بيّن الله تعالى في كتابه – وهو مقلّب القلوب، وعالم الغيب – أنّ الذكرى لا توقظ الجميع، ولا تنفع كلّ من يسمعها.

Allah clarified in His Book – and He is the Lord of the hearts, and the Knower of the Unseen – that a reminder does not awaken everyone, and it does not benefit all who hear it.

بل إن لذلك شروطاً وقيوداً.

Rather, there are conditions and restrictions to this:

{إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَذِكْرَىٰ لِمَن كَانَ لَهُ قَلْبٌ أَوْ أَلْقَى السَّمْعَ وَهُوَ شَهِيدٌ}128

{“Verily, therein is indeed a reminder for he who has a heart or gives ear while he is heedful.”}128

قال ابنُ القيِّم رحمه الله:

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have Mercy on him) said:

«إذا أردتَ أن تنتفعَ بالقرآن، فاجمعْ قلبَك عند تلاوته، وأحضرْ سمعَك، وتصوّرْ كأنّ الله يخاطبك به، فإنه خطابٌ منه إليك على لسان هذا الرسولِ ﷺ، كما قال تعالى:

“If you want to benefit from the Qur’an, gather your heart when it is recited, focus your hearing, and act like you are being directly addressed by Allah, as it is an address from Him to you upon the tongue of this Messenger (peace be upon him), as the Exalted Said:

{إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَذِكْرَىٰ لِمَن كَانَ لَهُ قَلْبٌ أَوْ أَلْقَى السَّمْعَ وَهُوَ شَهِيدٌ} وذلك لأن الانتفاع بالشيء والتأثر به على أكمل وجه يتوقف على المؤثِّر، والمحلِّ القابل الذي يتأثر بذلك التأثير، والشروط اللازمة لحصول ذلك الأثر، وزوال ما يُراد للأثر أن يزيله.

{“Verily, therein is indeed a reminder for he who has a heart or gives ear while he is heedful.”} And this is because gaining the most benefit and effect from something depends on the object causing the effect, the accompanying target that will feel that effect, the conditions necessary for that effect to be felt, and the removal of what that effect is meant to remove.

كُلُّ هٰذَا يُوجَدُ فِي الآيَةِ الْمَذْكُورَةِ أَعْلَاهُ بِأَوْضَحِ صُورَةٍ وَأَوْجَزِهَا.

All of this is found in the above verse in the most clear and concise manner possible:

{"إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَذِكْرَىٰ..."} يشير إلى كل ما بدأ من أول السورة إلى هذا الموضع.

{“Verily, therein is indeed a reminder…”} referring to everything from the beginning of the surah to this point.

وقوله تعالى: {﴿إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَذِكْرَىٰ لِمَن كَانَ لَهُۥ قَلْبٌ﴾} يعني بذلك أن المؤثِّر فيه هو القلب الحي الذي يعرف الله، كما قال الله تعالى في آية أخرى:

And His Saying {“…for he who has a heart…”} is referring to the target of the affect, meaning the heart that is alive and knows Allah, as Allah Said in another verse:

إِنَّهُ ذِكْرٌ وَقُرْآنٌ مُّبِينٌ لِّيُنذِرَ مَن كَانَ حَيًّا

{“Indeed, it is a reminder and a clear Qur’an to warn he who is alive…”}129

يعني، له قلبٌ حيّ.

Meaning, has a heart that is alive.

وقولُه تعالى: {«…أَوْ أَلْقَى السَّمْعَ…»} يعني أنه يوجّه سمعه ويُحضر حواسّه إلى ما يُقال له، وهذا من شروط التأثّر بالكلام المُلقى.

His Saying {“…or gives ear…”} means that he directs his listening and focuses his senses to what is being said to him, and this is from the conditions of being affected by words that are spoken.

