Faraz Rabbani – The Rawha #086 Practical Advice to Facilitate Retention and Memory
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The speakers discuss the importance of pursuing the right way to find out, submit to, and seek Allah. They stress the benefits of using a toothbrush for personal health reasons and the importance of prioritizing one's work and social responsibilities. The speakers emphasize the need for clear minds and a sense of priority for one's work, and emphasize the importance of seeking guidance and support in achieving one's goals. They also emphasize the importance of fostering provision and community involvement in helping students pursue their passions.
AI: Summary ©
You're listening to the Roha, daily guidance for
seekers with Sheikh Farazrabani,
who will be covering Imam Yusuf and Abiheni's
beautiful collection of 40 sets of 40 hadith
of the prophet, peace and blessings be upon
him, as well as Imam Zarnouji's guidance for
seekers of knowledge regarding the ways of seeking
knowledge.
We have been looking
at
the final part of Imam Zarrnouji's work on
the proper manners of the seeker of knowledge,
and
this is a critical work
because
the very purpose of existence
is
the
worship
of Allah,
is to to know,
submit to,
and seek
Allah
And that is not possible
without knowledge.
Right?
And that is not possible without knowledge.
And knowledge is not possible
without proper pursuit.
Right? Without proper pursuit.
And the idea of Adam is fundamental
to religion.
Right? To to religion.
The the great
Indian
scholar
often referred to as the Ghazali of India,
Shawwalullah Dahilawi,
he says that
at the basis of religion,
the religion revolves around the meaning of
deep respect,
tawim.
Right?
As is clear from the from the Quran
and the sunnah.
And that tawdim,
its expression is adab.
If you respect something,
you deal with it in a
respectful and right manner, and that's adab. And
we have some beautiful resources on on seekers
hub from the writings of one of the
great living
philosophers of Islam,
Sayyid Nakib Al Atas, if you look for
attas
and adab on the seekershub.org
website, you'll see some excellent resources on this
meaning of adab.
Right? That really all of the deen is
what?
Is
adab with Allah and adab with his creation.
Some adab is obligatory,
other adab is
emphasized, other adab is encouraged, but all adab
is good. That's why they say
Whoever has been prevented from adab has prevent
been prevented
from all good.
Right?
But adab can also be subtle, which is
why the scholars
emphasize it and they emphasize the need to
always review
these,
you know, this adab.
So we we had stopped
at at looking at some of the
at,
the
do we look at the lines of Al
Nasefi?
Yeah.
Najmuddin?
Yeah.
Yeah. So so I was
I got confused by the lines of Al
Hajjajah because it says Al Hajjaj because he's
called Al Hajjajah because he's made a lot
of Hajj.
I was reminded today of the lines of
Al Hajjaj ibn Yusuf,
a saqafi,
who
was being given a hard time. He's one
of the most brutal rulers in Islamic history,
though there's much competition
in that title sadly.
And the people of Iraq were giving him
a hard time so he's he addressed them.
And one of the most famous Khutbas,
most famous negative Khutbas, or
Manu's
famous negative speeches in history,
he said,
oh people of Iraq, oh people of hypocrisy.
And they use this line as a nahu
as a proof for a nahuih point.
And then he says,
Says I see heads that have ripened
and time has come to harvest them. And
I
shall be the one who does so. And
then he's he said, and I see blood
gushing forth between heads and beards.
And he gave a threat to the sad
thing as he carried it out.
So
the author, however, after the lines from
Imam Najmuddin and Nisafi,
who's called Hajjaj because he performed Hajj.
He says in giving some practical advice,
Where's the this where's the? Yeah.
The
After she come Yep.
Yeah.
So he said that using the Siwaq,
and
drinking honey.
Right? Because honey is a liquid. Right?
And eating kundar,
right, which is
a
it's it's a type of natural gum.
Right?
Maasukkar,
sweet slightly sweetened,
and eating
21
red, you know, dry you know, red raisins
daily.
Alarikh, you know,
on their own, meaning without without
liquid with them
is conducive to memory.
And this is based on tajruba. This is
not a legal
matter. The siwak, of course, is
a very important sunnah. Right? Now
the underlying sunnah is fulfilled
by brushing your teeth. In any way that
cleans them and removes bad smell.
