بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
آداب مجلس العلم
The Etiquettes of the Assembly of Knowledge
3) It is a must upon
the student of knowledge to avoid talking and laughing much in the
assemblies of knowledge
This is because it is an assembly encircled by the angels where the names of those who are attending are mentioned to Allah, and Allah mentions their names to those who are present with Him in the Highest Dwellings.
Therefore, the student of knowledge should sit in dignity and tranquility. This was the behavior of our righteous predecessors.
-> Osama bin Shareeq (may
Allah be pleased with him) narrated: “We sat with the Prophet ﷺ as if there were
birds perched on our heads. None of us would speak. [While we were in that state] a
group of people came and said,’Who are the most beloved servants to Allah?’ He ﷺ said, “Those who are best in conduct.” [Saheeh At-Targheeb,
graded Sahih by Al-Albani]
-> Muhammad ibn Al-Hasan,
the Companion of Imam Abu Hanifa, once entered the assembly of Imam Malik. He said: “I entered the assembly of Imam Malik
and I saw his students sitting in front of him as if there were birds perched
on their heads. I said, “As-Salaam Alaikum.” None of them replied except Imam
Malik. I said, “What is the matter with you, are you in prayer?” They stared at me with the sides of their eyes and did not talk.” This is
how they venerated and honoured these gatherings of knowledge.
-> The students of Wakee’
ibn Al-Jarrah would sit in his assembly as if they were in prayer.
-> Some of the Tabi’een
narrated that a man laughed in the assembly of Abdur-Rahman ibn Mahdi (135H); the student of Sufyan ath-Thawri. He said, “Who laughed?” They pointed to a man. He said, “You seek knowledge while you are
laughing? I will not relate a Hadith to you for a month.”
-> Hammad ibn Zaid said,
“We were in the assembly of Ayyub as-Sakhtiani and he heard a loud voice. He said, ‘What is this noise? Don’t you know that raising your voice above the Hadeeth of the Prophet ﷺ is considered the same as raising your voice above him in his lifetime?” Allah says in Surah Al-Hujurat [49:2]:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَرْفَعُوا أَصْوَاتَكُمْ فَوْقَ صَوْتِ النَّبِيِّ وَلَا تَجْهَرُوا لَهُ بِالْقَوْلِ كَجَهْرِ بَعْضِكُمْ لِبَعْضٍ أَن تَحْبَطَ أَعْمَالُكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ لَا تَشْعُرُونَ
“O you who believe! Raise not your voices above the voice of the Prophet, nor speak aloud to him in talk as you speak aloud to one another, lest your deeds may be rendered fruitless while you perceive not.”
4) Avoid secret
counsels in the assemblies of knowledge.
Al-Hasan used to say: “If you sit in an
assembly, be a person who is more keen to listen than talk. Learn good
listening like you learn good speaking and do not interrupt the speech of a
person.” [Al-Muntaqa in Makaarim Al-Akhlaq]
Ibn Jam’ah, the
teacher of Ibn Katheer, Ad-Dahabi, and An-Nawawi, said in his book
At-Tadhkirah: “The student of knowledge should:
1) Listen to his Sheikh; focusing on him totally and understanding his speech so that he does not make him repeat his speech again.
2) He should not turn his
face without necessity. He should neither look left or right nor up or down without need, especially when the Sheikh is talking to him. He should not look except at him.
3) He should not be
disturbed by any noise he hears or turn towards it.
4) He should neither play
with his hands or feet or any of his limbs.
5) He should not put his hand in his beard or mouth.
6) He should not recline
on a wall or pillow nor support himself with his hands behind him or on his sides.
7) He should not talk
much without need
8) He should not joke or speak obscenely
9) He should not spit
except in a handkerchief or piece of cloth
10) And if he yawns, he should
supress it.
The Student of Knowledge should generally follow the legal manners.” [End Quote]
5) It is the Sunnah
of the Prophet to write down knowledge.
The Student of Knowledge should be keen to write his knowledge down because it aids memorization.
The Prophet ﷺ said,
قيدوا العلم بالكتابة
“Preserve knowledge by writing
it down.” [Saheeh Al-Jami’i #4434 and graded Saheeh by Al-Albani]
No matter how
intelligent a person is, he may forget. Therefore, in order to preserve knowledge from
being lost or forgotten, one should write it down. Allah said in Surah Al-Baqarah [2:282] regarding loans:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا تَدَايَنتُم بِدَيْنٍ إِلَىٰ أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى فَاكْتُبُوهُ ۚ
“O you who believe! When you contract a debt for a fixed period, write it down”
Ataa’ ibn Abi Rabah (born
in the year 27AH) learnt at the hands of Aaisha, Abu Hurayrah, Ibn Abbas,
Mu’awiyah, etc. He used to say to his students, “O boys, write down. Whoever does not know how to write, we will write for him. And whoever
does not have a paper, we will give one to him.”
