Steps of becoming a student of knowledge

[DesertShip]

Assalamu Alaykum
i was wondering if anyone took notes at the end of class when the sheykh was saying what ways or steps you must take to become a student of knowledge.. i think that is what he was talking bout it was before the Jinn session so if anyone has those steps can you plz share them with me:P
JAK..
salam

[Sarah Mushtaq]

Welcome aboard Dania :)

InshaAllah I will get my notes and post later.

[DesertShip]

Thankyou!! :) (4both welcoming me:P and 4 looking for the answer:P)

[Sarah Mushtaq]

Okay, so my notes at the end are exclusively on Jinns lol... so Ittihaadis/anyone else, please post as well InshaAllah!

So a few things I do have:
memorize the Qur'an
memorize Sahih Bukhari
memorize Sahih Muslim

Other than that, before the Jinn session I've got how the exam will be and Zubaidah bint Jafar, rahimAllah. Wa Allahu'alim.

[DesertShip]

thanks loads.. ya me too the last thing i wrote was the jinn and after that i kinda toned out..lol.. i actually fell a sleep:P

[sireen]

MashaAllah Bushra and Dania, sisters lol, I understand...posting the same question :D

Assalamu Alaikum,

One thing I learned from the class is that forever we will be "students of knowledge"...To attain the level of Aalim (3alim) is amazing mashaAllah, but does not only require acquiring knowledge, but having wisdom, etiquette and akhlaq, and above all, the success and blessings from Allah subhanahu wa ta3ala...as this is something He chooses whom to bless with...

So one of the most important things to remember is that, while one can memorize and learn all the books that he wants, in the end, it is extremely important to make dua'a to Allah to grant us the wisdom and knowledge.

What is the point of knowledge if there is no wisdom and khuluq along with it? I remember from Heavenly Hues, one of the gems was how Shaitan is probably the most knowledgeable amongst us, I mean, come on, he's been alive for how long?? lol...Yet, what has his knowledge gotten him?

So you see, I think that a better question to ask is: How can one be a better student of knowledge, or how can one who is seriously considering the study of islam go about his studying?

From my notes, one of the ways that the sheikh talked about (besides memorizing the Quraan and the hadeeth) is to have a time slot for each subject throughout the day. For example, after fajer is for Quraanic memorization. After Aser is for Fiqh, after maghrib for hadeeth, and so on...

There are two a stories I heard a couple of days ago that might portray what I mean a bit better:

There was once a great famous scholar (and I forgot the name; but I will check it and edit this inshaAllah asap) who told Imam Ahmad rahimahu Allah: "If it was for the number of halaqas attended, I would have been a better aalim than you, but truly, this is something from Allah, and He grants whomever He wishes"

(InshaAllah I will get the exact name and the exact quote soon...)

The second story:
When students of knowledge would visit him, he would leave them water for Wudu' assuming that they would wake up for the night prayers. When he would wake up in the morning, and see the water untouched, he would wonder and say: عجبت من طالب علم لا يقوم الليل (I am baffled with a student of knowledge who does not wake up for night prayers)...

Also, consider this (and there are many other poems about knowledge...)

لن يبلغ العِلمَ جميعاً أحدٌ *** لا ولو حاولهُ ألف سنه
إنما العلمُ عميق بحرُهُ *** فخذوا من كل شيئٍ أحسنه


(No one can learn all the knowledge (?) even if he tries for a thousand years
for the sea of knowledge is deep- so take from everything its best
Translation courtesy of Sally Mahmoud :) and the poem is for Imam Al-Shafi'ee rahimahu Allah)...

I pray that Allah blesses us all with knowledge that benefits us in this life and the hereafter and makes our knowledge seeking journeys as rewarding as possible!!

[DesertShip]

ya i noticed we did post the same..lol...so Sireen what your saying is that we are alreaddy inshallah students of knowledge but like not well enough to go out and talk so what exactly are the almaghrib sheykhs??
and like who can be aleems like its confusing! lol

salam

[AbdulHasib]

One of our teachers when we studied the life of 'Abdullah ibn Al Mubaarak (rahimahullah); he emphasized something - practicality of gaining knowledge and including

analytical knowledge as well.

