a scholar before being qualified for it, for that is the hallmark of failure and a cause of boredom. The student of knowledge must also beware of the causes of lethargy and boredom, which include: 1- Weakness of ambition and wavering of resolve. 2- Following the desires of the self and being tempted by Satan with comfort and a lack of effort in acquiring knowledge, and being discouraged by the notion that no matter how hard one tries, one will never reach the level of scholars and students of knowledge. 3- Indolence and settling into distractions that divert one from seeking knowledge and wasting time in what is of no benefit. 4- Keeping the company of the idle, those who do not hold knowledge in high regard, do not recognize the value of time, and whose concern is gossip and wasting time. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade the company of bad companions and encouraged the company of the righteous, as in the hadith ofAbu Musa al-Ash'ari(may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:Sahih Muslim 2628 agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim.
Confronting lethargy in seeking knowledge is done by adorning oneself with the etiquettes of seeking, avoiding the causes of lethargy, and acting on what helps one overcome and distance oneself from them. We have mentioned a portion of the etiquettes and causes of lethargy in what came before. Let the student of knowledge keep in mind the high status, reward, and recompense that knowledge has with Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and let him know that engaging in it is among the best in which souls are expended, and that it is the Prophetic legacy; whoever takes it up takes a great share. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Riyad as-Salihin 1388 Narrated by Abu Dawud and al-Tirmidhi, and Allah the Exalted said: [At-Tawbah 9:122]
A14: The pursuit of knowledge is an act of worship by which one draws near to Allah. Whoever walks a path seeking knowledge, Allah will make the path to Paradise easy for him. Satan sits in wait for the son of
Adam on the path of good to discourage him and make him lethargic. The student of knowledge must adorn himself with the etiquettes that help him in his pursuit and continuing his journey in seeking it. Among these are: 1. Sincerity to Allah (Mighty and Majestic), which is to seek knowledge for the sake of Allah and the Hereafter, not for worldly gain or fame. Whoever is sincere to Allah in this will find it a motivation to exert effort in seeking it and to bear its hardships and troubles, and he will be aided in walking his path and continuing it. 2. Diligence in seeking and patience in acquiring it and bearing its hardships, for knowledge is not attained by bodily comfort, nor by wishing, nor by mere talk, even if I were to say so, but it is attained by diligence in it and patience with its hardships. 3. Gradualism in acquisition, by focusing on the foundations of knowledge before its branches, and the small matters of knowledge before the large ones. Whoever tries to acquire knowledge all at once will leave it all at once, and whoever progresses in it and builds it brick by brick will reach its completion by the permission of Allah. 4. Eagerly removing the obstacles in his way, whether they are scholarly obstacles or otherwise. Removing scholarly obstacles is done by asking questions, discussing, studying knowledge with colleagues and teachers, and debating its issues while avoiding contentious argumentation. 5. Specializing in one of the scholarly disciplines, while taking a portion of the other related sciences. And
the other related to the discipline, andsaidIbn Qutaybah: (Whoever wants knowledge, let him seek a single discipline).6- Beware of taking on the role of a scholar before being qualified for it, for that is the hallmark of failure and a cause of boredom. The student of knowledge must also beware of the causes of lethargy and boredom, which include: 1- Weakness of ambition and wavering of resolve. 2- Following the desires of the self and being tempted by Satan with comfort and a lack of effort in acquiring knowledge, and being discouraged by the notion that no matter how hard one tries, one will never reach the level of scholars and students of knowledge. 3- Indolence and settling into distractions that divert one from seeking knowledge and wasting time in what is of no benefit. 4- Keeping the company of the idle, those who do not hold knowledge in high regard, do not recognize the value of time, and whose concern is gossip and wasting time. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade the company of bad companions and encouraged the company of the righteous, as in the hadith ofAbu Musa al-Ash'ari(may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:
The similitude of good company and that of bad company is that of the owner of musk and of the one (iron-smith) blowing bellows, and the owner of musk would either offer you free of charge or you would buy it from him or you would. smell its pleasant odour, and so far as one who blows the. bellows is concerned, he would either burn your clothes or you shall have to smell its repugnant smell.
إنما مثل الجليس الصالح والجليس السوء كحامل المسك ونافخ الكير، فحامل المسك إما أن يحذيك وإما أن تبتاع منه، وإما أن تجد منه ريحًا طيبة، ونافخ الكير إما أن يحرق ثيابك، وإما أن تجد منه ريحًا خبيثةConfronting lethargy in seeking knowledge is done by adorning oneself with the etiquettes of seeking, avoiding the causes of lethargy, and acting on what helps one overcome and distance oneself from them. We have mentioned a portion of the etiquettes and causes of lethargy in what came before. Let the student of knowledge keep in mind the high status, reward, and recompense that knowledge has with Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and let him know that engaging in it is among the best in which souls are expended, and that it is the Prophetic legacy; whoever takes it up takes a great share. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
The learned are the heirs of the Prophets who bequeath neither dinar nor dirham but only that of knowledge; and he who acquires it, has in fact acquired an abundant portion.
وإن العلماء ورثة الأنبياء وإن الأنبياء لم يورثوا دينارًا ولا درهمًا، وإنما ورثوا العلم فمن أخذه أخذ بحظ وافرAnd it is not for the believers to go forth [to battle] all at once. For there should separate from every division of them a group [remaining] to obtain understanding in the religion and warn their people when they return to them that they might be cautious.
وَمَا كَانَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ لِيَنْفِرُوا كَافَّةً فَلَوْلا نَفَرَ مِنْ كُلِّ فِرْقَةٍ مِنْهُمْ طَائِفَةٌ لِيَتَفَقَّهُوا فِي الدِّينِ وَلِيُنْذِرُوا قَوْمَهُمْ إِذَا رَجَعُوا إِلَيْهِمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَحْذَرُونَ
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.