Imām ash-Shafi’ī & His Shaykh

 

Often times as students of knowledge we set our goals in terms of Ayāt and Abyāt, or how many verses and lines of text to memorize. It is easier to gauge our progress by taking measure of how much we have memorized. In times of distress or confusion regarding what to do in our lives, it is natural to seek out the counsel of trusted scholars and supplicating to Allah to remove the distress from us.

However is there anything else that we can focus on in our daily lives that can limit what we are caused to forget of the Qur’ān or Ahādīth? Is there anything we can do every day that will open our heart and intellect and make them better receptacles for knowledge?

Imām ash-Shafi’ī undoubtedly had a powerful memory. It is reported that he memorized al-Muwata from Imām Mālik in a single day. However he began to sense a deficiency in his ability to memorize and retain information, so he asked his Shaykh, the famous Wakī’ bin al-Jarrāh about that. So this situation was turned into prose:

I complained to Wakī’ of a deficiency in my ability to memorize ** So he instructed me to abandon sin

And he said to me that knowledge is a light ** And the light of Allah is not granted to a sinner. [1]

Sin as a cause of forgetfulness was recognized by Abd Allah bin Mas’ūd, may Allah be pleased with him. [2] Many scholars who have compiled books about Hifdh, or memorization of Qur’ān and Hadīth, have made lists of the causes for forgetfulness, and have consistently included ‘Sin’ as one of the causes. So in order to preserve the power of memory and retain that which we have learned, it is important to avoid sin.

A relatively unknown way to increase memory and improve the ability to comprehend and grasp difficult concepts is to seek forgiveness from Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He. It is also a way for a person to open themselves up to the mercy and blessings of Allah in general, among which are memory and comprehension.

Shaykh Ibn al-Uthaymīn mentioned something relevant to this:

“Some of our Mashā’ikh have mentioned to me that it is sufficient for whoever has a question about an issue to increase himself in seeking forgiveness from Allah, as extracted from the verse: {Indeed We have revealed to you the Book in truth in order that you judge between people with what Allah has shown you and not to argue on behalf of the traitors. And seek forgiveness from Allah; indeed Allah is Forgiving, Merciful}[an-Nisā’: 105,106]. Indeed to seek forgiveness a great deal leads to the removal of sins which are the reason for forgetting knowledge and [the state of] ignorance just as indicated in the verse: {Thus by their breach of their agreement We have cursed them and made their hearts hard; they change the words from their places and forget in error that which they were reminded}[al-Mā’idah: 13]. [3]

And the advice of Dr. Muhammad bin Khalīfah, a teacher at al-Madīnah University:

"So it is essential that the seeker of knowledge purify his heart of any cheating, tarnish, rancor, jealousy, or evil in regards to beliefs or character in order to be a suitable receptacle for knowledge, its preservation, and in order to capture the subtleties of its meanings and realities of its enigmas. Thus knowledge is as some of them say: '[It] is the secret prayer, the worship of the heart, and inner piety; and just as the prayer- which is worship of the outer limbs- is not acceptable without outer purification from impurity and filth, thus knowledge- which is worship of the heart- is of no use without purifying it from filthy attributes and the impurity of evil character and [impurity of the] garment [of the heart, i.e. character]'.” [4]

Some of the lessons that we can take from all of this is that:

• The seeker of knowledge should see memory and preservation of learned knowledge as a blessing from Allah which must be protected and guarded from remembering or learning evil or unbeneficial things.
• The seeker of knowledge must maintain a heart that is free of impurities and its garment, al-Akhlāq, free from those qualities unbefitting a Believer.
• The seeker of knowledge must be constant in Istighfār or seeking forgiveness from Allah in order to be relieved of not only those sins which can be recalled or perceived but also those that we may be unaware of as well.

We ask Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, to convey our greetings and blessings to the Prophet Muhammad, to be pleased with the Companions and Imām al-A’immah ash-Shāfi’ī, to have mercy on Shaykh Ibn al-Uthaymīn, to preserve Dr. Muhammad bin Khalīfah and the teachers and volunteers at the Cordoba Academy. Ameen.

