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

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.

Rather, there are conditions and restrictions to this:

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

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

“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:

{“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.

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

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

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:

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

Meaning, has a heart that is alive.

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.

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.

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).

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

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:

“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:

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

“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:

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

“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.

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

“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

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

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

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

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

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

“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.

Some of the Salaf said: “Whoever is not patient upon the humiliation of learning will spend the rest of his life in the blindness of the ignorant, and whoever is patient upon it will spend this life and the next in a state of honor.” Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be Pleased with him): “I humbled myself as a student. So, I became honorable as a teacher.” Mu’afi bin ‘Imran said: “The one who gets mad at a scholar is like the one who gets mad at the university teacher.””138

ash-Shafi’i said:

Be patient upon the sourness and dryness of knowledge * Because failure in knowledge is in turning away from it; And he who doesn’t taste the sourness of knowledge for an hour * Will swallow the humiliation of ignorance for his whole life; And he who allows knowledge to pass him by in his youth * Will awake to the funeral prayer being prayed for him… And Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr (may Allah have Mercy on him) reported that Ibn Jurayj said: “I did not gain what I gained from ‘Ata’ except with my softness with him,” and Ibn Tawus from his father said: “From the Sunnah is that the scholar be honored.””139

As a seeker of knowledge, beware of arguing with your teacher, as this is evil in its purest form, and is even more evil when done with his teacher and example, and it is the reason for being prevented from much good.

“Maymun bin Mahran said: “Do not argue with one who is more knowledgeable than you, because if you do, he will keep his knowledge from you, and you will not harm him in the least,” and az-Zuhri said: “Salamah used to argue with Ibn ‘Abbas, and was prevented from much knowledge because of this.””140

As a student, you should thank your shaykh for complimenting you for some good, pointing out a shortcoming or laziness, or anything else that consists of guidance and advice to improvement. This is from the blessings of Allah on you, and such is better for the heart of your shaykh, and is best for fulfilling your own interests.

And if your shaykh points out to you some aspect of good manners that you can improve on and you happen to already know of this, do not show him that you knew about it and just forgot it at that time. Rather, thank the shaykh for benefiting you. If there is, however, some benefit in letting the shaykh know this, or some harm will occur if you don’t tell him, there is no harm in doing so.

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.

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

“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.

However, I wanted him to be pleasant when meeting me.” And Sufyan bin ‘Uyaynah narrated that Abu al-Husayn said: “Ibn ‘Abbas used to go to one of the Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him), seeking to ask him about Hadith. It would be said to him: ‘He is asleep.’ So, he would lay down in front of his door waiting for him, and it would be said to him: ‘Do you want me to wake him up?’ He would say: “No.” And Ma’mar narrated that az-Zuhri said: “If I came to ‘Urwah’s door, I could’ve entered if I wanted to. However, I would sit outside and wait out of respect for him.””141

Ibn Jama’ah said:

“As a student of knowledge, one shouldn’t enter upon his shaykh without his permission if not in a public circle of knowledge, whether the shaykh is alone or with someone else. If he is granted permission and the shaykh knows who he is, he can enter. If not, he should leave, and he shouldn’t repeat his request for permission to enter. If he doubts whether or not the shaykh knows it was him, he should not request permission to enter more than three times through by either knocking on the door or ringing a bell. If he knocks on the door, let it be in a light, polite manner. He should tap with his fingers the first and second time, then with his knuckles the third time. If he is far from the door, there is no problem in him knocking a bit harder with his knuckles as much as would allow his shaykh to hear, and not any louder. If he grants permission and they are a group who are coming to see him, the best and oldest of them should enter first and greet him. Then, the next best should enter and greet him, and on and on.”142

And al-Khatib (may Allah have Mercy on him) reported that Anas bin Malik (may Allah be Pleased with him) said: “We used to knock on the door of the Prophet (peace be upon him)

with our fingernails.” al-Bukhari reported it in ‘al-Adab al-Mufrad’143 on the authority of Anas (may Allah be Pleased with him). And it is disliked that if the student is asked ‘Who is there?’ that he reply with ‘Me’ without identifying himself. If the door is open, he should not face the inside of the house. Rather, he should stand to the right or left of the door, then greet its inhabitants.

al-Bukhari (may Allah have Mercy on him) listed ‘Chapter: Saying ‘Me’ if One is Asked ‘Who is There?’ under his section on asking permission in his ‘Sahih,’ and Jabir (may Allah be Pleased with him) said: “I came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) regarding a debt that my father had. I knocked the door, and he (peace be upon him) said: “Who is there?” I said: “Me.” He said: “Me! Me!” as if he disliked it.”144

And he also included under the chapter ‘Asking Permission Instead of Looking’ that Sahl bin Sa’d (may Allah be Pleased with him) narrated that a man peeked into the home of the Prophet (peace be upon him) while he was combing his hair with an iron comb. So, when the Prophet (peace be upon him) saw him, he said: “If I knew that you were looking, I would have stabbed you in the eye with this comb. Asking for permission was enjoined so that you would not look into people’s houses unlawfully.”145

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

“He should enter upon his shaykh in the best appearance. He should have a clean body and clothing, trimmed nails and hair, and be perfumed – especially if he plans on attending a circle of knowledge, as it is a gathering of dhikr and worship.

