Etiquettes of Seeking Knowledge

After the death of the Messenger of Allah (s.) Ibn ‘Abbas was keen on asking the Companions (r.) about the sayings of the Messenger of Allah (s.). Whenever he learned that there was a man who knew any Hadeeth of the Messenger (s.) he would go to him and if he found that man sleeping at noon, he would sit at the door. He would wait for him until he woke up to the extent that he would be covered by the sand of the desert because of the wind.

When the companion would go out to meet Ibn ‘Abbas (r.) he would say to him: “O cousin of the Messenger of Allah (r.) why did you come? You should have sent someone for me and I would come to you.” Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allzah be pleased with him, would say: “No. I am the one who should come to you to ask you about the Hadeeth.” [Al-Haakim]

Knowledge has a great status in Islam as the first verse that was revealed called for learning. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {Recite in the name of your Lord who created-} [Quran 96:1]

Allah The Almighty Swore by the very tool of writing, the pen, as He The Almighty Says (what means): {Nun. By the pen and what they inscribe} [Quran 68:1]

The Sunnah of the Prophet (s.) confirms the lofty status of knowledge and this is why it made the way of seeking knowledge one way of entering Paradise. The Prophet (s.)said: “Whoever follows a way to seek knowledge, Allah will make easy for him a way to Paradise.” [Al-Bukhari, Abu Dawood and At-Tirmithi]

Moreover, the reward of knowledge reaches the deceased and it never stops. The Prophet (s.) said: “When a person dies, his deeds will all come to an end except for three: continuous charity, knowledge from which people derive benefit, and a righteous child who would supplicate Allah for him.” [Muslim]

The angels surround the seeker of knowledge with their wings as Safwan Ibn ‘Assal Al-Muradi (s.) said: “I came to the Prophet (s.) while he was in the mosque reclining on a red cloak of his and I said to him, ‘I came to seek knowledge.’ He said, ‘Welcome seeker of knowledge. Indeed, the angels surround the seeker of knowledge with their wings.” [Ahmad and At-Tabarani].

Knowledge is divided into communal and individual obligation. There are some aspects that every Muslim should know such as what Muslims should know about their Lord, religion and Prophet (s.). Communal obligations relate to knowledge of scientific specializations that some Muslims should learn in order to meet the needs of the society such as industry, agriculture, medicine and other fields of everyday life.

Knowledge is the path that Muslims take to know Allah The Exalted as He should be known. For this reason, those who have knowledge are those who fear Allah The Almighty the most. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {Only those fear Allah, from among His servants, who have knowledge} [Quran 35:28]

There are etiquettes for seeking knowledge that one should adhere to and they are:

1. Sincerity: The one who seeks knowledge should have a sincere intention and should not do so for the love of fame or dominance. The Prophet (s.) said: “Actions are based on intentions and every person will be rewarded according to what he has intended.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

The Prophet (s.) also informed us that “Among the first category of people who will enter Hellfire on the Day of Resurrection is a man who acquired knowledge and taught it (to others) and recited the Quran. He will be brought to Allah Who Will Make him recount His Blessings and he will recount them. Then Allah Will Ask him, ‘What did you do with these blessings?’ He will say, ‘I acquired knowledge and taught others, and recited the Quran seeking Your Pleasure.’ Allah The Almighty Will Say, ‘You have told a lie for you only acquired knowledge so that you may be called a scholar and you recited the Quran so that people would say ;He is a reciter’ and such has been said.’ Then orders will be passed against him and he will be dragged with his face downward and cast into Hellfire.” [Muslim]

2. Seeking beneficial knowledge: The Messenger of Allah (s.) used to say in his supplications: “Allahumma innee a‘oothu bika min ‘Ilmin la-yanfa‘, wa ‘amalin laa yurfa‘, wa-min du‘aa’in laa yusma‘ (O Allah, I seek refuge with You from knowledge that does not benefit, deeds that are not accepted and a supplication that is not answered.)” [Ahmad, Ibn Hibban and Al-Hakim]

3. Devoting one’s time for seeking knowledge: It was said, “You cannot gain some knowledge until you devote all your time.” The righteous predecessors used to appreciate knowledge and devote their time to it. This is because knowledge is vast and life is short. It was said, “Seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave.”

