The Manners Of the Knowledge Seeker by Abu ‘Abdallah Muhammad Sa’id Raslan

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

“Getting what you want depends on cutting off habits and attachment to anything else.

Habits are when one leans towards what is more relaxing, such as the systems and traditions that people are accustomed to and place at the same level as the Shari’ah. In fact, they might even treat these habits with greater reverence than the Shari’ah, and reprimand those who do not abide by them - even declaring such a person to be a disbeliever, innovator, or misguided, and boycotting and punishing him for going against these traditions and habits.

For the sake of these traditions, they kill off the traditions of the Prophet (peace be upon him), and make their own traditions as partners with him (peace be upon him) – declaring alliance and enmity for them. So, the good in their eyes is what goes along with these traditions, and the bad is what contradicts them.

These habits and traditions have taken over various groups of the children of Adam – the kings, the leaders, the jurists, the Sufis, the impoverished, the authority figures, and the general populace. So, the young are taught them at an early age, and the old are raised upon them, and they are treated like sunan. Rather, they are more important in the eyes of those who abide by them than sunan. Whoever is restrained by such habits is imprisoned, cut off, afflicted with great misfortune, and end up abandoning the Qur’an and Sunnah for them.

Whoever seeks any type of honor with them is a fool with Allah, and whoever follows them instead of the Qur’an and Sunnah will not be accepted by Allah. These are the greatest barriers and obstacles for the slave on his journey to Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him).

As for these obstacles, they are the many types of outer and inner contradictions to the Shari’ah that injure the heart upon its journey to Allah and render it immobile, and they cut it off on its path. They are three things: shirk, innovation, and sin. So, the obstacle of shirk is overcome by grasping onto Tawhid, and the obstacle of innovation is overcome by implementing the Sunnah, and the obstacle of sin is overcome by true repentance. These obstacles do not become evident to the slave until he actually begins his journey to Allah and the Hereafter. Only then are these obstacles noticed, and he will notice their handicapping effect in accordance with how intensely and attentively he is traversing this path. Otherwise, he will simply remain still, not feeling their hidden effects.

As for the connections to cut off, these are to anything that the heart can be attached and connected to in place of Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him) - of the pleasures and desires of this world, the fame it offers, and relationships with others. There is no way to cut off and push away these three things except with the strength of the connection and attachment to a higher goal. Otherwise, cutting these things off without attaching yourself to something else is impossible. The soul does not abandon the object it loves and desires except to attach itself to what is even more beloved and greater in importance to it than what it has abandoned. The stronger its connection becomes to what it seeks, the weaker its connection becomes to anything else, and vice versa. The connection to the object that is sought is manifested in the intense desire for it, and this is in accordance with how much is known of this object, how noble that object is, and its virtue over everything else.”44

And it is just as Ibn al-Qayyim said, as reaching your desired destination requires that you abandon your false habits, cut off connections to anything else, and overcome the obstacles to doing so. And it is just as he said in that it depends on the strength of your attachment and desire for a higher goal. So, the more your desire for something increases, the easier the sacrifice you put forth seems, and you feel as if you’ve already reached what you’re seeking.

The time to get there seems like just a few days, just a few desires to give up – false desires that are like a mirage – just like al-Imam Ahmad (may Allah have Mercy on him) said: “If one remembers death, everything from this world seems insignificant. It is just one type of food instead of another, one type of dress instead of another, and the remaining days are only few.” So, the student of knowledge is one who should have a great desire for the Hereafter and what is with Allah, and a strong attachment to the higher goal. Knowledge is enough of a preoccupation from the pleasures and glitter of this life, and the remaining days are only few.

“al-Ash’ath Abu ar-Rabi’ narrated that Shu’bah said to him: “You stuck with your business, and you became wealthy and successful. I stuck with Hadith, and I became poor.” Sufyan bin ‘Uyaynah narrated that Shu’bah said: “Whoever studies Hadith will become poor.

I became poor to the point that I sold a pot that belonged to my mother for seven dinars.” az-Zubayr bin Abi Bakr said: “My niece said to our family: “My uncle is the best to his family. He didn’t take a second wife or purchase a slave.” So, I said: “My wife says that these books of mine are more distracting for me than three other wives would be.”””45

at-Tahhan said:

“With his statement, Shu’bah meant to show the reality of what happened to him, and to advise his students – the students of Hadith – whose studies drain all of their time. They are unable to earn the money that will fulfill their needs and the needs of those under their care, causing them to become a burden on people, and this is contrary to what is commanded in the pure Sunnah. And it should not be understood from the words of Shu’bah that he regretted the worldly gains he missed out on, as he was a noble and abstinent person, to the point that al-Mahdi gave him 30,000 dirhams as a gift, which he immediately distributed.

