Ilm and Madaaris
Some Adaab of USTADHS
(1) The student should not walk in front of his Ustadh nor should he sit in the place where the Ustadh normally sits. He should not raise his voice in the Ustadhs presence. He should endeavour to understand the attitude and disposition of the Ustadh and act in conformity. If it seems that the Ustadh has been overtaken by some worry then the student should not
question the Ustadh on such occasions. Postpone the query for another time. The student should not impatiently knock at the door of the Ustadh and call him out, but should wait patiently until the Ustadh emerges.
(2) The student should sit humbly in the presence of the Ustadh and listen with attention to what he has to say. He must concentrate and not allow anything to divert his mind from the Ustadh. He should not turn his attention to fellow-students when in the presence of the Ustadh. He should not sit in the presence of his Ustadh with rolled up sleeves or in any form of disrespectful attire. He should not fiddle or fidget with anything when in the presence of the Ustadh. He should not lean against something nor should he unnecessarily cough or clear his throat in the presence of his Ustadh. The degree of his respect for his Ustadh should be so high that he does not even turn the pages of the kitaab noisily in the presence of his Ustadh.
(3) The student should at all times consciously cultivate respect for his Ustadh. He must be obedient and have love for him. He should consider himself to be inferior to his Ustadh. Respect and obedience to Ustadhs should be outstanding features of the student of Deeni knowledge.
(4) The student must hold his Ustadh in high esteem, entertaining good and high opinions of his Ustadh. He must not take offence when the Ustadh rebukes him. He should not allow his heart to be contaminated with any ill-feeling for his Ustadh. At all times he should bear in mind that his Ustadh is his medium for the acquisition of Deeni knowledge and spiritual
advantage which ensues in the wake of such knowledge. He should not, therefore, close this door of the avenue of acquisition by disrespecting his Ustadh. If he allows anything to upset his respect for his Ustadh, the congeniality (munaasabat) and relationship of the heart upon which is dependent the transmission and acquisition of Deeni knowledge, will be eliminated. Suspicion will deprive the student of the fuyoodh and barakaat here on earth and in the Aakhirah the misfortune of such suspicion will apprehend the student.
5) If due to some misfortune the student was disrespectful to the Ustadh, he should make haste and with sincerity and in humility seek the pardon of the Ustadh. He must show genuine regret for his misbehaviour. In this way the Ustadhs heart will open up and the door of faidh will remain open.
(6)The student must not produce the arguments of others in refutation of his Ustadh. Such an attitude is a demonstration of defective reliance on the Ustadh.
(7)If anyone scandals or slanders the Ustadh, the student should refute such calumny and defend his Ustadh. Should the student lack the ability to put up a defence on behalf of his Ustadh, he must dissociate himself from such company involved in slandering his Ustadh.
The above is a brief description of the duties and respects which the student of Deeni knowledge owes his Ustadhs. The student imbued with a noble disposition and proper understanding will automatically perceive and understand the conception of Adaab for the Ustadhs. Our seniors were unique in this regard. Their respect for Ustadhs was outstanding and they were true replicas of the former illustrious Ulama of the early epochs of Islam. Hadhrat Thanvi (rahmatullah alayhi) said that whatever he had gained in the field of ilm was the result of the respect and honour he had for his Ustadhs. Hadhrat Maulana Yaqoob (rahmatullah alayhi) said likewise. Hadhrat Maulana Qaasim Nanotwi (rahmatullah alayhi) said:
He who is disrespectful to his Ustadh will not gain llm.
ISLAH
Another vital requirement is that the student enter into a relationship of islaah (reformation of the self and spiritual development) with some Sheikh or Muslih (a qualified spiritual guide). Without such a relationship the acquisition of knowledge and the proper execution of the demands and conditions of llm is extremely difficult and normally not possible. Ikhlaas (sincerity) is achieved from the suhbat ((companionship) of the Saaliheen (the pious saints). The great blessings emanating from such an association with the Saaliheen are the peculiarities, impressions, characteristics and spiritual effulgence of Jim.