وقوله {"…وَهُوَ شَهِيدٌ…"} يعني أن له قلباً حاضراً غير غائب. قال ابن قتيبة: "يستمع كتاب الله وقلبه وفهمه حاضران، غير مشغول." وفي هذا إشارة إلى ما يُراد زواله بأثر القرآن، وهو الشرود وغياب القلب، وعدم فهمه لما يُلقى إليه، وقلة بصيرته وتدبّره فيه.

His Saying {“…while he is heedful…”} means that he has a heart that is present and not absent. Ibn Qutaybah said: “He listens to the Book of Allah while his heart and comprehension are there, and he is not distracted.” This is an indication of what is meant to be removed by the effect of the Qur’an, which is the distraction and absence of the heart, its inability to understand what is being relayed to it, and its lack of insight and reflection upon it.

فإذا وُجد السبب المؤثِّر (وهو القرآن)، ووُجد المحلُّ القابل للتأثير (وهو القلب الحي)، ووُجدت شروط حصول الأثر (وهي الحضور والإصغاء)، وانتفى المانع (وهو شرود القلب وعدم فهم معنى ما يُقال)، فإذا اجتمعت هذه الأمور كلُّها، تحقَّقت النتيجة (وهي أن يُحسَّ بأثر القرآن والذِّكرى ونفعهما).

So, if the source of the effect is there (the Qur’an), and the target of the effect is there (the heart that is alive), and the conditions of feeling the effect are there (to focus and pay attention), and the removal of the obstacle is there (the distraction of the heart and inability to understand the meaning of what is being said) – with all of these factors are present, the result is achieved (the effect and benefit of the Qur’an and reminder is felt).

فَالعِلْمُ لا يُنَالُ إِلَّا بِالتَّوَاضُعِ وَبَذْلِ الانْتِبَاهِ وَالتَّرْكِيزِ. قَالَ الشَّعْبِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللهُ: "صَلَّى زَيْدُ بْنُ ثَابِتٍ عَلَى جَنَازَةٍ، ثُمَّ أُتِيَ بِبَغْلَةٍ لِيَرْكَبَهَا، فَجَاءَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ فَأَخَذَ بِرِكَابِهَا لِيَسِيرَ بِهَا، فَقَالَ لَهُ زَيْدٌ: "خَلِّ عَنْهَا يَا ابْنَ عَمِّ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ"، فَقَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ: "هَكَذَا أُمِرْنَا أَنْ نَفْعَلَ بِالعُلَمَاءِ!""130

So, knowledge is only attained by humbly lending one’s attention and focus. ash-Sha’bi (may Allah have Mercy on him) said: “Zayd bin Thabit prayed a funeral prayer. A mule was then brought for him to ride away on, and Ibn ‘Abbas came and took hold of its reigns to lead him away. So, Zayd said to him: “Let go of it, O cousin of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).” Ibn ‘Abbas said: “This is how we were commanded to treat the scholars!””130

وكان السلف ينظرون بغاية الإجلال والاحترام إلى من يتعلمون منهم، ويظهر ذلك جليًّا عند النظر إلى آدابهم في حضور مجالس العلم، ولا سيما كيف كانوا يوقّرون شيوخهم. وقد روى الخطيب البغدادي كثيرًا من الأخبار في ذلك.

And the Salaf used to look with the utmost reverence and respect to those they learned from, and this is evident when looking at their manners in attending circles of knowledge, specifically how they would honor their teachers. al-Khatib reported many such narrations:

قال المغيرة: «كنّا نُكرم إبراهيم النَّخَعي كما يُكرَم الأمير». وقال أيوب: «كان الرجل يجلس إلى الحسن ثلاث سنين لا يسأله عن شيء، هيبةً له وإجلالاً». وقال إسحاق الشهيدي: «كنت أرى يحيى القطان يصلي العصر، ثم يتكئ على أصل منارة المسجد، ويقف بين يديه علي بن المديني، والشاذكوني، وعمرو بن علي، وأحمد بن حنبل، ويحيى بن معين، وغيرهم، كلهم يسألونه عن الحديث وهم قيام، فيستمر ذلك إلى صلاة المغرب، ولا يُجلس أحداً منهم، ولا يجلس أحد منهم هيبةً له وإجلالاً». وقال الغُلابي: «مدح ابن الخياط مالك بن أنس، فقال:

