The Difference Between the Old and New Methods of Study and the Importance of Memorization
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The questioner:
The method of study, Shaykh 'Abd al-'Aziz. We notice a great change between the two methods: the method of study in the past and the method of study at this time. We also notice the diversity of knowledge and information among the scholars and shaykhs in the past. As you mentioned, you studied the sciences of religion with Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ibrahim, and you studied grammar and fara'id (the law of inheritance shares). So there is diversity. I do not know, Shaykh 'Abd al-'Aziz, what is your view of the difference between the two methods of study, and what do you advise?
The Shaykh:
The shaykhs in the beginning, before the official universities and schools were opened, paid great attention to books of 'aqidah (creed), the noble hadith, fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), and grammar. These books are the most important things they studied, because the most important matter is 'aqidah, then understanding the religion through the noble hadith and Islamic fiqh, and the books of language and grammar that aid in that. They paid great attention to usul al-fiqh (the principles of jurisprudence) and the terminology of hadith. As for what relates to history and the biography (sira), it was mostly reading long books, such as the history of Ibn Kathir, the sira of Ibn Hisham, the abridged sira of Shaykh Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab, and Ibn 'Abd Allah, and similar books that are read as a general reading, which the students listen to, and the teacher comments on whatever Allah makes easy for him.
I do not recall anything abridged in this regard as we read at that time. Rather, what the students mostly read at that time is what I mentioned: what relates to the noble hadith, fiqh, 'aqidah, grammar, usul al-fiqh, and the terminology of hadith. This is what we mostly studied and memorized, and the scholars studied it and the students memorized it. But now the circumstances have changed. When the official universities and schools were opened, they began to study rhetoric, geography, mathematics, and other things that you study now, which the need called for due to the expansion of knowledge, the expansion of people in jobs and work, the spread of people, and the existence of the need for many of these sciences that are studied in schools now. They aid in the religious sciences, just as the attention to language and the protection of rhetoric benefits the student. As for geography, it also benefits in the matters of this world; it benefits greatly. So does mathematics, which benefits in calculating fara'id and in other issues; it has a benefit. The point is that the diversity of subjects is for the need for them in these schools due to what has emerged and what is required of the needs of people.
The questioner:
Shaykh 'Abd al-'Aziz, I do not know the texts (mutun) that you used to memorize, or that the predecessors used to memorize. What exactly are they? Can we define them?
The Shaykh:
Once, we used to memorize Bulugh al-Maram by al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar, which is a good, beneficial, and concise book. 'Abd al-Hadith by al-Hafiz, the distinguished scholar Shaykh 'Abd al-'Ali ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab ibn Ali ibn Yusuf al-Maqdisi (may Allah have mercy on him), which is a good book, and its hadiths number slightly more than four hundred, and they are from the two Sahihs (al-Bukhari and Muslim). He collected them from the two Sahihs, may Allah have mercy on him. There are also things that may have been narrated by one of the two shaykhs, al-Bukhari and Muslim, that are not in the two Sahihs, but they are few in the majority, such as what he said, may Allah have mercy on him, regarding what the two shaykhs agreed upon in al-Bukhari and Muslim. Also, the Forty Nawawi and its completion by Ibn Rajab, which is a collection of fifty hadiths. The shaykhs also used to study these from the books of hadith. And so was al-Muntaqa by Majd Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him), which the shaykhs used to study and the others would read. Some would read it for understanding and some would read it for memorization. Also, al-Muqni' in fiqh, which is an abridgment of al-Mughni, and this is the most common. And in the principles, al-Waraqat and al-Usul by the author of al-Muntaha, Usul al-Fiqh, and al-Rawda by the author of al-Mughni, al-Muwaqqif (may Allah have mercy on him), the one who looked into the principles. In the terminology of hadith, al-Hafiz's Nukhbat al-Fikr and its commentary, and al-Arfah al-Hadith by al-'Iraqi. All of these were studied. And in grammar, al-Arfah by Ibn Malik for the advanced students, and the intermediate students would read al-Qatr by Ibn Hisham, and the beginners would read al-Ajrumiyyah. I was among those who read this with our Shaykh, Shaykh Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz, Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him). I read a lot of al-Ajrumiyyah with him, and with Shaykh Hamza al-Faris in it as well. And I read with him, may Allah have mercy on him, Qatr al-Nada, and so in al-Arfah. I and a large group of brothers, may Allah have mercy on us with a wide mercy. Yes.
The questioner:
May Allah reward you with good. You used to memorize the texts, Shaykh 'Abd al-'Aziz. Please, go on.
The Shaykh:
Please, they are valued, and our Shaykh (may Allah have mercy on him), Shaykh Muhammad, would discuss that and emphasize it, because of the great benefit in memorization.