4. Purifying the soul from bad morals: Beneficial knowledge is a light Granted by Allah The Exalted in the hearts of His pious slaves and He Does not Grant it to those who have bad behavior and corrupt morals. Thus, a Muslim who seeks knowledge should avoid envy, showing off, and all other reprehensible acts and bad morals.

5. Seeking knowledge at an early age:It was narrated that the Prophet (s.) said: “Any young child who seeks knowledge and worships Allah until he grows up, Allah Will Grant him on the Day of Resurrection the reward of seventy-two steadfast affirmers of truth.” [At-Tabarani]

It was said, “Learning at an early age is like carving on stones.” The elders should not be shy in seeking knowledge. It was narrated that Qubaysah ibn Al Mukhariq (r.) said: “I came to the Prophet (s.) and he asked me, ‘What has brought you here?’ I said, “I have grown old and my bones have weakened so I have come to you to teach me something that Allah Will Beneficent me with.” The Prophet (s.) said, ‘You have not come upon a stone, a tree or even dirt except it has asked Allah for forgiveness for you O Qubaysah. If you pray the Fajr prayer, then say three times, ‘Subhaanallaah Al-‘atheem wa bihamdih (Glory be to Allah The Great, and with His Praise), you will be healthy from blindness, leprosy, and paralysis. O Qubaysah, say: 'O Allah, I ask You for what You Have, Be Generous with Your Favors upon me, Spread Your Mercy over me, and Descend Your Blessings upon me.” [Ahmad]

6. Working does not prevent seeking knowledge: Many of the Companions (s.) used to work. They would seek knowledge for the remainder of the day after returning from their work. They used to stay up late at night to study the Quran and Hadeeth.

It was narrated that Abu Sa‘eed (r.) said: “We used to go to battles and leave one or two men to listen to the Hadeeths of the Messenger of Allah (s.). When we would return, they would tell us the Hadeeths that they learned from the Messenger or Allah (s.) then we would narrate these Hadeeths. [Ibn ‘Asakir] Hence, it is permissible to combine seeking knowledge and working and seeking sustenance from the Bounties of Allah The Exalted.

7. Having patience and tolerance: A Muslim should be patient when facing difficulties and seeking knowledge as patience is the provision of the believers and it helps them endure the hardships and pain that they face. It was said, “The one who does not endure the humiliation of seeking knowledge for an hour, will remain in the humiliation of ignorance until the Hour (i.e. Day of Resurrection).”

8. Seeking knowledge gradually: The one who seeks knowledge should start with the basics and preliminary sciences before diving into it. And this should be according to the directions of his teachers. One should be diligent to know all sciences and not to leave any of them.

Yahya ibn Khalid (r.) said to his son: “You should learn some of each branch of knowledge as man is the enemy of anything that he is ignorant of and I would hate for you to be an enemy of any branch of knowledge.”

9. Specialization: If a Muslim wants to specialize in one science, he should choose the most honorable branch of science and the most beneficent one that suits his abilities. It was said, “If you want to be a scholar, you should know everything about one thing, but if you want to be cultured, then know something about everything.”

10. Memorizing with understanding and reflection: The Prophet (s.) said: “May Allah Brighten the face of the person who hears something from us and memorizes it until he transmits it to others. Perhaps the one whom it reaches comprehends it better than the one who heard it. Or perhaps the one who heard it never comprehended it” [At-Tirmidhi] This indicates the importance of memorization.

11. Documenting: It was said, “Write down knowledge.” It was also said, “Knowledge is like game that is hunted and writing catches it.” Hence, we should write down knowledge in order not to forget it and carefully choose what we write. It was said, “There are three categories of people who listen to the scholar; the first one writes down all that he hears; the second does not write but only hears, while the third selects and he is the best among the three”.

