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

We previously touched upon the fact that the student of knowledge should eat little and from what is halal, “and the way to train oneself to overcome the desire of the stomach is to get used to being satisfied with little. So, one should slowly and gradually reduce his food intake so that he arrives at a moderate level, and the best of affairs are the moderate ones.

He cut himself down to just enough that he is not prevented from worship, and is able to preserve his strength. He should feel neither hungry nor full. Only then will his body become healthy, his aspirations high, and his conscience clear. If he eats any more than this, he will be driven to sleep more, and will have lower intellect.”86

As for your food being halal, this is required of every Muslim, and is even more required of the student of knowledge, as the student of knowledge is the bastion of knowledge of what is halal and haram, and we’ve already touched upon the issue of caution when it comes to food and drink, and how the Prophet (peace be upon him) held back from eating a date that he found on his bed out of fear that it was from the charity, since charity was not permissible for him (peace be upon him).

So, the student of knowledge is too busy to think of food and drink, and the one who sees through the glitter of this life will not be fat. Rather, his passion makes him forget to eat a lot. Here is Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, who “was never heard asking for food - dinner or supper – no matter how long he remained busy with some matter related to knowledge and action. Rather, he would sometimes be given food that he would leave for a long time before even turning to it, and if he ate from it, would only eat small bits. He would never mention the delights of this world, and would never speak or ask about it. Rather, all of his concern and conversation was in seeking the Hereafter and what could bring him closer to Allah, the Exalted.”87

an-Nu’man bin Bashir narrated that ‘Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with them both) was mentioning the poverty that the people had become stricken with, saying: “I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) spend the whole day upset because of hunger, as he could not get even low quality dates with which to fill his stomach.”88

Abu Hurayrah passed by a group of people who were eating a roasted sheep, and they invited him to sit and eat with them. He refused, saying: “The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) left this world without even satisfying his hunger with barley bread.”89

And Anas bin Malik (may Allah be Pleased with him) said: “The Prophet (peace be upon him) never ate his meals at a dining table or in an individual plate, and he never ate thin, well-baked bread until he died.”90

As for sleeping: “The student of knowledge should reduce it as much as he can without hurting his body and mind, and he should not sleep more then eight hours a night – one third of his time – and if he is able to sleep less than this, he should.”91

az-Zarnuji (may Allah have Mercy on him) said:

“al-Hasan bin Ziyad began studying at the age of 80, and for forty years, he did not sleep an entire night on his bed, and Muhammad bin al-Hasan ash-Shaybani would not sleep at night.

He would place his books in front of him, and if he became bored of one book, he’d move on to another. He would also place in front of him a container of water that he’d use to keep himself awake, saying: “Sleep comes from heat, and one must repel it with cold water.””92

And Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “When any one of you goes to sleep, Satan ties three knots at the back of his neck, sealing each knot by saying: ‘You have a long night. So, sleep.’ So, if one wakes up and mentions Allah, a knot is loosened. If he performs ablution, two knots are loosened. And if he prays, all the knots will be loosened, and in the morning he will be active and in a good mood.

Otherwise, he will be in a bad mood and sluggish in the morning.”93

And ‘Abdullah bin Mas’ud (may Allah be Pleased with him) narrated that mention was made of a man who slept the whole night till morning. So, the Prophet (peace be upon him)

remarked: “That is a man in whose ears Satan has urinated.”94

And Allah praised the righteous people, referring to them as good-doers because they would sleep very little at night:

{“Verily, the righteous will be in the midst of gardens and springs, taking joy in the things which their Lord has given them. Indeed, they were good-doers. They used to sleep little at night, and in the hours before dawn, they were found asking for Forgiveness, and in their wealth was a right for the beggar and the poor.”}95

Ibn Kathir (may Allah have Mercy on him) said:

“His Saying {“… joy in the things which their Lord has given them…”} means that the righteous, since they are in gardens and delight, are enjoying what their Lord has given them of happiness, delight, and bliss. His Saying {“…Indeed, they were…” } is in regards to the worldly life, and {“…good-doers…”} is like His Saying:

{“Eat and drink in relaxation because of what you did before in days past!”}96

Then, He shows us what good they used to do, Saying: {“…They used to sleep little at night…”} Ibn Jarir at-Tabari said: “Their rest and sleep took up a very small portion of the night.” al-Hasan al-Basri said: “They would spend the night in prayer, and would not sleep except for a short time. Then, when they had some energy, they would make istighfar until dawn.” Qatadah said that al-Ahnaf bin Qays would say: “They would sleep for only a little while,” and then say: “I am not from those described in this verse.” Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be Pleased with him) and Ibrahim an-Nakha’i said: “They would sleep very little.””97

as-Sa’di (may Allah have Mercy on him) said:

“They were good-doers, and they would only rest and sleep for a short amount of time. As for the majority of the night, they would spend it concentrating on their Lord, whether that was in prayer, recitation of the Qur’an, dhikr, supplication, humbling themselves before Him, etc. Before the dawn, they would ask Allah’s Forgiveness. So, they would extend their prayers until dawn, and would then sit and seal off their night prayer with istighfar – the istighfar of the sinner for his sins.”98

In conclusion, excessive sleep is not from the character of the seeker of knowledge, and they should be as far from this characteristic as possible. Rather, they should be serious and committed, and the believer will never satisfied with whatever good he has done until he makes it to Paradise.

As for reducing your level of speech, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him say what is good or remain silent.”99

an-Nawawi said:

“This means that if one wants to say something, he should to whether what he wants to say is definitely good and praiseworthy, obligatory or encouraged. If so, he should say it. If he doesn’t see that it is good and praiseworthy, he should not say it, whether it is forbidden, disliked, or permissible – they are all the same. In this case, speech which is normally allowed should be avoided out of fear that it can lead to forbidden or disliked speech, and this happens a lot. Based on this hadith, al-Imam ash-Shafi’i (may Allah be Pleased with him) said that if you wish to say something, let him think. If you conclude that there is no harm, speak.

If you conclude that your words will bring about harm, do not speak.”100

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

“And this is from his (peace be upon him) ability to combine many meanings on few words, as every statement is good, bad, or leaning to one of the two. Included under good speech is everything obligatory or encouraged, and he allowed this speech despite its various types, as well as anything that could lead to it. As for speech that is bad or could lead to what is bad, he commanded us to be quiet if we ever wanted to indulge in it.”101

Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr (may Allah have Mercy on him) said:

“From the tests that the scholar is put through is that he likes to talk more than he likes to listen. Yazid bin Abi Habib said: “Listening is safe and increases one’s knowledge, and the listener is the partner of the speaker. Talking consists of confusion and deception, excess and deficiency. The one who talks awaits fitnah, and the one who listens awaits mercy.” And Abu adh-Dhiyal said: “Learn to be quiet just as you learn to talk, because if talking guides you, being quiet protects you. By being quiet, you attain two characteristics: you are able to take knowledge from those more knowledgeable than you, and you are able to repel the ignorance of those more ignorant than you.” Speaking about good things is a prize and is better than silence, because the best thing that silence has to offer is safety, and by speaking what is good, you actually gain something extra. It was said: “Whoever speaks what is good wins, and whoever remains silent is saved,” and speaking about knowledge-related matters is from the best of actions, and it is of the same level as dhikr and recitation of the Qur’an if it is done to repel ignorance, attain the Pleasure of Allah, and discover the reality of its meanings.”102

Abu Hatim said: “Two men went to seek knowledge. When they became learned, one of them became known as a speaker, and the other came to be known as quiet. So, the speaker wrote to the quiet one:

I never sought to gain anything in life * With something better than my tongue...

