Some of them related a hadith in this chapter on the authority of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings upon him, that he said: Whoever does not practice scrupulousness in his learning, Allah Most High will try him with one of three things: either He causes him to die young, or He casts him into country districts (for tax duty), or He tries him with service to rulers. The more scrupulous the seeker is, the more beneficial his knowledge, the easier learning becomes for him, and the greater its fruits.
تعليم المتعلمal-Zarnūjīفِي الْوَرَعِ فِي حَالَةِ التَّعَلُّمِ
On Scrupulousness (Warʿ) While Learning
Perfect scrupulousness includes guarding against satiety, too much sleep, and pointless chatter; and avoiding market food when possible — for market fare is likelier to be filthy and corrupt, further from remembering Allah and closer to heedlessness; and because poor people's eyes fall on it though they cannot afford it, so they are hurt and its blessing departs.
It is related that the eminent Imām Shaykh Muḥammad ibn al-Faḍl, while studying, would not eat market food. His father lived in the rural districts, prepared food for him, and would visit him on Friday; one day he saw market bread in his son's house and, angry with his son, did not speak to him. The son apologized and said: I did not buy it nor approve it — my companion brought it. His father said: Had you been cautious and scrupulous about such things, your companion would not have dared do that.
وَهَكَذَا كَانُوا يَتَوَرَّعُونَ فَلِذَلِكَ وُفِّقُوا لِلْعِلْمِ وَالنَّشْرِ حَتَّى بَقِيَ اسْمُهُمْ إلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ.
Thus they used to be scrupulous; therefore they were granted success in knowledge and dissemination until their names endure to the Day of Resurrection.
وَوَصَّى فَقِيهٌ مِنْ زُهَّادِ الْفُقَهَاءِ طَالِبَ الْعِلْمِ أَنْ يَتَحَرَّزَ عَنِ الْغِيبَةِ وَعَنْ مُجَالَسَةِ الْمِكْثَارِ، وَقَالَ: مَنْ يُكْثِرُ الْكَلَامَ يَسْرِقُ عُمْرَكَ وَيُضِيعُ أَوْقَاتَكَ.
A jurist among the ascetic scholars advised the seeker of knowledge to avoid backbiting and sitting with chronic talkers, saying: Whoever talks much steals your lifetime and wastes your hours.
وَمِنَ الْوَرَعِ أَنْ يَجْتَنِبَ أَهْلَ الْفَسَادِ وَالْمَعَاصِي وَالتَّعْطِيلِ، [وَيُجَاوِرَ الصَّالِحِينَ] فَإِنَّ الْمُجَاوَرَةَ مُؤَثِّرَةٌ، وَأَنْ يَجْلِسَ مُسْتَقْبِلَ الْقِبْلَةِ وَيَكُونَ مُسْتَنًّا بِسُنَّةِ النَّبِيِّ عَلَيْهِ الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ، وَيَغْتَنِمَ دَعْوَةَ أَهْلِ الْخَيْرِ، وَيَتَحَرَّزَ عَنْ دَعْوَةِ الْمَظْلُومِينَ.
Scrupulousness also means shunning people of corruption, sin, and idle folly; [and living near the righteous], for neighborhood has strong effect; sitting facing the qibla and adhering to the Prophet's Sunna, peace and blessings upon him; accepting invitations of the righteous; and avoiding invitations of the wronged (lest one share their burden).
وَحُكِيَ أَنَّ رَجُلَيْنِ خَرَجَا فِي طَلَبِ الْعِلْمِ لِلْغُرْبَةِ وَكَانَا شَرِيكَيْنِ فَرَجَعَا بَعْدَ سِنِينَ إلَى بَلَدِهِمَا وَقَدْ فَقِهَ أَحَدُهُمَا وَلَمْ يَفْقَهِ الْآخَرُ، فَتَأَمَّلَ فُقَهَاءُ الْبِلَادِ وَسُئِلُوا عَنْ حَالِهِمَا وَتَكْرَارِهِمَا وَجُلُوسِهِمَا فَأَخْبَرُوا أَنَّ جُلُوسَ الَّذِي تَفَقَّهَ فِي حَالِ التَّكْرَارِ كَانَ مُسْتَقْبِلَ الْقِبْلَةِ وَالْمِصْرَ الَّذِي [حَصَلَ الْعِلْمُ فِيهِ] وَالْآخَرُ كَانَ مُسْتَدْبِرَ الْقِبْلَةِ وَوَجْهُهُ إلَى غَيْرِ الْمِصْرِ. فَاتَّفَقَ الْعُلَمَاءُ وَالْفُقَهَاءُ أَنَّ الْفَقِيهَ فَقِهَ بِبَرَكَةِ اسْتِقْبَالِ الْقِبْلَةِ إذْ هِيَ السُّنَّةُ فِي الْجُلُوسِ إلَّا عِنْدَ الضَّرُورَةِ، وَبِبَرَكَةِ دُعَاءِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ فَإِنَّ الْمِصْرَ لَا يَخْلُو مِنَ الْعُبَّادِ وَأَهْلِ الْخَيْرِ وَالزُّهْدِ، فَالظَّاهِرُ أَنَّ عَابِدًا دَعَا لَهُ فِي اللَّيْلِ.