Whoever wishes to read more about his nobility and zuhd, let him refer to Abu Nu’aym’s ‘Hilyat al-Awliya’’ (7/144-147). Likewise, it should not be understood from his words that he sought to discourage people from studying Hadith. Rather, he wanted to encourage them to study Hadith while simultaneously earning a living.”46 Sufyan bin ‘Uyaynah said: “These ink jars do not enter the home of any man except that they make life hard for his wife and children.” at-Tahhan said: “The ink jars referred to here are the ones used by the people of Hadith that they’d take with them wherever they went in order to write down the narrations they heard.

And what Sufyan meant was that most of the people of Hadith were preoccupied with writing and studying from earning a living for their families. As a result, their wives and children would be left in need, and would be left in a situation of hardship because of these ink jars that were the cause of preoccupation from earning a living.” Ibn Jama’ah said:

“The student of knowledge should utilize his youth and free time in his life to gain as much as he can, and he should not be deceived by the temptation to put things off for another day.

Every hour that passes of his life is crucial and will not be replaced. He should cut off what he can of the distracting relationships and preventative obstacles that are in the way of the knowledge he seeks, and should instead exert his energy and power in gaining as much as he can, since these obstacles are like roadblocks in his way.

This is why the Salaf preferred to move far from their families and homelands, because if one’s concerns become spread out, he will miss out on discovering details and realities that he would’ve otherwise come across, and Allah did not give a man two hearts in his chest. al- Khatib al-Baghdadi mentioned in his ‘Jami’’ that some of them said: “This knowledge is not granted except to he who shuts down his factory, destroys his garden, abandons his friends, and whose closest relatives have died, such that he does not have to attend a funeral.” While this may contain some degree of exaggeration, the point is that one must gather his thoughts and concentration for this knowledge.”47

It should be mentioned that by cutting himself off, one is not supposed to neglect those under his care or sit back from working to make a living, living at the mercy of those who would give or withhold from him. ash-Shafi’i said: “Do not consult one who does not have flour in his home, as he is devoid of sound logic.” Rather, what is meant by cutting yourself off from distractions is those things you are not in need of, while being balanced in seeking a living and freeing your heart and energy for seeking knowledge. It is as Abu Yusuf al-Qadi said: “Knowledge is something that will not give you even a fraction of itself until you give it all of yourself.” And the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, as Thawban narrated: “The best dinar is one that a person spends on his family, and the dinar which he spends on his animal for the Sake of Allah, and the dinar he spends on his companions for the Sake of Allah.” Abu Qilabah (one of the narrators) said: “He started with family. Who has greater reward than the one who spends on his children to preserve them, and through whom Allah brings profit for them and makes them rich?”48

And Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be Pleased with him) narrated the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) as saying: “Of the dinar you spend as a contribution for Allah's Sake, to set free a slave, as a charity given to a needy, or to support your family, the one with the greatest reward is that which you spend on your family.”49

Khaythamah said: “While we were sitting in the company of 'Abdullah bin 'Umar, his qahraman entered. Ibn 'Umar asked him: “Have you given the slaves their provision?” He replied: “No.” Upon this, he said: “Go and give it to them, as the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “It is enough of a sin for a man that he withholds provision from those under his authority.””50 an-Nawawi said: “And a qahraman is a treasurer that is responsible for the affairs of the people, much like a delegate or representative, and this is a Persian word.”51

And Sufyan ath-Thawri, if a man came to seek knowledge with him, would ask: “Do you have some way of sustaining yourself financially?” If he had enough to support himself, he would allow him to study. If he didn’t, he would have him go earn a living first.52