So, the quiet one wrote back:

And I never sought to gain anything in life * With something that deserved to be imprisoned more than the tongue…103

And a man came to Salman (may Allah be Pleased with him), saying: “O Aba ‘Abdillah! Advise me!” So, he said: “Do not speak.” The man replied: “It’s impossible for one who lives amongst the people not to speak.” He said: “Then if you speak, say what is correct, or be quiet.” The man said: “Tell me more.” Salman said: “Do not become angry.” The man said: “You tell me not to become angry, and I am sometimes overcome and unable to control myself.” He said: “Then if you become angry, at least control your tongue and hands.” The man said: “Tell me more.” Salman said: “Do not mix with the people.” The man said: “One who lives with the people must mix with them!” He said: “Then if you mix with them, speak the truth and fulfill your promises.”104 And Abu Hayan at-Taymi said: “It was said that the man should pay more attention to his tongue than tp where he places his feet,”105 and this is because of the danger the tongue and excess talking pose to the believer’s heart. The traps of the tongue are many and deadly, and just one of these traps is enough to make one spend their entire life trying to avoid.

However, Allah tests His Creation in order to make clear the righteous from the evil.

Ibn Qudamah (may Allah have Mercy on him) said:

“The sins of the tongue are many. They have a certain taste in the heart, and they spring forth from a person’s nature. There is no way to be saved from their danger except to remain silent. Abu ad-Darda’ (may Allah be Pleased with him) said: “Use your ears more than your mouth, as you were given two ears and one mouth so that you’d listen more than you talk,” and Makhlad bin al-Husayn said: “For fifty years, I haven’t spoken a single word that I regret.” As for the sins of the tongue, they are:

• Speaking about what does not concern you:

Know that he who values his time will not waste it in what doesn’t benefit him, and this is a realization that mandates the imprisonment of the tongue from what is of no concern to him. This is because the one who leaves off the remembrance of Allah and instead busies himself with what doesn’t concern him is like the one who is able to buy a gem, and instead buys some mud, and this is the loss of a lifetime.

It was said to Luqman (peace be upon him): “How did you become so wise?” He replied: “I do not ask for what I don’t need, and I don’t speak about what doesn’t concern me.” And it was narrated that Luqman (peace be upon him) entered upon Dawud (peace be upon him) while he was putting together his armor. He was amazed at what he was seeing, and wanted to ask what he was doing. However, his wisdom prevented him from doing so.

When Dawud (peace be upon him) was finished welding his armor, he got up, put it on, and said: “How excellent is this armor for warfare!” Luqman (peace be upon him) said: “Silence is from wisdom, and those who practice it are few.” • Talking about falsehood:

This is when a conversation revolves around talk of sins, such as talking about bars and places where the sinners gather.

The types of falsehood are many, and Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be Pleased with him)

narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Indeed, the slave can speak a single word that will cause him to be thrown into the Fire as far as the distance between the East and the West.”106 Similar to this is when one argues and debates insistently with a person in order to expose his shortcomings, and this is all done out of the desire to be noticed.

So, the person should forbid what is evil with his tongue and clarify what is right. If this is not accepted from him, he should avoid arguing. This is if the issue has to do with religion.

If it is a worldly matter, there is no reason to argue over it. The way to succeed in this is to swallow your pride, which is what drives you to make yourself look good. And what is worse than arguing is fighting and disputing, and we mean here disputing without knowledge.

However, whoever has the right to argue should avoid doing so, as it agitates the heart, inflames anger, creates envy, and results in people attacking each other’s honor.

• Talking with excessive eloquence:

This is when one speaks in too much rhetoric. This does not include the eloquence of a khatib, or that one gives a reminder without being too detailed or hard-to-understand in his speech, because the whole point of such speeches is to move and motivate the hearts with the simplest words possible.

• Indecent, inappropriate talk:

Know that indecent talk is when one describes something inappropriate in a clear, direct manner, and this occurs often in songs.

• Joking:

There is no harm in joking here and there, and it is not forbidden if it is in truth, as the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to joke and not say except what was true. His joking always abided by the following conditions: it was in what was true, it was with women, children, and weak men who needed to be cultured, and it was done rarely.

• Belittling and mocking:

This is when you point out the faults and shortcomings in a person in order to laugh at him.

This can occur either directly with a word or action, or indirectly by pointing, and both are forbidden in the Shari’ah.