But one of the benefits of
of
consulting
the the learn in is that so I
mentioned that to Sheikali Hani once,
as we were stuck for several classes
covering
the recommendation of Siwaq,
in some text that he was covering.
And he said, well, there's one issue that,
yes, while brushing one's teeth fulfill the sunnah,
conceptually,
practically, there's many places where brushing one's teeth
is recommended.
Before attending a gathering of people, can you
take toothbrush and toothpaste with you before you
do that? Before prayer, it's recommended.
Before reading Quran. These are all the opportunities
of fulfilling the sunnah.
It's from the sunnah of the prophet that
he would brush his teeth before before
reentering his house.
Right? Now it's not practically feasible to keep
even if you keep
toothpaste
and a brush with you, it's not practically
feasible
to use that. Right? That anytime
the general principle are anytime one's going to
do something
religiously praiseworthy
or anytime one is gathering with people,
right,
it is recommended
to,
brush one's teeth. Right? Without being excessive about
it. Right? And and in general, any time
one's breath has changed.
Right?
So that's why Abu Hanifa said it's min
sunnal ad Din. It's not the sunnal of
the religion. Something that the believer
does but without excessiveness
such so that's why keeping us a tooth
stick,
one follows the specific sunnah of the prophet
sallallahu alaihi.
Number 2, you can keep a tooth stick
with you wherever you are
and
that way you can fulfill the sunnah
in the many places where it's called upon.
Right?
Some of these other things of like gum,
etcetera.
Some of you will see some things,
discouraging men
from chewing on gum
and that returns to custom.
Right? But here chewing gum just slightly because
again it's it's,
you know, because the you engage in knowledge
by
repeating things, reciting things, and
having good breath
is praiseworthy in that.
Right?
And
it's a healing from many
ailments
and,
physical harms.
And eating now it diminishes
one's balgam,
one's phlegm
and moisture.
Right? This is from the the idea of
the
the of the temperaments
strengthens one's memory. And this is based on,
tejrubah,
not it's not a sharari matter.
As for the things that lead to forgetfulness,
The most important
is
the most grave is sin.
And much contraventions.
Yeah. Much contravention and sin.
And worries.
Right?
That's why this said from
Had I been responsible
even to earn
an onion
worth, I wouldn't have learned a thing. Of
course, that's you would have learned a thing
regardless,
but
emphasizing the need for Farahul Bel. Right? That
one, you know, to have a clear
mind.
Right?
Sorry.
And stuff that,
you know, concerns 1 and worries 1.
Right?
Particular of worldly matters.
And having too many things that keep one
busy
and too many attachments.
Right? So there's things that are outside one's
control,
and there's things that are within one's control.
So the things that are outside one's control,
right, you have to earn a living,
you have social responsibilities.
Right?
Right? So you have you have
your financial responsibilities and social responsibilities.
Right? These are outside one's control.
And there's things that within one's control. So
let me say that if you want to
make the most of your time, begin with
the things that are within your control.
Right?
And in those, the sunnah is
from the excellence of the person in Islam
is leave the things that don't concern you.
And even the things that don't concern you,
make things easy, don't make them difficult.
Right? So ultimately speaking, there's no salvific consequence
to your,
interest in the Toronto Maple Leafs. On the
day of judgment,
whether they got into the playoffs this year
or not,
won't have any salvific consequence.
Unless you curse and swear at people or
slander them, then that could endanger your ekira,
so don't.
But
and there's some things that are difficult more
difficult to leave because it may come right?
But
of the things that within your control,
get rid of the things that don't benefit.
Prioritizing
the the sinful,
the disliked,
the wasteful,
the things that take the most time,
and the easiest to leave. There's 5 things
they say that you prioritize.
When you leave the things that are within
your discretion,
you leave the sinful, the disliked,
the wasteful,
the things that
are significant distractions,
and the things that are easiest to leave.
Right? Because sometimes we develop bad habits that
are actually not that difficult to leave.
Right? How many people derive a lot of
pleasure
or satisfaction
from following the news?
So, yeah, that was
that 30 minutes of, you know, a CBC,
news report was just like,
I felt so content.
No.
Did you really benefit from it? No. And
you just increase in stress. There's some things
that are easier to leave. Yeah. So those
are 5 things that are, you know, within
one's discretion that one prioritizes leaving.
Right? Within one's discretion. Those those are things
one prioritizes.
