It’s Raining Pens…

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

This has got to be one of my favourite quotes…  Muhammad ibn Mubashshir al-Karmînî said,

Muhammad ibn Salâm al-Baykandî’s pen broke whilst in the gathering of a Shaykh, so he announced “a pen for a dînâr”, whereby pens began to fall upon him (from all directions).

[Siyâr A’lâm an-Nubalâ. – Volume 10, Page 629]

I can’t remember where I got this from (google search results only yield my TTI signature), but it shows the seriousness of the salaf with respect to seeking knowledge.  Compare their level to ours; if their pen broke in a gathering they would announce their willingness to buy a new one (for a ridiculous price too)!  Yet today you sit in front of a Shaykh, there are droves of people but only a fraction of them are writing or recording the dars.  When a pen of theirs brakes, runs out of ink or their recorder’s batteries die, khalâs, they’re done!

How many of us value the ahâdîth and âthâr so much that we advertise our willingness to by a bic biro for a high price, just to continue documenting them?  We know that asking around would disturb the lesson and you may have to weave through tens of people just to find someone who has a spare pen and is willing to lend it.

Mâ shâ’ Allâh!  Here we have a predecessor who didn’t want to waste time in this fashion, who knew the value of islamic knowledge and so took a swift course of action that would secure himself a deal; one that would ultimately allow him to resume his learning.  The plan somewhat backfired as Al-Baykandî got more than what he bargained for and found himself the target of a volley of pens!

Some Quotes from Ibn Hazm Al-Andalusi

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

The following are some sayings of Ibn Hazm Al-Andalûsî, rahimahullâh.  They are all from Al-Akhlâq was-Siyâr except for the last one, which is from At-Ta`âlam wa-Atharuhu `alâ Al-Fikr wal-Kitâb.  I found these a while  back on http://www.fatwa-online.com.

The most noble branches of knowledge are those which bring you close to the Creator and help you to be pleasing to Him.

Anyone who spends his time studying something inferior, abandoning higher studies of which he is capable, is like someone who sows corn in a field capable of growing wheat, or who plants bushes in a soil which could support palm trees and olives.

When you compare yourself with others in matters of wealth, position, and health, you should look at people less favoured than yourself. When you compare yourself with others in matters of religion, knowledge and virtue, look at people who are better than yourself.

A man who is a miser with his knowledge is worse than a man who is a miser with his money, for the money-miser is afraid of using up what he possesses but the knowledge-miser is being mean with something which does not get used up and is not lost when it is given away.

There is nothing more harmful to the branches of knowledge and its people than those who enter themselves into it and they are not from its people. They are ignorant and yet they think they have knowledge, they cause corruption whilst thinking they are correcting the affairs.

Lying to Seek Knowledge

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

I’ve actually heard that some people have lied in order to study Islamic sciences, be it to authorities that question them, or in interviews.  Why one would want to begin performing the best supererogatory deed with lies, I don’t know.  Wallaahu musta`aan.  The following question was put forward to Shaykh Yahyâ Al-Hajûrî.  Taken from SubulasSalaam.com.

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Question: Is it permissible to lie in order to seek knowledge, for example; obtaining a fake certificate/degree, lying about your age to the interviewer, or having an id card with false information and so on, because this issue is widespread and may Allaah reward you with good.

Methods of Memorization in Mauritania

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Mâ shâ’ Allâh, this is an excellent and detailed account of the renowned Mauritanian method of memorisation/hifdh.

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Methods of Memorization in Mauritania

by: Abu Umar Abdul ‘Aziz

Al-Hamdu lillaah, we praise Allah and seek His aid and forgiveness. May the Salah and the Salam be upon the Messenger of Allah, and upon his family and companions and all who follow his path with goodness until the Day of Judgment.

To proceed:

Once, the great scholar and grammarian, Shaykh Muhammad Salim al-‘Udud ash-Shinqiti of Mauritania was attending a meeting for the international jurisprudence council in Cairo Egypt. After the meeting, the Shaykh went out with an Egyptian scholar to have dinner and converse with. During the course of the modest dinner, lively discussion took place about the various differences between Mauritania, a large extremely poor country situated in the Sahara desert, and the fairly developed and modern Egypt. The two scholars discussed the methods of Islamic study in both countries and this led the Egyptian scholar to jokingly ask him, “Which scholars are more knowledgeable, the scholars of Egypt or the scholars of Mauritania?”

In response to the question, Shaykh Muhammad Salim said: ” Your scholars are more knowledgeable in the day time, and our scholars are more knowledgeable in the night.”

“If your intention is one of these three….”

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Ibn Mas`ûd (رضي الله عنه) would advise his students,

If your intention is one of these three, do not seek knowledge: To shame the ignorant, or to argue with the Fuqahâ’ (scholars), or to cause people to turn their faces in your direction. Intend with your actions and words that which is with Allâh, for indeed that which is with Allâh shall remain and everything else shall perish.

Dar Al-Hadith – Dammaj, Yemen

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Shaykh Abu `Amr, `Abd Al-Karîm Al-Hajûrî speaks at length about Dâr Al-Hadîth in Dammâj, Yemen. The Shaykh deals with many questions coming from the west, addressing issues of living, costs, studying, life of the student of knowledge in Dammâj and San`â, the Yemeni capital. A truly inspiring video coupled with breath-taking scenery of Yemen. When I first saw/listened to this in Egypt, I felt like packing my bags and heading straight for San`â.

Muslim reported that the Prophet (sall Allâhu `alayhi wasallam) said that Îmaan, Fiqh and Hikmah is among the Yemenis. I hope that our Shuyûkh in Dammaaj, San`â and elsewhere in Yemen are from those who fall under this praise of our Noble Prophet (sall Allâhu `alayhi wasallam).

Lessons on Al-Ajurrumiyyah

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Video lessons on Al-Âjurrûmiyyah, a primer text for the study of Arabic Grammar.  The teacher is Abu Taubah who mâ shâ’ Allâh, has a clear and simple teaching style. He is using one of the Âjurrûmiyyah poems, Nadhm Al-Âjurrûmiyyah Li `Udayd Rabbihi also known as the  as the base/text as oppose to the original Muqaddimah of the author, Ibn Âjurrûm. The author of the poem is Muhammad Ibn Abb Al-Qalâwî Ash-Shinqîtî, famously known as `Ubayd Rabbihi. The course appears to be ongoing.

http://thefiks.org/?cat=194

I will, by Allâh’s permission be posting more stuff pertaining this monumental book in the future.