References

[1] From a collection of poems attributed but not all authentically established on his authority called: Dīwān al-Imām ash-Shāfi’ī p. 18

شَكَوْتُ إِلَى وَكِيعٍ سُوءَ حِفْظِي... فَأَرْشَنِي إِلَى تَرْكِ الْمَعَاصِي

وَقَالَ بِأَنَّ الْعِلْمَ نُورٌ ... وَنُورُ اللهِ لَا يُؤتَاهُ عَاصِي

[2] al-Jāmī’ li-Akhlāq ir-Rāwī wa Ādāb is-Sāmi’ by al-Khatīb 2/258

[3] al-Ilm 1/202

[4] Seeking Knowledge: Between Faithfulness in Its Undertaking and Responsibility for Its Execution 1/18, by Dr. Muhammad bin Khalīfah bin Alī at-Tamīmī

Position of a Mother

There was a young man, before he was a Muslim; he lived with his mother until he was about 18 years old. Then he moved out of his home and lived in a different place on his own. During those days, he met some Muslims and became very close friend to them.
Eventually he himself became a Muslim after learning about the beautiful religion of Islam from them. He made an effort every day to learn more and more about Islam. One day, he came to learn about the benefits of being good to one’s parents. After knowing this, he decided to visit his mother whom he did not visit for many years. He bought some flowers and fruits for her on his way. His mother was very pleased to see him after so long. He started spending lots of time with his mother on a regular basis. During his visits, he would stare at his mother and tears would roll down from his eyes. The mother noticed this happening many times and asked him one day the reason, why he visits her so much all of a sudden and why he cries. He told her about how he became a Muslim and that the position of a mother in Islam is very high.
He also told her about the reward he gets for looking at her.
But while looking at her, he cries because the mother is not a Muslim and would not be able to save herself if she dies in this state. The mother immediately recognized the beauty of Islam and became a Muslim.

Who was Yazid? / Yazid Kaun Tha

Yazid was a man who had inherited all the bad qualities of the Umayyad Family. His disposition, beliefs,
way of thinking and the manner of looking at various matters were exactly the same as those of Bani Umayyah
in general. Besides the evils inherited by him from his ancestors he had other mischievous tendencies and satanic qualities as well. He did not possess the apparent qualities of his father which are considered to be his (i.e. Mu`awiya's) merits although they were only tools to strengthen his rule. In fact it may be said that whereas all the bad qualities of his family had combined in him he did not at all possess any good quality. There has been no other reveller amongst Bani Umayyah like Yazid and it was on account of his being wildly festive that he lost his life .
It is said that one day, while mounted on a horse, he was trying to out-pace a monkey. During this competition, however, he fell down from the horse and died. His contemporaries have drawn a very precise and concise picture of his in these words: "He was a drunkard. He used to wear silken clothes and played on a  tambourine".
If Husayn proved to be a model of virtue and good morals Yazid proved to be the worst specimen of his
ancestral vices. If Husayn was sympathetic towards others as magnanimous persons usually are, Yazid had no human sentiments and was absolutely shameless.
Yazid had been brought up in a family which considered Islam to be a political movement. According to Bani
Umayyah the prophethood of the prophet was only a pretext to acquire power and authority and Islam meant
transfer of power from the hands of Bani Umayyah to the hands of Bani Hashim. Yazid considered his countrymen to be only an army whose duty it was to remain faithful to the ruler. In his eyes the object of the existence of his countrymen was that they should pay land revenue and taxes and increase the wealth of the treasury which was to be spent according to the sweet will of the ruler.
As Yazid was born and brought up in such a family it was necessary that he, too, should adopt the ways which
were adopted by his forefathers and other members of his family during the age of ignorance and after the advent of Islam. Furthermore, he was brought up in the house of a father who spent large sums of money of the public treasury at his pleasure. When wealth and ignorance are combined the result can be nothing else except profligacy and debauchery.
It was for this reason that like every ignorant person who possesses wealth Yazid was a drunkard and was fond of a life of pleasure and played with dogs. As soon as he ascended the throne he began spending money lavishly to lead a life of debauchery and sensual pleasure. He gave enormous sums to his asociates, slaves, slave-girls, singers etc. He had a large number of dogs who slept by his side and were made to wear ornaments of gold and silver and silken dresses, while the poor people, from whom taxes were realized under coercion, starved and suffered hardships.
He ruled for three and a half years only but during this short period he combined in him all the disgrace,
absurdity and impudence which were the result of Umayyad politics. Yazid was a man who had inherited all the bad qualities of the Umayyad Family. His disposition, beliefs,
way of thinking and the manner of looking at various matters were exactly the same as those of Bani Umayyah
in general. Besides the evils inherited by him from his ancestors he had other mischievous tendencies and satanic qualities as well. He did not possess the apparent qualities of his father which are considered to be his (i.e. Mu`awiya's) merits although they were only tools to strengthen his rule. In fact it may be said that whereas all the bad qualities of his family had combined in him he did not at all possess any good quality. There has been no other reveller amongst Bani Umayyah like Yazid and it was on account of his being wildly festive that he lost his life .
It is said that one day, while mounted on a horse, he was trying to out-pace a monkey. During this competition, however, he fell down from the horse and died. His contemporaries have drawn a very precise and concise picture of his in these words: "He was a drunkard. He used to wear silken clothes and played on a  tambourine".
If Husayn proved to be a model of virtue and good morals Yazid proved to be the worst specimen of his
ancestral vices. If Husayn was sympathetic towards others as magnanimous persons usually are, Yazid had no human sentiments and was absolutely shameless.
Yazid had been brought up in a family which considered Islam to be a political movement. According to Bani
Umayyah the prophethood of the prophet was only a pretext to acquire power and authority and Islam meant
transfer of power from the hands of Bani Umayyah to the hands of Bani Hashim. Yazid considered his countrymen to be only an army whose duty it was to remain faithful to the ruler. In his eyes the object of the existence of his countrymen was that they should pay land revenue and taxes and increase the wealth of the treasury which was to be spent according to the sweet will of the ruler.
As Yazid was born and brought up in such a family it was necessary that he, too, should adopt the ways which
were adopted by his forefathers and other members of his family during the age of ignorance and after the advent of Islam. Furthermore, he was brought up in the house of a father who spent large sums of money of the public treasury at his pleasure. When wealth and ignorance are combined the result can be nothing else except profligacy and debauchery.
It was for this reason that like every ignorant person who possesses wealth Yazid was a drunkard and was fond of a life of pleasure and played with dogs. As soon as he ascended the throne he began spending money lavishly to lead a life of debauchery and sensual pleasure. He gave enormous sums to his asociates, slaves, slave-girls, singers etc. He had a large number of dogs who slept by his side and were made to wear ornaments of gold and silver and silken dresses, while the poor people, from whom taxes were realized under coercion, starved and suffered hardships.
He ruled for three and a half years only but during this short period he combined in him all the disgrace,
absurdity and impudence which were the result of Umayyad politics. 

