Adab al-Ta'leem

Etiquettes of Teaching

Lughaat: اِكْظِمُوا; hold it back. Protect it. لَا تَخْلِطُوهُ; do not mix it up. Do not intermingle. ضَحِكٍ; laughter. تَمُجُّ; spits it out, throws it out.

Translation: Hazrat Ali (RA) narrates, he said "Learn knowledge, then when you learn it, protect it, do not mix it with joking and jesting lest the hearts of people spit it out, meaning they do not accept it."

قَالَ اللَّهُ تَبَارَكَ وَ تَعَالٰی : وَلَا تَقْفُ مَالَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِ عِلْمٌ ۔ (بنی اسرائیل - آیت ٣٦)

Lughaat: لَا تَقْفُ; neither narrate, nor say, nor pursue. مَا لَيْسَ; whatever is not. لَكَ; to you, for you. بِهِ; of it.

Translation: Allah Most High states. Whatever thing you do not know about, do not pursue it, do not say it.

عَنِ الْأَعْمَشِ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ اٰفَةُ الْعِلْمِ النِّسْيَانُ وَإِضَاعَتُهُ أَنْ تُحَدِّثَ بِهِ غَيْرَ أَهْلِهِ ۔ (رواہ الدارمی مرسلا - مشکوٰۃ)

Lughaat: إِضَاعَةٌ; to waste. تُحَدِّثَ; that you narrate, that you say. From this is the word hadith.

Translation: A'mash narrates, he said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said the calamity of knowledge is to forget, and to waste it is to say it to the ineligible (meaning to teach the ineligible). (Darimi narrated this as Mursal, meaning such a hadith whose chain meets the Messenger of Allah ﷺ but the name of the Sahabi is not in between).

عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَسْعُوْدٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ لَوْ أَنَّ أَهْلَ الْعِلْمِ صَانُوا الْعِلْمَ وَوَضَعُوهُ عِنْدَ أَهْلِهِ لَسَادُوْا بِهِ أَهْلَ زَمَانِهِمْ - وَلٰكِنْ هُمْ بَذَلُوْهُ لِأَهْلِ الدُّنْيَا لِيَنَالُوْا بِهِ مِنْ دُنْيَاهُمْ فَهَانُوْا عَلَيْهِ - سَمِعْتُ نَبِيَّكُمْ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُوْلُ مَنْ جَعَلَ الْهُمُوْمَ هَمًّا وَاحِدًا هَمَّ اٰخِرَتِهِ كَفَاهُ اللَّهُ هَمَّ دُنْيَاهُ وَمَنْ تَشَعَّبَتْ بِهِ الْهُمُوْمُ اَحْوَالَ الدُّنْيَا لَمْ يُبَالِ اللَّهُ فِيْ أَيِّ أَوْدِيَتِهَا هَلَكَ ۔ (رواہ ابن ماجہ و ابن عساکر)

Lughaat: صَانُوا; protected, if they protected. صَانَ، يَصُوْنُ، صِيَانَةً; to protect. وَضَعَ، يَضَعُ، وَضْعًا; to place, here it means "to give". سَادُوْا; they became leaders. سَيِّدٌ; leader. سَادَ، يَسُودُ سِيَادَةً; to become a leader. بَذَلُوْا; spent. بَذَلَ، يَبْذُلُ، بَذْلًا; to spend, to expend. يَنَالُوْا; they attain. نَالَ يَنَالُ نَيْلًا; to attain, to find. هَانُوْا; they became disgraced. هَانَ - يَهُونُ - هَوْنًا;

to become low and disgraced. هَمٌّ; worry for the future. هُمُوْمٌ; plural. تَشَعَّبَتْ; branch upon branch. شِعْبٌ; valley, branch, shoot. يُبَالِیْ يُبَالِي مُبَالَاةً; to care, to consider significant. أَوْدِيَةٌ; plural of وَادِي, valley, a path between two mountains. هَلَكَ; destroyed.

Translation: Hazrat Abdullah bin Masud (RA) narrates. He said that if the scholars protect their knowledge and give it to its eligible ones, they would become the leaders of the people of their time. But they gave it to the worldly people so that they may obtain some of their world from them, thus they became disgraced and low in their eyes. I heard your Prophet ﷺ saying that whoever kept his worry only as one worry, meaning kept the worry of the Hereafter, God suffices for his worldly worry, making him independent. And whoever has various worries, meaning worries of the states of the world, then God does not care in which valley he is destroyed or perishes.

