"Mistake of The Future Student of Knowledge from the West" by Abdul Sattar

An excellent reminder (and approved by a few friends of mine who have studied abroad!).

Article

Highlights:

In our dreaming about the future, our hoping about studying in the days to come, our planning about seeking this blessed life-giving water, we have completely, utterly, and carelessly neglected to seek knowledge - in the present. In the here, and now.

“Time is the substance of life, the sphere in which man exists, the citadel of his spirit, and his subsistence-him benefitting himself and others.” -Sh. Abdul Fattah Abu Ghuddah

When there are ‘ulama, organizations, halaqaat in our cities and localities, resources available online with live teachers, so much wealth at our fingertips - how is it that I can profess to want knowledge - yet ignore it when it is laid at my feet? Time is slipping away from you and me, every second, and each second in which we did not seek to learn testifies against our saying: “I love to learn about Allah’s deen.” Each second in which we found some reason or another to say: “I don’t like any of the scholars in my area” is another second that testifies against our saying” “I wish to study Islam”.

It is understandable that many of us have lives to live, rizq to earn, families to feed, and education to gain. However, our spare time, the weeks we have on our breaks, the weekends, those commute times to school or work, those moments in the car, - we have discarded them as if they didn’t exist for the seeking of ilm - precious seconds of life and breath that were gifted to us.

SubhanAllah, this is so so true. Many of us (including myself) endure lengthy commutes on the way to and from work or school. Such times are PERFECT for listening to a 20-30 minute lecture or even just doing dhikr for a bit. May Allah swt help us in utilizing our time beneficially, inshaAllah.

If we understood that that seeking ilm is not a one year, two year or five year oddessy overseas, but a commitment to build our understanding of the deen every day of our lives, we would take the time to organize ourselves, seek a scholar, a halaqa, an organization, a system, that could take us and provide us a better understanding in an organized, methodical, and goal-oriented fashion. We must ask ourselves, “am I truly so occupied that I do not have time (and this is possible), or am I lazy, or do I have so much pride that I do not like the background, speaking style, or opinions of the scholars around me so I will take nothing from them?”

SubhanAllah dear brothers and sisters, so many resources we have that we can have such an experience in our spare time. Let us make the intention to take advantage of them. We have fallen into the trap of seeing the seeking of knowledge as an event, or a phase in our lives, a future endeavor - instead of an obligation, a love, a mision to be undertaken from now until the day that we die. Instead of a process of self-improvement to be sought from today until our last breaths. And in this trap, we have ignored all of the many opportunities to grow in our understanding of His Religion.

As our mentor Imam Suhaib said:

“The way of the salaf was to seek knowledge in their localities, then move out. Waiting to study with scholars overseas could be a sign that one lacks sincerity to the knowledge since, at that point, they may be following their desires instead of following the knowledge. In other words, if one is sincere to the knowledge, he will seek it even in Kansas. In addition, if one loves the knowledge, he will take it wherever he can like Musa. In other words, by failing to use local resources, this could be the greatest sign of spiritual malaise, intellectual deficiencies and riya (showing off).”

"...we should feel the importance of committing the Quran’s words and meaning into our hearts. It doesn’t matter how much you finish - what matters is that your heart is constantly increasing in how much Quran it holds, and that your limbs increase in how much Quran they implement."

Begin to seek knowledge consistently, and constantly, in an organized fashion. Do not simply seek Iman boosts any longer, but begin to seek those things which will increase your understanding of the Deen and place your roots deeper into the ground. Find a teacher in your area and begin learning.

Hi ALIM.

Your motivation:

Imagine standing in Salah in Ramadan during Tarawih, as each verse, each word, opens up its meaning to you and imparts to you the message that your Lord gave to you. Imagine knowing the meaning of the words, and imagine knowing what your Lord is asking you to do as you hear them.