Diligence in search of knowledge

Sheikh Salih ibn Abdulaziz Ali Sheikh said:

“Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, in his book “al-Jami’ bayan adab as-sami’”, told about one story, with a reliable isnad, which actually happened, with one of the transmitters of hadith.

This man, at the time of his search for knowledge, studied with the sheikhs and always tried to attend their lessons, but he did not memorize anything. Days passed, but he did not remember anything, and did not understand. In this position, he spent a long time, until finally he decided that he was not at all fit for knowledge and refused to acquire them.

And then one day, passing by a rock on which drops of water fell, he noticed how these drops, one after another, made a small indentation in a hard stone. Reflecting on what he saw, he thought: “This water, being so soft, was able to influence this stone, despite its hardness. But knowledge is not softer than this water; not lighter than water, but my heart and my mind are not harder than this stone.

And he again returned to the path of comprehension of knowledge and subsequently achieved great success, becoming one of the famous transmitters of hadith.

Therefore, the acquisition of knowledge requires constancy, continuity. We must not give in to despair and interrupt our path of seeking knowledge. In spite of everything, it is necessary to continue, move forward, memorizing and studying this knowledge again and again.

However, to follow this road, it is necessary to rely on a solid foundation, starting your path with the most important fundamental knowledge and moving step by step to the important. And thus, with the permission of Allah, knowledge is acquired.

See “Sharh salyasatul-usul wa adillatuha”.