• Revealing secrets, breaking promises, and lying in word and oath:

All of this is forbidden, except the lying that is allowed to one’s wife and during warfare.

• Backbiting: This is when you mention something about your brother in his absence that he wouldn’t want you to mention.

For example, it is when you speak about a physical shortcoming, such as his being blearyeyed, one-eyed, cross-eyed, bald, too tall, too short, etc.

It is also when you speak about a shortcoming in his lineage, such as saying that one’s father is a bedouin, an Indian, a sinner, low-class, etc.

It is also when you speak about his character, such as by saying that he has bad manners, is stingy, arrogant, etc.

It is also when you speak about his clothing, such as by saying that his coat is too long, his sleeves are too wide, he wears dirty clothes, etc.

The proof for all of this is that the Prophet (peace be upon him) was asked about backbiting, and he said: “It is when you mention something about your brother that he doesn’t like.” They asked: “What if he actually is as we say?” He (peace be upon him) replied: “If he is as you say, you have backbitten him. If he is not as you say, you have slandered him.”107

And know that anything that can even be understood to be belittlement counts as backbiting, whether this is in the form of a word, a wink, a point of the finger, or a written word, as the pen is one of your two tongues.

And the most disgusting form of backbiting is the backbiting of the fake religious people, such as when someone is mentioned, and they say ‘thank God for saving us from entering upon the ruler,’ or that they say ‘we seek refuge with Allah from having no haya’,’ or ‘may Allah spare us,’ as they combine between belittling this person and praising themselves. One of them might even say ‘This poor person has been tested with many sins. May Allah Forgive him and us,’ thereby hiding his true intent by making this supplication.

And know that the one who listens to backbiting is an accomplice to it, and he doesn’t disassociate himself from this crime until he speaks against it. If he fears for himself from speaking against it, he must at least hate it in his heart, and he should get up or change the subject if he can.

• Tale-carrying:

In the agreed upon hadith of Hudhayfah (may Allah be Pleased with him), the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “No tale-carrier will enter Paradise.”108

Know that tale-carrying normally involves one person and another, such as when you tell someone ‘This person said that about you.’ However, it is not limited to this. Rather, it includes exposing anything that should not be exposed, whether this involves words or actions. Even if you see someone burying his own money and mention it to others, this counts as tale-carrying. Everyone to whom such a tale is relayed – such as by one saying to him ‘This person said that about you, or did this against you,’ etc. – should do six things:

First, he should not believe what the person is saying, because the tale-carrier is a sinner, and his testimony is rejected. Second, he should advise him and forbid him from this act. Third, he should hate him for Allah’s Sake, as he is hated with Allah. Fourth, he should not assume the worst about his absent brother. Fifth, he should not be driven to spy or pry into the matter because of what was said, as Allah Said:

{“…and do not spy…”}109

Sixth, he should not go and do what he forbade the tale-carrier from doing by telling others about his tale-carrying.

• Having two tongues:

This is when one speaks with two tongues between two enemies, transmitting the words of one to the other, tells one side what he wants to hear or promises to help him, or praises one in his face and belittles him in the presence of another.

In the agreed upon hadith of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be Pleased with him), the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “The worst of people is the two-faced one who comes to this person with one face and that person with another.”110

• Praising people:

There are problems with this related to both the praiser and the praised.

As for the sin of the one doing the praising, he might say that which is not true and cannot be confirmed, such as saying that a person is cautious and abstinent from the worldly pleasures. Also, he might go overboard in praising the person to the point of lying. He might also praise one that in fact deserves to be censured.

As for the one being praised, he might become arrogant or impressed with himself, and these are both deadly traits to acquire.

• The Religion:

This is when one makes severe mistakes when speaking about the concepts that are related to the Religion, especially that which concerns Allah, the Exalted.”111

So, the student of knowledge should save his tongue, preserve his time, busy himself with the truth, and not waste his time in petty matters, letting his life pass by without having accomplished anything.

And the guided one is he whom Allah has Guided.