A comprehensive word for students of knowledge?
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The questioner : We are your sons from the Northern Borders region, from the city of Rafha. We have come to drink from the vast ocean of your knowledge. We are at the beginning of our pursuit of knowledge, so is there, O our Shaykh, may Allah reward you, a comprehensive and beneficial piece of advice in this field? May Allah preserve you?
The Shaykh : First: We congratulate you on this high ambition, which is taking the path to seek knowledge, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih Muslim 2699a This is one point.
Second: Be glad of good as long as this intention exists. Hold firm to seeking knowledge, dedicate your efforts, and make your greatest concern what you came for, which is seeking knowledge. Do not turn to anything else, because knowledge, as some have said: if you give it all of yourself, meaning you make yourself entirely for knowledge, it will give you some of it; and if you give it some of yourself, you are deprived of it. So knowledge requires effort, meaning it requires care and patience, because it is a struggle in the path of Allah. In fact, seeking knowledge is better than the struggle in the path of Allah, because the entire community needs it, both the disbelievers and the Muslims, whereas we do not need the struggle in the path of Allah except to repel the enemies. Then strive to start with the concise books. Memorize them after memorizing the Book of Allah, the Exalted. For example, memorize the Book first, then look at the Sunnah. Choose the authentic hadiths from it and memorize them. Here is something easy to digest, as they say: *Umdat al-Ahkam* by 'Abd al-Ghani al-Maqdisi (may Allah have mercy on him) is ready. He compiled in it what most people need of the rulings from *al-Sahihayn*. Memorize them. And finally, apply the knowledge through action. Do not be a copy of a book, but be affected by your knowledge in your worship, in your character, and in your dealings with people. Let your greatest concern not be merely to gather and hoard knowledge. The knowledge intended is that which is acted upon. "And whoever acts upon what he knows, Allah will cause him to inherit knowledge he did not know". I also advise you that your concern and preoccupation not be what some of the youth are now being tried with regarding the issue of declaring someone a disbeliever: is this person a disbeliever or a Muslim? Is this ruler a disbeliever or a Muslim? And if any disagreement occurs among the youth, he says: leave this one, this one is an innovator, this one is my brother, this one is a Tablighi, this one is a Salafi, and so on. The Islamic religion commands its people to unite and to be upon the Shari'ah of Allah. Allah, the Exalted, said:[Ali 'Imran 3:103] And Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, said: [Ali 'Imran 3:105] And Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, said: [Ash-Shuraa 42:13] complete [Ash-Shuraa 42:13] And Allah said to His Prophet, affirming: [Al-An'am 6:159] Let your concern not be to say: what is wrong with so-and-so the scholar? What is wrong with so-and-so the scholar? No, leave that. Turn to seeking knowledge and acting upon it. Leave the scholars alone; none of them is free from sin. Everyone makes mistakes and hits the mark. If someone makes a mistake, we do not accept his mistake; and if he hits the mark, we accept his correctness. Yes, we accept his correctness, not because he is so-and-so the son of so-and-so, but because of the correctness. Did you not know that Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, accepted the statement of the polytheists, and they were polytheists? Answer: Yes. Allah, the Exalted, said: [Al-A'raf 7:28] This is a proof. [Al-A'raf 7:28] This is a second proof. What did Allah say? [Al-A'raf 7:28] He invalidated this proof because it was not correct, and He was silent about their statement: [Al-A'raf 7:28] because it was correct. Allah accepted it, even though it was from the statement of the polytheists. Did you not know that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), when Satan said to Abu Hurayrah: and it was Satan, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) believed him, but he (peace and blessings be upon him) took a precaution and said: meaning, beware of him, beware of him. Do not say: he told me the truth in this, and I will believe him in everything. No, he told you the truth, and he is a liar. Did you not know? He affirmed him in this, then he supported this with his statement, with the saying of Allah, the Exalted: [Az-Zumar 39:67] A Jew said the truth, and it was accepted. Polytheists said the truth, "walk with us."
The questioner : So they accepted.
The Shaykh : Satan said the truth, and it was accepted. My brother, do not make your habit and your concern what you say about so-and-so? What you say about so-and-so? So-and-so is a disbeliever, so-and-so is an innovator, so-and-so is an open sinner. It is regrettable that this Islamic awakening among the youth, and praise be to Allah, and we ask Allah to keep them firm, was struck by this trial. The shame is that the youth scattered because of so-and-so the scholar and so-and-so the scholar. We do not concern ourselves with the scholars. If a scholar is dead, he has gone before his Lord, and Allah has taken him. And if he is alive, the truth is accepted from any person, and falsehood is rejected from any person. May Allah bless you, O people of Rafha. And we do not know if the cold that came to us came with you or before? Answer. May Allah reward you with good. You answered me, so answer me?
