Mistakes of Students of Knowledge That I Have Seen in the Field Over Three Decades

All praise is due to Allāh, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allāh. 1⃣. Neglecting the foundation of knowledge and practice, including correcting one’s inner self and purifying the soul, while being busy with the mistakes of scholars. A poet said: من ذا الذي ما ساء قط ومن له الحُسنى فقط Who is there that has never made a mistake? And who has only goodness? The student leaves reviewing, studying, and memorising, and wastes the whole day in gossip — “So-and-so said this,” “So-and-so responded,” “This one refuted that one.” If you were to ask these poor students about the branches of Ēmān and how many there are, they would hesitate, look confused, scratch their heads, and say, “I don’t know.” What helps with self-correction is guarding the tongue, being mindful of Allāh, remembering how short life is, and tasting the sweetness of gaining knowledge and achieving results. 2⃣. Boredom and love of comfort Knowledge is a form of striving, and its tools are patience and perseverance. Struggle may require an hour of patience, but the student of knowledge must remain patient until the end of life and entry into the grave. Allāh says: ﴿يَا أَيّهَا الّذِينَ آمَنُوا اصْبِرُوا وَصَابِرُوا وَرَابِطُوا وَاتَّقُوا اللهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ﴾ “O you who believe, be patient, encourage one another in patience, remain steadfast, and fear Allāh so that you may succeed.” What helps in developing patience is making supplication and reading the biographies of scholars and the leaders of Islam. Ibn Al-Jawzi (may Allāh have mercy on him) said: «مِن عَلامةِ كَمالِ العَقلِ عُلوُّ الهمَّةِ، والرَّاضي بالدُّونِ دَنيٌّ» “A sign of complete intellect is high ambition, and the one who is satisfied with little is lowly.” 3⃣. Loving fame and neglecting inner reform The result of this is arrogance toward peers and challenging great scholars. The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said: ((مَنْ طَلَبَ الْعِلْمَ لِيُجَارِيَ بِهِ الْعُلَمَاءَ أَوْ لِيُمَارِيَ بِهِ السفَهَاءَ، أَوْ يَصْرِفَ بِهِ وُجُوهَ النَّاسِ إِلَيْهِ أَدْخَلَهُ اللهُ النَّارَ)) “Whoever seeks knowledge to compete with scholars, argue with the foolish, or turn people’s attention toward himself, Allāh will admit him into the Fire.” [Reported by An-Nasa’i with an authentic chain] What helps with self-correction is reading books about the manners of students of knowledge and holding oneself accountable for one’s shortcomings. 4⃣. Collecting books without benefitting from them — without commenting on them, summarising them, organising their topics, or refining their issues. This is a common problem of our time. We ask Allāh for well-being. What helps is progressing step by step in learning, focusing on precision and mastery, and seeking advice from experienced people. 5⃣. Wasting time with friends and peers who do not help in goodness, knowledge, or effort. This leads to heedlessness, falling into desires and doubts, and after years, regret and sorrow. What helps is reflecting on the biographies of scholars, past and present, and how they carefully guarded their time and maintained high ambition. Dr. Ahmad ibn Musfir Al-Utaibi #tarbiyah@masjidsahabah