Seeking knowledge

The pursuit of knowledge, in the hadith of Abu Hurayra, the thirty-sixth of the Forty, is among the greatest paths that lead to Paradise: "Whoever takes a path seeking knowledge in it, God makes easy for him a path to Paradise." ¹

The hadith links the pursuit of knowledge with gatherings of remembrance in the houses of God, where the Book is recited and studied. Tranquillity descends upon those who attend, mercy covers them, the angels surround them, and God mentions them among those with Him. ¹

The hadith ends by saying that it is deeds that save, not lineage: "Whoever is held back by his deeds, his lineage will not hasten him." ¹

The speaker says that happiness is not in gathering wealth, but in God giving a person knowledge from which he benefits ². He urges respect for people of knowledge and says that whoever humbles himself before God is raised by Him ³.

The Sheikh says the seeker of knowledge meets three obstacles: first lying, second envy, which closes the way between people and knowledge, and third the world filling the heart (his view). ^{4 5 6} He says the heart needs a lesson of knowledge every three days, and that when the heart abandons the lesson the limbs disobey and the world overruns it (needs_source). ⁷ He holds that gatherings of knowledge are good, and that obedience in them may bring God's pleasure, so a believer should not despise any of it (his view). ^{8 9} He says whoever talks much about what he does not know is not learned (his view). ¹⁰ He says the one who sits in a circle of knowledge is better than the angels, because he struggles against himself (his view). ¹¹

The Sheikh criticises delving into knowledge that brings no benefit, and gives as an example the search for the name of the wolf that did not eat Yaqub's son, which he sees as entering a subject with nothing to gain from it ¹².

The Sheikh says that a person in a circle of knowledge is like a fish in water: his life is secure while he is in his natural setting, and if he is far from it destruction is nearer ¹³. He asks how the heart is nourished in such gatherings ¹³.

He refers to the saying that the companion of such righteous sitters never comes to grief (needs_source) ¹⁴. He holds that the Muslim who sits in a circle of knowledge ranks above the angels, since the angels' nourishment is glorification, declaring God's oneness and sanctification, which they never tire of ¹⁴.

He says the believer resembles the angels in prayer, and links the angels' wings, in twos, threes and fours, with the rak'as of the five prayers (needs_source) ¹⁵. He holds that outside prayer he surpasses the angels by sitting and listening to what is good while mercies descend ¹⁵.

The Sheikh lists ten things that are lost and benefit no one; the first is knowledge that is not acted upon (needs_source: the transcript does not clearly name who made the list), and he names the second as work without sincerity or following the example ^{16 17}. The Sheikh says that knowledge lies not in much narration but in fear of God (his view) ¹⁸. He explains a saying whose author is not named in this passage (needs_source): the people of knowledge and wisdom are those whose hearts are revived by killing desire, while whoever kills his heart and revives desire holds wisdom only as a borrowed thing on his tongue ¹⁹. He gives the example of a man who has memorised the Qur'an and forty thousand sayings but does not apply what he knows (the Sheikh's example, his view) ²⁰.

He says that the chemist Jabir ibn Hayyan turned to night prayer when he was stuck on a problem, and that difficulty in study comes from sins rather than from the curriculum (needs_source: the story of Jabir ibn Hayyan). ²¹

He tells how al-Shafi'i lost his memorisation after glancing at a woman and regained it after repentance; he says al-Shafi'i covered the left page in order to memorise, and he applies the method to students (needs_source: the story of al-Shafi'i). ²²

He contrasts a student who succeeds through patience with the curriculum with a student who fails through impatience with it, and says that patience is needed in study as much as in marriage. ²³

He describes Imam al-Shafi'i as one who filled the earth with knowledge, as the founder of the principles of jurisprudence, and as being of the Quraysh (needs_source: the descriptions of al-Shafi'i). ²⁴

He says that one must learn the rules of jurisprudence, which are the minimum a believer must know; zakat should be given openly, while voluntary charity may be private. ²⁵

He cites a hadith on passing on sayings as they were heard, and says a bearer of knowledge may not understand what he carries. ²⁶

He recounts that Umar ibn al-Khattab (may God be pleased with him) directed a questioner about inheritance to Muadh ibn Jabal, a questioner about recitation to Ubay ibn Ka'b, and others to Ibn Mas'ud and Ali, saying that he himself was only a distributor. ²⁷

He says that the companions, the successors and the scholars included both wealthy and poor people, and that sincerity is not measured by wealth (needs_source: the examples of wealthy scholars). ²⁸

He refers to the Qur'an's account of Qarun, who attributed his wealth to knowledge he had, and says such claims are repeated without awareness. ²⁹

He recalls Qarun's claim that his wealth came from his own knowledge, and says one should not rejoice as he did. ³⁰

He cites a Qur'anic verse on not speaking without knowledge. ³¹

He cites a Qur'anic verse on not pursuing what one has no knowledge of. ³²

He sets out three steps: first holding to the Book and the Sunna, second consulting a godly scholar in crises, and third reducing sins as far as possible. ³³

Answering a caller, he says that whatever a person wishes is granted in Paradise, and that he may meet the companions and scholars such as Abu Hanifa, and Moses, if he wishes (needs_source: statements about Paradise). ³⁴

He holds that good must be enjoined and evil forbidden only with knowledge and gentleness, and gives the example of a father warning his son about smoking while smoking himself, quoting a line of poetry. ³⁵

He criticises those who do not honour scholars or elders and those who cut ties of kinship, and calls these forms of both neglect and harshness. ³⁶

He criticises people who attend a scholar only to argue and correct him. He recounts that Hasan al-Basri listened attentively to a young speaker, and describes the manners of listening. ³⁷