Dawud :: Book 41 : Hadith 5128

Narrated AbuSa'id al-Khudri (Razi Allah Ta'ala Anhu) that Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa'alehi Wasallam) said,, If anyone cares for three daughters, disciplines them, marries them, and does good to them, he will go to Paradise.

Dawud :: Book 41 : Hadith 5128

Apny Haal Ko Khushaal Banaien Apny Haal Ko Khushaal Banaien Apny Haal Ko Khushaal Banaien Apny Haal Ko Khushaal Banaien.

Bukhari, Book1, Volume:11, Hadith #589

‎.✿....... H A D E E S .......✿..
ابو ہریرہ (رضی اللہ تعالٰی عنہ) سے روایت ہے کے حضرت محمد (صلی اللہ علیہ واله وسلم) نے فرمایا، "اگر لوگ نماز_ عشاء اور فجر باجماعت ادا کرنے کے اجرکو جانتے تو انکو اگر ان کی ادائیگی کے لیئے رینگ کر بھی آنا پڑتا تو وہ آتے "
بخاری، کتاب:1 ، جلد:11، حدیث:589 
Narrated Abu Hurera (Razi Allah Ta'ala Anha) that Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa'alehi Wasallam) said "If peopleknew the reward of 'Isha' and Fajr prayers in congregation, they would come to offer them even if they had to crawl."
Bukhari, Book1, Volume:11, Hadith #589

Jild 9, Hadees : 26060

HAZRAT MUHAMMAD صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم Ne Hazrat Ans رضى الله عنه Se Farmaya,

Beta ! Ager Tum Hamaishah Ba Wazu Rehny Ki Istata'at Rakho To Aisa Hi Karo Kyun Keh MOUT KA FRISHTA Jis Aadmi Ki Rooh Halat-e-Wazu Mein Qabz Karta Hai Us Ke Liye SHAHADAT Likh Di Jati Hai..

كنزالعمال
Jild 9, Hadees : 26060