How Jibreel Teaches Us to Learn

Alhamdulillah.

[Silence]

Continuing Chapter number five the chapter regarding vigilance of Allah subhanahu wa'ta'ala authored by the first narration therein the narration of and which many of us are familiar with in which tells us that a man with very black hair and very white clothing, not recognized by anyone, however did not appear to be a traveler, entered the masjid and he came to the front and came very close to the prophet sallallah.aii wasallam. At the end of this narration, the prophet sallall.aii wasallam is going to say to Omar That was Jirel who came to teach you your religion. Everything here, what we understand from this holistic statement is that everything that Gibbrel does or says in this narration is part of our religion unless it clashes with any else. So what I mean by that for instance, he addresses him by his first name, Yah Muhammad, right? This is inappropriate. This either occurred before Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala prohibited that addressing him by his first name either before he that prohibition was revealed the end of which is later in the Medani days Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says or this is all in order to draw the attention of anyone who hasn't already paid attention. Why? Because all of the companions know, all of the near companions, the close companions, they know that it is not permissible to address the prophet sallall.aii wasallam by his first name. out of respect. This is part of he is either referred to as or he is referred to as Allah or so the prophet sallall.aii is not addressed that way. You would not hear that term. You would not it it was not something that they would often hear. Yah Muhammad. So when they hear that word, it's an alert. Immediately everyone turns to see who is this person who is speaking this. And this is important for the purposes of Gi's arrival in order for everyone present to pay very close attention. So here Jirelam comes very close to the prophet sallall.aii wasallam. This is the first thing we learn from him. The first thing we learn is coming close to the teacher, not being far. The prophet sallallah.aii Wasam said to the companions once, seeing them scattered out and far, he said, "Your distance, I only perceive it as being something from a shaitan that a shaitan has driven you to do." The second thing we see from him is that that he was close enough to where his knees were to the knees of the prophet sallall.aii wasallam. What does that mean? That he's completely facing him. This is not just respect for a teacher. Not just respect for the prophet sallallah.aii wasallam or respect. This is a general respect that the prophet sallallah.aii wasallam would even show anyone else that spoke to him. He was described that if he would turn to speak to someone, he would turn to them entirely. Because when we as human beings, most of what we say is with our tongue or with our actions and our behavior with our actions and behavior and postures and body language. This is what most of what we say is. So when I sit, imagine for instance, imagine if you and I were sitting together and you were or even imagine that your son, your daughter, someone that you're trying to teach is sitting facing away from you or facing the wall and you're sitting over here and they're not looking at you, but they're listening saying, "Yes, would this be an appropriate posture of edep, an appropriate posture of of etiquette in speaking to anyone. This is considered to be very rude. Let alone when we are in the process of learning our religion, you face the teacher. When a teacher is speaking, you turn and you face him. You would face away from him in the case that you don't view this person as a teacher. You view this person as you know just somebody talking and he's not talking to me. So you would look at the wall and listen that way. And this is something that our teachers pick up on. And when we treat people a certain way, they will treat us back a certain way. He says, "And he placed his hands on his thighs this." He didn't lean over, sit back, chillaxing, waiting to take it all in. Ya Allah, talk to me. Tell me Islam. Right? He sat up faced the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam close put his hands on his thighs. Right? How do we learn? The scholars tell us the five steps of learning and retaining knowledge. All of these five steps begin with what? What are the five steps of learning and retaining knowledge that the taught us? The the taught us such as Zi Abdullahbn Mubarak and others taught us that proper learning has five steps. any one of these five steps is missing the knowledge will not e either not be learned or it will be deficient. Number one,.

