The Manners of the Knowledge Seeker

Since knowledge is the worship of the heart, the secret of its life, and the source of its power, it is a must for its seeker to come to know the manners related to it, and to strive his utmost to obtain these manners. Otherwise, he will be going in one direction, and knowledge will be going in another, as it is said:

It went east, and I went west * What a difference there is between the east and west!

One should also realize that these manners are not like any other manners, where it is the same whether you obtain them or not, or that they are all of one level. Rather, some of them are obligatory upon everyone everywhere, whether or not they are students of knowledge. he purpose of attaining knowledge of the Shari’ah is to perfect one’s clarity of expression, and the purpose of perfecting one’s clarity of expression is to single out Allah and worship Him. Therefore, the purpose of seeking knowledge is to single out Allah – the Mighty and Majestic – and worship Him, and the message gets across much better when the one who has positioned himself to deal with this knowledge – whether he is a student or teacher – clearly shows these signs of singling out Allah and worshiping Him by submitting completely to the pure Shari’ah and noble Religion.

Based on this, the manners of seeking this knowledge are completely inseparable from the person who deals with it, because this is what the texts show, and because these manners include vast principles of the Religion that are not within anybody’s luxury to contradict or look to without taking seriously.

And these manners are at all times a definite obligation upon the seeker of knowledge, and Allah is the source of help, and upon Him is all reliance.

“I spent thirty years learning manners, and I spent twenty years learning knowledge.” – ‘Abdullah bin al-Mubarak

1 Purify Your Intention for Allah in Seeking Knowledge.
2 Purify Yourself Inwardly and Outwardly From That Which Contradicts the Shari’ah.
3 Completely Free Your Heart for Knowledge and Remove All Obstacles.
4 Eat Little, Be Cautious, and Constantly Remember Allah.
5 Eat, Sleep, and Speak as Seldom as Possible.
6 Reduce Socialization and Choose the Right Friends.
7 Choose What to Start With and Who to Teach You.
8 Have the Best Manners with Your Teacher.
9 Treat Your Books Well.
10 How to Act During a Lesson

Source: kalamullah