Assalamu Alaykum Warahmatullahi Wabarakaatuh,

Written by brother Musa Millington,

I was speaking to a friend today. And he was telling me that a few brothers from Trinidad went to Yemen for a year and they had one word to describe it: HARD. They told him that it wasn’t really the living conditions that turned them off but rather it was the fact that in Yemen they study 24/7 and was a bit too rigorous for them.

I said to myself Subhan Allah. A lot of people want to go to Yemen in order to seek knowledge. But few prepare for such a journey. I am not speaking about financial preparation because anyone can save up enough money to go to Yemen. Rather, I am speaking about mental preparation. On this note, how many brothers and sisters do we find memorizing Qur’an, Hadeeth or texts or even making the effort to do so?

Honestly, after hearing that I even fear for myself. Then again one of the Companions of the Messenger said: “Say to the student of knowledge to put on shoes of steel…”. Over there one has to memorize books. A student who was there told me that a weak student memorizes at least 25 Hadeeth per week!!

You don’t write an exam and get a certificate like other institutions. The scholars there actually test you on what you have memorized from Ahadeeth and other texts and assess you upon that. If you look in the book of Tabaqaat by Shaikh Yahya Al Haajuri you would see: So and so memorized the Qur’an, Saheeh Al Bukhari, Saheeh Al Muslim etc.

Then at the end of the day you get no certificate at all but what you would have are the Ahadeeth and action upon it inshallah ta’ala. And I guess this is why at the end of the day I don’t really care to return to an institute per say because I desire not any certificate. I have seen how a piece of paper has fooled many into thinking that those who hold them are people of knowledge when it is opposite. And Allah’s help is sought.

Therefore, is anyone ready to go to Yemen?

Source

WaAlaykumus Salaam Warahmatullahi Wabarakaatuh.

Well I dont get it? It's not like the classes are compulsory for them to attend anyway? except for the Sheikhs classes which are only 3 times a day, if they found the classes to rigorous then they could have dropped some right?

I didn't find it that way, I thought it was just wonderful.

Can't wait to go back!

it doesnt say where in yemen they studied...


im guessing dammaj?


Assalamu Alaikum

Originally Posted by IbnAbdulHakim

im guessing dammaj?

No doubt about it!

Wa Alaykum Salam Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh,

Well, there was an article on Bakkah and it did talk about an individual preparing mentally for this. Not alot of us, not me anyway, can sit and read Qur'an for hours, our concentration isn't that good, our determination too. It's something which we can work on whilst waiting to go abroad, so that once we are abroad, we don't waste any time!

Originally Posted by Mawaddah

Well I dont get it? It's not like the classes are compulsory for them to attend anyway? except for the Sheikhs classes which are only 3 times a day, if they found the classes to rigorous then they could have dropped some right?

I didn't find it that way, I thought it was just wonderful.

Can't wait to go back!

Na'am, and the more you memorise the stronger your memory gets. Especially after memorising the Qur'aan. And if you memorise al-Baqarah at least, you'll see a vast improvement in your memory - since you'll be able to pull together two and a half juz. So I do advise all those planning on going to seek knowledge to concentrate on memorising the Qur'aan now.

Originally Posted by Mawaddah

Well I dont get it? It's not like the classes are compulsory for them to attend anyway? except for the Sheikhs classes which are only 3 times a day, if they found the classes to rigorous then they could have dropped some right?

As Salam Alaykum,

Maybe they meant that there is nothing else to do? Like, you either take classes or not, you don't go and play football or anything else?

or maybe its that the studying itself was too intense for some people?
Studying the Deen of Allah is different to studying other things, first of all its an act of worship and secondly not everyone has that strength, intelligence and push to do it to an advanced level. Its not about studying alone, its about changing oneself too.
So from what I understand of the post its bascially saying studying is no picnic, when youre going there youll need determination and not everyone has that or realises just how different its going to be
May Allah have mercy and make it easy on those who go there to study for His pleasure

Originally Posted by Al Habeshi

As Salam Alaykum,

Maybe they meant that there is nothing else to do? Like, you either take classes or not, you don't go and play football or anything else?

Ah noooo... the brothers get together and do stuff all the time, play football on the weekends, take trips to the mountain, practise shooting, all sorts of stuff.

It's just you have to be mentally prepared like everyone said.

Originally Posted by Mawaddah

Ah noooo... the brothers get together and do stuff all the time, play football on the weekends, take trips to the mountain, practise shooting, all sorts of stuff.

