Question:
And this is an important question specifically from one who is a beginner, it says:
What does the student of knowledge begin studying; The sciences of Hadeeth or Arabic Grammar? If he is not able to combine between the two! And does he suffice with studying one text?
Answer:
It’s a must for him to have a concern with handwriting. For verily he is able to read and write (through that). So if he can read and write, he cuts an important path in his beginning.
Then it’s a must for him to have a concern with the Qur’aan, memorizing it along with Tajweed. And if he took his share from this he has cut his path in opening a wide door which is good for knowledge by the bounty of Allaah, and it is the foundation of knowledge and it’s origin in the Qur’aan and taking concern with it. And during memorizing the Qur’aan and likewise studying Tajweed he adds to that what would expand his mind from the other sciences.
So he takes from the language what will enable him to correct his tongue. It’s a must that he take from the language what will correct his tongue. And he will pronounce with it a correct pronunciation. If he takes ‘Tuhfah’ (Beginning Ajroomiyyah Book) and understands it, and ‘Mutamimmah’ (The Completion of Ajroomiyyah) and understands it, and ‘Qatr An-Nadaa’ and understands it. I see verily that he insha’Allaah will correct his tongue very well. If he understands ‘Qatr An-Nadaa’ a good understanding. If he adds to it some texts through what he is memorising, his grasping will expand just like what he is reading, like ‘Alfiyyah Ibn Maalik’ (The Last Book of Ajroomiyyah) with its explanation, otherwise ‘Qatr An-Nadaa’ if he understood it well, no problem, this is very beautiful. ‘Tuhfah’, he understands it, and ‘Mutamimmah Al-Ajroomiyyah’, and he reads it’s explanation, he looks over ‘Kawaakib Ad-Duriyyah’, and likewise ‘Qatr-An-Nadaa’, he will be upon good. Rather if he teaches those, he will be considered from the ones who understand Grammar. If he learnt and teaches those, he will be considered from the ones who understand Grammar. He needs the ‘Shawaahid of Ibn Maalik’ which is very excellent, and he takes from it what supports.
For those who love Grammar from himself, he is engrossed in it. So it’s a must for that. We say it’s a must for verily he will become crooked in speech. How can a Khateeb be crooked in speech, and how can a teacher be crooked in speech, especially if he didn’t take anything from it, he will censor himself, and he won’t understand a lot of the knowledge based affairs, even in Tafseer, even in Aqeedah, Zamakhshari, when he was well grounded in language, Zamakhshari is well grounded, he inserted his I’tizaal, (Aqeedah of Mu’tazilah) a corrupt Aqeedah in our midst due to language, the language went through it.
Until there came one who removed that I’tizaal with tweezers from his book ‘a ‘Al-Kashaaf’, it’s considered one word like so, he hides it and uses it as a weapon.
And that one comes and alerts to it that indeed he intented so and so, and this is where he’s alluring to with this. He removed I’tizaal with tweezers from one who has knowledge of the language. So the point is that language is important.
So after you take from language and during that take also from Aqeedah and become well grounded in it BaarakAllaahu Feek. Give concern to Aqeedah. Tawheed, take from it a number of texts in Tawheed. Take number of texts in Aqeedah. With precisive studying, and this is important, for verily you can weigh with this Aqeedah the truth from the falsehood. You can determine the truth and falsehood, the false Aqeedah, the true Aqeedah, the false statement, the true statement, and the like of that in Aqeedah, and Mustalah (Science of Hadeeth) it’s a tool not the end, and grammar likewise is a means from the means not the end.
But Aqeedah and Fiqh and Hadeeth and the Qur’aan, these are the end goal. The Qur’aan is an end goal until you die you are with the Qur’aan and it’s sciences, pondering over and it’s Fiqh.
And the Sunnah is a end goal and you are in concern with it, and you seek understanding with it and what is of that nature.
And likewise Aqeedah is a end goal, you die and you are researching in some Masaa’il (topics) and you investigate it an understand it and you become familiar with it, for these sciences are considered and end goal. Grammar take from it some sciences and some texts it will be a means for you to understand with it those end goals and well grounded in it.
And Mustalah, take from it some sciences and some texts and some things to memorize, you understand with it those end goals in Hadeeth and ‘Ilal of Hadeeths and Researching, Researching research is important, for it is also from what’s included in the knowledge of Hadeeth and knowledge of Mustalah. And by Mustalah, you know Hadeeth, so it is a means to it, The sciences of Hadeeth and Usool (Fundamentals ) of Hadeeth. Just like how by the Usool of Fiqh you understand Fiqh and you understand what it necessitates. Just like how through the knowledge of Grammar you understand numerous means in this and in other than it. Al-Usool is included in that, and Mustalah in some of it’s terminologies is included in that, Aqeedah and Tafseer; all of it, and Arabic language.
Tasreef (Sarf) take from it what Allaah makes easy from words of Sarf. Even if a person were to take in Usool Al-Fiqh for example: ‘Ar-Risaalah’ of Ibn Uthaymeen ‘Al-Usool min ‘Ilmil-Usool’, and take likewise ‘Al-Mudhakkirah Usool Al-Fiqh’ and he understood the likes of these two books and he adds to that the poem of Al-‘Imreeti with understanding it or ‘Al-Waraqaat’ which is it origin, it will be that he took good and it suffices in this area.
He will add onto throughout his researches, he needs and is compelled to add to that consensus in Usool, and he adds for example sciences like ‘Ar-Risaalah’ of Ash-Shafi’ee and reading in the book ‘Ihkaam ul-Ahkaam’ by Ibn Hazm, like the book ‘Rawdhat An-Naadhir’, he will read in it, he needs to look over it. Like ‘Ma’aalam Fi Usool Al-Fiqh’ by Al-Jayzaani, in it is good speech, good transmissions. And the likes of these are added to it. There are summarized researches in Usool he could look into while having these Usool, and he has a foundation, he understands with it.