“al-Mughirah said: “We would honor Ibrahim an-Nakha’i just as one would honor the ruler.” Ayyub said: “A man would sit with al-Hasan for three years and not ask him anything out of awe and respect for him.” Ishaq ash-Shahidi said: “I would see Yahya al-Qattan praying ‘Asr. He would then lean on the base of the mosque’s minaret, and standing in front of him would be ‘Ali bin al-Madini, ash-Shadhakuni, ‘Amr bin ‘Ali, Ahmad bin Hambal, Yahya bin Ma’in, etc. – all asking him about Hadith while they were standing up. This would go on until the Maghrib prayer, and he would not offer any of them to sit, and none of them would sit out of awe and respect of him.” al-Ghulabi said: “Ibn al-Khayyat praised Malik bin Anas, saying:

يُجِيبُ دُونَ أَنْ يَنْقُصَ مِنْ هَيْبَتِهِ * وَالسَّائِلُونَ لَدَيْهِ رُفِعَتْ أَذْقَانُهُمْ؛ نُورُ السَّكِينَةِ وَشَرَفُ السُّلْطَانِ الرَّشِيدِ * هَكَذَا يُعَظِّمُونَهُ دُونَ أَنْ يَكُونَ سُلْطَانًا… وَقَالَ عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ حَرْمَلَةَ الأَسْلَمِيُّ: «مَا كَانَ أَحَدٌ يَجْتَرِئُ عَلَى أَنْ يَسْأَلَ سَعِيدَ بْنَ الْمُسَيَّبِ عَنْ شَيْءٍ حَتَّى يَسْتَأْذِنَهُ، كَمَا يُسْتَأْذَنُ الأَمِيرُ فِي شَيْءٍ».131

He gives his answer without reducing his awe * While those asking him have their chins raised; The light of tranquility and the honor of righteous authority * This is how they respect him without him being an authority… And ‘Abd ar-Rahman bin Harmalah al-Aslami said: “Nobody dared to ask Sa’id bin al- Musayyab about anything until he would seek his permission, just as the ruler’s permission is sought for something.””131

وَيُقَالُ إِنَّ الشَّافِعِيَّ (رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ) عُوتِبَ عَلَى تَوَاضُعِهِ لِلْعُلَمَاءِ، فَقَالَ:

“And it is said that ash-Shafi’i (may Allah be Pleased with him) was criticized for his humility to the scholars, and he said:

أتواضع لهم فيكرموني * ولن تُكرَم إلا إذا تواضعت… وقال أحمد بن حنبل (رضي الله عنه) لخلف الأحمر (رحمه الله): «لا أجلس إلا بين يديك. وقد أُمرنا أن نتواضع لمن نتعلم منه.»132

I humble myself to them, and they honor me * And you will not be honored unless you humble yourself… And Ahmad bin Hambal (may Allah be Pleased with him) said to Khalaf al-Ahmar (may Allah have Mercy on him): “I will not sit except between your hands. We were commanded to be humble to those we learn from.””132

ينبغي لطالب العلم أن يخضع لشيخه في أموره، ولا يسعى إلى مخالفته ومعارضته في آرائه وقراراته، بل يكون معه كما يكون المريض مع طبيبه: يستشيره فيما يريد، ويقصد رضاه، ويحفظ حرمته، ويتقرب إلى الله تعالى بخدمته. وليعلم أن التواضع لشيخه شرف، وأن خفض الجناح له رفعة.

“The seeker of knowledge should submit to his teacher in his affairs, and he should not seek to contradict and oppose him in his opinions and decisions. Rather, he should be with him like the sick is with his doctor – consulting him in what he wants, intending his pleasure, protecting his honor, and gaining nearness to Allah by serving him. He should realize that humility to his shaykh is an honor, and lowering yourself for him raises you.