Since we live in the west;

I, personally, have not seen a book that comprehensively discusses how WESTERN students of knowledge can gain knowledge (outside of programs such as Arees Institute and other institutes, in general).

Memorization - though, a key in becoming a student of knowledge; by no means is it an impediment in being a student of knowledge. And so many of the books these days focus on this aspect, where as lacking in other important aspects.

The key is a lot of the books discuss how to systematically become a dedicated full time student of knowledge.... in the east. I am regretful that a lot of students in the west take so much out of context and begin to dwell on this "forget the dunya studies" aka "madinah university syndrome" dream of leaving off 'everything' to 'study.' They end up milling around, with wrong intentions, wrong syllabus, and no more a pragmatic solution - and end up in 2-4 years doing nothing and achieving nothing in terms of study.

As we LIVE in an environment that does not alott us the rigorous schedules of Fajr till 'Asr studying and memorizing;

I believe, living in the WEST, we need to be practical.

Does that entail we cannot memorize Sahihayn? Of course not. And i know some, (meaning: few) students who have memorized books such as

Riyadus Saaliheen
Bulugh al Maram, even Sahihayn. etc.

What I am suggesting is fully taking in our situation and being pragmatic in terms of how to use our time MOST effentially.

This is from what I personally have gathered. M

1. Memorizing the Qur'an is the CRUX. No matter you are in the east, west, north, or south. The issue is Not to be engrossed in so many classes and etc. that one forgets the book of Allah - i firmly believe this is one of the MAIN PROBLEMS that western students face.

LEARNING PRIORITIES. And this was a problem we had to get over, and we see in many students they leave off memorizing the book of Allah for things that shaykhul islam ibn taymiyyah rahimahullah mentioned as, "in the outside looks like they are beneficial, but in reality people are engrossing themselves in that which will ultimately have no benefit."

2. Knowledge of Arabic.
No more excuses.
You are not a (proper) student of knowledge if you do not know arabic.
Sorry to be harsh, but we're all 'wannabes' until you know and learn arabic.
One's depth of understanding is expanded million fold once we learn arabic.

And our knowledge is expanded to past 'oh x publishing company just translated the new y book by the famous shaykh z.'

Does that mean you cannot traverse on becoming a student of knowledge in the meantime while you learn? of course not.

The objective here is optimism. You can do SO much while you're learning arabic!

One of them is see number 1. Memorize Qur'an. and we will also mention others below..


3. Having studied primers in each field of the sciences-
by study we mean with a shaykh, an institute, or otherwise some kind of formal study.. There is also many commentaries available online in audio that a real student has the time to listen to all

Fiqh - al-Majmu' sharh al-Muhadhdhab or Al maqasid (being wary of the appendices if it's the english translation) for example by An Nawawi in Shaf'iee Fiqh. and Fiqh us Sunnah by Sayyid As-Sabiq in Comparative. When one increases in Arabic

can move towards, 'Umdat al Fiqh, and 'Umdat al Ahkam, etc.

Also emphasizing in some works like The Book of Pre requisites, Pillars, and Recommendations of the Prayer by ibn AbdulWahhab, etc.

'Aqeedah - Usool ath thalatha, Kitaab at Tawheed, Al Qawaa'id ul Arbaa'ah, An Nawaaqidul Islam, Kashf ash shubuhaat all by Ibn 'Abdul Wahhab. Al 'Aqeedatul waasitiyyah, hamawiyyah, tadmuriyyah by ibn Taymiyyah rahimahullah, and many many others (see the 'Aqeedah folder for a comprehensive list here (http://forums2.almaghrib.org/showthread.php?t=11404&highlight=book+list))

etc.
(The lists in what to cover in Usool ud deen, Usool ul fiqh, mustalahul Hadeeth, 'Uloom ul Qur'an, arabic, etc. can be overwhelming for this post so i will leave it off; as it has been also mentioned in some posts above, etc.).