The questioner : I do not know.
The Shaykh : No, I know, so it is from Allah, the Exalted. But Allah is Wise. The scholars mentioned that there are things in the air that only the severe cold kills. Subhan Allah. And this is observed. Mosquitoes decrease with the cold, even flies decrease with the cold and die. And there are things, Subhan Allah, that do not die except with very hot heat. And Allah is Able over all things and Wise, Mighty and Majestic.
I ask Allah for success for us and for you in what He loves and is pleased with. And I excuse you from attending next week. Perhaps work will reach you. It seems you have no work every day. In reality, a person is always busy. But we hope for your excuse, if Allah wills, the week after that, in order to complete the discussion on Hajj. And praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. And may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. Yes, what is it?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : If Allah wills, on Saturday, if Allah wills, we have at a mosque, at the mosque of 'Abdullah...
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : And we said, *Umdat al-Ahkam*, in Hajj, the chapter of rituals, if Allah wills, from...
The questioner : from the night of Monday.
The Shaykh : From the night of Monday, if Allah wills. May Allah bless you all. Subhanak Allahumma Rabbana wa bihamdika, ashdhu anna la ilaha illa anta, astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk. What do you say, O man of the city?
The questioner : ... three questions.
The Shaykh : Three questions.
The questioner : Or a question.
The Shaykh : Or a question, or no question?
The questioner : .
The Shaykh : Okay, what is it?
The Shaykh : First: We congratulate you on this high ambition, which is taking the path to seek knowledge, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
he who treads the path in search of knowledge, Allah would make that path easy, leading to Paradise for him
من سلك طريقاً يلتمس فيه علما سهل الله له به طريقا إلى الجنةSecond: Be glad of good as long as this intention exists. Hold firm to seeking knowledge, dedicate your efforts, and make your greatest concern what you came for, which is seeking knowledge. Do not turn to anything else, because knowledge, as some have said: if you give it all of yourself, meaning you make yourself entirely for knowledge, it will give you some of it; and if you give it some of yourself, you are deprived of it. So knowledge requires effort, meaning it requires care and patience, because it is a struggle in the path of Allah. In fact, seeking knowledge is better than the struggle in the path of Allah, because the entire community needs it, both the disbelievers and the Muslims, whereas we do not need the struggle in the path of Allah except to repel the enemies. Then strive to start with the concise books. Memorize them after memorizing the Book of Allah, the Exalted. For example, memorize the Book first, then look at the Sunnah. Choose the authentic hadiths from it and memorize them. Here is something easy to digest, as they say: *Umdat al-Ahkam* by 'Abd al-Ghani al-Maqdisi (may Allah have mercy on him) is ready. He compiled in it what most people need of the rulings from *al-Sahihayn*. Memorize them. And finally, apply the knowledge through action. Do not be a copy of a book, but be affected by your knowledge in your worship, in your character, and in your dealings with people. Let your greatest concern not be merely to gather and hoard knowledge. The knowledge intended is that which is acted upon. "And whoever acts upon what he knows, Allah will cause him to inherit knowledge he did not know". I also advise you that your concern and preoccupation not be what some of the youth are now being tried with regarding the issue of declaring someone a disbeliever: is this person a disbeliever or a Muslim? Is this ruler a disbeliever or a Muslim? And if any disagreement occurs among the youth, he says: leave this one, this one is an innovator, this one is my brother, this one is a Tablighi, this one is a Salafi, and so on. The Islamic religion commands its people to unite and to be upon the Shari'ah of Allah. Allah, the Exalted, said:
And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided
وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِحَبْلِ اللَّهِ جَمِيعاً وَلا تَفَرَّقُواAnd do not be like the ones who became divided and differed after the clear proofs had come to them. And those will have a great punishment.
