It's the year 1244. A group of children visit their friend and ask him to join them in playing games. This young boy, at the tender of age of 10, turns them down. They continue to probe him and even attempt to force him to play, but the boy refuses and returns to what he was doing before they interrupted him – reciting the Qur'an. The young boy was Yahya Bin Sharraf, well-known as Imam An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him). Fast forward hundreds of years later to 2010. Knowledge is readily available and easily accessible. A quick search of the Internet will easily produce more knowledge for us than was available to Imam Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him). But we do not have the likes of Imam Nawawi walking amongst us. Rather, what we see now is a methodology of seeking knowledge that is strange and backwards. Our young generation of students are proficient in the most minute details of Fiqh and Aqeedah, yet they are unable to recite Surah Fatihah with the same level of proficiency. These same youth have the opinions of various scholars memorized, yet they have not memorized more than a few chapters of the Speech of Allah. Even more so, they can debate in great detail why a certain group has incorrect Aqeedah, but they do not understand Arabic and when they stand to pray before their Lord, they do not understand His Words. Strange, isn't it? Imam Ibn Abdul Barr said, “Seeking knowledge is in graded levels and ranks, and it does not befit that they should be bypassed. Whoever bypasses (the levels) at once, then he has bypassed the path of the pious predecessors. Whoever bypasses them intentionally will go astray and whoever bypasses them with sincere effort will fall into error.” Just as becoming a doctor involves stages and methods, knowledge should also be sought through a process with stages. Today, these stages are mixed together and reversed like a person with no formal education entering medical school. Analyzing the problem What is it that differentiates the students of the past from the students of today? There are a few major issues, but the most critical mistake students commit is making knowledge the goal and not the means to the goal. In the early days, knowledge was not a goal that was realized with a few years of study. The people then viewed it as the means to reach Paradise. It was a lifelong pirsuit. Abdullah Bin Mubarak was asked, “How long will you seek knowledge?” His response was, “Until I die, for probably I have not yet learned the things that will benefit me most.” The scholars and students of the past sought knowledge as a means to Paradise because beneficial knowledge leads to righteous actions. Sufyan Al-Thawri said: “The excellence of knowledge is due only to the fact that it causes a person to fear and obey Allah, otherwise it is just like anything else.” Our predecessors did not seek knowledge for the sake of seeking knowledge, rather it was so they could act upon what they learned. It should be clear in our hearts and minds that knowledge is action; and without action, knowledge will not benefit us in the least. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “The two feet of the servant will not cease (from standing before Allah) on the Day of Judgment until he is asked about four things: About his life and how he spent it; about his knowledge and what he did with it; about his wealth and where he earned it and how he spent it; and about his body and in what way he utilized it.” (Al-Tirmidhi) Sheikh Hussain Al-Awa'ishah said about this Hadith, “Check yourself before you try to seek (more knowledge), (if you are) converting the knowledge you already have into actions that accompany you as you live.” The second mistake we fall into is in focusing on the knowledge but not on how it is sought. We must realize that knowledge has levels. If it is not sought with the right steps, it will bring you down. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) gave us the description of the Khawarij. They recited the Qur'an throughout the night and day, but it did not go past their throats. The scholars state that even though their worship seemed to be superior to the worship of the Companions, the Khawarij did not have knowledge of the Sunnah, so they were deprived of proper understanding and reward for their deeds. One of the direct results of not seeking knowledge in the proper steps is the lack of basic manners among students. This is also connected to the problem of seeking knowledge without acting upon it, because it is impossible for a student to truly learn the Qur'an and Sunnah and continue to have manners that contradict that knowledge. The scholars and students of the past emphasized manners so much so that manners were considered half or a third of knowledge. Knowledge is a tool that needs manners along with it. The verses and Ahadith regarding manners are numerous. The following narration of the Prophet (peace be upon him) sums up why every Muslim should strive to perfect his/her manners: “Nothing will be heavier on the Day of Resurrection in the scale of the believer than good manners.” (Al-Tirmidhi) What we also see today is the “Student of Knowledge superstar syndrome.” This sacred knowledge of the Religion has been turned into a mere adornment and degrading it to something that is superficial and fake. By treating this knowledge as a commodity, we have reduced its value and stripped it of its rightful honor. We may think that seeking a title is harmless, but this wrong intention can deprive one of Paradise. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Whoever acquires knowledge, not learning it except to achieve some worldly gain will not perceive the fragrance of Paradise on the Day of Judgment.” (Musnad Ahmad) The proper intention for seeking knowledge (and any good deed in Islam) is so important because having an incorrect intention can take one to Hell
