Abdullah bin Mubarak (rah) said that to attain knowledge, the first step is to have a good intention, thereafter, to have good understanding, then to practice on what you learnt, then to memorise it and thereafter to propagate it.

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Sincere intention before seeking knowledge  –

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Narrated by 'Umar bin Al-Khattab (r.a): I heard Allah's Messenger saying, "The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended. So whoever emigrated for worldly benefits or for a woman to marry, his emigration was for what he emigrated for." (Bukhari, Muslim)

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Sincere intention is essential in all actions of worships and dealings. The above mentioned hadith which is cited at the beginning of many books of ahaadith, mentions of sincere intention. This is one of the most important aspect of Islam. Every person will be rewarded according to their intention at heart; if the intention at the beginning of the action was for the correct reason, i.e. for the pleasure of Allah, then he or she will be rewarded. If intention made for other reasons beside for the sake of Allah, the action will be in vain.

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Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal says the fundamentals of Islam is based on three hadiths: this above mentioned hadith, the hadith of Aisha (ra), ‘Whoever innovates something reprehensible in this religion of ours which does not belong to it, it is rejected.’ (Bukhari, Muslim), and the hadith of Nu’man ibn Bashir, ‘The lawful is clear and the unlawful is clear, and in between them are the things doubtful which many people do not know.’ (Bukhari, Muslim)

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Seeking knowledge through reliable source –

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The second fragment of the cycle of seeking knowledge is seeking it through reliable source. It is crucial this is taken into account that the learner studies under someone who is qualified and has received authorisation. He uses the correct resources to study and he learns under someone who has followed the element of Sanad. One should take note everything on internet, google and Wikipedia are not reliable sources.

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The sanad and the matn

So what exactly is the Sanad beyond its literal translation? It is the unbroken chain of authorised persons who are given by their teachers the authority to teach and transmit the religion after having been tested for their piety, trustworthiness and high capacity of retention of the field of knowledge or subject they wish to teach. Sanad, refers to the chain itself and Isnad is the act of relating the chain. The sanad is the information provided regarding the route by which the matn has been reached. It is so named due to the reliance of the hadith specialists upon it in determining the authenticity or weakness of a hadith. The matn is the actual wording of the hadith by which its meaning is established, or stated differently, the objective at which the sanad arrives at, consisting of speech.

 

The sacred knowledge is not merely knowledge to feed the mind like the secular eduation. Rather it is a holy breath breathed from Allah almighty to the holy angel Jibra’il who then transmitted it to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ who then transmitted it to his companions who then transmitted it to their followers so on and so forth until today.

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Acting upon the knowledge –

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Once he had made sincere intention to seek sacred knowledge for the sake of Allah and he has learnt from reliable sources, duty befalls on him to act upon what he has learnt. In Islam, knowledge comes before action; there can be no action without knowledge, so knowledge has to be attained in order to put it into practice.

 

Hadhrat Shaqeeq Balkhi (rah) said: “There are three things upon which if you do not practice, you will never gain any benefit even though you may read eighty trunks of books.”

• Do not have love for this world because it is not the abode of a Muslim.

• Do not befriend shaytaan because he is not the friend of a Muslim.

• Do not cause harm to anyone because this is not the occupation of a Muslim.

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Usamah ibn Zayd (r.a) reported: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: A man will be brought on the Day of Resurrection and cast into the Hellfire, and his intestines will pour forth in Hell. He will go around them  as a donkey around a millstone. The people of Hell will gather around him and say: What has happened to you? Were you not enjoining good and forbidding evil? He will say: Of course, I used to enjoin good but I did not practice it myself, and I used to forbid evil but I practiced it myself. (Bukhari)

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Teaching it to others –

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The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“Convey from me even an Ayah”

 

This stresses the importance of acquiring knowledge and imparting it to others, no matter of the amount, one should spread the knowledge of what he has learned; even if it is a single verse. 

Generally teaching others would lead to guidance, reward and most importantly the pleasure of Allah almighty. He loves those who are beneficial to His servants.

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BY: MAULANA SYED SALAHUDDIN ABU SULAYMAN