[Silence]

How do we learn something? Five steps. Number one, proper question. Number two, proper listening and understanding. Number three is proper memorization because knowledge is two halves, understanding and memorization. When those two meet, we have knowledge. Number four is that a person implements what they have learned. And number five that if they have fulfilled all the previous four steps they then teach it to others. This is the etiquette and this is the path of knowledge. When you meet someone as we've mentioned before who is of high level of knowledge not just superficial knowledge we're speaking about high level of knowledge. the details that other people don't even know exist. That level of knowledge tells us two things about this person's history. Number one, this person has incredible etiquette and knew how to bring that knowledge out of his teachers. That's number one. Number two, this person knows how to ask a question. , I know this is kind of but because we're in America, anyone here ever see Jeopardy the game Jeopardy? You know, you know how the answers all have to be in the form of a question? It's because all knowledge fundamentally is starts with a question. All knowledge is a question, right? All knowledge is an answer to a question. All knowledge begins with a question. a proper question. The knowledge is deficient when a person doesn't know how to ask a question properly. And so the companions would sometimes mle over a question for months before actually presenting it to the teacher. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said,.

[Silence]

This is speaking to two people. to two people Abbass few men in the history of Islam 1,500 years of the brightest minds and the purest of hearts. Few men who are more advanced than Ib Abbass in understanding the Quran. You could count them on your fingers. That is how knowledgeable Ib Abbass is with regard to the Quran. He's also a family member of the prophet sallall.aii wasallam. So honoring him is part of our religion. Right? However, Abdullahb Abbass, let's look at his story. Abdullahb Abbass spent an entire year waiting to ask Omar who was meant by this verse.

[Silence]

So he's speaking to his wives, speaking to two of them. At one time he had nine wives simultaneously. Which two is he speaking about? An entire year he spent before he found the proper words to adequately represent the question he is asking and two before he summed up the audacity to ask when did he ask him? He asked him while they were traveling to go for Hajj. And Omar stopped in the caravan to go and relieve himself. And Iban Abbass carried his carried his water for him to clean himself after he relieved himself. And then he said after all of that and he found that he had an opportunity Allah says such and such who were intended by this for I have spent a year working up the courage and the words to ask you about this verse. Men, who's intended by this verse? Anyone know?

[Arabic recitation]

That's how it was. So, right. Not just Yeshu. Yeah, I know. I know that. I already know that. But tell me this here. Yeah. Well, I already know that, but I I read that and I read this and I know this and I know that. So, tell me this little part here because I really don't need you for anything else except this little part here. That's a a bull in a china closet. It's a bull in in a china store as they say. It's this is what we refer to as someone asks a question this. Who is one of the most knowledgeable students of Ib Abbass? What kind of men did he raise? Ab lived to be over 90 years old was the sole muti of Mecca. as long as he was alive after it was decreed by the itself punishable by law that if someone is to give a fatwa in Mecca while is in Mecca within its walls this person answers to the Khalifa himself. What did I say? He said he remember he lived to be over 90 years old. One of the most senior students of Iban Abbas. He said,.

[Silence]

He said a man will relate a narration or quote a narration that I am so familiar with. I learned and memorized this narration before this person was born. Yet when a person relates a narration to me, I listen with the intensity and the humility of someone who has never heard this narration before, right? for instance, when you try to speak to someone, you say Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, We all know this verses, right? I challenge you to get these verses out of your mouth to anyone before they cut you off and recite them for you because God forbid someone think that you don't know something, right? Allah says that yeah, yeah, I know. I know. I know. I know. The worst thing you could say with the people of knowledge is I know. And so due to his respect and his for knowledge and its position is that a child would narrate a narration to him and he would listen to it as if he's never heard it before. This is how these men reach these heights. Etiquette, right? And so somebody says his words to you, you listen. You don't cut them off. Right? And for this reason, the scholars tell us in the etiquets of seeking knowledge,.

[Silence]

They say that if you meet the people of knowledge, make your constant mantra and the thing you say the most I don't know because if you tell the people of knowledge I don't know not just with your words with your actions with your behavior which they will teach you until you know and the worst thing you can say in the presence of the people of knowledge is I know because if you tell the people of knowledge I know they will continue to ask you until you don't know.

[Arabic recitation]