Mufti Ismail Moosa (may Allāh Ta’ālā preserve him)
قال علي بن عبد العزيز الجرجاني:
ولو أن أهل العلم صانوه صانهم … ولو عظموه في النفوس لعظما
ولكن أذلوه فهان ودنسوا … محياه بالأطماع حتى تجهما
(الجامع لأخلاق الراوي وآداب السامع – 1 / 371)
If the people of knowledge protected it, then knowledge would do the same
If they realized its worth, they would be elevated
But they regarded it as inferior, discredited it, and polluted…
….its revival with desires, so it brought upon them shame.
A student can only benefit from the knowledge that he intends acquiring if he understand the worth and value of this great bounty that Allāh has endowed upon him.
The student needs to have the firm conviction that; from the multitudes of creation, Allāh Ta’ālā exclusively selected him to study His noble words, and the blessed words of His beloved (ṣallAllāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam).
Shaykh Muḥammad ‘Awwāmah (may Allāh preserve him) writes:
إنه حقا يجب على طالب العلم أن يعرف شرف العلم الذي يطلبه ، وشرف المكانة التي بوأه الله إياها
“It is essential and necessary upon a student to realize the sublime position of the knowledge that he is seeking and the exalted position that Allāh has bless him with.”
Whilst those studying other sciences may attain worldly benefits or temporary gains, the student knows that his objective is to be with the Prophet (ṣallAllāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) for eternity. Therefore, he will willingly sacrifice the luxuries of this world, and he will be willing to dedicate himself fully to studying, irrespective of what challenges he may have to encounter or what sacrifices he has to make.
It is only once a student is convinced that he is enjoying a bounty that many others have been deprived off; then he would be willing to sacrifice everything for it.