It is related that two men set out as partners for knowledge in a foreign land; after years they returned home and one had mastered fiqh while the other had not. The jurists of the town considered their states, lesson repetition, and seating and reported that the one who gained fiqh during lessons sat facing the qibla and toward the city where knowledge was obtained [where knowledge was acquired], while the other sat with his back to the qibla and his face away from that city. Scholars agreed the jurist succeeded by the blessing of facing the qibla — the Sunna in sitting except when necessary — and by Muslims' supplication, for a great city is not empty of worshippers and folk of virtue and renunciation; so plainly some devout man prayed for him by night.
فَيَنْبَغِي لِطَالِبِ الْعِلْمِ أَلَّا يَتَهَاوَنَ بِالْآدَابِ وَالسُّنَنِ، وَمَنْ تَهَاوَنَ بِالْأَدَبِ حُرِمَ السُّنَنَ، وَمَنْ تَهَاوَنَ بِالسُّنَنِ حُرِمَ الْفَرَائِضَ، وَمَنْ تَهَاوَنَ بِالْفَرَائِضِ حُرِمَ الْآخِرَةَ. وَبَعْضُهُمْ قَالُوا بِهَذَا حَدِيثًا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ.
So the seeker of knowledge must not be lax about good manners and Sunna ways: whoever is lax about manners is deprived of Sunna; whoever is lax about Sunna is deprived of obligatory duties; whoever is lax about duties is deprived of the Hereafter. Some of them cited a hadith to this effect from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings upon him.
وَيَنْبَغِي أَنْ يُكْثِرَ الصَّلَاةَ، وَيُصَلِّيَ صَلَاةَ الْخَاشِعِينَ، فَإِنَّ ذَلِكَ عَوْنٌ لَهُ عَلَى التَّحْصِيلِ وَالتَّعَلُّمِ.
He should pray abundantly and perform the prayer of the humble, for that helps him acquire and learn.
وَأَنْشَدَتْ لِلشَّيْخِ الْإِمَامِ الْجَلِيلِ الزَّاهِدِ الْحَجَّاجِ نَجْمِ الدِّينِ عُمَرَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ النَّسَفِي شِعْرًا:
كُنْ لِلْأَوَامِرِ وَالنَّوَاهِي حَافِظًاوَعَلَى الصَّلَاةِ مُوَاظِبًا وَمُحَافِظًاوَاطْلُبْ عُلُومَ الشَّرْعِ وَاجْهَدْ وَاسْتَعِنْبِالطَّيِّبَاتِ تَصِرُّ فَقِيهًا حَافِظًاوَاسْأَلْ إِلَهَكَ حَفْظَ حِفْظِكَ رَاغِبًامِنْ فَضْلِهِ فَاللهُ خَيْرٌ حَافِظًاThe following was recited concerning Shaykh Imām, the eminent ascetic al-Ḥajjāj Najm al-Dīn ʿUmar ibn Muḥammad al-Nasafī: / Be keeper of commands and prohibitions; / Assiduous and watchful in prayer. / Seek the sciences of the Sharīʿa — strive and seek help; / Through wholesome ways you become a preserving jurist. / Ask your God, desiring protection of your memorization; / From His bounty — Allah is the best guardian.
وَقَالَ رَحْمَةُ اللهِ عَلَيْهِ:
أَطِيعُوا وَجِدُوا وَلَا تَكْسَلُواوَأَنْتُمْ إلَى رَبِّكُمْ تَرْجِعُونَوَلَا تَهْجَعُوا فَخِيَارُ الْوَرَىقَلِيلًا مِنَ اللَّيْلِ مَا يَهْجَعُونَHe said, may Allah have mercy on him: / Obey, show zeal, and do not slack — you shall return to your Lord. / And do not lie down (overmuch): the best of folk / Rest but little in the night.
وَيَنْبَغِي أَنْ يَسْتَصْحِبَ دَفْتَرًا عَلَى كُلِّ حَالٍ لِيُطَالِعَهُ. وَقِيلَ: مَنْ لَمْ يَكُنِ الدَّفْتَرُ فِي كُمِّهِ لَمْ تَثْبُتِ الْحِكْمَةُ فِي قَلْبِهِ.
He should keep a notebook with him always to review. It is said: If the notebook is not in his sleeve, wisdom does not settle in his heart.
وَيَنْبَغِي أَنْ يَكُونَ فِي الدَّفْتَرِ بَيَاضٌ وَيَسْتَصْحِبَ الْمِحْبَرَةَ لِيَكْتُبَ مَا يَسْمَعُ مِنَ الْعُلَمَاءِ. وَقَدْ ذَكَرْنَا حَدِيثَ هِلَالِ بْنِ يَسَارٍ.
There should be blank paper in the notebook, and he should carry ink to write what he hears from the scholars. We have already mentioned the hadith of Hilāl ibn Yasār.