O young man, know that courage is an enormous obligation upon those who learn knowledge - so be courageous, and speak out with the Truth, and do not compromise with anyone. If needed, it's better to diplomacy than to compromise, because compromising is blameworthy. And know - may Allah protect you from evil - that merely concealing the Truth, and being silent about it: this is something which Allah has warned with threats of Divine Punishment; Rather, He has cursed them - and there is no might, nor power, except with the permission of Allah. So if this is the case regarding those who merely conceal the Truth, by being silent, then what about those who actually speak for falsehood?
And verily, we have seen people whom Allāh has provided knowledge and intellect, but if fingers are pointed at them, they are afflicted with cowardice, weakness, and fear. But, what benefit can knowledge bring, if it is not acted upon? And indeed, these puppet-scholars have misguided many people; and truthful was the statement of the Messenger (ﷺ), when he had said, “I do not fear for my Ummah with regards to anything, except the misguiding Imāms.”
O young man, beware of going to the Salātīn, for it has been authentically narrated from our Prophet (ﷺ), that he said, “Whoever goes to the Sultan, he will indeed be in fitnah.” This does not mean that you should not involved in succession or politics, but you are involved in it, in the manner of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and with the intention to play a role in preserving the Dien of Allah.
O young man, beware of those who preach for coexistence with the kuffār. Beware of those self-defeated traitors. Beware of them, and do not be deceived by their honey-coated words which hide deadly poison, and do not be deceived by their classes and those who attend them. Beware of them, for verily, the least which can be said about their condition, is that we should treat them as heretics.
O young man, be eager to conversate, exchange, study, consult, learn, discuss, and debate, in a good manner, Masā’il (issues pertaining to the Dīn) with your brothers – for verily, Rusūkh (firm understanding, deep-rooted knowledge) of the Masā’il does not come, except with through discussing and conversating.
O young man, let there be a time wherein you can be alone with your Rabb, and read His Words, and call upon Him fervently, and humble yourself down for Him – For indeed, Du’ā (supplication, calling upon Allāh and asking Him) is one of the greatest forms of ‘Ibādah, as has been authentically narrated from the Messenger (ﷺ), “Ad-Du’ā, that is ‘Ibādah.”
O young man, beware of the evil ‘Ulamā’, and beware of associating with them and their study circles – for verily, they are People of Evil and Misguidance, who have caused the Muslims to be confused with regards to their own Religion, and they have led the masses astray, and they have participated with the tyran rulers in selling the lands of the Muslims, including their holy lands.
O young man, beware of the bad companion. Just as hereditary disposition is hidden, bad characteristics are also hidden; because character is transferable, and first impressions are major abductors of hearts, and people are like the flocks of birds, naturally disposed to imitating one another; so beware of associating with whosoever is to this liking; for it is indeed destruction, and “ prevention is better than cure.
Therefore, choose the best for companionship and friendship; someone who will help you in your quest, in drawing nearer to your Rabb, and agrees with you in your noble objective and intention. Take from me the most precise gauge in categorising friends, a friend who befriends you solely for his welfare; a friend who befriends you solely for fun; A friend who befriends you for virtue. As regards the first two categories of friends, then their relationship with you is cut off when the necessitating reason for which they befriended you is fulfilled: the attainment of welfare in the first and fun in the second. As for the third category, then this is the one we will concentrate on. He is the one who is driven into a friendship due to mutual belief in the firm establishment of virtue in both people. A companion of virtue today is “ a hard currency” and very difficult to find.
O young man, ask yourself about how much you share from the signs of beneficial knowledge, which are as follows, implementing it; Hatred of being praised, complemented, or displaying haughtiness over others; Increasing your modesty with the increase of your knowledge; Fleeing from the love of leadership, fame, and worldly pleasures; Abandoning the claim to have Knowledge; Having bad suspicions about oneself, and good suspicion about other people, so as to steer clear from disparaging them.
O young man, give the alms of knowledge meaning: openly proclaiming the truth, enjoining good and forbidding evil, weighing up between the religious advantages and disadvantages, spreading the knowledge, the love of benefiting the people, sacrificing honour, in interceding for a good cause for the sake of the Muslims in the affairs of the Truth and general interest.
O young man, beware of being “Aboo Shibr” or the father of a span. It was said knowledge is three spans, whosoever enters the first span will become arrogant, and whosoever enters the second span, will become humble, and whosoever enters the third span, will know that he knows nothing.
Aboo Shibr was the one who had just dipped his feet in the ocean of knowledge, but was only limited to his big toe, on the shallow line of shore and was trapped in the first span. He was drunk and acted as if he had experience in knowledge. But, not eveyone would get stucked like that, if he gets guidance from the hands of a wise.
O young man, beware of becoming manifest before becoming qualified, for it is the defect of knowledge and actions. It was said, "Whosoever manifests himself before his time, then he has manifest himself to humiliation.”
O young man, beware of what the people deprived of knowledge indulge in: they revise one or two issues so that if they are among distinguished people in a gathering they bring them un for debate in order to manifest their knowledge! And how many evils are there in this? The least of these evils is that he knows that the people know his reality.
O young man, beware of the new Israa'eeliyaat in the venom of the Orientalists from the Jews and the Christians; for it is more damaging than the old Israa’eeliyaat, because the Prophet (ﷺ) has clarified the position to be taken regarding them, and the scholars have conveyed the Islaamic opinion concerning it. As for the new ones that have filtered into al-Fikr al-Islaamee (Islaamic ideology) after the revolution of civilisation and the meeting of one knowledge with another, and the restraint of the spread of Islaam, then it is pure evil, and a tribulation gushing forth and the Muslims’ heedlessness has turned them away from it, and others took it under their wing, so beware not to fall into it. May Allaah protect the Muslims from its evil.
O young man, if you attain status, then remember that the rope that helped you to reach it, was seeking knowledge. So by the grace of Allah, and then due to your knowledge, you reached whatever status you have reached in this teaching post, or fatwa, or judiciary post, and so on, so give knowledge its due respect and fair share of implementation, and its due status. Beware of the way of those who do not show reverence towards Allah, those who base their foundation upon protecting their status, so their tongues become enwrapped from speaking the word of truth, and they are led to act accordingly by the love of their status.[Part 1]
Therefore adhere to preserving your value by preserving your piety, knowledge, and self-esteem, with wisdom and good diplomacy, “ Preserve Allah and He will preserve you”, “Preserve Allah at times of ease, He will preserve you at times of hardship”. Diplomatically well, and don't compromise in the name of religion. Compromising on behalf of the religion is a despicable characteristic; as for diplomacy, then it is not, but do not mix between the two, or you will be led by comprise to the presence of open hypocrisy, and compromise will blemish your faith.
And in conclusion, O young man, I ask Allāh to cause benefit to you who hear these words, and to give it acceptance in the land. And I ask Him to provide you with Basīrah, and the ability to act upon it, and to make you blessed wherever you are, and to make you one of those who speak the word of Truth. And our last prayer is, that all praise belongs to Allāh, the Lord of the Worlds. And Allah know best."
"Whoever desires the life of this world and its adornments - We fully repay them for their deeds therein, and they therein will not be deprived. Those are the ones for whom there is not in the Hereafter but the Fire. And lost is what they did therein, and worthless is what they used to do." - [QS.11:15-16]
Reference :
- Shaykh Bakr Aboo Zayd, The Etiquette of Seeking Knowledge, Al-Hidaayah
- Shaykh Sultan Al-'Utaybi, Advice for the Seeker of Knowledge, At-Tibyan Publications
