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.
[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.
to be continued . . . .