4. In hadeeth specifically. A student needs to memorize 40 hadeeth an Nawawi. This is essential and covers so many principles in Usool ud deen that are VITAL, i mean ABSOLUTELY vital for western sense! I mean anything from the 'meat issue,' to prayer, to intention, to 'aqeedah, fiqh, etc. Covers masha'aAllah a lot.

Get your hands on every explanation and audio on it. Heavenly Pearls by Abu Abdis salam. Ibn al 'Utheimeen rahimahullah's explanation. J. Zarabozo 3 volume set. the Almaghrib class coming up. Memorize it and study it in depth. It will GROUND you so well in the study.



Also notice how steps 1-4 all are cohesive? They help build one another?

While you memorize qur'an it builds arabic.
When you memorize hadith it builds arabic.

When you study arabic it builds your understanding of Qur'an and Hadeeth.

When you study fiqh and 'aqeedah exposes you to new vocabulary and you can incorporate your knowledge of Qur'an and Hadeeth and your study of Arabic.

This is practical.

The point is how can one go about achieving this?
WHAT DOES A WESTERN STUDENTS SCHEDULE LOOK LIKE?
After being GRILLED about memorizing Qur'an.. how do I go about studying the other fields? What should I Give priority to?

etc. answering all these important questions

Utilizing Fajr and off time; between uni studies, and specific days to study - or extracurricular activites and 'general lectures' and choosing how to prioritize and make ones schedule, etc.



I could write more but I hope insha'aAllah we students come together and WRITE up a PIECE with the approval of instructors and publish it. As we all can help with something tangible to give,

when someone asks next time..

"ya akhi/ya ukhti HOW can i be a student of knowledge here?"

We can have a different answer other than "dude go to madinah,

or read x book written by famous shaykh" - which is not practical for that person.

We can hand them

an AlMaghrib Institute Teacher Approved and Published- Student prepared Guide and Syllabus.

- How to be a successful memorizer of Qur'an in the west
- Pitfalls in steps to knowledge
- Perfecting one's niyyah
- how to pracitcally achieve study habits alongside Uni studies!
- finding balance
- the practical aspect of knowledge in the west.
- how to make a proper schedule
- how to avoid distractions
- Fiqh of Priorities (fiqh al awlawiyaat)

etc
(all this in addition to any institutes, we attend of course)

I know this will be covered insha'aAllah as well in 'Ilm Summit. So insha'aAllah those students who Allah blessed them to go, take good notes!

And we can compile insha'aAllah something for Ummat Muhammad and so many can benefit from..

wAllahu 'alam

[AbdulHasib]

Also subhanAllah, I came across this just now by our brother-insitute Al Kawthar teacher, Abu Yusuf -Towfiq Chodhury hafidhahullah

for those who want a 'been there done that' from one of our respected students of knowledge in the west.


assalamualaikum,

InshaAllah we will have a dedicated course on gaining knowledge one day inshaAllah.

In a nutshell:

1. Concentrate on the most important Fard ayn knowledge on every human being first. Once you have understood this in detail, then move on to

2. A more detailed study of Aqeedah and Fiqh. We mentioned in our class on the Drops of dew a sample of a number of books to study and in the order of study. If you can follow that order you will do well. By the way, remember that you can't do this without a proper teacher teaching of from tapes and then asking a teacher about what you don't understand.

3. All other books, such as books on day of judgement, this and that tape etc.. only read them for pleasure and only minimally, however concentrate on the above. Stick to it like glue and even if you find it boring at times.

4. Along with studying the appropriate books in fiqh and aqeedah, also study any supporting sciences to a minimal level - such as principles of hadeeth and usulul-fiqh etc..

5. Try to memorize or atleast read a material 20 times or more so that it sits in your mind and never learn something except that you should try and practise it and try to visualize it.

6. Don't concentrate at this stage on khilaaf - there is no end to it. As a result, concentrate on learning one opinion with its appropriate proof and don't get into debates and arguments as this stage. You are still learning and you can't yet tell which opinion is stronger or weaker. Ensure that you follow a good teacher who has studied under other scholars and is a student of knowledge able to understand what is a stronger opinion from a weaker one. It is for this reason that I advise that you learn a particular madhab with a teacher who is not mutassib (not staunch unrelenting following of that madhab). In this way, you will always have a base to go back to and from that base you can launch.

