Zaynab Ansari – Who To Take Knowledge From Part 2 Student Assembly
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AI: Transcript ©
You know, for seekers of, sacred knowledge,
no matter where you are on your journey,
whether you're just,
you know, starting out
or, you know, for more advanced students
that,
I highly recommend everyone acquire to the extent
possible a copy of,
this book.
Okay. Reliant to the Traveler.
Okay. There we are. Ahmed Atasadik.
And,
this is by Ahmed ibn Nattib al Masri
and translated by Shah Nour Keller.
And,
even though that it's a manual of Shafi'i
law,
it has some really good,
discussions of the place and the role of
sacred knowledge and how to choose a teacher.
In fact,
really the first 30 pages or so of
this text, Look at what we've been talking
about in more detail really in terms of
the importance of following,
qualified scholarship
and the different types of knowledge.
So there is a question about,
about choosing,
a path of study, about choosing curricula.
And,
just give me one second. It looks like
some of these questions have already been answered,
so I don't wanna be redundant. So just
bear with me as we figure out
exactly,
what I should,
answer.
Okay. So, yes, so in fact, in terms
of starting out,
it is I think it is important to,
to pursue curriculum based study and here's why.
Again, there,
there's sort of a vast array of topics
and texts and approaches out there.
And it's important for the student of knowledge
to not overwhelm himself or herself. He's trying
to take on too much.
It's really important to focus on the essentials,
and I understand that Seeker steps
in a really kind of methodical way takes
students through,
the essentials from,
essentials through foundations, through understanding and mastering and
advanced and so on.
And and that's because, you know,
Islamic learning, this kind of traditional,
classical text based learning
is cumulative.
Right?
So in order, for example, to sort of
delve into the thicker
more advanced
books,
it really is important to have studied the
the the basic texts in that particular,
topic or discipline.
So I think a cumulative approach is definitely
sound.
In the beginning, one should look at what
one needs to know to practice one's deen.
That is a knowledge that all of us
should be seeking.
For those who are parents, they should know
how to parent according to the Sharia.
People who are looking to get married or
who are married need to understand the rulings
related to marriage and
divorce and,
child custody and child rearing and and,
and and and and and all of those
sort of relevant related topics. So it really
is important that one looks at one sort
of life station and and understands that there,
is certain knowledge that is obligatory to seek.
I would really suggest that people start with,
a class in the Quran just because sometimes
I find that people are told, okay,
go and learn Arabic first and then you
have to learn Arabic for many many years
before you can think about studying the Quran.
But every Muslim needs to have a connection
to the Quran whether or not they speak
Arabic as their first language.
And I think I think it's good to
have some program for
Quran memorization.
You know, that that to me is is
is critical and sometimes the importance of that
is downplayed that older people get. The focus
is sometimes
on on kids getting into HIFS programs, but
there are a lot of adults who'd like
to memorize. So, I think some emphasis should
be placed on on on, on on memorization.
As well as,
foundational,
or introductory class in in Aqidah
for those who are starting out having a
good class in Islamic beliefs and theology
and having a good class in jurisprudence
based upon the med hev one thinks he
or she is able to practice.
I I often get questions about,
how to choose a med hev and all
of that, and that's not really a topic
we can we can get into,
in the assembly.
But if one wants to learn sacred law
in a consistent methodical,
fashion that makes sense, that aids learning,
it it's it's it's it's,
really good form to pick a med hub
and study the basic texts of that of
that particular school.
Let's go on to some of the other
questions.
There is a question about referring to oneself
as a Muslim.
Yeah. So and and, you know, again, when
I say
this is not about sort of,
embracing labels and making claims to my school
versus your school or my math versus your
math. It's not about that at all.
At the time of the
prophet
everybody was a Muslim
and, you know, in terms of people
calling themselves ahlul sunnah
versus Shiite and all the terms that kind
of came up later, we know that there
are some very kind of traumatic some some
traumatic political events that took place in early
Muslim history.