طالب العلم ينبغي أن ينظر إلى شيخه بعين الهيبة والتوقير، فإن ذلك مما يعينه على الانتفاع به. وكان بعض السلف يتصدق قبل أن يزور شيخه، ويقول: «اللهم استر عني عيوب شيخي، ولا تحرمني بركة علمه».133

The student of knowledge should look to his teacher with the eye of awe and respect, as this will help him to benefit from him. Some of the Salaf would give some charity before going to visit their shaykh, saying: “O Allah! Hide the faults of my shaykh from me, and do not prevent me from the blessing of his knowledge.””133

وقال الشافعي رحمه الله: «كنت أقلب صفحات كتبي بين يدي مالك رحمه الله تقليبًا رقيقًا هادئًا، لئلا يتأذى بصوتها، إجلالًا له». وقال حمدان الأصفهاني: «كنت عند شَرِيك رحمه الله، فجاء بعض أولاد الخليفة المهدي، فاتكأ على الحائط، ولم يلتفت إليهم حين سألوه عن حديث. فعادوا يترددون ويسألون السؤال نفسه، حتى قالوا: أتستخف بأولاد الأمراء؟ فقال شريك: لا، ولكن العلم أعظم عند الله من أن يُؤخذ على هذا الوجه. فجلس القوم، فوضعوا ركبهم بحذاء ركبتيه، فقال: هكذا يُطلب العلم».134

“And ash-Shafi’i (may Allah have Mercy on him) said: “I would turn the pages of my books in front of Malik (may Allah have Mercy on him) in a very soft, quiet way so that he wouldn’t be bothered by its noise, out of respect for him.” And Hamdan al-Asfahani said: “I was with Sharik (may Allah have Mercy on him), and some of the children of the Khalifah al-Mahdi came to him. So, he leaned against the wall, and did not turn to them when they asked him about a hadith. They then came back and forth, asking the same question until they said: “Do you belittle the children of the rulers?” So, Sharik said: “No. However, knowledge is more valuable with Allah than that I give it in such a manner.” So, the men sat down, putting their knees on par with his knees, and he said: “This is how knowledge is to be sought.””134

وَلَا يُخَاطِبْ شَيْخَهُ بِلَفْظٍ غَيْرِ لَائِقٍ، وَلَا يُنَادِيهِ مِنْ بَعِيدٍ.

“And he should not address his shaykh in an informal way, and should not call him from a distance.

قال الخطيب: «ولا يقول: يا معلم! أو: يا عالم! ما تقول في هذا؟ ما رأيك فيه؟» ونحو ذلك. ولا يُسمّيه باسمه في غيبته إلا مقرونًا بلقب من ألقاب التوقير، كـ«الشيخ»، أو «الأستاذ»، أو «شيخنا». وعليه أن يعرف حقوق شيخه عليه، ولا يغفل عن فضله عليه، وأن يعتني عناية بالغة بصون عرضه ودفع الغيبة عنه، فيغضب لأجله، فإن عجز عن ذلك قام وانصرف من كل مجلس يجري فيه ذلك. وعليه أن يدعو لشيخه في حياته، وأن يتعهد أهله وأولاده وأصدقاءه بعد وفاته، وأن يزور قبره، ويستغفر الله له، ويتصدق عنه. وأن يقتدي به في السكينة والهدوء والهداية، وأن يتشبه بعاداته في العلم بالدين، وأن يحاكي حركاته في عاداته اليومية وعبادته، وأن يتخلق بأخلاقه. وبالجملة، فليتخذه قدوة له.135

