We Created mankind for the purpose of sharing pain (of others)
Otherwise, We had plenty to worship Us.

A short piece of poetry explaining to people that Allah created humans so that they could be of service to one another. If Allah wanted someone to only worship and disregard everything and everyone then there would be no need for the creation of minkind. The reason being is that Allah had the angels and Jinns for His worship and they would not even disobey.

In simple terms, service to mankind plays a great part in Islam.

May Allah give us all the inclination to serve His creation so that through the worship of Allah and service to mankind we can gain His eternal pleasure.

As mentioned in the previous posts, following is a continuation of points that should be taken into consideration before, during and even after one has read the book.

5. One's mind should be free worries, stress and troubles during the time of reading.

People usually pick up a book in order to relax and free one's mind from tension. However, to derive maximum benefit from the book, it is advised that the book be read in such a time where one is free from all worries. The reason being is that when one's mind is pre-occupied with other worries it will be hard for him to concentrate on the material that he is reading. Furthermore, it will be harder for him to memorise and keep in mind what has been read.

6. One should seek Allah's forgiveness for the sins which he has committed.

To explain this point, the best quote which I can think of is that of Imaan Shafi'ee Rahimahullah. He states:

"I complained to my teacher, Wakee, regarding my weak memory, so he advised me to refrain from sinning. For indeed Knowledge is a Divine Light (Nur) from Allah, and the Nur of Allah is not bestowed upon a sinner."

When one seeks sincere forgiveness for his sins before reading a book, his heart is removed from all the dirt and darkness of sins; thereafter it is much easier for him to understand what is being said and easier to implement it in his life.

7. During one's reading time, one should always keep a pen and paper at hand.

It is important for any student of Knowledge to keep a pen and paper at hand, not only whilst reading, but at all times. Whilst one is reading he can make many uses of his pen and paper:

(I) Anything which one does not understand or has a doubt about should be written down and then he should refer to an Alim (Scholar) regarding that point.

(ii) If a point is mentioned within the book which one needs to implement in his life then a note should also be made of this. The notes will aid one to refer quickly to what needs to be implemented in one's life and can also act like a check list to aid one in becoming closer to Allah.

(iii) If one wanted to generally make points from which he could benefit, by reading it from time to time, or any points that may help another person then one can also do that.

(IV) Finally, one can make corrections within the book if any mistakes are found. It is not advised to generally write in books if there is no need for it. However, if notes are made in a respectable manner then there is no harm in this.

8. The Knowledge gained from the books should be spread to as many people as possible and others should also be encouraged to read the book.

One of the greatest and easiest methods of gaining reward is by having someone performing an act of worship whilst we receive the equal reward for that act whilst sitting. The guidance of a person ensures that one receives the reward for that act as long as the other person performs this. Therefore, spreading the Knowledge will reap many rewards Insha Allah.

9. Dua should be made for the author and all those whose efforts made the publishing of the book possible.

It is vital that we make Dua for the author and those who made the publishing of the book possible. This should at least be done before and after one has read that book if not every time one reads it and in his general Duas.

10. Any mistakes should be notified.

As a final point, any mistakes that are noticed in the books should be made known to either the publishers or the author; many books have a contact mentioned for this purpose. The intention that one should have is that no other person gets confused or mislead by the mistakes and that the next edition is printed with corrections. One should always refrain from feeling that the author has not put in his ultimate effort or that the author is inferior to us, the readers.

May Allah grant us the ability to read the books of Knowledge and give us the right understanding so that we can derive maximum benefits and rewards from these books. Aameen.

[Holy Qur'an 2:255]

This is just one of many verses that describes knowledge and its quest in acquiring it. One cannot gain an iota of knowledge unless Allah wills. Therefore, the reading of books, listening to lectures and taking time out in the path of seeking knowledge are all accepted methods of beginning to acquire knowledge, yet the decision lies in the will of Allah.

To acquire this knowledge and get the acceptance of Allah it is vital to remember that Knowledge and the people of Knowledge hold a great value in Islam. One who respects this knowledge, its people and its sources, they will be the one that will gain this Knowledge, and the one who shows carelessness and disrespect towards this Knowledge will be deprived from its blessings and benefits. It is for this reason that I will be mentioning a few etiquettes regarding the acquiring of Knowledge through the means of books.

There will be points read from the book that I mentioned in my last post and some additional points that I have learnt during my Alim course. I pray to Allah that He makes this post beneficial for those who read. Aameen.