‘Ikhtisaar Uloomul-Hadeeth Fi Mustalah al-Hadeeth’, and this is a blessed poem which is ‘Al-Bayqooniyyah’, this blessed poem Subhaan Allaah!?, in it is Barakah, above 34 it came as the author mentioned, and with that if the beginner student understands and studied it and understands it the student and it becomes understood with him, it opens his mind for the sciences of Hadeeth, and ‘Nukhbat al-Fikar’ is good, and the book of adh-Dhahabi ‘Al-Mawqidhah’, is easy, good, come with ‘Al-Mawqidhah’, and some good commentary on it without digressing and expanding too much.
And likewise BaarakAllaahu Feekum, if he wants to read ‘Qasb As-Sukar’ because it is easy upon him an memorizes it he recites it like that on his path; these things are good.
This way will benefit you and it is Usool. You can understand ‘Tadreeb ar-Raawi’, if you read it or look over it, even if you studied it you can reach it with ease, and before that maybe you can look over the text itself ‘Taqreeb an-Nawawi’, we read it , it’s a good book ‘Taqreeb’, comment on it and take from ‘At-Tadreeb’ by summarized commentary, it will come out excellent for the student
For Suyooti expanded in ‘At-Tadreeb’, he expanded a lot it can overwhelm the beginner, But if you were to take a paragraph from ‘Al-Qareeb’ and analyzed it, the student understands it then move to a next paragraph…on its chapters until you complete the chapters of ‘At-Taqreeb’, ‘Taqreeb An-Nawawi’, all of this is beautiful, add to it other than it. With ease for the student he cuts his path.
If there remains, he cut his path and if Allaah decreed for him with relocating, he has the crux of knowledge, and the foundations of knowledge, he cuts his path wherever he is, if he is from people of zeal, and Allaah doesn’t busy him with Fitnah, he cuts his path and before he knows it he took from knowledge a portion which he can spread, so he becomes with it beneficial to himself and the Muslims insha’Allaah.
Don’t be dispersed in logic, they exaggerate it you see, they exaggerate that it’s and it’s. Don’t worry about their definitions. Definitions of logic all of it is exaggerated.
Beware! of Philosophy, for verily it’s the foundation of stupidity. You want to be stupid then study in it. This is the foundation of foolishness, Philosophy is foundation of stupidity.
And don’t be busy with knowledge of Kalaam (Rhetoric Speech). Don’t read in books which establish in this a lot. It busies and wastes your mind, it tires your mind for example: ‘Al-Mustasfa’ and ‘Al-Mahsool’ and likewise ‘Irshaad Al-Fuhool’ is filled with this by Shawkaani may Allah have mercy on him and he tackles it and he is strong in tackling but it’s filled with this, ‘Al-Mustasfa’ by Al-Ghazaali, Mahsool Al-Aaamdi, the Shaykh (Muqbil) rahimullah would pass by me and I would be reading in the book ‘Al-Mustasfa’ and he would laugh like the one who saying if you read other than it, it would be better for you.
I attended in some lessons of Usool Al-Fiqh. Look may Allaah bless you, you will take what Allaah intends for you. Two types of greed won’t get full. The greed for knowledge doesn’t get full and the greed for the Dunyaa doesn’t get full.
Look to the greed for the Dunyaa, basically if he had a valley all flowing of gold, all of it silver, gold or silver he will say if only I had another valley. Basically this will be savings and that I will spend from it and be generous, this was informed by our Messenger of Allaah ﷺ:
“لو أن لأحدكم واد من ذهب لابتغى ان يكون له ثانيا”
If one of you had a valley of gold he would wish for a second. And also if he had two he would wish for a third. So this is the greedy the impatient. He doesn’t get full, and you O student of knowledge don’t get full? Laa ilaaha illaa Allaah!. He does become relaxed except he leave this bed. A student of knowledge if he loves knowledge by Allaah he doesn’t become satisfied. He reads and reads and reads. He searches and reads until he topples. He becomes tired until he finds relapse until he finds tiredness. He relaxes a bit or like this and he back up, So he doesn’t become satisfied due to his eagerness for knowledge, he doesn’t become satisfied.
So like this it what the narrations of the Messenger of Allaah ﷺ points towards, he realizes he is ignorant of a lot, like this a student of knowledge realizes he’s ignorant of a lot of issues, he’s needs to know them. He needs to understand them, he needs to look over them, because he hasn’t read a lot of books, he needs to read it and likewise this takes effort, it takes time, it takes mental striving, it takes things and this needs taking advantage.
Take advantage, take advantage O youth! By Allaah take advantage O youth by Allaah in this youth and in energy take advantage of it. It’s more expensive with you than gold. There’s nothing more expensive than your life. Is there anything more expensive than your life?
So then the special moments of life are used in this, as for gathering papers (educational certificates) or gathering small gains or things of the Dunyaa, and you think this is a treasure. This the worst of people attain it and the most sinful of people, and the most wasted of people, the Dunyaa, no matter if it is little or a lot, this is the treasure the treasure the treasure which you progress with in life you don’t become weak in it.
Answered by: Shaykh, the Allamah, the Trustworthy Advisor, Abu Abdirrahman Yahya bin Ali Al-Hajuri – may Allah preserve him
Translated by: Abu Yahyaa Akram bin Jamaal Al-Eritree
Source: https://t.me/sh_yahia_duroos/9647, https://t.me/sh_yahia_duroos/9648