Taken from the Book "Clear Advice for Benefiting from Educational Seminars" By Shaykh Salih bin Abdul Azeez Ala Shaykh , Minister of Islamic Affairs and Propagation – Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
THE THIRD PILLARThe Student and Advice to the Student of KnowledgeThis is referring to the student of knowledge who is attending the seminars; he has [distinctive] characteristics, personality and traits.
THIS FIRST ADVICE:
SincerityHe should be sincere in hoping from his generous Lord, by doing so; Allah The Most High and Sublime will open his heart to knowledge and gain. The heart is distracted by distractions and thoughts, thus while one is quietly listening a thought will come to him and deter him from benefiting. Then a person desires to gather himself, but it is extremely difficult, and when this takes place points of benefit become scattered and the later information erases the earlier.
Therefore, it is incumbent that one truly turns to Allah The Most High and Sublime and makes Du’aa [supplication] that He gives him understanding [Fiqh] in the religion, and that He allows one to benefit and be patient with knowledge. This is because it is mandatory that one possess patience in seeking knowledge, and in order for that to take place one must be sincere and truthful with Allah The Most High and Sublime, and turn to Him in the correct manner because knowledge is worship.
Verily the Angels lower their wings for the student of knowledge out of pleasure for what he is doing, and verily everything upon the earth and in the heavens seeks forgiveness for the scholar, even the fish in the sea. This is indeed a great merit.
So purify Oh! Student of knowledge- your thoughts of Allah (Subhaana wa ta ala) The Most High and Sublime and sincerely turn to Him in order for Him to open your heart to knowledge and make it firm within your heart.
THE SECOND ADVICE:
The pen should be ready prior to the lessonThis point was stressed by Al Khateeb in his book ‘Ja’mee Al Jam’ee’ and also by Ibn Abdul Al Birr in his book ‘Al Jam’ee lee Bayan Al Ilm wa Fadlihi’ [The Compilation Explaining Knowledge and it’s Merits], and in other than these two works.
From what is deficient is that a student attends a lesson and neglects to bring a pen, or he brings one that doesn’t contain ink. With regards to paper, it is befitting that the student prepares a notebook for every subject, or a notebook which is divided into several subjects. All of the aforementioned methods will follow according to the organization of the mind. If a student’s mind is distracted this will appear in his knowledge and notebooks. It is not befitting for a student to write several subjects on one paper.
He should refrain from writing notes in the margin spaces of the text books, this will cause information to become crowded and prevent one from referring back to it at a later time. Because of this, Imam Ahmed was asked about writing in small print, he responded: “I dislike this because one does not know when he will need this information, and it’s possible that he needs it and he is no longer able to refer back to it [illegible]. This statement is a reality. Notes taken within texts books [in margin spaces] are not organized and are mixed with the written text, and it’s also possible that the penmanship is awful.
Paper is these days available and cheap; All Praise be to Allah With regards to writing in notebooks, there is an arrangement suitable to be followed, it consists of:
A student should place within the text which he is studying sequential numbers from one to the end of the text, and every topic which the teacher comments on the student places that affair on an individual page. He would then place the following issue on a separate page. He should do this even if the comment on that issue is only one line. He should not say: The page is blank! It’s possible that he needs that space in the future. If the student wishes to add more detail to an issue that the scholar did not expound on, he would first place the origin of the issue, and then add more detailed information. These explanations by the scholars or teachers would then become the foundation for larger explanations for the student in the future if Allah wills.
THE THIRD ADVICE:
Related to the student that is not able to attend all the seminars, but instead he attends during his free timeIt is upon this student to choose the field that he needs most in his religion to complete his knowledge in that particular subject. For example, it’s possible that he did not study the subject of Tawheed, or he studied it long ago and desires to review it. This subject would be a priority in his choice of subjects. He would then use his remaining free time for other subjects that he is interested in. Therefore it is incumbent that the student of knowledge chooses the suitable subject and time.
THE FOURTH ADVICE:
Excellent review and preparation for lessonsHow can a student review and prepare for lessons if they are continuous? This is done by him memorizing the text prior to hearing the explanation from the scholar. This methodology will produce true structured knowledge.
One should also prepare by reviewing important issues [before the lesson]. The student should read a line or page and focus on the important issues. By doing so, he prepares himself to understand these issues once covered by the teacher. It is not a condition that the preparation of the student is similar to that of the teacher.