And al-Khatib said: “He should not say ‘O teacher!’ or ‘O scholar, what do you think about this? What is your take on this?’ etc. Also, he shouldn’t refer to him by his first name in his absence except by attaching to it a title of respect, such as ‘Shaykh,’ ‘Ustadh,’ or ‘Shaykhuna.’ And he should know the rights of his shaykh upon him, and should not forget his virtue over him, and should put great importance on protecting his honor and repelling any backbiting of him. He should become enraged for his sake, and if he is unable to do this, he should get up and leave any gathering where this is taking place. He should supplicate for his shaykh during his life, and he should tend to his family, children, and friends after his death. He should visit his grave and ask Allah’s Forgiveness for him and give charity on his behalf. He should imitate him in being calm, quiet, and guided, and should imitate his habits in knowledge of the Religion. He should imitate his movements in his regular habits and worship, and adopt his manners. Essentially, he should take him as an example.”135

وينبغي لطالب العلم أن يصبر على جفاء شيخه، وأن يكون لينًا معه. روى الخطيب أن الشافعي قال: "كان رجلان يختلفان إلى الأعمش، أحدهما يحب الحديث، والآخر لا يحبه. فغضب الأعمش يومًا على الذي يحب الحديث، فقال الآخر: لو أنه غضب عليّ كما غضب عليك لما رجعتُ إليه. فقال الأعمش: لذلك هو أحمق مثلك، يترك ما ينفعه لسوء خُلقي."136

And the student of knowledge should be patient with the harshness of his teacher, and should be soft with him. al-Khatib reported that ash-Shafi’i said: “Two men used to visit al- A’mash. One of them was interested in Hadith, and the other was not. So, one day al-A’mash got mad at the one who was interested in Hadith. The other man said: “If he got mad at me the way he did at you, I wouldn’t come back to him.” So, al-A’mash said: “Therefore, he is an idiot like you. He leaves what will benefit him due to my bad manners.”””136

وَرَوَى الشَّافِعِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللهُ قِصَّةً مُشَابِهَةً عَنْ سُفْيَانَ بْنِ عُيَيْنَةَ، فَقِيلَ لِسُفْيَانَ: "هَؤُلَاءِ يَأْتُونَكَ مِنْ كُلِّ فَجٍّ، وَأَنْتَ تَغْضَبُ عَلَيْهِمْ؟! يُمْكِنُهُمْ أَنْ يَقُومُوا جَمِيعًا وَيَتْرُكُوكَ!" فَقَالَ: "لَوْ فَعَلُوا ذَلِكَ لَكَانُوا حُمْقَى، إِذْ يَتْرُكُونَ مَا يَنْفَعُهُمْ بِسَبَبِ سُوءِ خُلُقِي."137

And ash-Shafi’i (may Allah have Mercy on him) narrated a similar incident from Sufyan bin ‘Uyaynah, where it was said to Sufyan: “These people come to you from all corners of the world, and you get mad at them?! They can all get up and leave you!” He said: “If they did this, they would be idiots, as they leave what will benefit them due to my bad manners.””137

قال ابن جماعة رحمه الله:

Ibn Jama’ah (may Allah have Mercy on him) said:

ينبغي لطالب العلم أن يصبر على شدة شيخه وسوء معاملته، وألا يصرفه ذلك عنه، وأن يحمل أفعاله السيئة - إن صدرت منه - على أحسن المحامل، وأن يقابل أي غلظة من شيخه بالاعتذار بنفسه، والتوبة إلى الله، واستغفاره، ولوم نفسه. فإن ذلك يحفظ محبته لهذا الشيخ، ويصون قلبه، وهو أنفع للطالب في الدنيا والآخرة.

“The seeker of knowledge should withstand his teacher’s harshness and bad treatment, and this should not turn him away from him. He should give him the benefit of the doubt when it comes to any bad actions on his part, and should respond to any harshness from his shaykh by apologizing himself, repenting to Allah, seeking His Forgiveness, and placing the blame on himself. This will preserve his love for this shaykh, will protect his heart, and is more beneficial for the student in this life and the next.