Etiquettes of acquiring Knowledge from a Book.

1. Be alert from who you acquire your Knowledge

The first and foremost advise I would give is to be alert and well informed regarding the author of the book. The Knowledge one recieves makes one's religion and it is for this reason that we are told to be alert from whom we gain our knowledge. This does not mean that we look at the name and see whether it has a Maulana or a long prefix before the name. There are many scholars who are so humble that will not write anything before their name but contain an ocean of knowledge.

2. Clarify your intentions

The rewards of our actions are based upon our intentions. Therefore, one must be clear to what his intentions are and why he is reading this book. It should not be fore the reason of acquiring knowledge so that he can argue and debate with people, nor so that he can gain rank in the eyes of the people. The true reason for acquiring Knowledge is that we can acquire the pleasure of Allah and through the knowledge we gain we can make a bond with our Lord.

3. Pray to Allah that He makes the book beneficial for you.

It is vital that one makes Du'aa (supplication) before one starts reading a book. 'Understanding' is a gift from Allah and it is this gift that we require when we begin to seek Knowledge. If we read a passage from the book and misunderstand its meaning it could become a cause of deviation for us as opposed to Knowledge that will guide us. Therefore supplication should be made to Allah that He opens your mind to understand what is trying to be said.

4. Before reading the veil over one's heart, mind and eyes should be removed.

The meaning of this Hadeeth is that one should start reading the book with an 'open' mind. He should not limit himself to what he has learnt nor should he make haste in rejecting what he reads. Instead he should read with a mind of acceptance whilst staying alert.

Further points to be continued...

Recently I have started reading a book in the Urdu language titled "Husool-e-Wilaayat Aur Muhabbat-e-Ilaahi Ke Zaraaye'". The meaning of the title is 'How to gain the status of Wilaayat and the methods of pertaining the Love of Allah". The author of this book is "Maulana Muhammad Aslaan Bin Akhtar Memon"

As the book is in the Urdu language, I will make an attempt to present the information contained within this book in the English language. However, for those who are acquainted with the Urdu language, they will no that no translation can match the meaning, sweetness and message that is contained in the Urdu text itself.

Furthermore, I would like to remind all the readers that the posts in this blog are not translations or word to word accounts of what I have heard or read. In actual fact, it is only a summary or an account of what I have heard.

The first chapter of this book mentions some Aadaab (Manners & etiquettes) of acquiring knowledge from books. The manner in which a book should be read and how one can derive the most benefit from that book. Insha-Allah I will mention these points in my next post.

I pray to Allah that He gives me the correct understanding so that what I read from this book deems beneficial for me and to those who read the posts related to that book. I pray to Allah that He forgives the author, the publishers and all those who aided in the compilation and success of that book and that He makes it a source of people attaining the position of Wilaayat and gaining the love of Allah. Aameen.

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Note: I have read only a few pages of this book, but I have noticed some minor mistakes in the text (for those who already have the book or intend to buy it).

A little from me...

During a wonderful Bayaan I heard a few points regarding the Family of our Beloved Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam that I had never come across before. I've been meaning to share this the day I heard this Bayaan, and in reality this was the talk that inspired me to start this blog. However, I didn't want to rush into this post nor did I want to start this blog without mentioning its purpose. Nevertheless, here is what I heard.

I heard...

It was the habit of the Makkans to travel North to Syria (Shaam) for trading purposes. Their travel would take them through the city of Madinah Munawwara (then known as Yathrib).

Hashim left the city of Makkah Mukarramah and traveled to Syria with the intention of trade. On his way to Syria he stopped over in the city of Madinah to assess what merchandise he would need to buy from Syria to be able to sell in this cuty on his way back from Syria. However, during his stay, he saw a women whom he liked and therefore proposed to her. He was married to her and decided to stay a few days before setting off to Syria as planned.

Hashim left his wife, Laila, in the city of Madinah intending to take her back on his return. However, only a short while after his leave from Madinah he passed away on the way to Madinah, being aged about twenty-five. His wife in Madinah was expecting and gave birth to a boy.

The child born he had strands of white hair on his head and was given the name of Shaiba (meaning white). Shaiba was born an orphan and the signs of poverty and the signs of orphanhood were apparent. It was for this reason that his uncle (Hashim's brother), Muttalib came to collect him when he was aged eight or ten. His uncle Muttalib took him to Makkah along with him so that he could raise the child.

