Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Sources of knowledge

Bismillah.

O son, I cannot help but worry about you for I might not be around long enough to hold your hand and guide you. But sufficient is Allah and Rasul for you. InshaAllah.

I worry about the sources of knowledge that you seek. You could learn plenty of things on the internet but do not let it be your primary source of knowledge. You must seek the audience of real guru from whom you listen to with your own ears and learn from heart to heart. Gurus whose countenance and akhlaq make your heart incline towards Allah and Rasulullah s.a.w.

The reason I am bringing this up yet again is because I noticed some blogs quoting one zikir which I am familiar with. I was concerned because that particular zikir (or any prescribed-zikirs for that matter) should only be taken from a credible source, in a respectable manner, not from one who merely quotes/borrows from secondary sources. It's also worrying because I doubt the character of the person trying to impart such sacred knowledge online.

I sincerely pray so that Allah will guide you to solehinmu'aleem, ariffeen and genuine murshid just as we have been blessed to meet and learn from one as honorable as Shaykh Fahmi Zamzam al-Maliki (Alhamdulillah), whose teacher was one as highly esteemed as Almarhum Sayyid Muhammad bin Alawi al-Maliki (whom I had met once, Alhamdulillah) who learned from his venerable father Sayyid Alawi bin Abbas al-Maliki, who learned from Sayyid Ahmad al-Mujahid, who learned from Imam Muhammad al-Sanusi, who learned from Sayyid Muhammad bin Ali al-Sanusi who learned from Sayyid Ahmad bin Idris who learned from Rasulullah s.a.w, one zikir which came to be known as zikir of Tariqa Idrisiah or Ahmadiah.

I earnestly pray that you will meet and learn from gurus whose knowledge all trace back to Rasulullah s.a.w. This is our way. There is no other way. There is only one source of knowledge.

You may go to any universities to study anything you like, but never forget the more important branches of knowledge which stem from the tree of Muhammad s.a.w. Go search for it and by all means stand in the shade of that one blessed tree.

Sallu alan Nabi.



2 comments:

  1. In the Name of Allah, the All-Beneficent, the All-Merciful

    I have a humble comment to make, if you allow me:

    In the same way as we have the physical food, we also have spiritual food. One of the verses that endorses the fact that the source of our knowledge is of great importance is in chapter, verse, where Allah, the Most Gracious, says: "So let man observe his food" (80:24). Some Insightful exegetes who look at the baatin of the Qur'an have translated food here both as the apparent food as well as knowledge which is the food of the soul. In the same way as it is highly important for one to look at the source of his food in terms of lawfulness, quality, quantity, etc., it is imperative for the human being to consider the source of his knowledge and information. With regard to dhikr, likewise, the kind of dhikr and the number of recitations, are matters one cannot choose as one desires. Its source must be from an 'aarif who is al-kaamil (perfect) and al-mukammil (one who can perfect others).

    Salams and Du'as
    Muhammad

    ReplyDelete
  2. Salam dear Shaykh Muhammad,

    It's an honor to have someone like you visiting and leaving a remarkable comment which I absolutely treasure. Thank you very much for your attention and for the valuable advice.

    Please keep us in your du'a.
    Wasalam
    Ezza

    ReplyDelete