And no reason no no no reason to
delve into those, but to just understand when
I say,
it's usually synonymous with the person who calls
himself or herself Sunni. But even the term
Sunni has,
takes on particular nuances, meanings, implications based upon
the historical context.
You know, for example, for those who,
study Islam in America, calling oneself as Sunni
Muslim has a really kind of particular
historical meaning, right, that may or may not
even connect to a particular madhab.
So it's important to understand that this is
not about sort of
emphasizing labels and affiliations, but this is just
about conveying the idea that,
the way of traditional Islam is a very,
it is it is a path that encompasses
many, different middahid, different ulemaat,
different approaches and allows for for difference of
opinion. If one want to say that they're
a Muslim who simply is upon that path,
that's
fine.
Again, I've been very fortunate to have,
shuyuf that,
while part of this tradition of Ahlus and
Abu al Jema'ah, you know, they have taken
a very kind of inclusive non sectarian approach.
And that really has been a hallmark of
traditional
Islam.
It does take into account diversity
of opinion.
There is a question about
how to eliminate the left and evil thoughts
and,
you know, this is something that
is really,
part and parcel of having classes in in
spirituality,
in the discipline,
in the disciplining of the nest. You know,
in fact, there's an entire there's an entire,
sort of,
science devoted to the internal,
devoted towards,
subduing the nefs and adorning oneself with positive
traits
and,
ridding oneself with reprehensible traits, you know. And
and that's why I I would really going
back to the question of should I study
with just, you know, random people in the
masjid.
When it comes to
matters of the heart
and tasselwuf or teskea,
any type of spiritual training or discipline,
it's really important that one sits with a
specialist.
And in the same way that when you're
sick, you can go to your family doctor
or general practitioner,
for some elements, but for others you're gonna
wanna see a specialist. Right? So
when it comes
to matters of sort of eliminating,
the of the nephs, then that's where one
goes to a specialist.
Alright. Let me take a look at some
of the other questions.
Is there a benefit to connect to the
local community when one one is when one
is not a teacher and there is no
yeah. Absolutely. I mean, don't isolate yourself from
your local community.
There is benefit. One of the things that
I've I've noted about
students who've, studied online
is that,
Shal, everyone can still see me. Okay.
One of the things that I've noticed about
students,
who who studied online is a lot of
them
have been so motivated after studying to actually
go and teach in our local community, to
start programs if programs don't exist.
So it's really important to have a connection
with your local community.
You know, a lot of people say, well,
you know, can I just take one class
and start teaching? That really depends upon your
level of sort of, you know, mastery and
comprehension
and,
you know, were you able to kind of
sort of get permission from the teacher.
Some people have taken classes, like I said,
and they're usually really kind of avid students
of knowledge and then they go and actually
start something, in in their own community.
And another another thing that you can do
is, there's seeker circle. So for if there
are no pre existing programs, what you can
do is actually form a a circle of
knowledge where you actually get to sit with
people who live where you live and go
to the same masjid. And,
your lectures and lessons might be online, but
your classmates, you're getting together,
on-site with your classmates. It's a very nice
model.
Okay.
Let me make sure I get to
just checking your questions.
Okay.
I'm gonna go back up because I don't
want to
miss any questions.
So just bear with me. I'm just scanning
them right now.
There are there's a question about different ways
to serve the dean based upon different capabilities.
Yeah. I mean, and another thing too is
we one has to take into account strengths
and weaknesses.
You know, for example,
some people might just be in a better
position in terms of say time and resources
and family situation
to really spend many years studying and to
sort of be able to teach,
just kinda like dedicate their entire life to
scholarship and teaching. For other people, you know,
other people might have sort of more tophill
or more facility
and being the behind the scenes person who
makes it possible to have programs,
to have educational facilities. And, you know, I
would argue that the person who's able to
fund programs, the person who's able to coordinate
logistics,
the person who's able to provide childcare,
the person who cooks for gatherings,
I think has as much edger or reward
from Allah to Allah from God most high
as the person who actually sits down and
teaches or the person who's learning.
Right? I mean, it really is a team
effort to have good quality,
programs in in place.
