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Ten Adab of Seekers of Knowledge

Notes by Ayaz Siddiqui
FEBRUARY 5, 2010 BY ALI

Ten Adab of Seekers of Knowledge

by Ayaz Siddiqui

Recently, Ive been taking an interest in learning GPS FOR THE SOUL
about manners that every person, Muslim or Non-
Muslim should adopt. Islam has a lot to o er in
this area, through the examples of the Prophet
(may Allah bless him and grant him peace) a s
well as his Companions. The Prophet (may Allah
bless him and grant him peace) said The only
reason I have been sent is to perfect good The best content, events and news
manners. What piqued my interest in this area from SeekersHub in your email once a
was my interest in the topic of Tazkiyyah, which I week.
have been interested in for a number of years.

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In pursuit of learning more about Tazkiyyah, I
bought P u r i c a t i o n o f t h e H e a r t : S i g n s ,
Symptoms, and Cures of the Spiritual Diseases of the Heart. In this book, Shaykh
Hamza Yusuf provides commentary on Imam al-Mawluds Matharat al-Qalb. In this ABOUT SEEKERSHUB
book, Shaykh Hamza provides commentary on the following verses from Imam
Mawluds work:
SeekersHub Global offers free Online
Courses, a reliable Answers service,
I begin by starting with the heart of beginnings, and engaging Media.

For it the highest and noblest of beginnings. Our vision is to inspire transformation
through authentic understanding and
Commenting on these two lines, Shaykh Hamza informs us that, as is often the case, we living of the Islamic tradition. Read
have lost some intricacies of these two verses due to translation. Focusing in on heart more
of beginnings, the word for beginning in Arabic is badu and the word for heart in Arabic
is qalb. Another meaning of qalb in Arabic is to reverse, so in Arabic this phrase can also
be read as qalb badu or reverse beginning. If we take this literally, what happens if
we reverse the word badu? In Arabic, we get the word adaab, which means to be RECENT POSTS
courteous, but also to have good manners, morals, etiquettes, etc.

In His Praise (May Allahs Peace and

Blessings be Upon Him!) Shaykh Faid
one of the keys to purifying the heart is to adorn oneself with Mohammed Said
good morals
Autumns Mercy and The Woke
Ayaz Siddiqui Prophet Khutba by Abdul-Rehman
Malik

After reading Shaykh Hamzas commentary where he points out this hidden gem and Look What Weve Done in Just Six
commented upon it, I realized that one of the keys to purifying the heart is to adorn Years
oneself with good morals, characteristics, etiquettes, and manners.
 TAGS
In order to learn more about the topic of manners, I recently registered for the Prophetic
Conduct: Islamic Manners in Everyday Life. Before the course started, we received a
lecture describing the Ten Adab of Seekers of Knowledge given by Shaykh Faraz
Rabbani (ha dhahullah). My notes on this lecture are below. If I left anything out, adab Allah charity children
mistyped anything, or misunderstood anything, it is from my own shortcomings.
community dua extremism Faraz
In this lecture Shaykh Faraz expounds upon five outward manners seekers of Rabbani fasting Habib 'Umar Habib Ali
knowledge must adopt as well as five inner manners. al-Jifri Imam Zaid Shakir ISIL ISIS
Islam islamophobia
The Five Outward Manners of Seeking Knowledge

Knowledge love marriage

1. Repeat and Review
Mawlid mercy muhammad novid shaid
Commenting on this advice, Shaykh Faraz tells us that by repetition, even
parenting podcast poem prayer
donkeys learn so there is no reason why we humans cannot learn through
repetition. prophet Prophet
What do you have to review?
Key Concepts, conditions, and integrals because if you understand these Muhammad Qur'an
clearly, you understand what you are studying
Definitions (e.g. What is ghusl? What is wudu? What is wiping?)
Qur'anic Themes

Ramadan reminder
Shaykh Adib Kallas
(rahimahullah) said that matters SeekersGuidance seeking
are known by their definitions.
knowledge Shaykh Abdal
So, it is of utmost importance
that one learns the definitions of
Hakim Murad Shaykh
what is being studying.
Definitions bring out the Faraz Rabbani Shaykh
meanings of things
Hamza Yusuf Shaykh Yahya

2. Take Notes Rhodus spirituality sunna

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Take notes while listening, but also make your own notes on readings that are
prescribed or supplemental material described in the lecture
Have pen and paper to jot down the most important things described or items to
be researched at a later time
Diagram what you are studying because diagramming helps to visual
concepts
Diagramming helps you actively engage in what you are learning.
A seeker of knowledge is called a seeker because they are an active participant
in learning. The term seeker means that you are the one who is searching and
acquiring knowledge. You are not being sought for knowledge.
Example: Seekers ask What else can and should we be reading? when
studying a topic with a teacher.

3. Ask!

The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, The cure for
confusion is but to ask.
We shouldnt be scared to ask questions from our teachers because if we dont
ask, it may lead to confusion and misunderstanding. Questions should, however,
be asked with the proper etiquette and manners.
Asking is half of knowledge
Part of why it is half of knowledge is to know how to ask a question, and the
right way of asking questions
Ask also to confirm what you do understand because Ilm is decisive
knowledge so it is imperative to make sure your understanding is correct.

4. Extra Readings

You must do extra readings in a guided way, not randomly.

The strong student of knowledge is one who learns the
 core of their knowledge through teachers but at the same
time they continue reading to gain breadth of knowledge.
You can potentially read many things, but you would be
foolish to read books above your current level Ilm. So, ask
what is appropriate
Anytime you are studying one book, try to read a similar book on the same level
This will deepen your understanding of any topic
Read actively

5. Prepare for class

The best way to prepare for a class is to prepare so much that you know the
subject better than the teacher
It is important to prepare for class, just as you prepare to go to school or work.
It is best to read and understand the text of the section being discussed, however,
if nothing else, read over the text of the section.
When reading, you may encounter questions which you can then ask when
given the opportunity
Many Ulema say that one should prepare for five hours for each one hour
of class, however, others have recommended less time for preparation.

The Five Inward Manners of Seeking Knowledge

1. Intention

Have a high intention of why you are seeking knowledge. Is it to seek the pleasure
of Allah (may He be exalted), or are you seeking knowledge to show off?

2. Clear & Defined Goals

Have a clear sense of what you are seeking, and define what your goals are for
seeking knowledge. What are you trying to achieve? How are you going to go
about seeking knowledge? Do you want to be able to teach others?

3. Veneration

Have a deep, unshakeable respect for scholars (even when we disagree), writings
of scholars, books (which are the vessels containing the water of guidance), and
even knowledge itself
Scholars are inheritors of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him
peace)
Disrespect of Ulema is sickness of our times
Have wudu when studying

4. Adab (Manners)

Have proper adab (manners) you can only have adab if you learn about it

5. Consistency

Learn something every day and review every day. Our lives are busy, but at the
same time we should set aside some time every day to learn
Seeking knowledge should become intrinsic for the true seeker
Part of consistency is to have a routine

BONUS: Always act upon knowledge learned

Ayaz Siddiqui is an IT professional working in the DC Metropolitan area and an avid

seeker of knowledge.
FILED UNDER: GENERAL

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