Right? Then when one reaches a level of
prioritization in those, then the other thing to
look at,
right, is
that
one
in the long term, one directs
one's
work responsibilities
in a manner,
right,
that facilitates
one's ultimate goals.
Right? So in choosing
one's,
you know,
one's work, etcetera. Right? That one should not
just be a worldling. That one only has
worldly goals. You have some higher goals. Some
what is your eternal plan?
And what what do you want to present?
Yeah. The return on your life investment.
Right?
Is,
you know, what will you
stand before Allah with?
So you plan your career accordingly.
Of course, you can't the nature of work
is you can't just say, okay,
I'm switching to something completely because not up
to you. Right? But how do you direct
your career in a way that that's why
the prophet said,
seek beautifully.
And Ijmael is also with restraint,
with purpose.
Right? Don't be excessive in it. Right?
Right?
There's principles related to that. Right? That where
would the greatest benefit be? And you have
choice of work, the work that is, you
know,
that you
can contain if you have other goals or
that is itself beneficial.
Right? And there's different,
you know, different aspects to that, and that's
an area that one consults after having prioritized
what's discretionary first because they have much more
control over
that. But even within work, there are discretionary
elements. Your lunch break is discretionary. Your commute
is discretionary.
What do you do in the empty time
at work? There's always empty time. You're waiting
for a meeting. You're waiting for a client.
You have those
down times.
What do you do?
The seeker of knowledge
uses those down times to
1
to,
you know, not to get busied away.
Right? Because
by by external thoughts and tries to insert
beneficial knowledge in that.
One of my teachers at work, he said,
I'm I and may Allah bless him. He'd
recite at least 1 juz, sometimes 2, while
at work.
The medical doctor, not like some
just like why? Is it between patients here
and there, like,
just this one. Like if you're working 8
8, 9 hours, you easily
fit in
lots of stuff.
Right?
And that's
part of and then with the other component,
one's social responsibilities,
Right? The way one makes time in that
is that one should know what is one
responsible for?
Because a lot of what we do socially
is that we don't
our social responsibility, our religious responsibilities.
The religious obligations and religious opportunities.
Right?
A lot of what we do is we
just socialize. We socialize with family. We socialize
with friends,
but we neither fulfill rights
nor do we do good.
Right?
We just hang out.
And a lot of it's rather it's one
it's unsatisfying.
It's not particularly beneficial.
Right?
So how one fulfills those rights? That one
fulfills the rights
and one's tries to do so with excellence,
but not in a wasteful time. Right? And
that and that's where knowing what the rights
of of parents, family, and others are is
critical for a seeker of knowledge. Sheikh Hassan
al Hindi made this point. I asked him,
but how do you man like, you're you're
always teaching, but it looks like you have
good relations with family and peep
he said, because I always stay in touch
with everybody.
May Allah forgive us.
And,
you know, but I know what their rights
are. I give them their rights and more.
And,
you know, and they know that I'm that
I'm busy doing stuff, so they give me
my space.
Right?
Like, there's no sunnah to stay at a
wedding for 4 hours.
The sunnah is to partake in the wedding,
to share in someone's happiness.
But that's an opportunity. There's a ask for
what fulfills the right and what does good
in that relationship.
Right? In a way that'll be pleasing to
Allah. Right? So and if you look at
it that way, a lot of times if
I say, oh, weekends, I have you know,
I have to visit my parents. You visit
your parents, but go try to do good
there.
Right?
Do good
and then move on. It actually saves you
from a lot of,
you know, drama and controversy and politics and
other things.
So
these are these and these and attachments. As
for
so that's sort of the, like a framework
that the only man mentioned in terms
of reducing one's worldly
concerns
and the things that busy one away.
And
well, then he says,
and he says, and every everything that increases
one phlegm
is said to increase
one's forgetfulness.
It says,
and we've
mentioned before that it does not befit an
intelligent person
to to
be concerned about worldly matters.
Meaning,
here refers to to make it their primary
concern.
Right? We've been commanded to follow the way
of saint Ibrahim who said,
I do not love things that that
that are perishing.
I love not the perishing.
Right?
The next life is better for you than
this. So why would you prioritize
the fleeting over the the lasting?
Because it harms and does not benefit. Particularly,
dunya in the sense of anything that busies
you away from
And the worries of
and worldly worries,
are never free of darkness that affects the
heart.