The questioner:
There is no doubt, and it truly opens the mind.
The Shaykh:
And it is a great push.
The questioner:
Yes, it is, it strikes.
The Shaykh:
Some people do not know what it is. Knowledge is only what the chest preserves, because memorization is a great foundation for knowledge. The one who does not have preserved sciences may weaken in seeking issues and preserving them and his ability to extract issues. But if he has principles in fiqh and hadith, they aid him in seeking issues from their sources.
The questioner:
And the problem, Shaykh 'Abd al-'Aziz, is that memorization is truly what modern educational methods have neglected, unfortunately?
The Shaykh:
And so knowledge has decreased.
The questioner:
And so, as much as possible.
The Shaykh:
You find a graduate from the universities with big certificates, a doctorate and a master's, but his knowledge is little because he forgot what he memorized and occupied himself with other occupations from work, so knowledge decreases. And knowledge always needs memorization and discussion and study between him and his colleagues, and reviewing books and caring for the library. All of this is needed by the student of knowledge. If he finishes his studies and occupies himself with administrative work or other things that occupy him from reading and studying, knowledge decreases and he forgets much of it.
The questioner:
May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh:
And among the greatest things that aid the student in stabilizing knowledge is acting upon his knowledge. That he cares about action, and is a high example in preserving what Allah has made obligatory, and staying away from what Allah has forbidden, and caring for prayer in congregation, and caring for enjoining good and forbidding evil, and calling to Allah, and advising his brothers from the colleagues and others. The more the student of knowledge cares about these matters, the more Allah completes for him His success and preservation of the landmarks and spreading of knowledge. And so, studying with his colleagues and not being arrogant. He would study with the colleagues and ask them about what was difficult for him, and benefit them and they benefit him. And so, caring for the teachers, and he would ask them and be humble and humble before them until he benefits from them. All of this is among the causes of acquisition. If a person sows by turning away or by arrogance, his harvest from knowledge decreases, and perhaps he forgets what he has as a punishment for him. There is no power and no strength except with Allah. Yes.
The questioner:
This is confirmed by what is narrated from Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) when he was asked about his knowledge, and he said: "A tongue that asks and a heart that preserves."
The Shaykh:
Correct. All speech is correct. I do not remember its chain, but it is correct.
The method of study, Shaykh 'Abd al-'Aziz. We notice a great change between the two methods: the method of study in the past and the method of study at this time. We also notice the diversity of knowledge and information among the scholars and shaykhs in the past. As you mentioned, you studied the sciences of religion with Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ibrahim, and you studied grammar and fara'id (the law of inheritance shares). So there is diversity. I do not know, Shaykh 'Abd al-'Aziz, what is your view of the difference between the two methods of study, and what do you advise?
The Shaykh:
The shaykhs in the beginning, before the official universities and schools were opened, paid great attention to books of 'aqidah (creed), the noble hadith, fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), and grammar. These books are the most important things they studied, because the most important matter is 'aqidah, then understanding the religion through the noble hadith and Islamic fiqh, and the books of language and grammar that aid in that. They paid great attention to usul al-fiqh (the principles of jurisprudence) and the terminology of hadith. As for what relates to history and the biography (sira), it was mostly reading long books, such as the history of Ibn Kathir, the sira of Ibn Hisham, the abridged sira of Shaykh Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab, and Ibn 'Abd Allah, and similar books that are read as a general reading, which the students listen to, and the teacher comments on whatever Allah makes easy for him.
I do not recall anything abridged in this regard as we read at that time. Rather, what the students mostly read at that time is what I mentioned: what relates to the noble hadith, fiqh, 'aqidah, grammar, usul al-fiqh, and the terminology of hadith. This is what we mostly studied and memorized, and the scholars studied it and the students memorized it. But now the circumstances have changed. When the official universities and schools were opened, they began to study rhetoric, geography, mathematics, and other things that you study now, which the need called for due to the expansion of knowledge, the expansion of people in jobs and work, the spread of people, and the existence of the need for many of these sciences that are studied in schools now. They aid in the religious sciences, just as the attention to language and the protection of rhetoric benefits the student. As for geography, it also benefits in the matters of this world; it benefits greatly. So does mathematics, which benefits in calculating fara'id and in other issues; it has a benefit. The point is that the diversity of subjects is for the need for them in these schools due to what has emerged and what is required of the needs of people.
The questioner:
Shaykh 'Abd al-'Aziz, I do not know the texts (mutun) that you used to memorize, or that the predecessors used to memorize. What exactly are they? Can we define them?
