Obstacles in the Path of Seeking Knowledge – Shaykh Rabi al-Madkhali

Shaykh Rabīʿ ibn Hādī al-Madkhalī (b. 1351 AH / 1931 CE)

From the obstacles in the path of seeking knowledge is hastiness and pursuing knowledge in an unorganised manner. That is, a person reads from here and there, moving indiscriminately between texts without becoming firmly grounded.

In earlier times, people followed established methods that enabled them to acquire knowledge within defined stages and timeframes. They would begin by memorising the Qurʾān and learning how to write. Thereafter, they would study a very concise text in fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence). They would also learn ʿilm al-farāʾiḍ (the science of inheritance), which is from the foundational disciplines. Thus, a person would not begin the serious pursuit of knowledge until he had memorised the Qurʾān and learnt how to perform the prayer correctly.

Today, many students of knowledge, and perhaps even some scholars, do not give due attention to the science of inheritance. Concerning this, there is a weak ḥadīth; however, the reality of our times bears out its meaning, namely that knowledge of inheritance will be the first to be lost, and refuge is sought with Allah. By Allah, we witnessed this ourselves in the early stages of teaching. Shaykh ʿAbdullāh ibn Muḥammad al-Qarʿāwī (d. 1388 AH / 1968 CE) and his students would begin with the study of inheritance and al-Uṣūl al-Thalāthah.

My dear brother, abandon hastiness. Begin instead with the foundations, with the concise books and texts that gather for you the fundamental principles. These will make matters easier for you and serve as a ladder to the larger and more detailed works.

Begin with al-ʿAqīdah al-Wāsiṭiyyah by Shaykh al-Islām Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥalīm ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728 AH / 1328 CE). It is a comprehensive creed despite its small size. Before everything else, memorise it. Memorise it thoroughly. Then memorise Kitāb al-Tawḥīd by Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb (d. 1206 AH / 1792 CE) and understand it. Memorise al-Uṣūl al-Thalāthah and understand it as well. Study Bulūgh al-Marām by Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī (d. 852 AH / 1449 CE), or ʿUmdat al-Aḥkām by ʿAbd al-Ghanī ibn ʿAbd al-Wāḥid al-Maqdisī (d. 600 AH / 1203 CE), and similar works.

Likewise, study a concise text in fiqh from any of the recognised legal schools. Among the best of these is Mukhtaṣar al-Muqniʿ, also known as Zād al-Mustaqniʿ, and al-ʿUmdah fī al-Fiqh by Muwaffaq al-Dīn Ibn Qudāmah al-Maqdisī (d. 620 AH / 1223 CE), which has a well-known explanation entitled al-ʿUddah. The student should read these texts, understand them, and comprehend their meanings. Thereafter, he should read their explanations and the works connected to them.

He should read the explanation of al-ʿAqīdah al-Ṭaḥāwiyyah by Abū Jaʿfar Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad al-Ṭaḥāwī (d. 321 AH / 933 CE), as well as the explanations of Kitāb al-Tawḥīd, of which there are many. Through this, he strengthens his knowledge. New knowledge will then be built upon these foundations and will increase in a sound and stable manner.

After some time, he must still not become hasty. Once he has completed this stage, he begins studying Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī by Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl al-Bukhārī (d. 256 AH / 870 CE), Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim by Muslim ibn al-Ḥajjāj (d. 261 AH / 875 CE), and Sunan Abī Dāwūd by Abū Dāwūd Sulaymān ibn al-Ashʿath (d. 275 AH / 889 CE). He should also read works concerning the narrators of ḥadīth, as well as books on muṣṭalaḥ al-ḥadīth (ḥadīth terminology). These sciences are indispensable for anyone studying the Islamic legislation. What matters is that he progresses step by step.

He should not plunge into knowledge haphazardly, blundering about without direction. Because of this unmethodical approach, we find that many people lack firm foundations. They are not well grounded. They do not know the fundamentals of knowledge. You find ignorance in their understanding of fiqh. You find ignorance in their grasp of ḥadīth terminology. You find ignorance in ḥadīth itself. You find that in the science of narrators they know virtually nothing, and the like of this. Had such a person proceeded step by step upon the path of the early scholars, you would have found with him much goodness and abundant beneficial knowledge.

Reference

Rabīʿ ibn Hādī al-Madkhalī (b. 1351 AH / 1931 CE), ʿAwāʾiq fī Ṭalab al-ʿIlm, Cairo: Adwāʾ al-Salaf, 1st edn., 2012, pp. 34–37.