If this is so, we should then interpret the texts of the Salaf withstanding poverty to seek knowledge to mean that they had just what they needed to sustain themselves and their families, and that what they tried to avoid was spending hours drowning in the pursuit of the dunya and its glitter. In fact, the Salaf loved knowledge so much that this affected the worldly aspect of their lives, as al-Bukhari reported that Abu Hurayrah said: “You say that Abu Hurayrah narrates too much from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), and you ask why the Mujahirin and Ansar do not narrate from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) as much as Abu Hurayrah does? My brothers from the Muhajirin were busy with their business in the marketplace, and I would stick with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), content with what filled my stomach, and I was there when they were not, and I would memorize if they would forget. My brothers from the Ansar were busy with their wealth, and I was a poor man of the people of as-Suffah, remembering the narrations that they used to forget. And the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Nobody spreads his garment until I have finished this speech and then gathers it to him except that he will remember whatever I say.” So, I spread my colored garment which I was wearing until Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) had finished his statement, and then I gathered it to my chest. So, I did not forget any of these narrations.”53

He also said: “I used to accompany the Prophet (peace be upon him) to fill my stomach, and that was when I did not eat baked bread or wear decorated clothes. No man or woman would serve me, and I used to bind stones over my belly and ask somebody to recite a verse from the Qur’an for me, even though I knew it.”54

And al-Bukhari titled a chapter in the section on knowledge in his ‘Sahih’ ‘Chapter: the Memorization of Knowledge,’ and he included in it the story of Abu Hurayrah: “The people say that Abu Hurayrah narrates too much. Were it not for two verses in the Book of Allah, I wouldn’t have narrated a single hadith:

{“Verily, those who conceal the clear proofs, evidences, and guidance which We have sent down after We have made it clear for the people in the Book, they are the ones cursed by Allah and cursed by the cursers, except those who repent and do righteous deeds, and openly declare the truth which they concealed. These, I will accept their repentance, and I am the One Who accepts repentance, the Merciful.”}55

Indeed, our brothers from the Muhajirin were busy with the marketplace, and our brothers from the Ansar were busy with their wealth, and Abu Hurayrah stuck with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), content with what was in his stomach, attending what they did not attend, and memorizing what they did not memorize.”56

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

“He did not include in this chapter anything regarding anyone but Abu Hurayrah, and this is because he was the Companion who memorized the most hadith. ash-Shafi’i said: “Abu Hurayrah memorized the most out of all the narrators of his time.” And Ibn ‘Umar stood at his funeral, invoking Allah’s Mercy for him, saying: “He would memorize the statements of the Prophet (peace be upon him) for the Muslims.””57

an-Nawawi (may Allah have Mercy on him) said:

“His saying “…content with what was in his stomach…” means that he stuck with the Prophet (peace be upon him), satisfied with what he needed to sustain himself, and was not concerned with gathering money to save up.”58

Ibn Kathir repored from Sa’id bin Hind that Abu Hurayrah said that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said to him: “Will you not ask me about this war booty that your companions have asked me about?” So, Abu Hurayrah said: “I ask you to teach me from what Allah has taught you.”59

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be Pleased with him) memorized the most hadith of the Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) despite the short time in which he accompanied him (peace be upon him), as what is commonly accepted is that he accepted Islam in the 7th year after the Hijrah, sometime between the incidents of al-Hudaybiyah and Khaybar. He was around 30 years of age at the time, and he was always with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) until he died. So, he memorized and narrated the most, despite the fact that he only accompanied the Prophet (peace be upon him) for not more than three years. This was all because he was sincere with this knowledge, threw off the shackles of this world, and freed his heart from all other distractions and concerns.

“So, the student of knowledge should cut off all distractions, because if one’s concentration is spread here and there, he will miss out on discovering many things. The Salaf would put preference to knowledge over and above everything else. For example, it was narrated that al-Imam Ahmad (may Allah have Mercy on him) did not get married until after he was 40! And a slave girl was given as a gift to Abu Bakr al-Ambari. When she entered upon him one time, he was in the middle of trying to come to a conclusion on an issue, and had trouble doing so. So, he said: “Take her back to the trader.” She asked: “Why? What did I do?” He replied: “Nothing, except that my heart was distracted by you, and you are not worth me being prevented from my knowledge.”60

ash-Shafi’i (may Allah have Mercy on him) said: “Nobody who seeks this knowledge while he is wealthy and high in status will succeed. Rather, those who seek it while they are humble, having a low standard of living, and are serving the scholars will succeed.” And Ibn Wahb narrated that Malik bin Anas (may Allah have Mercy on him) said: “Nobody will get what he wants from this knowledge until he experiences poverty that causes him to prefer it over anything.”61