The Seeker of Knowledge's State of Mind when he Receives Knowledge by Sheikh Saleh Aal-Shaikh (2) + Why the Name of Allah Ar-Razzaq? -

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

نفسية طالب العلم حين يتلقي الدرس 

The Seeker of Knowledge's State of Mind when he Receives Knowledge by Sheikh Saleh Aal Shaikh

Those who listen to knowledge differ. They differ in their desire in what they listen to and they differ in their readiness. Their hopes are not one and their readiness is not one. Rather, their hopes differ:

- There are some among them who listen to the knowledge whilst they have the desire to learn. These are the majority of the students of knowledge, and all praise is due to Allah. 

- There are among them who listen to the knowledge but out of desire to evaluate the teacher or see his position in knowledge; i.e. how good of a teacher he is and how capable he is of teaching.

- There are among them who come one time and are absent ten times.

And there are many types of desires. What concerns us is the one who comes desiring the knowledge. When the student of knowledge comes desiring to learn he should be in a certain mentality and spiritual state. 

As for the state of his heart and soul: His intention by his acquiring knowledge is to remove ignorance from himself. And this is sincerity in acquiring knowledge. Knowledge is an act of worship, therefore it obligates sincerity. The most important thing that the student of knowledge should thus take care of when coming to any class is his sincerity. And sincerity is to intend to remove the ignorance from himself.

Imam Ahmed (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked about what the intention in acquiring knowledge should be. He said, “To intend to remove ignorance from oneself”

If he intends to acquire knowledge to be a teacher, a preacher, an author, or the like, then a good intention and sincerity in that is attained by two things:

Firstly, by intending to remove ignorance from oneself.

Secondly, to intend to remove ignorance from others.

If he does not have either of these two intentions or both of them together then he is not the possessor of a good intention.

If he intends to remove ignorance from himself, it becomes present his heart, naturally, that Allah created him and has a right over him which is the foundation of all foundations, and that is His right of Tawheed. And similarly in the commands and prohibitions, the lawful and the unlawful. 

Therefore, if he learns and removes ignorance from himself, he would know what Allah wants from him and then seek help from Allah in acting upon that. This is a very important state of mind that the student of knowledge should have.

The second state of mind the student of knowledge should have is that he should have trust in the knowledge of the teacher teaching him. He should have the belief in himself that the teacher is teaching what is correct. If he enters while he believes that the teacher is teaching incorrect information or making confusion or the like, he will not benefit, because if he listens, he will listen with an objecting self. So if the teacher says something, he will think about what he said for half a minute or a minute and whether it is correct or not and he will examine his statement and think of such and such which opposes the statement of the teacher, and in that minute the teacher would move on to another point. So when he finishes his explanation, he hears another sentence and this will add to his confusion, so he enters into contradictions and this deprives the listener of knowledge.

If the student of knowledge has an issue with what he heard, he should have a paper or notebook with him and write it down, and not think about it further whilst he is listening to the lecture. Then, after the class finishes, he should research that issue or ask about it on the same day or after it. 

Bear in mind that it is not a condition for the teacher to be perfect or always right. He may have some opinions which contradict what is famous and he may give instructions which he is mistaken in. What is important is that he is attested for his knowledge and is well-established in it and knows what he is talking about. He may be heedless regarding a matter or a ruling and he may make a mistake once or have a wrong opinion and the like. This, however, is not strange, because the teacher is a human and humans make mistakes. What is important is to receive knowledge from one whose knowledge you trust whilst your internal state is not one that contradicts the teacher.

When the student of knowledge attends a class with the people of knowledge and it comes to his mind to ask or object everything he hears, if he were to be patient it would be better for him.

This state of mind has an effect on the mind and its clarity and will aid ones perception of knowledge during the class.

Therefore, it is incumbent on the student of knowledge to receive knowledge with the mentality of the one who does not have knowledge at all. He just listens and listens and listens and if a question arises in his mind, he writes it down and searches for an answer for it or asks about it later. This is with regards to acquiring knowledge from those whose knowledge we trust.

Why studying the name Allah ar-Razzaq is important in our present times

The state of the people in the Days of Ignorance was that they used to kill their children out of fear of poverty. What made them do that? There was something important missing from their minds – and that is the concept of Rizq. Allah says in Surah Al-Israa [17:30]:

"Truly, your Lord enlarges the provision for whom He wills and straitens (for whom He wills). Verily, He is Ever All-Aware, All-Seer of His slaves."

This is a fact which we have to believe in – that Allah is the One who gives and prevents. He is the One who extends the provision to whomever He wills and He is the One who restricts it. If the people had understood this matter they would not have killed their children. Therefore, at the end of the verse, Allah said:

إنه بعباده خبيرا بَصِيرا - Verily, He is Ever All-Aware, All-Seer of His slaves.

