Author's Introduction — Taʿlīm al-Mutaʿallim

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Praise be to Allah who distinguished the children of Adam over all the world through knowledge and action; and blessings and peace be upon Muḥammad, the master of Arabs and non-Arabs, and upon his family and companions — the springs of knowledge and wisdom.

From the editors

All praise returns to Allah for two favours that particularly define human nobility: ʿilm and ʿamal. Knowledge here is not mere information; ʿamal is not every movement in creation. Animals act, and the Qurʾān tells us every thing glorifies Allah in a way we do not grasp — yet accountable, chosen action is specific to the children of Adam. That is the kind of ʿamal intended.

Knowledge without practice is a weight of responsibility; together, knowledge and deed are meant to bear fruit. A familiar image in our tradition likens ʿilm to a tree and deeds to its fruit — the fruit shows whether the tree was truly sound.

The prayer and greeting upon the Prophet ﷺ belongs to him as sayyid of Arabs and non-Arabs: leadership in guidance and mercy, not chauvinism. Upon his family and companions the author bestows a beautiful title — springs, yanābīʿ, of knowledge and wisdom. What we study in books and circles is not an abstract hobby; it is fed by that fountain. Keep that line of inheritance in mind whenever you open a classical text.

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To proceed..

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فَلَمَّا

، — — ؛ ، وَ ، ،

When I observed that many students of knowledge in our time strive towards knowledge yet do not reach it, and are deprived of its benefits and fruits — which are acting upon it and spreading it — because they have missed its path and abandoned its conditions; for whoever misses the path goes astray and does not attain the goal, whether it be small or great,

From the editors

This sentence is dense: the main clause to grasp first is deprivation (yuḥramūn) from the benefits and fruits of knowledge. The appositive clause (“namely acting on it and spreading it”) names what those fruits are. Without ʿamal and nashr, knowledge does not yield what Allah made it for.

The diagnosis is not laziness alone; it is misreading the path (aḫṭaʾū ṭarīqah) and neglecting its conditions (tarakū sharaʾiṭah). “Whoever misses the path strays” (ḍalla) — in study, that often means failing to reach one’s aim, not only creedal error. Even a small aim (e.g. learning Arabic) fails without correct method.

In discussion, name two fruits plainly: living what you learn, and not hoarding benefit — spreading sound knowledge is part of the fruit. Modern questions about publishing rights belong with qualified scholars in fiqh and adab; the author’s principle here is spiritual: the dīn is meant to take hold of hearts and lives, which requires both implementation and transmission.

The ḥadīth on seeking a path of knowledge pairs well here: none of the named gates of Paradise is called “knowledge,” because knowledge orders action; those gates belong to the deeds knowledge awakens.

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، أُولِي الْعِلْمِ وَالْحِكَمِ، ، ، ، ،

I desired and wished to clarify for them the path of learning — according to what I have seen in books and heard from my teachers, the people of knowledge and wisdom — hoping for the supplication of those who desire it sincerely, for success and salvation on the Day of Recompense; after having performed istikhāra with Allah Most High regarding it,

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And I named it: 'Taʿlīm al-Mutaʿallim Ṭarīq al-Taʿallum' — Instruction of the Student in the Path of Learning.

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And I arranged it in chapters:

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فَصْلٌ: فِي مَاهِيَّةِ الْعِلْمِ، وَالْفِقْهِ، وَفَضْلِهِ. فَصْلٌ: فِي النِّيَّةِ فِي حَالِ التَّعَلُّمِ. فَصْلٌ: فِي اخْتِيَارِ الْعِلْمِ، وَالْأُسْتَاذِ، وَالشَّرِيكِ، وَالثَّبَاتِ. فَصْلٌ: فِي تَعْظِيمِ الْعِلْمِ وَأَهْلِهِ. فَصْلٌ: فِي الْجِدِّ وَالْمُوَاظَبَةِ وَالْهِمَّةِ. فَصْلٌ: فِي بِدَايَةِ السَّبْقِ وَقَدْرِهِ وَتَرْتِيبِهِ. فَصْلٌ: فِي التَّوَكُّلِ. فَصْلٌ: فِي وَقْتِ التَّحْصِيلِ. فَصْلٌ: فِي الشَّفَقَةِ وَالنَّصِيحَةِ. فَصْلٌ: فِي الِاسْتِفَادَةِ وَاقْتِبَاسِ الْأَدَبِ. فَصْلٌ: فِي الْوَرَعِ فِي حَالَةِ التَّعَلُّمِ. فَصْلٌ: فِيمَا يُورِثُ الْحِفْظَ، وَفِيمَا يُورِثُ النِّسْيَانَ. فَصْلٌ: فِيمَا يَجْلِبُ الرِّزْقَ، وَفِيمَا يَمْنَعُ، وَمَا يَزِيدُ فِي الْعُمْرِ، وَمَا يُنْقِصُ.

Chapter on the Nature of Knowledge, Fiqh, and Their Excellence. Chapter on Intention While Seeking Knowledge. Chapter on Choosing the Field, Teacher, Partner, and Steadfastness. Chapter on Honouring Knowledge and Its People. Chapter on Diligence, Perseverance, and Aspiration. Chapter on Starting the Lesson, Its Scope, and Arrangement. Chapter on Reliance upon Allah. Chapter on the Time for Acquiring Knowledge. Chapter on Compassion and Sincere Counsel. Chapter on Benefiting and Acquiring Proper Conduct. Chapter on Piety and Scrupulousness During Learning. Chapter on What Produces Memory and What Produces Forgetfulness. Chapter on What Brings Sustenance and What Increases or Decreases Lifespan.

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And my success is only through Allah — upon Him I rely and to Him I turn.

مُقَدِّمَةُ الْمُصَنِّفِ