Friends! For the scholars, what an important piece of advice this is, that they should not teach knowledge to the ineligible. What will be its result? They themselves will become disgraced before the worldly people. You worry about the Hereafter, God will take care of your matters.

عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ مَنْ عَلِمَ شَيْئًا فَلْيَقُلْ بِهِ وَمَنْ لَّمْ يَعْلَمْ فَلْيَقُلْ "اللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ" فَإِنَّ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ أَنْ تَقُوْلَ لِمَا لَا تَعْلَمُ "اللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ" قُلْ مَا اَسْئَلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ اَجْرٍ وَّمَا اَنَا مِنَ الْمُتَكَلِّفِيْنَ ۔ (متفق علیہ)

Lughaat: لَا اَسْئَلُكُمْ; I do not ask you. مُتَكَلِّفِيْنَ; those who make up, those who burden themselves.

Translation: Hazrat Abdullah bin Masud (RA) narrates, he said: O people! Whoever knows something should say it, and whoever does not know should say "Allahu A'lam" (Allah knows best), because it is also part of the glory of knowledge that for what you do not know, you say "Allahu A'lam". O people! Say: I do not ask you for any reward or return for it, and I am not among those who fabricate and make things up. (This is a narration of Bukhari and Muslim)

Friends! Knowledge is a very vast ocean. Everything is God's work to know. What we know, we do not know more than that, so whatever thing we do not know, cleanly say "Allahu A'lam". The teacher should not want any reward or return from anyone and should not fabricate things. Should not be attached to the heart.

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَنْ سُئِلَ عَنْ عِلْمٍ عَلِمَهُ ثُمَّ كَتَمَهُ أُلْجِمَ يَوْمَ الْقِيٰمَةِ بِلِجَامٍ مِّنْ نَّارٍ - (رواہ احمد و ابوداؤد و الترمذی و ابن ماجۃ)---

Lughaat: ثُمَّ; then. كَتَمَ; concealed. كَتَمَ يَكْتُمُ كِتْمَانًا; to conceal. أُلْجِمَ; was bridled. لِجَامٌ; bridle.

Translation: Hazrat Abu Huraira (RA) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: If any person is asked a question about such knowledge that he knows, and then he concealed that knowledge and did not explain it to people, then on the Day of Judgment he will be bridled with a bridle of fire. (Ahmad, Abu Dawud, and Tirmidhi narrated this, and Ibn Majah as well)

عَنْ أَنَسٍ عَنْ عِكْرِمَةَ أَنَّ ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ حَدِّثِ النَّاسَ كُلَّ جُمُعَةٍ مَرَّةً - فَإِنْ أَبَيْتَ فَمَرَّتَيْنِ فَإِنْ أَكْثَرْتَ فَثَلَثَ مَرَّاتٍ - وَلَا تُمِلَّ النَّاسَ هٰذَا الْقُرْاٰنَ - وَلَا أُلْفِيَنَّكَ تَأْتِي الْقَوْمَ وَهُمْ فِیْ حَدِيْثٍ مِنْ حَدِيْثِهِمْ فَتَقُصُّ عَلَيْهِمْ - فَتَقْطَعُ عَلَيْهِمْ حَدِيْثَهُمْ فَتُمِلُّهُمْ وَلٰكِنْ أَنْصِتْ - فَإِذَا أَمَرُوْكَ فَحَدِّثْهُمْ وَهُمْ يَشْتَهُونَهُ وَانْظُرِ السَّجْعَ مِنَ الدُّعَاءِ فَاجْتَنِبْهُ - فَإِنِّى عَهْدْتُ رَسُوْلَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَاَصْحَابَهُ لَا يَفْعَلُوْنَ ذٰلِكَ - (رواہ البخاری - مشکوٰۃ)