Allah is All-Aware of His servants. He knows who deserves to have his Rizq broadened and who does not. He knows what suits everybody.

إنه = (The reason) التعليلية

I.e. Why does Allah restrict it for some and extend it for some? Because He is the All-Aware, All-Seer.

In Verse 31:

"And kill not your children for fear of poverty. We provide for them and for you. Surely, the killing of them is a great sin."

What is the link between these two verses? Whoever believes that the provision is in Allah’s hands and He gives it to whomever He wills and restricts it from whomever He wills, will not kill his children out of fear of poverty. Allah is the One who provides for them and you.

This verse is even applicable nowadays. Nowadays, people kill their children before birth. Birth control and abortion are examples of this. They tell the people that a small family is a happy family and having more children will reduce your provision. This is because of the ignorance of the people that Allah is Ar-Razzaq and their materialistic way of thinking.

They look at the human being as a property which has value if he is productive and no value if he is not productive. How much money that the human brings and how much he benefits them is his value with them. This is present in the disbelieving communities, but has slowly seeped into the Muslim communities. Our societies have turned from being collaborative, cooperative societies into contractual societies.

Although, if you go back to the Prophet ﷺ, when Khadijah رضي الله عنها praised him after he came to her afraid from the cave of Hira, she said:

وَاللَّهِ مَا يُخْزِيكَ اللَّهُ أَبَدًا، إِنَّكَ لَتَصِلُ الرَّحِمَ، وَتَحْمِلُ الْكَلَّ، وَتَكْسِبُ الْمَعْدُومَ، وَتَقْرِي الضَّيْفَ، وَتُعِينُ عَلَى نَوَائِبِ الْحَقِّ‏.‏ 

"By Allah, Allah will never disgrace you. You keep good relations with your kith and kin, help the Kal and the destitute, serve your guests generously and assist the deserving calamity-afflicted ones."

[Al-Bukhari]

The كلّ (Kal) is a person who cannot manage his own life. You have to direct him to what is good for him. He is not mentally disabled but his understanding is at a level where he cannot manage himself. The Prophet ﷺ did not see him as valueless, rather, he used to help him. 

When Ibn ad-Dhagina met Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه when he was trying to emigrate to Ethiopia, he said, 

فَإِنَّ مِثْلَكَ يَا أَبَا بَكْرٍ لاَ يَخْرُجُ وَلاَ يُخْرَجُ، إِنَّكَ تَكْسِبُ الْمَعْدُومَ، وَتَصِلُ الرَّحِمَ وَتَحْمِلُ الْكَلَّ، وَتَقْرِي الضَّيْفَ، وَتُعِينُ عَلَى نَوَائِبِ الْحَقِّ،

O Abu Bakr! A man like you should not leave his home-land, nor should he be driven out, because you help the destitute, earn their livings, and you keep good relations with your Kith and kin, help the weak and poor, entertain guests generously, and help the calamity-stricken person"

[Al-Bukhari]

And the Companions of the Prison said to Yusuf (عليه السلام) in [12:78]:

"Indeed we think that you are one of the Muhsinun (good-doers)"

Al-Qurtubi said,

فَكَانَ يُعَزِّي فِيهِ الْحَزِينَ، وَيَعُودُ فِيهِ الْمَرِيضَ، وَيُدَاوِي فِيهِ الْجَرِيحَ، وَيُصَلِّي اللَّيْلَ كُلَّهُ، وَيَبْكِي حَتَّى تَبْكِيَ مَعَهُ جُدُرُ الْبُيُوتِ وَسُقُفُهَا وَالْأَبْوَابُ، وَطُهِّرَ بِهِ السِّجْنُ، وَاسْتَأْنَسَ بِهِ أَهْلُ السِّجْنِ،

 

He would comfort those who grieved in the prison, visit the sick, treat the injured, pray the entire night, and cry until the walls and doors of the houses cried with him, and the prison was cleansed by it, and the inmates were delighted by it.

These are the characteristics of the perfect humans. They helped people. However nowadays, people who help are not seen as normal. When you give money to help, they say 'Why are you wasting money?'. If you give gifts, they say 'You are being extravagant'. They look at what the Shari’ah has legislated as a waste of money and extravagance. This indicates that the concept of Ar-Rizq is not understood by the people. 

During World War 2, there were many handicapped Nazi’s. They killed around 300,000 from among the old and young who were disabled because they said that they were a burden on their community. 

