Talibatul 'Ilm

In the name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful
Assalamualaikum

Spring cleaning my room has led me to discover a whole lot of long-forgotten precious treasures, and probably memories too. Among which; was this exercise book. I found my 2011's worth of gold. As I flipped through the pages of this exercise book, I was reminded of those beautiful nights where I stayed up late to study hadith; memorising both it's content and it's transliteration in the middle of a silent night. When I first started with Pergas in 2011, I was very keen and passionate to learn more about Islam. So much so, that I took every module very seriously as I wanted to score well for all modules. So I prepared an exercise book for each module; heavily filled with notes. Ironically, I was never that hardworking when it came to studying math and science, lol.

It took me months of practice to make my arabic handwriting look neat, tidy, & presentable for my own reading. For every hadith that we had to memorise, I had it ensured that I'll write the entire hadith again inside this book; both in arabic and in roman to help facilitate in memorising because I'm a visual learner. Back then, I was mad hungry for knowledge; I still am now but the only difference is that I am not as impulsive as before. Uh, I hopeeeeee.

You know that happy feeling as a kid when someone gives you a cotton candy and then you'd rush home excitedly to share it with your siblings to share the joy? & if your neighbour comes asking for some, you would selfishly say NO? That was exactly how I reacted when I first received knowledge. I thought I had enough knowledge to grant me a place in Jannah so I started to compare myself with the rest. A pinch of arrogance entered my soul. It blinded me and eventually it ate me up. Upon realisation, I went back down to zero and began searching for myself again, from scratch. The search for a better self, wasn't at all easy. ):

You see....

Gaining knowledge(ilmu) is a blessing, that's true. It is indeed very, very true. But blessings can become a test for us too, especially if we're not careful and grateful enough. While on the path of seeking knowledge, we should always keep renewing our intentions. Check deep within your inner self and ask; am I seeking knowledge solely for the sake of Allah or are there any other hidden agendas behind it? Sometimes, it might start with the right intention ie: for the sake of Allah. But if we aren't careful enough; it might just turn into for the sake of getting recognition from others. I mean, it can happen y'know. Naudzubillah, man!

This puts ikhlaas into question, doesn't it? Where's the sincerity?

As-Soosi radhiyallahu'anh said: "True ikhlaas is not to see your ikhlaas. Indeed, whoever identifies ikhlaas in his ikhlaas, then he is in need of having ikhlaas in ikhlaas!"

It's quite of a tongue twister lol, but take some time to re-read that quote. Digest it, and understand it with all your heart. I shall not elaborate about my understanding of the quote as I don't quite know how to start but I now understand the whole point of having ikhlaas in ikhlaas. & I hope you would, too.

Now that I've taken the second step towards SLPI in Pergas, the modules I'm taking now are a little more challenging that the ones in SPI. I love the challenge, it provokes my thinking. It humbles me, in a way. The truth is; the more knowledge that I know, the more knowledge that I actually don't know. ie: There is actually more that I need to know about those that I thought I already knew. If you ever get what I mean, teets. Whether the modules are difficult or easy; the ultimate aim should be the same and should not change. We're seeking knowledge as it is a key to gaining Allah's pleasure in the Hereafter. Knowledge is the worship of the heart.

Mu'adh ibn Jabal r.a said: "Seek knowledge for seeking it for the sake of Allah is a sign of consciousness of Allah. Acquiring it is an act of worship. Studying it is a glorification of Allah. & searching for it is a kind of jihad; striving in Allah's cause."

Apart from seeking knowledge with full of ikhlaas, there are also several etiquettes that a student needs to observe while he/she is on the road of seeking for knowledge. I stumbled upon an article written by a prominent Saudi Muslim lecturer and author; Sheikh M.S. Al-Munajjid in which he said: "There is a certain amount of etiquette for seeking knowledge that the seeker of knowledge should follow. We will give you this advice and this etiquette for seeking knowledge; may Allah cause you to benefit thereby."

Etiquette of seeking knowledge(Tholibatul 'Ilm):
p.s: there's a long list, but I've narrowed it down to 5 which I find are important for me.

1. Be patient and persevering:
Seeking knowledge is one of highest of pursuits, and heights cannot be scaled except by working hard and patiently. So be patient and persevere. If Jihad requires an hour of patience, then the seeker of knowledge must be patient until the end of his life.

2. Have pure intention in what you do:
Adhere to purity of intention in what you do. Let your aim be to seek the pleasure of Allah and the abode of the Hereafter. Beware of showing off and loving to make yourself appear to be superior to your peers. The Messenger of Allah pbuh said: "Whoever seeks knowledge in order to compete with the scholars or to prove himself superior to the ignorant or to make the people look up to him, Allah will cause him to enter Hell." [Reported by An-Nasa'i]

3. Act upon what you know:
Know that acting upon what you know is the fruit of knowledge. And whoever acts without knowledge is like the people who have gone astray as mentioned in Surah Al Fatihah. Whoever knows but does not act upon his knowledge is like the people whom Allah likened to the ugliest things in His Book: "The likeness of those who were entrusted with the obligation of the Taurat but subsequently failed in those obligations; is as the likeness of a donkey which carries huge burdens of books but understands nothing from them. How bad is the example of people who deny the Ayat of Allah. And Allah guides not the people who are Zalimun(polytheists, wrongdoers, disbelievers) [Surah Al Jumu'ah: 5]

4. Choose good companions
Strive to choose righteous friends who are preoccupied with seeking knowledge and are of a good nature, who can help you achieve your aim, add to the benefits you've already gained, encourage you to seek more ilm, religiously-committed, trustworthy and are sincere towards Allah. Beware of the bad companion, for he may influence you. So beware of mixing with bad people, for that is a sickness and prevention is better than cure.

5. Have good manners towards the teachers:
Knowledge cannot be gained only from books. You must also have a teacher you trust. So you must have good manners towards him, for this is the way to success. So you must honor, respect and be polite to the teacher. Observe the utmost standards of the etiquette when you sit with him. Ask questions in a proper manner and listen attentively. Be polite when studying the book with them and do not try to compete or argue. Do no walk ahead of them, or speak too much in their presence or interrupt when they are teaching. Do not pressure him to give you an anwer, and avoid asking too many questions especially in front of other people for this will make you appear to be showing off. If you think that your teacher have made a mistake; do not make them lose respect in your eyes, because that will deprive you of their knowledge. Who is there, is entirely free from error?

**Read the continuation of the list at: www.islam-qa.com**

And that pretty much sums up everything that I need to say. I hope you've found this beneficial. Sayaaaang sangat dengan ilmu. Sayaaang sangat dengan guru-guru. Allahu rabbi, I am on the verge of tears.

The soul still seeking for peace,
Suhaidah Amran