7. Although memorizing the Quran is essential for every student of knowledge - I don't believe it is a priority. Aim to have a minimum of 10% - 20% of the Quran in your memory at least and then concentrate on the rest of the knowledge which is more important now and more needed by the ummah.

8. Try and memorize certain books of proofs. My advise is the following: Umdatul-Ahkaam (all authentic ahadeeth from bukhari and muslim ordered according to chapters of fiqh) and then after you have finished from that: Bulughul-Maram.

9. Remember that all of the above advice is futile unless you know have the essentials of understanding Arabic and arabic grammar. So if you don't know arabic yet, that is where I would start seriously!

Thats about it for now. InshaAllah we will have more details in a special course (even a one day course) on the manner of seeking knowledge inshaAllah.

Abu Yusuf


oh and not-shameless-at-all plug
for those who want a head up on ARABIC studies

Bayyinah Institute.
Cairo Institute (one one one lessons through skype).

your University Arabic curriculum. etc.

[RandomDudette]

Amazing thread, masha'Allah.
Bro AbdulHasib, your post @ 1:54pm is exactly what I needed... you echoed many thoughts going through my own head, and answered some of the questions I had also... barakAllahu feek!

[Ahmed Ibn Hassan]

One of our teachers when we studied the life of 'Abdullah ibn Al Mubaarak (rahimahullah); he emphasized something - practicality of gaining knowledge and including

analytical knowledge as well.

Since we live in the west;

I, personally, have not seen a book that comprehensively discusses how WESTERN students of knowledge can gain knowledge (outside of programs such as Arees Institute and other institutes, in general).

Memorization - though, a key in becoming a student of knowledge; by no means is it an impediment in being a student of knowledge. And so many of the books these days focus on this aspect, where as lacking in other important aspects.

The key is a lot of the books discuss how to systematically become a dedicated full time student of knowledge.... in the east. I am regretful that a lot of students in the west take so much out of context and begin to dwell on this "forget the dunya studies" aka "madinah university syndrome" dream of leaving off 'everything' to 'study.' They end up milling around, with wrong intentions, wrong syllabus, and no more a pragmatic solution - and end up in 2-4 years doing nothing and achieving nothing in terms of study.

As we LIVE in an environment that does not alott us the rigorous schedules of Fajr till 'Asr studying and memorizing;

I believe, living in the WEST, we need to be practical.

Does that entail we cannot memorize Sahihayn? Of course not. And i know some, (meaning: few) students who have memorized books such as

Riyadus Saaliheen
Bulugh al Maram, even Sahihayn. etc.

What I am suggesting is fully taking in our situation and being pragmatic in terms of how to use our time MOST effentially.

This is from what I personally have gathered. M

1. Memorizing the Qur'an is the CRUX. No matter you are in the east, west, north, or south. The issue is Not to be engrossed in so many classes and etc. that one forgets the book of Allah - i firmly believe this is one of the MAIN PROBLEMS that western students face.

LEARNING PRIORITIES. And this was a problem we had to get over, and we see in many students they leave off memorizing the book of Allah for things that shaykhul islam ibn taymiyyah rahimahullah mentioned as, "in the outside looks like they are beneficial, but in reality people are engrossing themselves in that which will ultimately have no benefit."

2. Knowledge of Arabic.
No more excuses.
You are not a (proper) student of knowledge if you do not know arabic.
Sorry to be harsh, but we're all 'wannabes' until you know and learn arabic.
One's depth of understanding is expanded million fold once we learn arabic.

And our knowledge is expanded to past 'oh x publishing company just translated the new y book by the famous shaykh z.'

Does that mean you cannot traverse on becoming a student of knowledge in the meantime while you learn? of course not.

The objective here is optimism. You can do SO much while you're learning arabic!

One of them is see number 1. Memorize Qur'an. and we will also mention others below..