When he enters upon his shaykh in private and finds that he has stopped a conversation the shaykh was in the middle of with someone, or he finds the shaykh engaged in prayer, dhikr, writing, or studying that he has stopped because of his entrance, he should greet him and leave swiftly unless the shaykh insists that he stay. Even if he stays, he should not stay long unless the shaykh asks him to.

And he should enter upon his shaykh or sit with him while his heart and mind are pure and free of distractions. He should not be sleepy, angry, hungry, thirsty, etc. so that he would be able to pay full attention to what he tells him.

If he goes to see the shaykh teach and doesn’t find him, he should wait in order not to miss a single lesson, as each lesson that he misses cannot be replaced. If the shaykh happens to be sleeping, he should wait until he wakes up or leave and come back later, and patience is best for him. It was narrated that Ibn ‘Abbas would sit at the door of Zayd bin Thabit until he woke up to gain knowledge from him, and it would be said to him: ‘Should we wake him up for you?’ to which he would refuse. It might even be that he was waiting all this time in the Sun, and this is how the Salaf were.

He should not request from this shaykh to teach him at an inconvenient or unusual time, and he should not request a specific, special time to study with him even if he was someone of great importance. This is because this constitutes a form of self-elevation, as well as belittlement of the shaykh and the other students of knowledge. The shaykh might be too shy to refuse, and would then end up leaving off that is more important at the time. However, if there is a pressing excuse for him to meet the shaykh privately instead of with the regularly scheduled class, there is no problem in this.”146

When you get to the class of the shaykh, you should sit some distance from the shaykh. al- Khatib (may Allah have Mercy on him) that Sufyan bin ‘Uyaynah said: “Ka’b was with ‘Umar bin al-Khattab, and he sat far from the circle. ‘Umar reprimanded him for this, and Ka’b said: “O Commander of the Believers! From the wisdoms of Luqman and his advices to his son are: “O son! If you sit next to the ruler, allow enough space for one man between you and him, as someone might come along who is more important to him than you, and would then have to get up and move, and this would be a form of degradation for you.”””147

“And the student should sit in front of his teacher with humility and calmness, facing him completely, paying complete attention to his words, and he should not turn from him without the need to do so. He should also not look right, left, up, or down without a reason, especially when he is studying or talking with him.

He shouldn’t look except to him, and shouldn’t turn to look at or hear something happening on the side. He shouldn’t dust his clothing, and should not move his hands and legs out of boredom, and should not place his hand over his beard or mouth, or place his finger in his nose to remove anything from it, and should not leave his mouth open or pick his teeth, and should not draw lines in the carpet with his fingers, and should not clasp his fingers together or fiddle with his clothing.

He should not lean against a wall or pillow in the presence of his shaykh, or place his hands on them. He should not give his shaykh his side or back, and should not lean on his hand to the back or side, and should not speak too much unnecessarily, and should not say something laughable or stupid or ill-mannered. He should not laugh unnecessarily, and should not laugh unless his shaykh laughs. If he is tempted to smile, he should do so without making a noise.

He should not clear his throat too much in his presence, nor should he spit or blow his nose as much as he is able. If he has to blow his nose, he shouldn’t spit the mucus out in an open manner. Rather, he should use a tissue or the edge of his clothing to dispose of it. He should cover his feet, let his clothes hang loose, and keep his hands still while studying or reading. If he sneezes, he should stifle the sound and cover his face with a tissue, and he should cover his mouth if he yawns.

‘Ali (may Allah be Pleased with him) said: “From the rights of the scholar are that you greet the gathering and then greet the shaykh specifically; you should sit in front of him; you should not point here and there, wink, etc. in front of him; do not come out and tell him that fulan differs with him in a given matter; do not backbite anybody in his presence; and do not ask him intricate and complicated questions. If he makes a mistake, make an excuse for him, and it is upon you to honor him for the Sake of Allah, the Exalted. If he needs something, you should be the first to tend to his need; do not attract attention in his circle; do not grab his clothing; do not insist on something if he is too tired; do not think that you can have enough of his friendship, as he is like the palm tree from which you wait for something to fall on you,” and what ‘Ali (may Allah be Pleased with him) gathered in this advice is more than enough.”148

So, calmness and tranquility are two traits that must always be with the student in the circle of knowledge, and proper manifestation of good manners is essential. The Salaf would greatly respect and honor the circles of knowledge, and they would sit in them as if there were birds sitting on their heads.

