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Precautions for Those who are or Would Like to be Taalib-ul-‘Ilm
By Shaykh Bakr Abu Zayd
Taken from: Hilyatu Taalib-ul-‘Ilm, Points 54-60
Precautions
#54 False Hopes
Beware of false hopes and among them is to claim to have knowledge in something that you have no knowledge of, or proficiency in that which you have no proficiency in. If you do so then you have drawn a thick curtain between yourself and knowledge.
#55 Beware of Becoming ‘Aboo Shibr’ (the father of a span)
It was said knowledge is 3 spans: Whosoever enters the first span will become arrogant, and whosoever enters the second span will become humble, and whosoever enters the third span will know that he knows nothing.
#56 Becoming Manifest Before Becoming Qualified
Beware of becoming manifest before becoming qualified, for it is the defect of knowledge and actions. It was said: “Whosoever manifests himself before his time, then he has manifest himself to humiliation.”
#57 Deterioration of Manners in Knowledge
Beware of what the people deprived of knowledge indulge in: they revise one or two issues so that if they are among distinguished people in a gathering they bring them up in a debate in order to manifest their knowledge! And how many evils are there in this? The least of these evils is that he knows that the people know his reality. I clarified this and other related defects in my book at-Ta’allum, and all Praise is due to Allaah, the Rabb of the worlds.
#58 (Merely) ‘Putting Pen to Paper’
Precautions should be taken from writing books that lack creativity in the 8 aims of writing, which-in the long run-leads to merely ‘putting pen to paper.’ Beware of becoming engaged in writings books before perfecting the tools required, becoming qualified, and developing at the hands of your teachers, or else you will have registered a discredit against yourself. As for the one who becomes qualified, has perfected the tools required, whose knowledge is vast, has had experience in research, revision, reading, and abstraction of the long compilations, has memorised the concise books of knowledge, and can summon up the issues of knowledge engaging in beneficial writings then it is amongst the best things that noble, virtuous people can engage themselves in; and do not forget the saying of al-Khateeb: “Whosoever writes a book, then he has put his mind on a tray and offered it to people.”
#59 Your Stance on the Mistakes of Those Who Proceeded You
If you stumble across a mistake of a scholar, then don’t become happy with it so that you may use it to degrade him, but you should only be happy that you corrected the issue, because a just person will definitely affirm that there is no Imaam except that he has mistakes and self-delusions especially those who have written excessively. Only a person who is muta’alim (one who pretends to have knowledge) will make a controversy and be happy with it, so as to degrade him (that is the preceding scholar): “He wants to treat a minor cold but it ends up turning into leprosy.”
Yes, the mistake of self-delusion of an Imaam [who is drowning in the sea of his knowledge and virtue] should be pointed out, but should not stir up the dust around him by degrading him [and as a result] the people who resemble [such a person (who does such actions)] will become encouraged by him.
#60 Deterring Dubious Affairs
Do not make your heart like a sponge that absorbs anything that it comes across, and avoid arousing dubious issues in your mind or [the minds of] others, because dubious issues are swift abductors (of the hearts), and the heart is weak. The main people who spread them are the ‘carriers of wood’ - the Mubtadi’ah - so take protection from them.
NB: This book is available in English under the title of: The Etiquettes of etiquettes of seeking knowledge and it's published by al-Hidaayah.
By Shaykh Bakr Abu Zayd
Taken from: Hilyatu Taalib-ul-‘Ilm, Points 54-60
Precautions
#54 False Hopes
Beware of false hopes and among them is to claim to have knowledge in something that you have no knowledge of, or proficiency in that which you have no proficiency in. If you do so then you have drawn a thick curtain between yourself and knowledge.
#55 Beware of Becoming ‘Aboo Shibr’ (the father of a span)
It was said knowledge is 3 spans: Whosoever enters the first span will become arrogant, and whosoever enters the second span will become humble, and whosoever enters the third span will know that he knows nothing.
#56 Becoming Manifest Before Becoming Qualified
Beware of becoming manifest before becoming qualified, for it is the defect of knowledge and actions. It was said: “Whosoever manifests himself before his time, then he has manifest himself to humiliation.”
#57 Deterioration of Manners in Knowledge
Beware of what the people deprived of knowledge indulge in: they revise one or two issues so that if they are among distinguished people in a gathering they bring them up in a debate in order to manifest their knowledge! And how many evils are there in this? The least of these evils is that he knows that the people know his reality. I clarified this and other related defects in my book at-Ta’allum, and all Praise is due to Allaah, the Rabb of the worlds.
#58 (Merely) ‘Putting Pen to Paper’
Precautions should be taken from writing books that lack creativity in the 8 aims of writing, which-in the long run-leads to merely ‘putting pen to paper.’ Beware of becoming engaged in writings books before perfecting the tools required, becoming qualified, and developing at the hands of your teachers, or else you will have registered a discredit against yourself. As for the one who becomes qualified, has perfected the tools required, whose knowledge is vast, has had experience in research, revision, reading, and abstraction of the long compilations, has memorised the concise books of knowledge, and can summon up the issues of knowledge engaging in beneficial writings then it is amongst the best things that noble, virtuous people can engage themselves in; and do not forget the saying of al-Khateeb: “Whosoever writes a book, then he has put his mind on a tray and offered it to people.”
#59 Your Stance on the Mistakes of Those Who Proceeded You
If you stumble across a mistake of a scholar, then don’t become happy with it so that you may use it to degrade him, but you should only be happy that you corrected the issue, because a just person will definitely affirm that there is no Imaam except that he has mistakes and self-delusions especially those who have written excessively. Only a person who is muta’alim (one who pretends to have knowledge) will make a controversy and be happy with it, so as to degrade him (that is the preceding scholar): “He wants to treat a minor cold but it ends up turning into leprosy.”
Yes, the mistake of self-delusion of an Imaam [who is drowning in the sea of his knowledge and virtue] should be pointed out, but should not stir up the dust around him by degrading him [and as a result] the people who resemble [such a person (who does such actions)] will become encouraged by him.
#60 Deterring Dubious Affairs
Do not make your heart like a sponge that absorbs anything that it comes across, and avoid arousing dubious issues in your mind or [the minds of] others, because dubious issues are swift abductors (of the hearts), and the heart is weak. The main people who spread them are the ‘carriers of wood’ - the Mubtadi’ah - so take protection from them.
NB: This book is available in English under the title of: The Etiquettes of etiquettes of seeking knowledge and it's published by al-Hidaayah.
