Necessary Manners for One who is Attending a Session of Knowledge or a Lecture

 

Chosen Islamic Manners

Necessary Manners for One Who is Attending a Session of Knowledge or a Lecture

     *The one who attends a lecture should take care of the way he looks. Some even said: 'One (i.e. the lecturer) should take care of the way he looks and beautify himself for the students taking knowledge from him. He should bathe himself, brush his hair and beard. He should arrange his turban and clothes appropriately. He should wear pleasant scents, use the Siwak and look at himself in the mirror before going (to meet his students). 

 

*One should walk in a calm manner and greet those whom he passes by with as-salaam. 

 

*Upon entering the Masjid he should perform Ta'he'yatul Masjid (i.e. a two unit prayer) before sitting down. 

 

*The student should sit as close as possible to the Sheik. He should not point with his hand when he is in his presence or make suggestive eye movements. 

 

*One should not cross between people to sit in the front; rather, he should sit wherever he finds a space, except if the Sheik allows him to sit near him. 

 

*One should not ask someone to leave his place, nor should they sit in the middle of a 'circle' of knowledge and one should not sit between two people unless he takes their permission. If they allow him to sit, he should take as little space as possible. 

 

*One should talk in a good manner and address people respectably. The Prophet () said: 

'Treat people with good manners.'  (Saheeh at-Targheeb)

 

*It is best that sessions of knowledge be held in the Masaajid. If this is not possible, then one can hold them in people's homes. The Prophet (pbuh) held a session of knowledge for the women and said: 'It will be held in the house of so and so.' 

*One should face the Qiblah (direction of the Ka'bah) and people should sit in a 'circle'.  

 

*There is no problem if the Sheik sits on a high place if there are many people. 

 

*The lesson should be started with the Testimony of Faith.

Thereafter, the Sheik should ask Allah to exalt the mention of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Some scholars would begin their sessions by a recitation from the Qur'an. 

 

*One should ask Allah to have mercy on his Sheik and to forgive him. If people are gossiping about a Sheik he should prevent them to the best of his ability.  If he cannot, then he should leave that sitting. 

 

*The Sheik should clarify terms which are difficult to understand. He should remain silent about matters he has no knowledge of or is unsure of. 

 

*The Sheik should be thoughtful and not bore the people in front of him. There is no problem if the Sheik ends the session with an interesting story, if he sees that some of those attending have become tired. Some even said: 'Stories and narrations are ‘ropes’ by which one can captivate the heart.'  

 

*One should not forget the du'aa of Kaf'farah al-Majlis upon completing the session.^[1] 

*One should not argue or dispute senselessly during the session of knowledge.

*One should not be arrogant and refuse to attend a session of knowledge in which the poor attend. 

*One should listen to the hadeeth of the Prophet (pbuh) in a humble and submissive manner. 

*A Sheik must be humble. 

 

*Some of the Salaf (Pious Predecessors) disliked and hated students of knowledge to follow their Sheiks and kiss their heads. 

 

*One should encourage the sincere students in the sessions of knowledge to gain knowledge.

 

*One should not claim that they have unlimited knowledge. 

 

*One should listen attentively during the session of knowledge and not preoccupy himself with something else.

 

*One should not interrupt the Sheik while he is delivering his speech. 

 

*One should organize and arrange the lessons throughout the course of a week. Ibn Masood () used to teach Hadeeth every Thursday. Ibn Abbas () used to begin teaching Tafseer (i.e. exegesis of the Qur'an), then Hadeeth, then Fiqh (jurisprudence) and poetry and so on. 

 

*One should not ask minors to take leadership roles. The Sheik should advise his students to be sincere. One student let out a sigh and his Sheik said to him: 'If you did this for the sake of Allah, you will have cleansed and purified yourself, but if you did this for other than the sake of Allah, you will have destroyed yourself.' 

                                                                                                        

Meaning: Far removed is Allah from every imperfection, who is our Rubb and I praise Him. There is no god worthy of being worshipped except You. I seek Your forgiveness and repent to You. 

*Lessons should generally instruct people to uphold good manners, and to do good. Ibn Masood () used to say: 'I hold Allah as a witness that there be no severer of relations among us, for we want to ask Him and want Him to answer us.'

 

*Lessons should include reminders that remind one of Allah, the Last Day, and general heart softeners.

 

*The Salaf used to grieve the death of one of their Sheiks. 

 

*The Sheik would appoint one of his students to take over the lessons after him.

 

*One should not be amazed by the large numbers who attend lessons of a deviated sinner. It is mentioned in the book of 'Ajaa'ib al-A'thaar' that a certain Sheik who was learned in matters of Fiqh, but was an immoral poet had over 300 students attending his lessons. 

 

*One should expel from the sessions of knowledge a person who spreads evil, in order to safeguard the rest of the students from the evil of that individual. 

 

*If a lesson is not valued or respected by a student, they will not benefit from it. 

 

Necessary characteristics of a Sheik 

1.       He should know his level of knowledge and the rights he owes to others. 

 

2.       He should set aside certain times or days in which he gives his lessons. He should not be late or miss a time for a session he has set unless he has a genuine reason to do so.

 

3. The Sheik should humble himself before his students. 

 

*The Sheik should not speak without knowledge, for Allah has compared this evil deed with polytheism.^[2] 

 

*The Sheik should inform the students to keep all their comments and questions till the end of the session. He should also inform the students of the points that he will cover in the lesson. 

 

*The Sheik should make sure that a certain percentage of the lesson be understood by all the attendees.  He should use different methods in conveying the lesson to the students.