6) The students of
knowledge should take care of his cleanliness because the angels are offended
with what offends the sons of Adam.
The Prophet ﷺ was the cleanest amongst the
people whose smell was the best, and he hated bad smells.
Ibn Jam’ah رحمه الله said, “The
student of knowledge should enter upon his Sheikh in a good condition; clean in
his body and garment, because he intends to attend the assembly of
knowledge which is an assembly of remembrance and worship.” [At-Tadkhirah]
- Compiled by Umm Umamah Al-Athariyah
The Name of
Allah Ar-Razzaq
If the slave wishes
for his heart to be filled with the love and magnification of Allah, he should
learn more about Him. Knowledge about Allah increases ones love and magnification of Him, and love and magnification are the pillars of deification.
When love and magnification are present in the heart of a slave, he will confesss لا إله إلا الله, and the deification of Allah will be perfected in his heart.
The name Ar-Razzaq is included in the name Al-Qayoom
Allah is Al-Qayoom (The
Self-Subsisting who subsists others). He is the One who stands in charge of every soul by bringing it to
existence, sustaining it, protecting it, guiding it, etc. Because Al-Qayoom is the One who stands in charge
of the creation by creating and sustaining them, the name Ar-Razzaq is included
in the meaning of the name Al-Qayoom.
The name Ar-Razzaq is included in the name Al-Malik
Al-Malik is the One
who owns the whole dominion and has full power over it without any opposition or resistance. He is attributed with perfect attributes and He disposes the affairs of
His dominion with His perfect attributes; His perfect power, might, ability, knowledge, wisdom, executive will, compassion, mercy, etc.
All in His dominion are slaves to Him and belong to Him. They stand in need of Him and are compelled to seek His help in all of their affairs. None can exit from His dominion and none can be self-sufficient from Him.
He decides the affairs of the
creation with His three kinds of commands:
1) Decreed Commands (أحكام قدرية)
I.e. He
created them, causes death, gives life, sustains them, etc.
2) Legal Commands (أحكام شرعية)
3) Recompense
Allah is thus in charge of every soul, so He sustains them.
And He disposes the affairs of His servants, so He sustains them.
The details of the names Al-Qayyoom and Al-Malik are found in the name of Allah Ar-Razzaq.
The Meaning of the Word Rizq
The name Ar-Razzaq is
derived from the word رِزْق (Rizq). رِزْق linguistically refers to everything that one gets
benefit of. Some people mistakenly consider lawful earnings Rizq and do not consider unlawful
earnings Rizq. According to the meaning of Rizq, it is
anything that one gets benefit of.
The Evidence for the Names of Allah Ar-Razzaq, Ar-Raaziq
The name Ar-Razzaaq is mentioned in many verses in the Qur’an, such as
in Surah adh-Dhariyat [51:58]:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الرَّزَّاقُ ذُو الْقُوَّةِ الْمَتِينُ
“Verily, Allah is the All-Provider, Owner of Power, the Most Strong.”
Allah says in the previous verses
[56-57]:
وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ
“And I (Allah) created not the jinns and humans except they should worship Me (Alone).”
مَا أُرِيدُ مِنْهُم مِّن رِّزْقٍ وَمَا أُرِيدُ أَن يُطْعِمُونِ
“I seek not any provision from them (i.e. provision for themselves or for My creatures) nor do I ask that they should feed Me (i.e. feed themselves or My creatures).”
Allah created us and
He commanded us to worship Him. This is the purpose behind our existence.
A person may think: Allah needs my worship.
Allah says: I do not need your worship.
I am Ar-Razzaq; The One who provides. And I am the All-Strong. So do not think that when you worship Me, I am need of your worship. I am the One who guaranteed provision for you.
The name Ar-Razzaq is
also mentioned in the Qur’an in plural form. In Surah Al-Maa’idah [5:114]:
وَارْزُقْنَا وَأَنتَ خَيْرُ الرَّازِقِينَ
“And provide us sustenance, for You are the Best of sustainers."
In Surah Al-Jum’ah
[62:11]:
وَاللَّهُ خَيْرُ الرَّازِقِينَ
“And Allah is the Best of providers.”
And in Surah Al-Hajj [22:28]:
وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَهُوَ خَيْرُ الرَّازِقِينَ
“And verily, it is Allah Who indeed is the Best of those who make provision.”
Allah’s name Ar-Razzaq is mentioned in 5 positions in the Qur’an in plural form.