When Muttalib arived to Makkah with his nephew, Shaiba, people began to question Muttalib as to who the child on his camel was. Muttalib felt a great deal of shame to reveal that the child who was shabby and untidy was his nephew, and therefore he told them that the child was his slave. It was from this day that the child came to be known as Abdul Muttalib (the slave of Muttalib) and it is with this name that the world knows this great personality, the grand-father of our Beloved Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam. Despite Muttalib announcing that the child was his nephew and not his slave the title given to Shaiba remained with him.

Something to learn...

We've all been brought up to believe that the name of the grandfather of our Beloved Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam was Abdul Muttalib. However, this was only his title like others given to him (which I may mention in my next post).

A lesson that we can learn from here is that we should be very careful as to what we call people and make known about them. Our reasons could be sincere and not of any intent to cause harm, but because of our actions we could make famous something about a person that is not true. If we do that, and in the process we hurt someone's feelings, it will be a sin that will continue forever. It has become a habit of many people to slander, accuse and try to bring down other people; we do this so often that we have come to forget its punishment and its results. May Allah save us all. Aameen.

Source...

Event: Monday's Majlis
Venue: Jame Mosque (Leicester)
Speech by: Hadhrat Shaykh Maulana Ahmad Ali Sahib (Daamat Barkatuhum)

A little background knowledge...

In Asia it is an Indian custom to feed the horses chickpeas (Channa). As well as being cheap, chickpeas are regarded as healthy for horses. However, the horses are not fond of the taste of chickpeas.

I heard...

In India it is the habit of farmers to coat chickpeas in sugar so that the outer layer is a sweet coating of sugar whilst inside is contained a chickpea. This method is adopted so that the horses eat the chickpea due to the sweet outer layer of sugar which has covered and disguised the chickpea within.

Had the chickpea been alone it would have never been eaten by the horses, but when covered with the sugar it was eaten by the horses due to its sweet taste.

In the same manner, when one of us makes a supplication it is not to a standard that it would be accepted by Allah Ta'ala. Our supplications have no weight, value or sincerity. Nevertheless, when we cover this same supplication with Salaah Alan Nabi (Salutations upon the Prophet / Durood), we are in essence coating a chickpea with a sugared layer. The manner in which a chickpea is accepted due to its coating, in the same manner Allah Ta’ala accepts our Du’aas (Supplications) due to the coating of Salutations upon our beloved Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam.

Something to learn...

We learn from this that despite our Du'aas are not to a high standard and are not at a level to be accepted by Allah we should never lose hope in the mercy of Allah. He has shown us a path that will take us directly to Him and has given us a messenger through whom we can gain the closeness and love of Allah Ta'ala




May Allah give us the inclination to create great love for the Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam so that we can learn to love him and so that this love can result in the Allah's love for us. Aameen

Source...

Event: Jalsa 2005
Venue: Jame Mosque (Leicester)
Speech by: Hadhrat Shaykh Maulana Adam Sahib (Daamat Barkatuhum)

Alhumdulillah there is a wide availability of Islamic knowledge and information throughout the world, be it through books, lectures, internet, studying the lifestyles of our pious predecessors or spending time in the company of the scholars.

However, the vast availability of knowledge creates one of two problems; either the excessive availability confuses one as to where one should get his knowledge from or the in the hustle of the day people do not get enough time to read up the vast amount of knowledge.

For this reason, I believe that people need information and knowledge that, first of all, will not take ages to find, and additionally, is not so lengthy and intense as to tire the reader.

The aim of this blog is to extract 'drops' from the 'ocean' of knowledge and present it to its readers, hoping that one day these drops will gather and form an ocean of knowledge within its readers.

The posts presented here will be extracts and translations of those things which I have picked up during my reading, or whatever I hear or gather from the lectures that I here from scholars. Basically, any form of short information that I pick up during my journey of seeking knowledge will be presented here.

I pray to Allah that he accepts the effort that will be put into this blog, and that He forgives the many shortcomings that are part of human nature. I pray that he gives every reader an open mind to accept and safeguard the knowledge that will be presented and that He gives us the ability as well as inclination to act upon what we learn, for indeed the best way to preserve knowledge is to act upon it.

Finally, I would be grateful towards the readers to aid me in making this blog successful, be it through comments and suggestions, or even extracts of what they have read.

Wasalaam