The Etiquettes of Seeking Knowledge-2 Taught by: Hacene Chebbani

Adorn Yourself with Good Manners Ibn Sireen said: “ They used to learn manners as they would learn Knowledge” Imam Malik’s mother “Go to Rabee’a, then learn from his manners before you learn from his knowledge”

Stay Away from Sins Al-Shafiee’ said: “I complained to [my shaykh] Wakee’ about my bad memory, and he taught me that I should keep away from sin. He said that knowledge of Allah is light, and the light of Allah is not given to the sinner” The darkness of sin can not co-exist with the light of knowledge. You try your best not to fall into the traps of Shaytan. No one expects you to be perfect.

Commit Yourself to Fearing Allah “Verily, only those who fear Allah from His servants are the knowledgeable ones” Al-Faatir-28 “Verily, those who fear their Lord with the unseen (they do not see Him), they will have forgiveness and a great reward” Al-Mulk-12 The Prophet’s (pbuh) advise to Mua’th ibn Jabal : “ Fear Allah wheresoever you may be, and follow up an evil deed with a good one, it will efface it. And deal with mankind with good manners” At- Tirmithee / Hadith Hasan

Be Humble Do not be arrogant. Iblees was destroyed and destined to Hell because of his pride. Stern Warnings from The Sunnah. 1.“ No one who has an atom’s weight of arrogance in his heart will enter paradise.” A man said: “ O Messenger of Allah, what if a man likes his clothes and his shoes to look good?” He said: “ Allah is beautiful and Loves beauty. Arrogance is to reject the truth and look down on people.”

Be Humble- Contin 2. “ On the Day of Resurrection, the arrogant people will be gathered like ants in the form of men. Humiliation will overwhelm them from all sides. They will be driven to a prison in Hell called Bawlas, with the hottest fire rising over them, and they will be given to drink from the juice of the inhabitants of Hell, which is teenat al-khabaal” At-Tirmithee-2492, classed as Hasan by Al- Albaanee.

Be Humble-Contin Debate with good intention and good manners. When you debate with someone else, seek for the truth. Let the truth be your only wanted goal. Beware of dispute and argumentation. Do not be upset, if the truth comes from the mouth of one of your peers or classmates.

Be Humble-Contin The way of the salaf is to refrain for extensive dispute and argumentation. Al-Hasan Al-basree said about some people who indulged themselves in argumentation: “These people have become bored with worship, speech has become light upon them, their piety has decreased and that is why they speak.”

Your Stance on the mistakes of those who preceded you This is one of the serious traps of Shaytan. Do not become happy when you come across a mistake of a scholar, so that you may use it to degrade him. We should only be happy, because we knew the most correct opinion. Every scholar has a mistake or a self-delusion.

Adorn Yourself with Gentleness A group of Jews asked for permission to enter upon the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) and they said: “ As-saam Alaikum” (Death be upon you) Aishah (ra) said: “ Nay, death be upon you and curses”. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “O Aishah, Allah loves gentleness in all matters.” She said: “ Did you not hear what they said?” He said: “I answered, “Wa Alaikum” (and unto you).

Display Great Poverty to Allah Do not rely on your own skills and personal talent. Fill your heart with reliance upon your Lord and keep on asking Him to bless you with understanding of the religion. The noblest among the noble servants of Allah are the ones who rely on Him concerning the matters of the Hereafter (knowledge, dawah, and good deeds).

Things to Avoid 1. To neglect the state of our hearts. 2.To belittle the importance of good manners. 3.To listen to lectures or to read books with the intention of finding faults and exposing them 4.To waste one’s time in classifying and labelling other students of knowledge and scholars. 5.To rush into issuing fatawas and making conclusions before we master the tools and the foundation of knowledge.