From the teachings of shaykh Muhammad Saleem Dhorat Hafizahullah
by
Muhammad Abdullah
Throughout our life we remain students of one discipline or another. Whether we are pursuing secular knowledge by studying at school or completing our phD, or we acquiring religious knowledge by studying the Arabic alphabet or have reached the completion of the final lessons of Saheeh Bukhari, every single one of us is constantly undergoing some form of formal or informal tuition.
With regards to the acquisition of religious knowledge Imam Ghazali quotes in his book Kimiya-e- Sa'adat:... If a person learns such an Ilm, acquires such knowledge which keeps him away from evil and makes him do good deeds, what else can be better than that?! Such knowledge is like water from the cooling streams for the thirsty and a treatment for the sick. The more one attains such knowledge the better it is for him.
With regards t secular knowledge, many of us do not usually realize that even its acquisition can become a means of gaining reward. All that is required to acquire reward for this learning is to turn our attention to the right direction. There are a few salient points which, if remembered, should enable one to begin to learn in a manner that will gain benefit not only in this world but also in the hereafter.
Correct Intention
In a Hadith it is mentioned:
All actions are dependent upon Intentions. (Bukhari)
Therefore before commencing any sort of study we must question our intentions. Are we studying only for materialistic gain or are we studying so that we may utilize our knowledge for the benefit of mankind and thereby acquire the pleasure of Allah?
Having adopted the correct intention, we must constantly review our intentions throughout our course of study to ensure that they have not changed. Reviewing ones intention is essential because even though in the initial stages our intentions may have been pure and full of sincerity, the influences of one's base desires (nafs) and the influences of the environment around us during our course of study may bring detrimental, albeit, subtle changes changes in our motives. A useful way to gauge whether any shortcomings have crept into our intentions is to take account of our daily life and try to determine what we give preference to when there is a conflict between the commands of Allah and the demands placed upon us in our field of study. If we find that we are inclining away from the Sharee'ah, then this is a good indicator that our motives have changed. We should continually request Allah to keep our intentions sincere, thus the following masnoon dua is extremely beneficial in this regard:
O Allah, forgive me for those actions which we inititiated purely for thy sake and into which other intentions later entered. (Al Hizbul A'zam)
Choose a good subject
When deciding upon a course of study, one should not choose a subject merely because it is easy, rather one should endeavour to select a field of study that will be beneficial to us in both worlds and which can be a means of benefit to humanity. We should refrain from undertaking a course of study which may involve any violation of the Shariah. Once again we find suitable guidance in the supplications of the Prophet wherein one prayer states:
O Allah save me from knowledge which is useless, from a heart that does not fear thee and a prayer that is not entertained.
(Al Hizbul A'zam)
From this we can gauge hyphen due to the phrases used in the prayer hyphen that beneficial knowledge is only which will help one develop the Recognition of the Lordship of Allah.
Aim to be the best
In the ahadith, knowledge has been described as the lost property of a believer. We, as Muslim students, should aim and strive to be the experts in our chosen fields. Studying within the limits of the Shariah, we should aim to acquire as much knowledge as we can and ensure that we complete our course of study with the maximum effort and striving. How is it that we, who claim to be the inheritors of the pioneers of astronomy, and of medicine, to name just a few fields in which Muslims have excelled, feel happy to s****e through our studies with the lowest grades?
Even though it is not possible that every person will be an expert in their field, each of us should aim to try our best and thus try to provide a representation of the Muslim student. Once we become professionals, we may be stationed at the meeting place of various cultures regardless of our work place. Our role will be of vital importance as we will become a linking bridge for the non-Muslims whose first contact and acquaintance with Islam maybe through us. Similarly we must strive to remain practising Muslims to ultimately serve our Muslim community that is much in need of our expertise. Once again the masnoon duas of the Prophet are extremely useful in this regard with two examples being the following:
Oh Allah increase me in knowledge. (20:114)
Oh Allah save me from inaction and laziness. (Al Hizbul A'zam)
Subject: From the teachings of shaykh Muhammad Saleem Dhorat 
Sun Oct 12, 2008 6:36 am
for posting - it's a good read (as shaykh Muhammad Saleem Dhorat's teachings always are!) n some good dua's 