3. Having studied primers in each field of the sciences-
by study we mean with a shaykh, an institute, or otherwise some kind of formal study.. There is also many commentaries available online in audio that a real student has the time to listen to all

Fiqh - al-Majmu' sharh al-Muhadhdhab or Al maqasid (being wary of the appendices if it's the english translation) for example by An Nawawi in Shaf'iee Fiqh. and Fiqh us Sunnah by Sayyid As-Sabiq in Comparative. When one increases in Arabic

can move towards, 'Umdat al Fiqh, and 'Umdat al Ahkam, etc.

Also emphasizing in some works like The Book of Pre requisites, Pillars, and Recommendations of the Prayer by ibn AbdulWahhab, etc.

'Aqeedah - Usool ath thalatha, Kitaab at Tawheed, Al Qawaa'id ul Arbaa'ah, An Nawaaqidul Islam, Kashf ash shubuhaat all by Ibn 'Abdul Wahhab. Al 'Aqeedatul waasitiyyah, hamawiyyah, tadmuriyyah by ibn Taymiyyah rahimahullah, and many many others (see the 'Aqeedah folder for a comprehensive list here (http://forums2.almaghrib.org/showthread.php?t=11404&highlight=book+list))

etc.
(The lists in what to cover in Usool ud deen, Usool ul fiqh, mustalahul Hadeeth, 'Uloom ul Qur'an, arabic, etc. can be overwhelming for this post so i will leave it off; as it has been also mentioned in some posts above, etc.).

4. In hadeeth specifically. A student needs to memorize 40 hadeeth an Nawawi. This is essential and covers so many principles in Usool ud deen that are VITAL, i mean ABSOLUTELY vital for western sense! I mean anything from the 'meat issue,' to prayer, to intention, to 'aqeedah, fiqh, etc. Covers masha'aAllah a lot.

Get your hands on every explanation and audio on it. Heavenly Pearls by Abu Abdis salam. Ibn al 'Utheimeen rahimahullah's explanation. J. Zarabozo 3 volume set. the Almaghrib class coming up. Memorize it and study it in depth. It will GROUND you so well in the study.



Also notice how steps 1-4 all are cohesive? They help build one another?

While you memorize qur'an it builds arabic.
When you memorize hadith it builds arabic.

When you study arabic it builds your understanding of Qur'an and Hadeeth.

When you study fiqh and 'aqeedah exposes you to new vocabulary and you can incorporate your knowledge of Qur'an and Hadeeth and your study of Arabic.

This is practical.

The point is how can one go about achieving this?
WHAT DOES A WESTERN STUDENTS SCHEDULE LOOK LIKE?
After being GRILLED about memorizing Qur'an.. how do I go about studying the other fields? What should I Give priority to?

etc. answering all these important questions

Utilizing Fajr and off time; between uni studies, and specific days to study - or extracurricular activites and 'general lectures' and choosing how to prioritize and make ones schedule, etc.



I could write more but I hope insha'aAllah we students come together and WRITE up a PIECE with the approval of instructors and publish it. As we all can help with something tangible to give,

when someone asks next time..

"ya akhi/ya ukhti HOW can i be a student of knowledge here?"

We can have a different answer other than "dude go to madinah,

or read x book written by famous shaykh" - which is not practical for that person.

We can hand them

an AlMaghrib Institute Teacher Approved and Published- Student prepared Guide and Syllabus.

- How to be a successful memorizer of Qur'an in the west
- Pitfalls in steps to knowledge
- Perfecting one's niyyah
- how to pracitcally achieve study habits alongside Uni studies!
- finding balance
- the practical aspect of knowledge in the west.
- how to make a proper schedule
- how to avoid distractions
- Fiqh of Priorities (fiqh al awlawiyaat)

etc
(all this in addition to any institutes, we attend of course)

I know this will be covered insha'aAllah as well in 'Ilm Summit. So insha'aAllah those students who Allah blessed them to go, take good notes!

And we can compile insha'aAllah something for Ummat Muhammad and so many can benefit from..

wAllahu 'alam

Subhanallah!! I have looooong way to go. :(......Then again there's Allah on my side....:)

May Allah make it easier for all of us to becoming students of knowledge& make us among his Khalifa on earth...Ameen ya Rabb!