وَلا تَكُونُوا كَالَّذِينَ تَفَرَّقُوا وَاخْتَلَفُوا مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَهُمُ الْبَيِّنَاتُ وَأُولَئِكَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌHe has ordained for you of religion what He enjoined upon Noah and that which We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], and what We enjoined upon Abraham and Moses and Jesus - to establish the religion
شَرَعَ لَكُمْ مِنَ الدِّينِ مَا وَصَّى بِهِ نُوحاً وَالَّذِي أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ وَمَا وَصَّيْنَا بِهِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَمُوسَى وَعِيسَى أَنْ أَقِيمُوا الدِّينَand not be divided therein
وَلا تَتَفَرَّقُوا فِيهIndeed, those who have divided their religion and become sects - you, [O Muhammad], are not [associated] with them in anything
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ فَرَّقُوا دِينَهُمْ وَكَانُوا شِيَعاً لَسْتَ مِنْهُمْ فِي شَيْءٍAnd when they commit an immorality, they say, "We found our fathers doing it
وَإِذَا فَعَلُوا فَاحِشَةً قَالُوا وَجَدْنَا عَلَيْهَا آبَاءَنَاand Allah has ordered us to do it
وَاللَّهُ أَمَرَنَا بِهَاSay, "Indeed, Allah does not order immorality.
قُلْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لا يَأْمُرُ بِالْفَحْشَاءِWe found our fathers doing it
وَجَدْنَا عَلَيْهَا آبَاءَنَاShall I direct you to a verse from the Book of Allah? If you recite it, a guardian from Allah will remain with you, and no Shaytan will approach you until you become morning. Abu Hurayrah said to him, "Yes." He said, "The Verse of the Throne." When Abu Hurayrah informed the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) of this, he said to him, "You have been told the truth, and he is a liar"
ألا أدلك على آية من كتاب الله إذا قرأتها لم يزل عليك من الله حافظ ولا يقربك شيطان حتى تصبح قال له أبو هريرة : بلى قال : آية الكرسي فلما أخبر أبو هريرة النبي صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم قال له : صدقك وهو كذوبHe has told you the truth, and he is a liar
صدقك وهو كذوبThat a Jew came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) and said, "O Muhammad, we find that Allah places the heavens on one finger and the earths on one finger," and he mentioned the rest of the hadith. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) laughed in affirmation of the scholar's statement
أن يهوديا أتى النبي صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم وقال : يا محمد إننا نجد أن الله يجعل السماوات على إصبع، والأرضين على إصبع وذكر بقية الحديث فضحك النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم تصديقاً لقول الحبرThey have not appraised Allah with true appraisal, while the earth entirely will be [within] His grip on the Day of Resurrection, and the heavens will be folded in His right hand
وَمَا قَدَرُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِ وَالْأَرْضُ جَمِيعاً قَبْضَتُهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَالسَّمَاوَاتُ مَطْوِيَّاتٌ ِيَمِينِهِThe questioner : So they accepted.
The Shaykh : Satan said the truth, and it was accepted. My brother, do not make your habit and your concern what you say about so-and-so? What you say about so-and-so? So-and-so is a disbeliever, so-and-so is an innovator, so-and-so is an open sinner. It is regrettable that this Islamic awakening among the youth, and praise be to Allah, and we ask Allah to keep them firm, was struck by this trial. The shame is that the youth scattered because of so-and-so the scholar and so-and-so the scholar. We do not concern ourselves with the scholars. If a scholar is dead, he has gone before his Lord, and Allah has taken him. And if he is alive, the truth is accepted from any person, and falsehood is rejected from any person. May Allah bless you, O people of Rafha. And we do not know if the cold that came to us came with you or before? Answer. May Allah reward you with good. You answered me, so answer me?
The questioner : I do not know.
The Shaykh : No, I know, so it is from Allah, the Exalted. But Allah is Wise. The scholars mentioned that there are things in the air that only the severe cold kills. Subhan Allah. And this is observed. Mosquitoes decrease with the cold, even flies decrease with the cold and die. And there are things, Subhan Allah, that do not die except with very hot heat. And Allah is Able over all things and Wise, Mighty and Majestic.
I ask Allah for success for us and for you in what He loves and is pleased with. And I excuse you from attending next week. Perhaps work will reach you. It seems you have no work every day. In reality, a person is always busy. But we hope for your excuse, if Allah wills, the week after that, in order to complete the discussion on Hajj. And praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. And may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. Yes, what is it?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : If Allah wills, on Saturday, if Allah wills, we have at a mosque, at the mosque of 'Abdullah...
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : And we said, *Umdat al-Ahkam*, in Hajj, the chapter of rituals, if Allah wills, from...
The questioner : from the night of Monday.
The Shaykh : From the night of Monday, if Allah wills. May Allah bless you all. Subhanak Allahumma Rabbana wa bihamdika, ashdhu anna la ilaha illa anta, astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk. What do you say, O man of the city?
The questioner : ... three questions.
The Shaykh : Three questions.
The questioner : Or a question.
The Shaykh : Or a question, or no question?
The questioner : .
The Shaykh : Okay, what is it?