The Shaykh:
Once, we used to memorize Bulugh al-Maram by al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar, which is a good, beneficial, and concise book. 'Abd al-Hadith by al-Hafiz, the distinguished scholar Shaykh 'Abd al-'Ali ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab ibn Ali ibn Yusuf al-Maqdisi (may Allah have mercy on him), which is a good book, and its hadiths number slightly more than four hundred, and they are from the two Sahihs (al-Bukhari and Muslim). He collected them from the two Sahihs, may Allah have mercy on him. There are also things that may have been narrated by one of the two shaykhs, al-Bukhari and Muslim, that are not in the two Sahihs, but they are few in the majority, such as what he said, may Allah have mercy on him, regarding what the two shaykhs agreed upon in al-Bukhari and Muslim. Also, the Forty Nawawi and its completion by Ibn Rajab, which is a collection of fifty hadiths. The shaykhs also used to study these from the books of hadith. And so was al-Muntaqa by Majd Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him), which the shaykhs used to study and the others would read. Some would read it for understanding and some would read it for memorization. Also, al-Muqni' in fiqh, which is an abridgment of al-Mughni, and this is the most common. And in the principles, al-Waraqat and al-Usul by the author of al-Muntaha, Usul al-Fiqh, and al-Rawda by the author of al-Mughni, al-Muwaqqif (may Allah have mercy on him), the one who looked into the principles. In the terminology of hadith, al-Hafiz's Nukhbat al-Fikr and its commentary, and al-Arfah al-Hadith by al-'Iraqi. All of these were studied. And in grammar, al-Arfah by Ibn Malik for the advanced students, and the intermediate students would read al-Qatr by Ibn Hisham, and the beginners would read al-Ajrumiyyah. I was among those who read this with our Shaykh, Shaykh Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz, Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him). I read a lot of al-Ajrumiyyah with him, and with Shaykh Hamza al-Faris in it as well. And I read with him, may Allah have mercy on him, Qatr al-Nada, and so in al-Arfah. I and a large group of brothers, may Allah have mercy on us with a wide mercy. Yes.
The questioner:
May Allah reward you with good. You used to memorize the texts, Shaykh 'Abd al-'Aziz. Please, go on.
The Shaykh:
Please, they are valued, and our Shaykh (may Allah have mercy on him), Shaykh Muhammad, would discuss that and emphasize it, because of the great benefit in memorization.
The questioner:
There is no doubt, and it truly opens the mind.
The Shaykh:
And it is a great push.
The questioner:
Yes, it is, it strikes.
The Shaykh:
Some people do not know what it is. Knowledge is only what the chest preserves, because memorization is a great foundation for knowledge. The one who does not have preserved sciences may weaken in seeking issues and preserving them and his ability to extract issues. But if he has principles in fiqh and hadith, they aid him in seeking issues from their sources.
The questioner:
And the problem, Shaykh 'Abd al-'Aziz, is that memorization is truly what modern educational methods have neglected, unfortunately?
The Shaykh:
And so knowledge has decreased.
The questioner:
And so, as much as possible.
The Shaykh:
You find a graduate from the universities with big certificates, a doctorate and a master's, but his knowledge is little because he forgot what he memorized and occupied himself with other occupations from work, so knowledge decreases. And knowledge always needs memorization and discussion and study between him and his colleagues, and reviewing books and caring for the library. All of this is needed by the student of knowledge. If he finishes his studies and occupies himself with administrative work or other things that occupy him from reading and studying, knowledge decreases and he forgets much of it.
The questioner:
May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh:
And among the greatest things that aid the student in stabilizing knowledge is acting upon his knowledge. That he cares about action, and is a high example in preserving what Allah has made obligatory, and staying away from what Allah has forbidden, and caring for prayer in congregation, and caring for enjoining good and forbidding evil, and calling to Allah, and advising his brothers from the colleagues and others. The more the student of knowledge cares about these matters, the more Allah completes for him His success and preservation of the landmarks and spreading of knowledge. And so, studying with his colleagues and not being arrogant. He would study with the colleagues and ask them about what was difficult for him, and benefit them and they benefit him. And so, caring for the teachers, and he would ask them and be humble and humble before them until he benefits from them. All of this is among the causes of acquisition. If a person sows by turning away or by arrogance, his harvest from knowledge decreases, and perhaps he forgets what he has as a punishment for him. There is no power and no strength except with Allah. Yes.
The questioner:
This is confirmed by what is narrated from Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) when he was asked about his knowledge, and he said: "A tongue that asks and a heart that preserves."
The Shaykh:
Correct. All speech is correct. I do not remember its chain, but it is correct.
Source
على طريق الدعوة — islamhouse.com (31:00)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.