Not everyone obviously is is going to sort
of,
become a lifelong, you know, student of sacred
knowledge.
But at the same time, one shouldn't be
deterred from studying based upon
circumstances of life and reality. So for example,
not everyone can go overseas to study. There's
question about going overseas to study and children
do that before or after they get married.
To be honest with you, I accomplished the
majority of my study when, I was single.
It just was easier obviously.
Marriage can change things. However, if,
husband and wife are on the same page
about,
about about studies and starting a family, it
is possible.
But I would just say kind of, you
know, don't approach this as kind of,
sort of, you know, it's this this
all or nothing or zero sum game. It's
not. This is a lifelong
process
of connecting to Allah ta'ala,
reviving the sunnah,
and improving oneself and one's family, one's community.
And that inshallah is gonna happen over many
stages of life, over many years.
I think a little bit taken at a
time consistently is probably better than someone who
just kind of jumps into 10, 15 different
subjects all at once and tries to master
all of them.
And the prophet
did say that as far as when Zayibaydah
is concerned,
you know, it's what what is most beloved
to Allah is something that is done,
done consistently.
Going overseas to study, it really depends. Some
people go overseas to study and do quite
well, and some people find that they go
there and they don't quite find what they're
looking for. It really depends upon you and
your particular goals.
Okay. There was a question about Quran memorization,
and that that's critical.
And I I feel very strongly about that
because what happens is as we age, our
our capacity for memory diminishes.
So I think the sooner we can start
memorizing the Quran, the better and with equal
emphasis for males and females.
Just bear with me. I'm gonna plug up
on my computer and make sure I don't
lose my charge my battery.
Too often in our communities and, you know,
for those who are in a position to
organize programs, please
please, do pay particular attention. Too often in
our communities,
we focus on hiflas or Quran memorization
for boys to
the sort of exclusion of girls, which I
think is most unfortunate.
Just because someone might not become a prayer
leader does not mean they don't need to
memorize Quran. When you have the Quran in
your heart, there's a foundation for so much
else there when you've internalized that. It'll give
you an advantage when you study hadith, when
you study silk, obviously, when you study tafsir.
So
I think everyone should make a program for
Quran memorization based upon their ability. Just give
me one moment, please.
Okay. I don't wanna lose that, my my,
connection.
So,
let me just check and make sure. Inshallah,
if the moderator could tell me how we're
doing for time. Okay. It looks like we're
gonna have to wrap up soon. So Inshallah,
let me
just quickly there was one last question I
wanted to to address.
Okay.
So faith. How to teach faith to our
children and dealing with doubts and faith.
Doubts will occur.
The Sahaba who were really the best of
Muslims had their even had their own particular
struggles, and this is part of being human.
The main thing is to recognize, to acknowledge
that the doubt has occurred and to seek,
the companionship of someone whose iman is strong
and who can really kinda give you the
sort of,
cognitive
and the,
spiritual tools to handle these doubts.
Faith is not some sort of esoteric abstract
concept. It's directly related to how we live
our lives and who we are. And as
far as our children are concerned,
the best way to teach them about iman
is in a way that's really concrete that
they can grasp.
And, honestly, their hearts their hearts are so
pure, they are naturally predisposed
to believe in the existence of Allah ta'ala
and to love the prophet of Allahu alayhi
wa sallam. I would say capitalize
and take advantage of the fact that their
hearts are so open to that. Right? So
if they see you and you're constantly you
have the mention of Allah on your tongue,
you're always sending solowatts, you're diligent about your
worship,
and you're content with what life circumstances, they're
they're gonna absorb this. They're gonna they're gonna
learn from this inshallah. So we're gonna go
ahead and wrap up so that everyone,
inshallah can depart in a timely fashion.
So inshallah, just, in in conclusion, I wanna
say may Allah give you tawfiq in your
studies. Make sure that you start out each
lesson with Niya for seeking knowledge.
Share that knowledge with those around you.
And thank you so much.
And thank you to sister Sarah and brother
Abdul Latif for your assistance.