[Asha]

Subhanallah!! I have looooong way to go. :(......Then again there's Allah on my side....:)

May Allah make it easier for all of us to becoming students of knowledge& make us among his Khalifa on earth...Ameen ya Rabb!
Tell me about it! :(

and Ameen to your dua!!!

[DesertShip]

o wow subhanAllah AMEEEN!

[Sr.Sara]

the most important step involves listening to this (http://audioislam.com//audio/identity/knowledge/etiquettes_of_student_of_knowledge.mp3) if you haven't already done so.

Ibn al-Mubaarak used to say, "The beginning of knowledge is the intention, then listening, then understanding, then action, then preservation, and then spreading it."

and

Ibn al-Mubaarak said, "I studied adab for 30 years and I studied knowledge for 20 years."

[Tuwaylib]

l-Khatib al-Baghdadi Advises the Young Student of Knowledge

In al-Khatib al-Baghdadi's 'Mukhtasar Nasihah ila Ahl al-Hadith' (which can be found in the collection 'Majmu'at Rasa'il fi 'Ulum al-Hadith'; p. 109-126), two good pieces of advice stick out:

First, he speaks about the importance of studying Islam from an early age:

"I wrote this book specifically for the student of Hadith, and for everyone in general. What I am about say is an advice from me to him, out of jealousy for him: he should distinguish himself from the one who is pleased with ignorance for himself, and has nobody to assist him in finding the people of virtue. Likewise, he should look to what he spends most of his time in, and what most of his life has been dedicated towards - of the books of the ahadith of the Messenger of Allah, collecting them, researching knowledge of what he has been commanded with, of what is halal, haram, specific, general, obligatory, preferred, permissible, warned against, abrogating, abrogated, etc. from the various types of knowledge, before the time passes in which he has the ability to do this.

It has been narrated from ash-Shafi'i that he said:

"Obtain knowledge before you are tasked with high positions in life, because when you are tasked with positions, there is no way to obtaining knowledge."

It is narrated that Abu Muhammad al-Maruzi said: "It was said that the mud will swallow up the ring so long as it is still soft. In other words, knowledge should be sought after when one is still young, fresh age."

And it has been reported that Amir al-Mu'minin 'Umar bin al-Khattab said: "Gain knowledge before you are given positions of leadership."

Regarding this statement of 'Umar, Abu 'Ubayd (al-Qasim bin Sallam) said: "Learn the knowledge while you are young, before you become leaders to whom others look up. If you do not learn at this age, you will become ashamed to learn when you are older, and you will remain ignorant, and will be forced to take your knowledge from those who are younger than you, and you will be belittled for this."

Second, he mentioned the danger of abandoning taking knowledge from elder scholars, and instead taking it from the youth:

"...and it was narrated that 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud said: "The people will remain upon good so long as they take their knowledge from those who are older then them, those they trust, and their scholars. If they take their knowledge from those who are younger and evil, they are destroyed."

'Abdullah bin Muslim bin Qutaybah asked about this statement of Ibn Mas'ud's, to which he was told: "It means that the people will remain upon good so long as their scholars are older, and not newcomers, as the older one has passed by the enjoyment, hastiness, and foolishness of his youth, and has been granted experience and insight. So, no doubts enter upon his knowledge, and he is not overtaken by his desires, and he is not swayed by greed, and Satan will not cause him to slip as he does with the newcomer."

ِAnd Ibn Hajar said that it is authentically narrated that 'Umar said: "The people will be corrupted as soon as knowledge comes from the young, and the elder one is rebelled against."

compiled and translated by Abu Sabayah

[bintamina]

MashaAllah, very beneficial. BarakAllahu feek.

In this same vein, Al Khateeb Al Baghdaadee has a very beneficial book, Knowledge Mandates Action, which would inshaAllah be highly recommended for anyone wishing to traverse the path to seek knowledge. Also, Shaykh 'Uthaymeen's Book of Knowledge is amazing, maashaAllaah.