Right? Because the the essence of worldliness is
that it busies you away from Allah.
Right?
And anything that is that does not bus
you away from Allah is not from worldliness.
Right?
And the matters
and the concerns of the next life are
never free of light within the heart.
And the trace of this is found in
the prayer. That's why they say it's the
the barometer of the believer.
And worldly concerns,
busy one from the good.
And here
is used,
right,
in that which is
one's primary concern.
Right? One's primary concern.
Right?
And world you and worldly concern, meaning prioritizing
the worldly
prevents one from the good.
Concern for the hereafter
directs one from the good. Because if your
primary concern is what will be pleasing to
Allah? What will I present to Allah on
the last day? Then any opportunity of good,
you'll rush to it.
K?
And busying oneself with prayer,
with
with humility,
with humbling oneself.
Right?
With reverent awe.
And busying oneself with attaining knowledge
negates
worry
and this worldly sorrow. Right?
As mentioned by
the the the sheikh, the imam Nasr ibn
Hasan al Marghinani, which is other than the
author of the Hidayah in a poem of
his.
Right? And this is one of the this
is a command in the Quran. Right?
Right?
With respect to the prayer,
seek assistance
in patience and prayer.
So that if one has worries,
turn to prayer.
That's number 1. The other is that
it has come in the sunnah. Right? That
directly about seeking knowledge that
Allah there's 3 categories of people
who
for whom Allah has taken care
their himself of their provision.
And one of them is the seeker of
knowledge until they've returned.
Right? Another is a person who marries,
seeking
to restrain themselves in dignified manner.
Right?
And
this great scholar Nasr ibn al Hassan
advised himself.
Right? And that's the adab of advice that
when you advise others, you intend yourself first.
And if you do so, the advice will
benefit
them
and you.
Whereas if you advise people,
but don't feel yourself
addressed of that advice,
that advice will be a case against you
and they won't benefit from it.
Right?
They mentioned one of the great scholars of
Damascus. You can find a biography of his
in,
it's one of the first biographies in the
Reliance of the Traveler, Shekhali Dapper from early
in 20th century. He used to give really,
really powerful chutbas, shockingly powerful. He used to
call out people. Oh, you who have turned
away from your Lord. Oh, you who claim
to be a believer
but harbor only hypocrisy.
Oh, you who are corrupt. Oh, you know
and people would cry and wail and repent
and,
you know, and return to Allah
through his and his
sermons.
So one of his students used to attend
these.
And then he returned back after studies to
his hometown,
and he decide to do the same thing.
But he started going, oh, you who have
turned from your lord. Oh, you who are,
you know, who harbor hypocrisy. Oh, you who
this.
And he hadn't even finished the qudawah.
They dragged him down from the minbar, and
they beat him up. Who are you calling
a hypocrite? Who are you calling,
you know, you know,
corrupt? And they beat him up. So poor
man returned to Damascus and went to his
sheikh, and he's like all wounded. And they
said, what happened?
He said, sheikh, they asked me to give
khutba. So I just repeated what you say.
But people
return to Allah
and
and are moved by your khutbah. As for
my khutbah, they beat me up.
They said my son,
the difference is that when I am talking
to them, I'm
addressing myself first and then them, and I'm
not paying attention to them. So when I
say, oh, you have turned to Allah, I'm
talking to myself.
When I say, oh, you who claim faith
but harbor nothing but hypocrisy, I'm talking to
myself. So I benefit from my admonition and
because I benefit others do as well. By
the barakah of the sincerity
in it.
As for you, you are just putting everyone
down and no one wants to be put
down.
So it's in that spirit
that Nusrat Hassan
He says, be concerned, oh, with
every knowledge
that is worth retaining.
That is
what negates
sorrow
and other than that cannot be trusted.
Right? And what is true knowledge?
True knowledge is knowledge of the heart. True
knowledge is that what draws you closer to
Allah. And if you are drawing closer to
Allah,
you are drawing closer to contentment.
Other than
that, you it is
even if it appears to be knowledge. Right?
You gain knowledge of a lot of religious
information,
but if it isn't of that which draws
you closer to Allah, what is it?
It cannot be trusted
to bring contentment.
Right?