Compare this behaviour with the statement of the Prophet ﷺ: 

عَنْ مُصْعَبِ بْنِ سَعْدٍ، قَالَ رَأَى سَعْدٌ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ أَنَّ لَهُ فَضْلاً عَلَى مَنْ دُونَهُ، فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ "‏ هَلْ تُنْصَرُونَ وَتُرْزَقُونَ إِلاَّ بِضُعَفَائِكُمْ ‏"‏‏.‏

Narrated Mus`ab bin Sa`d: Once Sa`d (bin Abi Waqqas) thought that he was superior to those who were below him in rank. On that the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "You gain no victory or livelihood except through (the blessings and invocations of) the poor amongst you." [Al-Bukhari]

And in At-Tirmithi,

ابْغُونِي ضُعَفَاءَكُمْ فَإِنَّمَا تُرْزَقُونَ وَتُنْصَرُونَ بِضُعَفَائِكُمْ

"Seek your weak for me. For indeed you sustenance and aid is only by your weak."

Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqaas رضي الله عنه  looked at his excellence above the weak. The Prophet ﷺ wanted to draw his attention to a fact: In the same way that Allah gave victory to the Muslim community by your force and courage, He did so through the invocation of the weak. You should not see your excellence over the weak. Allah sustains the family of a house because of the weak person in it.

- There are young men who think that their parents are a burden. Thinking that strength, ability, and power bring Rizq is the first mistake in thinking that people make. Rather, there is no mercy in the hearts of the people. If we think in the same way of the disbelievers, mercy will shortly be removed amongst us. 

We study the name of Allah ar-Razzaq because of these materialistic issues which dominate our lives and affect our relationship with others. We do not pardon, we do not forgive, we do not show mercy to others because of this way of thinking. What benefit do I get if I forgive her? If there is a benefit, we forgive. If there is no benefit, we don’t forgive.The relationship is based on mutual interest. If you do not benefit from someone, you do not know them.

- People think that if they do not plan and organize, they will not get the result. They skip the name of Allah ar-Razzaq from their lives and focus on planning. If they get results, they attribute it to their thoughts and ideas. Their strength, ability, and intelligence, become a god besides Allah. They rely on themselves and their plans without realizing that whatever they have is from Allah ar-Razzaq. This is why Allah makes us fail many times, because we rely on our plans instead of Him.

- Our marital relationships. The man in the present time looks at the woman as a source of fulfilling his natural desire and as a source of income. 

There are cases where women take their husbands to court because they do not help in the house. The husband and wife look at each other as how beneficial they are to themselves. 

The rate of divorce is increasing in the Muslim communities because the woman is now working and feels independent. She does not need the man so she does not want him. How the woman looks at the man and how the man looks at the woman affects marital life. 

- In the past, when people lived in small houses, they were generous. Whenever they had any occasion they called all the people of the town to come with their children. Now the houses are bigger and the people are richer and no children are allowed. Or people refrain from entertaining guests because guests are a burden and waste of money. Stinginess is a result of not believing in the name of Allah ar-Razzaq.

- This even affects the relationship between parents and their children. As a mother you have to teach this concept to your children and raise them knowing that Allah is Ar-Razzaq. Do not be the mother or father who tells his children: "Study hard, have high grades, in order that you have a good job. If you don’t study you will not get any money." We keep emphasizing the matter of money, studying, job, future and thus raise our children to have materialistic thinking. If you don’t have a job, you don’t have money, thus you don’t have value. 

The parents look at the children and say "I spent on you and now you have to spend on us." When they want to learn their religion, they ask: "How much are they paying? What are you getting?" The children are equal to an amount of money in their eyes. Do not be that mother. The value of a person is in how pious and blessed they are, not how much money they  bring money to the family. What's missing is the name of Allah ar-Razzaq and the concept of Rizq in their lives. Knowing this name affects the tranquillity of our souls.

Because many people measure every relationship and dealing with 1+1=2, they need to know the name of Allah ar-Razzaq, who when He gives, He gives without measure. He gives whomever He wills and restricts the Rizq from whoever He wills. The people who deal with each other based on how much your value is do not have belief in unseen nor belief in the Barakah; one of the most important concepts we have to believe it. A person can be blessed even if he is not working and have value with Allah. It a serious matter to turn the human being whom Allah honoured as a property who has no value if he is not productive. We don’t want our children to look at us in this way when we grow old. The Shari’ah says that this mother who becomes old is a great blessing if you are dutiful to her. The Prophet ﷺ said:

البركة مع اكابركم

‘Blessing (barakah) is with your elders/seniors.’

[Sahih Ibn Hibban]

If you have an old person in your house, there will be blessings in that house. If your mother or father becomes old, this is a blessing from Allah for you. 

- They look at the mother who is not working and raising her children at home as unproductive. All this is because they forget that Allah is Ar-Razzaq and He provides. He created the heaven and earth for you, and you think that if you have more children you will have no provision and your money will finish. We should pause for a while and look considerably at the concept of Rizq in the Qur’an and Sunnah.