The purpose of this preparation is not merely for the student to prepare for learning, but rather he should combine his present knowledge with what is being presented by the teacher, and by doing so the knowledge of the student will grow over an extended period of time. The student should prepare for the lesson, and as a result he will notice how the scholar handles the text, and how the student himself handled the text. For example, the text being taught is Bulugh Al Maram and the subject being taught from the book is the chapter of Prayer, the student reviews a Hadith from the text by referring to Subul As Salam, Fathul Barre, and other than them. The student should review and see what he comprehends about the Hadith; he then compares what he read to how the scholar handled the Hadith. There is not doubt that this methodology will provide the student with benefits that he was possibly unaware of.
It is also befitting that the teacher chooses from amongst his students those who are capable of being teachers and he focuses on them even more. He should teach them how to study, how to teach, and how to organize issues. It is possible that a student approaches his teacher and says: “I attended a seminar with you last year and heard from you the explanation of Bulugh Al Maram or Forty Hadith of Imam An Nawaawee…..” It’s possible that the teacher forgot this particular student due to the large number of students present at the seminar, or maybe he remembered him. But the teacher never forgets the diligent student because he creates an impression about this student and his dealings with the text, his understanding of the Hadith, and his character with the teacher.
THE FIFTH ADVICE:
Writing notes of benefits from the teacherThe student should not depend on the audio recording during seminars. It is upon a student not to say: “There is no need to write as long as the recording is present”. This is a tremendous mistake that many students have fallen into. The student writing what is being presented by the scholar influences his preparation for knowledge and it also influences his methodology of seeking knowledge in the manner that it should be sought. Acquiring knowledge must include difficulties, suffering and struggle. Also in writing notes, a student creates an ability to summarize information. This is because he will not be able to write every single letter mentioned by the teacher. For this reason, it is befitting to distinguish between what was dictated to the student from what he heard. It is possible that much information mentioned by the teacher is lost when a summary is written.
Therefore, what is the purpose of writing?
The purpose of writing is that the student forms the ability to summarize information. He hears and then he summarizes. It is noticed that in the beginning of the seminars, the scholar hastens in his speech and the student is not able to take notes, but the next time the student is able to write however he misses some information. Similar to this, a time will come and the student will be able to completely write what is being presented and he is able to summarize using the most perfect examples because he has developed a skill, and this skill can only be developed through practice. How does one practice? Practice is performed -in addition to what was previously mentioned- by not depending on the audio recording.
THE SIXTH ADVICE:
Mercy between the studentsIt is possible that different categories of people attend the seminars.
1. From them are those who are present to seek knowledge
2. From them are those who are beginners
3. Some seek to attend a gathering of remembrance, especially if the lecture is after Fajr prayer or during times that supplication is answered.
4. Others attend to gain a particular benefit and any benefit gained will suffice them.
That which is befitting in reality is that the students care for one another. The student should teach his beginning brother the correct methodology and provide him with advice. Due to this, it is appropriate that students have mercy with one another during Islamic lessons, and in all aspects of knowledge. It possibly occurs that the scholars begin their lessons with advice to the student to be merciful. It is because of this that the first Hadith transmitted in Ijaazat [permission and authorization to narrate Hadiths] is:
“The merciful will have mercy shown to them by Ar Rahman. Be merciful to those on the earth, and The One Who is in the sky will be merciful to you” [footnote 1].
Question: Why do students learn this Hadith?
Answer: Know –may Allah have mercy upon you- from the manners of a student of knowledge that Allah has blessed and has mercy on him in his knowledge, is that he [the student] is merciful with those around him; he guides them, teaches them and assists them, etc. Thus, if you are merciful in your quest for knowledge, with the creation, with your companions, with your friends and those attending the seminars and you assist them with good, then you are given glad tidings of the mercy of Allah (Subhaana wa ta ala) The Most High and Sublime to you with His true promise in the statement of His Messenger (SalAllaahu alaihe wa sallam) “The merciful will have mercy shown to them by Ar Rahman…”
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[footnote 1] Reported by Ahmed and Abu Dawud; This Hadith is known to the scholars of Hadith as: Al Musalsil bil Awaliyah (sequenced with precedence], because every scholar in the chain of narration mentioned about his teacher: “I heard so-and-so say, and it was the first narration I heard from him”. Every narrator in the chain mentions the same pattern until the chain reaches the generation after the Tabi’een (Atba’ At Tabi’een).