Right. That's why the the olemanah give many
definitions
of of beneficial knowledge that the prophet sallallahu
alaihi wa sallam asked for. One of them
is
knowledge
of that which will draw you closer to
Allah.
Right. So this great scholar,
Imam Najmuddin Umar,
you know, Muhammad al Nisafi said to
with respect to
an umwaled,
a a a slave that he had for
whom he had a child. So she's akin
to being a wife of his.
You know, greetings be to the one who
dazzled me by her gaze
and by the by by the
radiance of her cheeks
and by the
light of her,
glance,
she
enraptured
she cap she
she captured me
and
rapture
and,
you know, she
put me in a trance,
this
this
beautiful young woman,
and she dazzled my imagination
in trying to understand
her beautiful qualities.
So I said to her,
leave me and excuse me because I have
been I have been taken
by the attainment of knowledge
and
and
uncovering it.
Says and I have
in the pursuit
of
knowledge
and virtue
and piety.
No need
from
the singing
of
of those who would sing sweet melodies
and their,
and their sweet scents.
Right? Because this she presumably wanted more of
his
attention and company. And he said,
I'm sorry.
I I have more important things
to take care of. And many
wrote
this,
you know, wrote about,
about this.
And
we'll just close the section
Says, as for some of the things that
are said to bequeath,
to to to to cause forgetfulness of knowledge
is eating what's
kuzbora?
Coriander.
You know, coriander.
But, but, fresh coriander
and eating
sour apples.
And look at
people who are crucified
and
reading
the,
reading gravestones.
And to to go by mountain passes.
Right? And throwing the which is the,
what you get in the hair?
What do you get in the hair?
Lice. And to throw live
living lice on the ground.
And
to
to get to to cup at the at
the
base of the neck of the neck.
And this is it's said.
All these are said to cause forgetfulness. Right?
Some of them because they will distract.
Right? Or they could affect your temperament. Right?
If you eat the wrong kind of thing.
But these are none of these are shay
you know, shara'imai. Someone's always you're supposed to
be seeking knowledge. We're always hanging out in
the graveyard
reading about who's and there are people who
are fascinated by that. One of the big
Egyptian scholars, I was listening to this lesson
of his,
and he knows a lot about his the
history of Cairo.
So in this lesson at the end, first
question he got, is it true that Sheikh
so and so is buried in such as
a graveyard behind so and so? He
said Sahih and he gave a little biography.
Then a couple of other questions. Then another
question, is it true that so and so
is buried in such as a graveyard? He
said, yes. And
and blah blah blah, he gave some to
you. The third question he said, excuse me
guys.
What do you think I do when I'm
not teaching you guys?
Am I the custodian
of the graves of Cairo?
Right? Says be avid for what benefits you.
Right? So
the so some of these there's contextual reasons.
Right? That because if you take lice out
of your hair,
kill them. If you if you just throw
it, it's gonna go hurt someone else.
Right?
So there's, like, you know, the hejama you
have to be careful. There's a right way
to get cupping.
Right? And there's wrong ways. I have a
friend who went to get cupping. He didn't
go to the right kind of person to
get cupping,
and
he got it done in a in a
way that is in traditional medicine is discouraged,
and he also had a weak temperament.
Right? So it's probably not good for him.
He had he he had problems with his
energy level. So he got the cup and
he fainted for better part of a day.
I was kind of relieved because we used
to argue all the time,
but I felt bad about but you know
there's a right way to do something. Right?
So if you get you know, there's something
you get cupping done
and cupping ultimately, although it it's good for
you, if you get cupping done too much,
right, it can weaken you too. The the
some of these things is a right way
of of of doing it.
So they're but these are contextual things. Next
session, we're going to look at some of
the things that facilitate provision
and that,
bless, you know, bless
one's life.
And many of these are based on
experience, but the the key thing is here
is the idea of be being avid for
all that will benefit 1. Right? And will
increase 1 in the good.
And caution about everything that would
distract
one from what is most important.
Right? So you look at
the fact that, you know, the the seeker
of knowledge needs to take the means of
having a livelihood.
Right?
And there's a personal aspect to that and
there's a collective aspect that as a community,
we have to ensure that we are facilitating
the means
for students
to study.
Right?
In this in, because that is a
and may Allah facilitate for us to make
the right right personal choices and the right
collective choices.
Thank you for listening to the Roaha, daily
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