The name of Allah الرازق (Ar-Raaziq) is not mentioned in the Qur’an, but in the Sunnah. For
a name to be a name of Allah it should be mentioned in the Qur’an and the
Sunnah or both.
غَلاَ السِّعْرُ عَلَي عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالُوا : يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ لَوْ سَعَّرْتَ
فَقَالَ : إِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الخَالِقُ الْقَابِضُ الْبَاسِطُ الرَّازِقُ الْمُسَعِّرُ
Anas Ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that prices became excessively high during the time of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), so they said: 'O Messenger of Allah! Set prices for us!'
So he ﷺ said: "Indeed Allah is Al-Khaaliq, Al-Qabid, Al-Basir, Ar-Raaziq, Al-Musa’ir"
[Abu Dawud #3451]
Allah is the Creator.
And the description of the Creator is that He is Al-Qaabid Al-Baasit (i.e. He is the
One who withholds and expands the sustenance), because He is Ar-Raaziq (The
Provider) and Al-Musa’ir (The One who sets the price).
Allah is
Ar-Raaziq. When He provides excessively, the price will go down and everything
will become cheap. But when He holds back the Rizq, the price goes up. He is
the One who constricts the hearts and makes the person a miser, so the
prices go up. If Allah expands the hearts, the prices will go down. He is
Ar-Raaziq, Al-Qaabid, Al-Baasit, Al-Musa’ir.
The Meaning of the
Name of Allah Ar-Razzaq:
This name implies the attribute of الرَزْق (Ar-Razq)
#1 - Ibn Jarir said, “Allah
is Ar-Razzaq who sustains His creation, and guarantees and warrants for them the provision.”
#2 - Al-Khattabi said,
“Allah, Ar-Razzaq, is the One who takes charge of every soul to provide them with what keeps them
alive and strong. His provision and mercy extends all over the creation; the
believer and unbeliever, the friend and the enemy. He drives sustenance to the weak who have no means of earning, as Allah says in Surah
Al-Ankabut [29:60]:
وَكَأَيِّن مِّن دَابَّةٍ لَّا تَحْمِلُ رِزْقَهَا اللَّهُ يَرْزُقُهَا وَإِيَّاكُمْ ۚ
“And so many a moving (living) creature there is, that carries not its own provision! Allah provides for it and for you.”
And that is by directing the means of earning it by giving the creature the strength to attain the provision or because Allah has written the provision for it. Allah has written the provision and detained it behind means and enjoined people to put effort to get it. The human being is created to seek the means and he is commanded to put effort.
And in Surah Hud
[11:6]:
وَمَا مِن دَابَّةٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ إِلَّا عَلَى اللَّهِ رِزْقُهَا وَيَعْلَمُ مُسْتَقَرَّهَا وَمُسْتَوْدَعَهَا ۚ كُلٌّ فِي كِتَابٍ مُّبِينٍ
“And no (moving) living creature is there on earth but its provision is due from Allah. And He knows its dwelling place and its deposit (in the uterous, grave, etc.). all is in a Clear Book (Al-Lauh Al-Mahfuz - the Book of Decrees with Allah).”
Allah
is the One who directs the means of earning and gives the person the strength
to earn in any way. Allah will either bring someone to give him provision or
give him the strength to earn it. In one way or another, Allah will bring the
Rizq to that weak creature. And He is Able to do sol
Allah guaranteed
provision for us. We should not be worried for it. However, Allah, Ar-Razzaq,
detained the Rizq behind means. In order for us to reach our Rizq, we have to
take the means. There are many means of attaining Rizq. You may take a gate and
find no Rizq, you may take another gate and find some Rizq, and you may take
another means and find it all.
E.g. Healing. Some
people say: I took the means but I was not cured.
You should continue
and take other means until you reach what Allah has written for you.
Allah guaranteed the
Rizq, all you have to do is take the means. The means could be your strength.
This is the problem with many people when they see that they are working day
and night and earn salary at the end of the month. They say: I am working and
putting effort and I am earning; how can Is ay that Allah is Ar-Razzaq? They do
not understand that their salary is behind the means. They are taking the means
and forget who wrote the Rizq for them.You work and get what Allah has written for you. You may work
day and night and not get anything or earn some.
Our problem is the
means; the doctor the medicine, our work, our experience, etc. and we forget
that Allah is The Provider. He is the One who provides the means of attaining
the Rizq.
So the Rizq is from
Allah and Allah provides without limit. This does not contradict
taking the means. Allah detained every provision behind means and He created humans by nature to seek the means.
Our nature is to put
effort. If we are hungry we will seek food. Allah commanded us to
work for the Rizq legally.