 

*If a Sheik is unable to mention the preponderant opinion in an issue, he should mention what a trustworthy scholar has said regarding the preponderant opinion in that issue. 

 

*One should not bore the students by continuous reading from a book. 

*One should set a resting period for the students during the lesson. 

*If possible one should serve the students who attend the lesson.

*The Sheik should be generous to the students who attend his lessons.

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[1] Abu Hurairah () said that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: 'Whoever sits in a sitting and they have talked and argued in that sitting and before leaving it say:

'Sub haa'nakal'laahum'ma rab'bana wa be'hamde'ka laa ilaahah il'laa anta astaghfe'ro'ka wa atoobo ilaika: whatever (sins) he accumalted in that sitting would be forgiven for.' 

[2] In matters of knowledge one cannot say: 'I think' or 'it might be possible'! This is the Deen of Allah; one should only speak if he is absolutely sure. 

Source: Chosen Islamic Manner

to be continued . . . . 

Why Many American Women Choose Islam

 

 

Demystifying Islam

 by Dr. Ali Shehata

 

Why Many American Women Choose Islam

By Julie S. Mair, JD MPH

 

Each year thousands of American women convert to Islam.  One study estimates that of the nearly 20,000 US converts in 2000, nearly 7,000 were female.  These women are diverse in ethnicity, race, and socio-economic status.  A common assumption is that most women who convert do so because they are engaged or married to a Muslim. Muslim men, though, are specifically permitted to marry chaste Christian or Jewish women.  Thus, a woman does not have to convert to Islam to marry a Muslim.  Of course, the fact that a woman does not have to convert for a man does not mean that she does not do so.       

 

I graduated from a liberal women’s college in the Northeast—one of the Seven Sisters.  I practiced law for over eight years including a position with a large urban prosecutor’s office and then conducted scientific research in a leading university for nearly seven years.  A number of people whom I meet cannot understand how someone with my academic background and presumed intelligence could convert unless I was married to a Muslim man. I did not convert for a man, and the available evidence suggests that this reason is not prevailing in other women either.   

 

What then attracted me and so many other women to Islam?  While spirituality is a very personal matter and the factors that most influence a particular individual’s decision to convert vary, common themes emerge when American converts, both male and female, are asked why they chose Islam.  Some of the main factors that emerge when talking with converts include: “Islam makes sense” and it resolves issues in their prior religion or belief system that either confused or disturbed them; Islam prohibits blindly following the faith and requires Muslims to use their intelligence to increase their understanding of God; Islam provides a complete way to live one’s life with clear guidelines; and Islam promotes values that appear to be lost in the dominant, non-Muslim secular society.  

 

With respect to women converts in particular, one of the most intriguing aspects of conversion concerns those women who begin to investigate Islam more closely in an effort to confirm their already negative attitudes toward the religion--specifically, that Islam oppresses and devalues women, and promotes violence, intolerance and hate.  To their surprise, they discover quite the opposite.  Islam not only promotes peace, tolerance, and love, but in Islam women are highly regarded, equal before God with a pivotal role to play in both their families and society-at-large.  They learn that from the beginning, women contributed to Islam’s success and the spread of Islamic knowledge, and that some of the earliest and most influential scholars of Islam were women like ‘Aisha, a wife of the Prophet Muhammad pbuh (May Allah be pleased with her).  Far from oppressing women, Islam produces and nurtures strong female role models of piety, intelligence, and dignity.  

 

These women also discover the truth about the beloved Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him abundant peace) and the unjust vilification against him.  The Quran has been translated to describe the Prophet as having an “exalted standard of character” (68:4) and a “beautiful pattern of conduct” (33:21).  Muslims believe that the Prophet reached the highest attainable stage of human perfection and that he exemplifies beautiful behavior.  He treated women with respect, love, and appreciation and instructed his Companions and followers to do the same.  

 

To the extent that women are devalued or abused in countries inhabited by mostly Muslims, they find that this attitude or conduct toward women is not inherently part of Islam but results from cultural factors and the misinterpretation of Islam often for secular ends.  Of the few countries that apply Islamic Law, none do so completely or without error.  Perhaps, this should not be too surprising as the Prophet is reported to have said: “The best of my people is my generation, then those who follow them, then those who follow them.”  It would be a mistake to hastily reject Islam based on the incorrect practice of others when you yourself could be among the guided. 

 

After prior misconceptions about Islam are shattered, American women investigating Islam often look more critically at their own reality.  They begin to ask exactly what does “liberation” and “equality” mean and whether the American lifestyle truly delivers what it professes.  Studies consistently show that women in the United States earn less than men; that of the hundreds of thousands of rapes and sexual assaults each year in the U.S., the vast majority involve men as perpetrators and women as survivors; that intimate partner violence against women is epidemic often with fatal consequences; and that beauty, youth, and sex appeal appear to be more valued than piety, character, intelligence, and societal contribution. Although such facts do not lead to the conclusion that America is morally bankrupt or has nothing worthwhile to offer the rest of the world, they do suggest that all is not perfect in the land of milk and honey.  

 

In the final analysis, many American women find Islam liberating--freeing their minds, bodies, and spirits from veils of ignorance and guiding them to a harmonious existence in this life and ultimately the presence of the Lord in the next. Conversion though transcends logic and explanation, and words can only express what is in our thoughts.  The light of Faith is a blessed, undeserved and indescribable gift that illuminates our hearts.  And for that, all praise and gratitude is due to Allah.

  Source