If by the suhbat of the Auliya one does not achieve total reformat-ion, then too, at least the ability to recognize ones faults and shortcomings will be created in one. Such a realization is a sign of ones understanding being influenced by the Noor of llm, and this is the key to prosperity, fortune and success. Minus such pious association there will be no lasting benefit notwithstanding the obtainal of the written words in text books. Alas! Nowadays mere book-knowledge is considered par excellence whereas such superficial knowledge only serves the cause of personal opinion. The Noor of understanding is not obtained in this way. The Noor of understanding is not procurable without a relationship with the Ahlullah. Hadhrat Thanvi (rahmatullah alayhi) used to say:
Nowadays students labour under the impression that they will involve themselves actively in righteousness after accomplishment of the academic career. This is a shaitaani affliction, the consequence of which is to be deprived forever from practicing virtue. Remember that nothing is like the first impression. The knowledge which one gains regarding an act of virtue or vice while engaged in the acquisition of llm produces a significant and a deep effect on the heart. l f one derived benefit by giving practical expression to those early and initial impressions [while acquiring Ilm] then that first and deep effect will endure in the future. But, if the initial effect on the heart was ignored and left to wane into extinction, its renewal will not be simple:
The student should therefore understand well that if during his student days while traversing through the huge volume of pages of the – Quraan and Hadith, the occasions (stated in these pages) and circumstances of targheeb (exhortation and advice) and tarheeb (admonition and warning) register no impact on his heart, then what hope is there for his future? How will exhortation and admonition influence him later in the future? When the student closes his eyes from the very inception, he has no justification in his expectation of gaining the ability in the future for practicing righteousness. If he is not concerned with practicing righteous-ness during his student days, his heart will not be influenced by exhortation and admonition in the post-academic period.
Students sometimes labour under the misconception that what is prohibited for others is permissible for themselves. This idea is a devilish affliction of the nafs. It is conceded that while engaged in the acquisition of knowledge there is not much time for nafl ibaadat and forms of thikr. But, it should be mentioned that this non-availability of time for nafl applies only to such students who are engrossed in their studies. But, this never means that students should be careless about matters pertaining to halaal and haraam. Students are not exempted from the prohibitions and restrictions of the Shariah. They possess no licence to perpetrate falsehood, deception, scandal, slander, complaining, pride, vanity, show, jealousy, and the host of other evils. They dwell in deception by feeling that there is no need for them to be meticulous in the donning of Islamic attire and appearance. They have no right to be negligent and lazy in their Salaat. The following is the special advice which Hadhrat Thanvi (rahmatullah alayhi) offered students of Deeni knowledge:
I exhort students and people of knowledge. not to rely on only academic study. They should as a necessity establish a relationship with a man of Allah.
On page 54 it has been said:
Another fact to remember is that students of western education pay fees for their tuition, boarding and lodging. They, therefore, are entitled to demand what they had paid for if justice is not done to them
This statement does not sanction Strikes in secular institutions. Inspite of secular students having the right to demand what they had paid for, they too, have no right to strike and create anarchy and mischief. They have to resort to orderly and responsible means to achieve their rights. (The author- Hadhrat Masihullah)
SUMMARY
So far the conditions and principles of the acquisition of llm-e-Deen have been discussed. The impediments in the path of acquiring Deeni knowledge will now be discussed. The impediments and drawbacks of Deeni knowledge are listed hereunder:.
Insincerity, corruption of intention, ulterior motives in the pursuit of Ilm, hypocritical attitudes, external and internal sin, evil acts, contemptible attributes, e.g. abstaining from taqwaa and neglecting study, unnecessary association, harmful relationships, futile activity, disrespect for Ustadhs and having no suhbat with the Ahlullah.
The above all constitute serious impediments and destructive influences in the path of knowledge. However, the above are evils and obstacles singly. Then there is one great evil which is a conglomeration of all the abovementioned destructive factors. That act of combined evils is called a strike which have of recent reared its head in our Deeni Madaaris. Each and everyone of the above obstacles make up the ingredients of a strike or boycott of the Madressah. This embodiment of evil brings about the disruption of llm. The gravity and evil of these strikes make it imperative that we elaborate on these disruptive, anarchistic and un-Islamic activities.
Courtesy: www.everymuslim.co.za