Wa Salamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatu

[safa_709]

dont know if this has been said before....but increasing one's ibadah, worship, and nawafil to get closer to Allah (swt). Some of these may include-

praying qiyaam, salatul duha, and salatul awabeen
fasting (mons, thurs, and 3 white days of each month)
dhikr (morning/evening, and constantly keep on tongue)
quran reading/reviewing daily
charity even if its a small amount, try to donate as much as possible
improving character like increasing patience, goodness with ppl, etc

[Sistamatic]

Wow..I wonder why I never saw this thread before. It is extremely beneficial mashaallah.

I have a question though... When can one start calling themselves a student of knowledge?

[Amatullah]

Seriously Sistamatic!



I could write more but I hope insha'aAllah we students come together and WRITE up a PIECE with the approval of instructors and publish it. As we all can help with something tangible to give,

when someone asks next time..

"ya akhi/ya ukhti HOW can i be a student of knowledge here?"

We can have a different answer other than "dude go to madinah,

or read x book written by famous shaykh" - which is not practical for that person.

We can hand them

an AlMaghrib Institute Teacher Approved and Published- Student prepared Guide and Syllabus.

- How to be a successful memorizer of Qur'an in the west
- Pitfalls in steps to knowledge
- Perfecting one's niyyah
- how to pracitcally achieve study habits alongside Uni studies!
- finding balance
- the practical aspect of knowledge in the west.
- how to make a proper schedule
- how to avoid distractions
- Fiqh of Priorities (fiqh al awlawiyaat)

etc
(all this in addition to any institutes, we attend of course)

I know this will be covered insha'aAllah as well in 'Ilm Summit. So insha'aAllah those students who Allah blessed them to go, take good notes!

And we can compile insha'aAllah something for Ummat Muhammad and so many can benefit from..

wAllahu 'alamI would really like to work on this inshaAllah.

Let's get something going and we can get our shuyookh to approve it inshaAllah.

I can think of a few sources right now for each of those points and I would like to compile them bi'ithnillah. I have an article on learning Arabic in the West which alhamdulillah was looked over and approved by br Nouman (of Bayyinah). I know we have many huffadh here mashaAllah who can work on a combined method of memorizing. I believe it is Shaykh Salman al Oadah who has a treatise on pitfalls to seeking knowledge...much more out there inshaAllah.

Who's with me?

[Atif]

I totally agree. This guide also needs to include an ordered book list.
The shuyookh tell us about a time where there were no books in English...now there's so many books (some of them with duplicate info)....a muslim can waste a lot of time/money buying and reading books that aren't of a priority to them.

[Tuwaylib]

Wow..I wonder why I never saw this thread before. It is extremely beneficial mashaallah.

I have a question though... When can one start calling themselves a student of knowledge?
Dont worry about the labels. Its all a fad. I met people in Madeenah who have barely started growing beards who would be considered 'Allaamahs here.

When people like Sh. Al-Albani consider themselves only students where are we?


Sh. Bakr abu zaid has a good book on talab al 'ilm its translated too. As a note when one learns arabic the doors of knowledge open up and you start seeing who the scholars are because you are not constricted to English speaking people.

[Ahmed Ibn Hassan]

MashaAllah.

From what I've seen from people i know they started something small (practice) it could be anything perfecting your nawafil acts and being consistent, or some i know have developed this love & relationship with the quran. What ever you do at first a student of knowledge has to think that whatever I'm doing it will all be worthless if it's not done with the correct niyaa.

- Read your history (Islamic History). The great scholars in Islam their lives as youth & their development as thalibul ilm.

- Start with the Quran. I've asked many teachers in this institute one of the recurring theme was the fact that memorizing/learning the Quran is essential in your pathway of becoming a knowledge person or at least a student. Then after Lugtu'al Arabi understanding it because most of our deen is based on it. It will only be to our benefit once we use it to earn the pleasure of Allah, and understand the Quran better.

- Your an All-Star Muslim! A muslim is a unique he doesn't just focus on one aspect of the deen and neglect the rest, he uses the niima Allah gave him as a whole to benefit not only himself but his family/ community/ and beyond. A good way to see how much you retained of the knowledge or how much you know is if you can teach it to others? You learn while you teach, is an on-going process. You'll never fully know what learn until you teach it to others.

- Make dua (this should be first).

inshaAllah i think most of it was mention already, alhumdulilha.