12. Studying and reviewing: Mu’ath ibn Jabal (r.) said: “Seek knowledge as seeking it for the Sake of Allah leads to fearing Him, and seeking it is an act of worship, studying it is Tasbeeh (glorification of Allah), searching for it is Jihaad (a difficult struggle), teaching it is charity to those who do not have it, and conveying it to those who deserve to learn it is a good deed.”

13. Arranging learning hours: A Muslim should always be well organized in all his affairs and should be keen on organizing his time and spend it in gaining knowledge and know-how.

14. Avoiding shyness in seeking knowledge: Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {So ask the people of the message if you do not know.} [Quran 16:43] ‘Aa’ishah (r.) said: “The best women are the women of the Ansaar, shyness did not prevent them from comprehending their religion.” So the Muslim should ask about that which he desires to know more of and shyness should not prevent him from asking. For knowledge is a treasure kept in chests and the keys are questions.

15. Traveling to seek knowledge. Jabir ibn ‘Abdullaah (r.) said, “It reached me that a man heard a Hadeeth from the Messenger of Allah (s.) so I purchased a camel and rode it for a month until I reached Ash-Shaam. I knew that this man was ‘Abdullaah ibn Unays. I told his gate keeper to say to him, ‘Jabir is at the door.’ The gate keeper said, ‘Jabir ibn ‘Abdullaah?’ ‘Yes,’ I replied. So ‘Abdullaah rushed out and embraced me and I embraced him. I said, ‘It reached me that you heard a Hadeeth from the Messenger of Allah (s.) concerning Qisaas (retribution) and I feared that one of us might die before I get it. So Abdullaah ibn Unays mentioned to him the Hadeeth.” [Ahmad and At-Tabarani]

‘Ubaydullaah ibn ‘Adiyy (r.) said: “I knew about a Hadeeth that was heard by ‘Ali (r.) and I feared that I might not find it with anyone else if he died, so I travelled to him and found him in Iraq.” [Al-Khateeb]

Ibn Mas‘ood (s.) said: “If I knew of someone who I can reach by riding my camel and who is more knowledgeable than me with what was revealed to the Prophet (s.) I would go to him to increase my knowledge.” [Ibn ‘Asaakir]

Ash-Sha‘bi (r.) said, “A man travelled from the furthest reaches of Ash-Sham to the furthest reaches of Yemen to listen to words of wisdom. I do not perceive this travel as a loss.”

16. Applying what one learned; Allah The Almighty Disapproved of those who do not apply what they know and likened them to donkeys that carry (heavy loads of) books, but do not understand what they carry. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {The example of those who were entrusted with the Torah and then did not take it on is like that of a donkey who carries volumes [of books].} [Quran 62:5]

Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {Do you order righteousness of the people and forget yourselves while you recite the Scripture? Then will you not reason?} [Quran 2:44] So a Muslim should know with certainty that he will be asked about what he put forth for himself during his life. The Prophet (s.) said: “The slave will not step forward on the Day of Resurrection until he is asked about his age and how he spent it, his knowledge and what he did with it, his wealth and how he acquired it and spent it, and about his body and how he used it.” [At-Tirmithi]

17. Respecting the teacher: a teacher has a great virtue upon his students.

18. Listening attentively: Al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali (r.) said to his son: “O son, when you sit with scholars, be more diligent to listen than to speak and learn to listen attentively just as you learn to be quiet. When you ask, your questions should be for the purpose of understanding and realizing, not for arguing or showing deficiency.”

19. Observing etiquettes during learning sessions: A Muslim should sit with his teacher politely and calmly. He should not keep turning his head, pointing or laughing. He should present himself in a pleasant manner, be clean and avoid speaking or asking questions until taking permission. One should not belittle his colleagues or mock them, rather he should know that they are his brothers in knowledge so they should be shown mercy and respect.

Among the reasons that help in gaining knowledge and studying is to study in a location that has adequate light, quiet and freedom from distracting noises. One should avoid studying in bed as this makes one feel sleepy. Moreover, books should be arranged well and organized. And one should give his body its right by resting occasionally. He should choose the right time for studying and divide this time appropriately to study all branches of science.

[Source : https://www.islamweb.net/)