The student should be gaining benefit every moment until excellence and completion in knowledge are his. The path of benefiting is to keep writing materials always at hand to record scholarly points as you hear them.
تعليم المتعلمal-Zarnūjīفِي الِاسْتِفَادَةِ وَاقْتِبَاسِ الْأَدَبِ
On Benefiting from Knowledge and Taking on Sound Adab
It is said: Whoever only memorises scatters (forgets); whoever writes rests secure.
It is said: Knowledge is what is taken from men's mouths — for they retain best what they hear, and speak best what they retain.
وَسَمِعْتُ عَنْ شَيْخِ الْإِمَامِ الْأَدِيبِ الْأُسْتَاذِ زَيْنِ الْإِسْلَامِ الْمَعْرُوفِ بِالْأَدِيبِ الْمُخْتَارِ يَقُولُ: قَالَ هِلَالُ بْنُ زَيْدِ بْنِ يَسَارٍ: رَأَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ لِأَصْحَابِهِ شَيْئًا مِنَ الْعِلْمِ وَالْحِكْمَةِ، فَقُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ أَعِدْ عَلَيَّ مَا قُلْتَ لَهُمْ، فَقَالَ لِي: هَلْ مَعَكَ مِحْبَرَةٌ؟ فَقُلْتُ: مَا مَعِي مِحْبَرَةٌ، فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ: يَا هِلَالُ لَا تُفَارِقُ الْمِحْبَرَةَ لِأَنَّ الْخَيْرَ فِيهَا وَفِي أَهْلِهَا إلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ.
I heard from the master-adīb Zayn al-Islām, known as al-Adīb al-Mukhtār, that Hilāl ibn Zayd ibn Yasār said: I saw the Prophet ﷺ teach his Companions something of knowledge and wisdom, so I said: Messenger of Allah, repeat for me what you told them. He asked: Do you have writing gear? I said I did not. He said: O Hilāl, never part from the inkwell — good lies in it and its people until the Day of Resurrection.
وَوَصَّى الصَّدْرُ الشَّهِيدُ حِسَامُ الدِّينُ ابْنَهُ شَمْسَ الدِّينَ أَنْ يَحْفَظَ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ شَيْئًا مِنَ الْعِلْمِ وَالْحِكْمَةِ فَإِنَّهُ سَهْلٌ، وَعَنْ قَرِيبٍ يَكُونُ كَثِيرًا.
The martyred ṣadr Ḥusām al-Dīn counselled his son Shams al-Dīn to memorise something of knowledge and wisdom every day — it is easy, and soon becomes much.
وَاشْتَرَى عِصَامُ بْنُ يُوسُفَ قَلَمًا بِدِينَارٍ لِيَكْتُبَ مَا يَسْمَعُهُ فِي الْحَالِ، فَالْعُمْرُ قَصِيرٌ وَالْعِلْمُ كَثِيرٌ.
ʿIṣām ibn Yūsuf bought a pen for a dinār so he could instantly record what he heard — life is short, knowledge vast.
فَيَنْبَغِي أَنْ لَا يُضِيعَ طَالِبُ الْعِلْمِ الْأَوْقَاتَ وَالسَّاعَاتِ وَيَغْتَنِمُ اللَّيَالِيَ وَالْخَلَوَاتِ.
So waste neither hours nor moments; seize nights and solitude for study.
يُحْكَى عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ مُعَاذٍ الرَّازِيِّ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: اللَّيْلُ طَوِيلٌ فَلَا تُقَصِّرْهُ بِمَنَامِكَ، وَالنَّهَارُ مُضِيءٌ فَلَا تُكَدِّرْهُ بِآثَامِكَ.
Yaḥyā ibn Muʿādh al-Rāzī, it is said, remarked: The night is long — do not cut it short with sleep; the day is bright — do not cloud it with sins.
وَيَنْبَغِي أَنْ يَغْتَنِمَ الْمَشَايِخَ وَيَسْتَفِيدَ مِنْهُمْ، وَلَيْسَ كُلُّ مَا فَاتَ يُدْرَكُ، كَمَا قَالَ أُسْتَاذُنَا شَيْخُ الْإِسْلَامِ فِي مَشْيَخَتِهِ: كَمْ مِنْ شَيْخٍ كَبِيرٍ أَدْرَكْتُهُ وَمَا اسْتَخْبَرْتُهُ.
Seize your shaykhs and draw from them — not every missed meeting can be made up. Our master Shaykh al-Islām said in listing his own masters: How many great shaykhs I reached in their lifetimes yet never consulted for their knowledge.
وَأَقُولُ عَلَى هَذَا الْفَوْتِ مُنْشِئًا هَذَا الْبَيْتَ:
لَهْفًا عَلَى فَوْتِ التَّلَاقِي لَهْفًامَا كُلُّ مَا فَاتَ وَيَفْنَى يُلْقَىOn this regret I weave this verse: / Alas for meetings missed — alas! / Not everything that passes and perishes is found again.
قَالَ عَلِيٌّ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ: إذَا كُنْتَ فِي أَمْرٍ فَكُنْ فِيهِ. وَكَفَى بِالْإِعْرَاضِ عَنْ عِلْمِ اللهِ خِزْيًا وَخَسَارًا وَاسْتَعِذْ بِاللهِ مِنْهُ لَيْلًا وَنَهَارًا.
ʿAlī, may Allah be pleased with him, said: When you are engaged in a matter, be wholly in it. Turning away from Allah's knowledge brings only shame and loss — seek refuge in Allah from that by night and day (as the author adds).
وَلَا بُدَّ لِطَالِبِ الْعِلْمِ مِنْ تَحَمُّلِ الْمَشَقَّةِ وَالْمَذَلَّةِ فِي طَلَبِ الْعِلْمِ، وَالتَّمَلُّقُ مَذْمُومٌ إلَّا فِي طَلَبِ الْعِلْمِ فَإِنَّهُ لَا بُدَّ لَهُ مِنَ التَّمَلُّقِ لِلْأُسْتَاذِ وَالشَّرِيكِ وَغَيْرِهِمْ لِلِاسْتِفَادَةِ مِنْهُمْ.
Seeking knowledge costs hardship and humble bearing. Flattery is blameworthy except in seeking knowledge — there one must show deference to teacher and partners to truly benefit.
وَقِيلَ: الْعِلْمُ عِزٌّ لَا ذُلَّ فِيهِ، لَا يُدْرَكُ إلَّا بِذُلٍّ لَا عِزَّ فِيهِ.
It is said: Knowledge is nobility without baseness within it — yet it is reached only through humility that knows no pride.
وَقَالَ الْقَائِلُ:
أَرَى لَكَ نَفْسًا تَشْتَهِي أَنْ تُعِزَّهَافَلَسْتَ تَنَالُ الْعِزَّ حَتَّى تُذِلَّهَاA poet said: / I see you have a soul you long to honour — / yet you will not reach honour until you humble it.