Abu Bakr bin al-Ambari said: “There are two explanations as to the term ‘sitting as if there were birds on their heads’: the first is that they sat extremely still, and would lower their gaze, and birds do not land except on what is still. It is said to the man who is soft and gentle that the birds could land on his head from his calmness. As for the second meaning, it is in regards to how Sulayman bin Dawud (peace be upon them) would say to the wind: “Carry us,” and would say to the birds: “Shade us.” So, the wind would carry him and his companions, and the birds would shade them. His companions would lower their gaze out of respect and awe of him, and would remain completely still, and would not say a word unless he asked them a question. So, it is said to people if they are still that they are scholars who sit as if they have birds on their heads, likening them to the companions of Sulayman (peace be upon him).”149

al-Khatib (may Allah have Mercy on him) reported that Ahmad bin Sinan al-Qattan said:

“’Nobody in the class of Abd ar-Rahman bin Mahdi would even speak, sharpen a pen, or smile. If he saw that someone spoke or sharpened a pen, he would get up, put on his shoes, and go home. Also, Waki’ and his students were as if they were in prayer during their classes, and if something happened in the class that annoyed him, he would put on his shoes and go home.

And Ibn Numayr would get angry and leave, and his face would change color of he saw someone sharpening a pen.” And ‘Abd ar-Rahman bin ‘Umar said that a man laughed in the class of ‘Abd ar-Rahman bin Mahdi, and he asked: “Who laughed?” Everyone pointed to the man, and he scolded him:

“You seek knowledge and laugh? I will not teach any of you for a month!” “As a student of knowledge, one should speak in the best manner possible with his shaykh, and he shouldn’t say to him ‘Why not?’ or ‘Who said this?’ or ‘Where did you find this?’ etc.

If he reminds the shaykh of something he said, he shouldn’t say ‘You said this,’ or ‘It occurred to me,’ or ‘I heard,’ or ‘Some person said,’ unless he knows the shaykh’s position in regards to what he is reminding him of, and this is in order to preserve proper etiquette with him regarding what others may say about his words. Also, he shouldn’t speak to him using terms like ‘What’s up?’ or ‘Do you understand?’ or ‘Do you know?’ etc.

Also, he should not describe to the shaykh conversations that take place between others that the shaykh doesnn’t know about, such as saying to him ‘Fulan said to fulan that he is not a good person,’ etc. Rather, he should use indirect speech, such as to say ‘Fulan said to fulan that the one lacking any good is far removed from any mercy,’ etc.

If he hears the shaykh mentioning the ruling on an issue, noting a point of benefit, telling a story, or reciting some poetry that he happens to already know, he should act happy and attentive to it, as if he had just heard it for the first time from the shaykh.

He should not precede the shaykh in explaining an issue, answering a question, or showing his knowledge of a matter before his shaykh. He should not cut him off in speech and then talk, and he shouldn’t speak with someone else while the shaykh is speaking to him or the class.

If he hands his shaykh a book, he should hand it to him such that he can easily open it to and read the page he wants. If he knows the place in the book his shaykh is looking for, he should hand it to him opened to that page, and then point to the specific point in the page he wants, and he shouldn’t just throw the book to him.

If he is walking with his shaykh at night, he should walk in front of him, and if they are walking by day, he should be behind him, unless the circumstances do not allow due to crowding, etc. If they are walking in a foreign or dangerous place, he should walk slightly ahead of him. He should be keen to prevent any dirt from getting onto the shaykh’s clothing, and if they are in a crowded place, he should shield him with his hands from either the front or back.

If he is walking in front of him, he should turn to look back every once in awhile. If they are walking alone and the shaykh is speaking to him, he should stand to his right - and some say to stand on the left - and slightly turned to him. Also, he should introduce the shaykh to any individuals they meet along the way, naming them by name. He shouldn’t walk right beside the shaykh unless there is a reason to do so, and he should be keen not to be too close to him and bumping into him with his shoulders or knees, or to get dirt or stains on his clothes.

He should sit him in the shade in the summer, and should sit him in the Sun in the winter such that the Sun doesn’t hurt his face.

He shouldn’t walk between the shaykh and someone he is talking to, and should remain slightly behind or in front of them when they are speaking to each other. He shouldn’t come close to them, listen to them, or turn to them. If they decide to include him in their conversation, he is to join from either the left or right, and not come in between them.

If he happens to meet his shaykh on the road, he should initiate greetings to him by seeing him, walking towards him, then greeting him. He shouldn’t point to him from afar in order to consult him, and he should use good manners in regards to his consultation by taking his advice. If the shaykh says something wrong in his advice, he shouldn’t say to the shaykh ‘This is wrong,’ or ‘This isn’t a strong opinion,’ etc. Rather, he should answer him in a good way, saying ‘It seems that what is best is this,’ and he should not say ‘I think this is best,’ etc.”150