#Side_Benefits@madrasatunaa

What does a beginner student of knowledge start with? Sheikh Yahya Al-Hajoori hafidhahullah said: This is an important question, especially from one who is a beginner. He says: What should the student of knowledge focus on in his studies: mustalah (terminology of hadith) or Arabic grammar? If he cannot combine both! And is it enough to study only one text? The answer: He must take care of handwriting, for he needs to be able to read and write. Once he knows reading and writing, he has opened his way at the beginning of an important path. Then he must take care of the Qur’an, memorisation and tajweed (proper recitation). If he takes a portion of this, he will have opened his way to a wide, good door of knowledge by Allah’s favour, as this is the foundation of knowledge and its origin: the Qur’an and care for it. While he is memorising the Qur’an and studying tajweed, he should add to that what his mind can accommodate from the sciences. He should take from the Arabic language what will straighten his tongue. He must take from Arabic what will straighten his tongue and make him pronounce correctly. If he takes "At-Tuhfah" and understands it, "Al-Mutammimah" and understands it, and "Qatr An-Nada" and understands it, I believe that, if Allah wills, his tongue will be very straight. If he understands "Qatr An-Nada" well, and adds to it some texts by memorising them and expanding his understanding, such as reading "Alfiyyah Ibn Malik" with its explanation; otherwise, if he understands "Qatr An-Nada" well, it is very good, no problem. If he understands "At-Tuhfah" and "Mutammimat Al-Ajurrumiyyah" and reads its explanation and looks at "Al-Kawakib Ad-Duriyyah", and also studies "Qatr An-Nada", he will be in good shape. In fact, if he teaches these, he is considered among those who understand grammar. If he studies them and teaches them, he is considered among those who understand grammar. He also needs the beautiful examples (shawahid) of Ibn Malik and takes from them what he uses as evidence. Whoever loves grammar from within himself will immerse himself in it. This is necessary. We say it is necessary because otherwise his tongue will be crooked. How can a preacher have a crooked tongue? How can a teacher have a crooked tongue? Especially if he takes nothing from it, it will harm his own self. And he will not understand many scholarly issues, even in Tafsir, even in Aqidah. Az-Zamakhshari, because he was skilled in Arabic, inserted his corrupt Mu'tazili creed through the Arabic language. He corrupted it through the Arabic language. Until someone came who, with experience in language, extracted those Mu'tazili deviations from his book "Al-Kashshaf" meticulously. He would hide a word and throw it in, and then another scholar would point out that he meant such and such, and this is its implication. So the point is that Arabic language is important. So after you take from the Arabic language, and during that, also take Aqidah and become proficient in it. May Allah bless you. Take care of Aqidah. Tawheed: take several texts on tawheed. Take several texts on Aqidah, with precise teaching. This is important, because with this Aqidah you can weigh truth and falsehood. You will grasp truth and falsehood, corrupt belief, correct belief, false statement, correct statement, and so on in creed. Mustalah (terminology of hadith) is a tool, not a goal. Grammar is also a means, not a goal. But aqidah, fiqh, hadith, and the Qur’an: these are goals. The Qur’an is a goal: until you die while you are still engaged with the Qur’an and its sciences, reflecting on it, understanding its fiqh. And the Sunnah is a goal: you are engaged in caring for it, understanding it, and so on. Likewise, aqidah is a goal: you die while you are still researching some issues, exploring them, understanding them, becoming deeply knowledgeable in them. These are sciences that are considered goals.