The name Ar-Razzaq is
in intensive hyperbolic form (صيغة مبالغة) which indicates that He provides again and again, provision after provision. He gives it in abundance and broadens it. [Al-Minhaj]
E.g. الخَلَّاق. Allah
is الخَالِق and الخَلَّاق. الخَلَّاق is the One who creates again and
again.
Similarly, He is الرَازِق and الرَزَّاق. He does not provide just once but
again and again.
#3 - Ibn Al-Atheer said, “Ar-Razzaq is the One who created the provision and gave the creation their provision and made the provision reach them.”
#4 - Sheikh As-Sa’dy said,
“Allah Ar-Razzaq is the One who provides for all His servants. There is no
creature on earth but Allah provides for it. His providing for His servants is of two kinds:
a) General
Provision – This extends to the righteous and the sinner, the first and the
last of everyone. This is the provision required by the bodies.
b) Specific
Provision – This is provision granted to the hearts; nourishing them with knowledge and
faith. It includes lawful provision that has been appointed
for the benefit of the religion. This provision is specific to the believers and is appointed in accordance to their different levels and what Allah’s wisdom and mercy dictates” [End Quote]
If the meaning of the name is not clear in your heart, your belief in the name will also not be clear.
The Impact of Belief in these Noble Names
- Taken from Fiqh Al-Asmaa by Shaikh Abdul-Razzaq Al-Badr
#1 - Allah reminds His servants in many verses in the Quran that He alone is their Provider / Sustainer who guarantees their food and Rizq. This reminder has been mentioned in the Qur’an in two contexts:
1) In the context of favouring and reminding of His bestowal of favours
2) In the context of Allah commanding His creation with certain acts of worship.
Examples for the First Type (In the Context of Favouring and Enumeration of Favours):
- Surat an-Nahl [16:72]:
وَاللَّهُ جَعَلَ لَكُم مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا وَجَعَلَ لَكُم مِّنْ أَزْوَاجِكُم بَنِينَ وَحَفَدَةً وَرَزَقَكُم مِّنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ ۚ أَفَبِالْبَاطِلِ يُؤْمِنُونَ وَبِنِعْمَتِ اللَّهِ هُمْ يَكْفُرُونَ
“And Allah has made for you wives of your own kind, and has made for you, from your wives, sons and grandsons, and has bestowed on you good provision. Do they then believe in false deities and deny the Favour of Allah (by not worshipping Allah Alone).”
- Surah Al-Israa [17:70]:
وَلَقَدْ كَرَّمْنَا بَنِي آدَمَ وَحَمَلْنَاهُمْ فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ وَرَزَقْنَاهُم مِّنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَفَضَّلْنَاهُمْ عَلَىٰ كَثِيرٍ مِّمَّنْ خَلَقْنَا تَفْضِيلًا
“And indeed We have honoured the Children of Adam, and We have carried them on land and sea, and have provided them with At-Taiyibat (lawful good things), and have preferred them above many of those whom We have created with a marked preference.”
- Surah Ghafir [40:64]:
اللَّهُ الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الْأَرْضَ قَرَارًا وَالسَّمَاءَ بِنَاءً وَصَوَّرَكُمْ فَأَحْسَنَ صُوَرَكُمْ وَرَزَقَكُم مِّنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمُ اللَّهُ رَبُّكُمْ ۖ فَتَبَارَكَ اللَّهُ رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ
“Allah, it is He Who has made for you the earth as a dwelling place and the sky as a canopy, and has given you shape and made your shapes good (looking) and has provided you with good things. That is Allah, your Lord, then blessed be Allah, the Lord of the 'Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists).”
We should thus thank Allah and attribute His blessings to Him alone.
Example for the Second Type (In the Context of Commanding to Worship):
- Surah Al-Baqarah [2:21-22]:
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اعْبُدُوا رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ وَالَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ
“O mankind! Worship your Lord (Allah), Who created you and those who were before you so that you may become Al-Muttaqun (the pious)”
الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الْأَرْضَ فِرَاشًا وَالسَّمَاءَ بِنَاءً وَأَنزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَأَخْرَجَ بِهِ مِنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ رِزْقًا لَّكُمْ ۖ فَلَا تَجْعَلُوا لِلَّهِ أَندَادًا وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ
“Who has made the earth a resting place for you, and the sky as a canopy, and sent down water (rain) from the sky and brought forth therewith fruits as a provision for you. Then do not set up rivals unto Allah (in worship) while you know (that He Alone has the right to be worshipped)”
Allah is commanding us with Tawheed; to worship Him alone. Why? Because of His provision upon us.
Comments
Post a Comment