Shaykh ʻUmar bin Muḥammad Fallātah:

This is a beneficial narration. Samurah lived until the death of the Messenger of Allāh. He participated in battles alongside the Prophet ﷺ and narrated from him. Samurah bin Jundub said “I heard many narrations from the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ and nothing prevented me from narrating from him except that there were those older than me present.”

I acquired narrations from the Prophet! Do not think that I was preoccupied with anything other than the companionship of the Prophet and acquiring from him. I carry with me a plethora of narrations, but what has prevented me from mentioning them is manners. Manners! There are those who are older than me present, and for that I remain silent and do not speak. Look at the manners of the Prophet’s companions. 

As for us today – I am not equal to some of the scholars, I am not even a seed in comparison to them, or an indent on a date seed, or even its thread, and I am not considered to be anything! However, when we are in a gathering and someone asks a question, the first that volunteers to speak is this honourable one. “I am a student, I am in university, I am pursuing a master’s degree, I hold a PhD, I am this, I am that.” Whilst the one I am issuing rulings and speaking instead of, I do not equate to an onion alongside him! Why is that? Due to us not learning manners.  

By Allāh, Who there is none worthy of worship but He, we have met virtuous, righteous scholars, and the first thing they taught the student was manners. Also, he himself learns manners and reads books of manners. I do not mean by ‘Ādab, the Ādab of poetry and prose. No! I intend the manners of knowledge and teaching. They direct us to books associated with the manners of a student with his teacher, his father,  his parents, the community, the jurist, the questioner, and the laymen. Upon you is to learn these issues before studying knowledge. 

Read the book “Teaching The Learner The Path of Acquiring Knowledge.” One must learn the path of acquiring knowledge so that he knows how to act. That a scholar from the scholars of this religion speaks, an elder with great accomplishments, then after that I, whilst being an unknown son of an unknown, say “this speech that so-and-so has said is incorrect”. “This is incorrect, but rather such-and-such is.”

Or that I dare speak against Imām Mālik, Imām ash-Shāfi’ī, Imām Abī Ḥanīfah or Imām Aḥmed and I say “The speech said by Imām so-and-so is false, incorrect, not to be acted on” or other than that, then this is not from the mannerisms of the student of knowledge. Upon the student of knowledge is to acquire good manners, and that he interacts with the scholars and elders with courteousness. 

Listen to what Samurah bin Jundub said. He said “nothing prevented me from narrating except that there were those older than me present.” Present were those who are older than me, those who are more knowledgeable than me, and for that I stay silent without speaking.