Oh can I ask you a question, we are supposed to practice archery right? Like its a Sunnah or something? I read taht Imam Bukhari used to do it cos it was? So, in our time does that still stand or has it changed to practice firing guns?

Originally Posted by Al Habeshi

Oh can I ask you a question, we are supposed to practice archery right? Like its a Sunnah or something? I read taht Imam Bukhari used to do it cos it was? So, in our time does that still stand or has it changed to practice firing guns?

If that is the case, I can offer some good pointers. I was broought up around firearms since the age of 4. I am now 27. My dad is a retired peace officer for the City of Houston. I can definently help with some pointers.

Its not really like that everywhere. Probably in dammaj but not really in Ta'iz and all them other places. I remember there is this place in yemen, Darul Quran, and sisters only , go there and they learn quran, they used to memorize the entire quran in like 4-6 mo. Not sure if they memorized Hadiths though, but still. thats amazing.
And its all different ages, like there is this 11 yr old girl and a 9 yr old girl and a 16 yr old girl all memorizing the same thing, but some memorize quicker. Its all cool.
Not really that hard.

Originally Posted by Mawaddah

Well I dont get it? It's not like the classes are compulsory for them to attend anyway? except for the Sheikhs classes which are only 3 times a day, if they found the classes to rigorous then they could have dropped some right?

I didn't find it that way, I thought it was just wonderful.

Can't wait to go back!

im afraid sister, that it does not work like that. in yemen, specifically in dammaj, if you do not master the topic of study, you simply do not move to the next level.

when one goes to yemen, one has to realize that it is an entire transformation between the life of this world, to the life of ashaabul-hadeeth of the past. the student merely gets 4 hours or 5 hours of sleep at most.

it is a drilling of the livihood of the ashaabul-hadeeth for the student. If the person going there did not have the desire to do that in seeking knowledge, then he is not a taalibul-ilm

Imam adh-dhahabee says in this regard about the student of knowledge, that if he is not willing to ......(and he mentions a load of incredible feats) then his seeking knowledge is a waste of time.

in other words, if your not prepared to adorn your knowledge with full worship, and little sleep, and continual hunger, and thorough physical hardship of sitting and remaining still, studying in drill mode, and having the desire to want to BREAK YOUR HEAD at arriving at a sunni conclusion for the explanations of the religion, then your seeking knowledge is useless from the get go.

Imaam ash-Shafi'ee use to contemplate on a single hadeeth ALL NIGHT to try to find a proper explanation of that hadeeth.

Ibn Taymiyah, he used to get upset and virtually criminalize himself in frustration (as if beating your own head type of mentality) if he did not break the meaning of a text, and he would cry to Allah in begging Him until Allah facilitated to him its wisdom.

if one does not feel the need to do this to himself, nor does he desire to do so, then let him not seek knowledge at all, and let him to get the basic knowledge of the religion (as recieving basic knowledge is mandatory on all, whether student or not)

ANd this is the manhaj of the student, to not only endure these trials, BUT TO WANT to go through these trials.

that is because the one who is merely willing to endure these trials is lesser than the one who wishes to go throuh t hem for the sake of Allah in attainin knowledge, for he is higher in satus in this regard, which means it is more likely that his knowledge will be more beneficial than the one who is merely willing to endure them. So how about the one who does not even wish to endure these trials, he is even less then the one who will merely endure these trials.

Akhee, I understand what you mean, and I'm sure the sister understands better than I do... as she studied there for a number of years.

It's not like the life of the West at all, and you have to give up a lot of luxuries, whilst adapting to the lifestyle of a true student of Knowledge. But, as a lot of people who have studied in dammaaj have told me, it's just a matter of patience. Because you can get used to the lifestyle in dammaaj, if you persevere long and hard enough. In fact, most of the sisters that I know who have studied there, including one of my teachers who studied there for 6 years, find it hard to settle back in the West even if it's just a few months. The comforts and conveniences might be more, but the lack of morals and knowledge overshadows that all.

I pray that Allaah grants me a chance to benefit from Daarul-Hadeeth, and us all, ameen.

Originally Posted by al-Izaaree

Imam adh-dhahabee says in this regard about the student of knowledge, that if he is not willing to ......(and he mentions a load of incredible feats) then his seeking knowledge is a waste of time.

Jazakallah Khayr for your input and advices brother. Do you know of any place that I can read the feats that Imam adh-Dhahabee mentions? They sound interesting.