قال بعض السلف: «من لم يصبر على ذلّ التعلّم، بقي طوال عمره في عمى الجاهل، ومن صبر عليه، عاش هذه الحياة والآخرة في عزّ». وقال ابن عباس رضي الله عنه: «تواضعتُ للعلم وأنا طالب، فصرتُ عزيزًا وأنا معلّم». وقال معافى بن عمران: «الذي يغضب على العالِم كالذي يغضب على معلّم الجامعة».138

إِذَا وَجَدْتَ شَيْخَكَ نَائِمًا فَلَا تَطْلُبْ رُؤْيَتَهُ، بَلِ اجْلِسْ وَانْتَظِرْ حَتَّى يَسْتَيْقِظَ، أَوِ انْصَرِفْ إِنْ شِئْتَ.

If you find your shaykh sleeping, do not ask to see him. Rather, sit and wait until he wakes up, or leave if you wish.

أخرج الخطيب البغدادي (رحمه الله) قال:

al-Khatib al-Baghdadi (may Allah have Mercy on him) reported:

قال ابن عباس رضي الله عنه: «لما توفي رسول الله ﷺ قلت لرجل من الأنصار: هلم نسأل أصحاب رسول الله ﷺ، فإنهم اليوم كثير. فقال: واعجبا لك يا ابن عباس! أترى الناس يحتاجون إليك، وفي الناس من أصحاب رسول الله ﷺ من ترى؟ فتركته، وأقبلت أسأل أصحاب رسول الله ﷺ عن الحديث، فإن كان ليبلغني الحديث عن الرجل، فآتي بابه وهو قائل، فأتوسد ردائي على بابه، تسفي الريح على وجهي، فيخرج فيراني فيقول: يا ابن عم رسول الله ﷺ، ما جاء بك؟ هلا أرسلت إليّ فآتيك؟ فأقول: لا، أنا أحق أن آتيك، فأسأله عن الحديث. فعاش ذلك الأنصاري حتى رآني وقد اجتمع الناس حولي يسألونني، فيقول: هذا الفتى كان أعقل مني.» وقال ابن عباس رضي الله عنه: «فوجدت عامة علم رسول الله ﷺ في هذا الحي من الأنصار، وكنت أنتظر على باب أحدهم، فإن أردت أن يؤذن لي عليه أذن لي.»

“Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be Pleased with him) said: “When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) died, I said to one of the Ansar: “Come. Let us go ask the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), as they are plenty in number today.” He said: “I am amazed at you, Ibn ‘Abbas! Do you think they will pay attention to you when the most important of the Companions are amongst them?” So, I left him, and I began to ask the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) about Hadith. If I heard that a man had a hadith with him, I would go to his door, and if I found him sleeping, I would spread a blanket on the ground in front of his home and wait for him. The wind would blow dirt on me, and he would eventually come out saying: ‘O cousin of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)! What brings you here? Why didn’t you send for me? I would’ve come to you.’ I would say: “It is more incumbent upon me to come to you,” and I’d ask him about the ahadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him). That Ansari man lived until he saw the people gathering around me and asking me, and he would say: “That young boy was smarter than me!”” And Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be Pleased with him) said: “I found most of the knowledge of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) in this neighborhood of the Ansar. I would wait at the door of one of them, and if I wanted permission to enter, I would’ve gotten it.

«ولكنّي أردتُ أن يكون لطيفًا عند لقائي». وقال سفيان بن عُيينة: أخبرنا أبو الحُسين قال: «كان ابنُ عبّاسٍ يأتي أحدَ أصحابِ النبيِّ ﷺ يريد أن يسأله عن حديثٍ، فيُقال له: إنّه نائم، فيضطجع على بابه ينتظره، فيُقال له: أتريد أن أُوقظه لك؟ فيقول: لا». وقال مَعمر: قال الزُّهري: «لو جئتُ باب عُروةَ لدخلتُ عليه إن شئتُ، ولكنّي أجلس خارجًا وأنتظر إجلالًا له».141