Lughaat: حَدِّثِ; state. كُلَّ جُمُعَةٍ; every week (this is an idiom). أَبَيْتَ; you refused. اَنْكَرْتَ; you refused. أَكْثَرْتَ; you did more, did much. فَإِنْ أَكْثَرْتَ; if you want to do more. لَا تُمِلَّ; do not tire, do not bore. أَمَلَّ يُمِلُّ إِمْلَالًا; to tire, to bore. لَا أُلْفِيَنَّكَ; that I do not find you. أَلْفَى يُلْفِى إِلْفَاءً; to find. فَتَقُصُّ; then you narrate. قَصَّ - يَقُصُّ قِصَّةً; to narrate, to tell a story. أَنْصِتْ; remain silent. نَصَتَ; silence. سَجْعَ; rhyming. فَاجْتَنِبْهُ; abstain from it, stay away, leave it. جَنْبٌ; side, edge. عَهْدْتُ; I found, I saw.

Translation: Hazrat Anas (RA) narrates from Ikrimah, and from Hazrat Ibn Abbas (RA) that he said to people, narrate hadith once a week. If you do not accept this, then twice, if you want to do even more, then three times. Do not bore and tire people with this Quran (meaning do not find people such that you go to them and they are busy in their talk), then you go in front of them and start narrating hadiths, cutting their talk, breaking their chain of conversation, and then you tire them, bored them, but remain silent. When they command you and request it, then narrate hadiths to them while they have the desire for it. And look, abstain from rhyming in supplication (dua). Abstain from it because I have seen the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and His Companions (RA) that they do not do this. (Bukhari narrated it and it is also in Mishkat)

Companions! Today there is a big emphasis on preaching. There are preachers and orators giving lectures in every home. One gentleman proudly stated that in this month, he gave sixty (60) lectures. O people! You listen to the lecture, but its result on acting upon it is absolutely none.

will come out? The proof of God will be established upon you, and due to your not acting, divine punishment will come upon you.

عَنْ أَبِي أُمَامَةَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَنْ تَرَكَ الْمِرَاءَ وَهُوَ مُبْطِلٌ بُنِيَ لَهُ بَيْتٌ فِي رَبَضِ الْجَنَّةِ وَمَنْ تَرَكَهُ وَهُوَ مُحِقٌّ بُنِيَ لَهُ فِي وَسَطِهَا وَمَنْ حَسَّنَ خُلُقَهُ بُنِيَ لَهُ فِي أَعْلَاهَا - (اخرجه الترمذي - تيسير)

Translation: It is narrated from Hazrat Abu Umamah (RA) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Whoever gives up arguing when he is in the wrong (and realizes his mistake), a house will be built for him in the outskirts of Paradise. And whoever gives up arguing even when he is in the right, a house will be built for him in the middle of Paradise. And whoever improves his character, a house will be built for him in its highest part."

Gentlemen! Leave stubbornness. If someone is saying a good thing, then accept it. Even if you are on the truth, avoiding arguments is better for you. There is a house in Paradise for you, and those whose character is good, for them a magnificent palace will be built in the highest part of Paradise.

عَنْ عَلِيٍّ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ أَلَا أُخْبِرُكُمْ بِالْفَقِيهِ مَنْ لَّمْ يُؤْيِسِ النَّاسَ مِنْ رَّحْمَةِ اللّٰهِ وَلَمْ يُرَخِّصْ لَهُمْ فِي مَعَاصِي اللّٰهِ تَعَالَى - أَلَا لَا خَيْرَ فِي عَمَلٍ لَافِقْهَ فِيهِ - وَلَا خَيْرَ فِي فِقْهٍ لَا وَرَعَ فِيهِ - وَلَا قِرَاءَةٍ لَا تَدَبُّرَ فِيهَا أَلَا إِنَّ لِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ ذُرْوَةً وَذُرْوَةُ الْجَنَّةِ الْفِرْدَوْسُ لِمُحَمَّدٍ وَ أَلِ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - (الجوهر - كنز ج 5 / 223)

Translation: Sayyiduna Ali (RA) narrates: He said, "Shall I not inform you who a Faqih is? A Faqih is he who does not make people despair of Allah's mercy, nor does he give them permission to commit acts of disobedience to God. Yes! There is no good in an action in which there is no understanding, and what is the benefit of such understanding in which there is no piety, and such recitation (reading) in which there is no contemplation. O people! Everything has a peak, and the highest station of Paradise is Firdaws, which is for Muhammad ﷺ and the family of Muhammad ﷺ."