Starting On The Path Of Knowledge

Photo by Mandy Choi on Unsplash

I remember typing my last post and reminding myself that this is (Insha Allah) the beginning of something new. I remember the great battle with my Nafs , so I could focus on the next step. Alhamdulillahi , by Allah’s Mercy I did it! You can read all this great victory here:On The Path Of Knowledge

The responses to this article were mostly in the same direction , the common question was ‘How/Where do I start?’  which  set me on the journey of finding how sisters at different points in their journey started. Pondered for a bit (make that days) on the simplest, most straightforward and (Insha Allah) most beneficial way to present this to you. While reading through the contributions I observed a pattern. The pattern is exactly what I will be sharing in this post and I pray that it brings you at least one step closer to your destination. It is in no particular order, except for starting with your intention.

‘It all starts with an intention. Make your intention and constantly purify it.’- Aisha Ummi Bello Tukur

Your intention not only helps you to focus on ensuring that it is for the Sake of Allah, it also serves as motivation on the ‘struggle days’ and they will come, my intention is not to scare you but like every other thing in life, your study schedule too is entitled to its fair share of ups and downs. That is why starting with a solid intention is always a critical starting point. Ensure you renew it from time to time and protect it as much as you can. Our hearts easily get swayed and this has an impact on our intentions also. You can easily move from doing something for the Sake of Allah to being more concerned about  dropping deep quotes or Hadiths at the end of every sentence; trust me, these things happen. After all,Shaytan is always lurking in the corner, looking for what good deed to take from us. The most important thing however, is to constantly steer ourselves back on course with renewing these intentions. This bit cannot justify the very important topic on intentions but I hope you get the gist. 

‘Du'a, Du'a, Du'a..Make lots of Du'a for Allah’s Guidance and Help and then just start from whatever or wherever He leads you too.’ -Tisa

As Muslims, we are blessed with the gift of Du'a and this blessing has immense benefits in every journey we are on, including this one. We constantly make Du'a for guidance and this is a journey that requires guidance. Where do I start? With whom? How  do I stay committed ? All these become clearer when we decide to Du'a it. Here are some comprehensive Du'as suggested by an amazing contributor that can help with this path. 

رَبَّنَا لاَ تُزِغْ قُلُوبَنَا بَعْدَ إِذْ هَدَيْتَنَا وَهَبْ لَنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ رَحْمَةً إِنَّكَ أَنتَ الْوَهَّابُ 

Rabbana la tuzigh quloobana ba’da idh hadaitana wa hab lana milladunka rahmah innaka antal Wahhab

˹They say,˺ “Our Lord! Do not let our hearts deviate after you have guided us. Grant us Your mercy. You are indeed the Giver ˹of all bounties˺.

— Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

اللهم أرني الحق حقاً وارزقني اتباعه ، وأرني الباطل باطلا وارزقني اجتنابه

Allahumma ariniyal haqqa haqqaw warzuqniyat tiba’ah, wa ariniyal batila batilaw warzuqniyaj tinabah

O Allah! show us the truth as true, and inspire us to follow it. Show us falsehood as falsehood, and inspire us to abstain from it.

It is also important for us to make this a continuous activity. We need Duas every step of the way, before we start, when we do start and everywhere in between. This is a never-ending journey, we will never ‘arrive’ or do a ‘final graduation’. Engaging constantly in Du'a also helps us to recognize that Guidance is not by our will but from Allah. 

‘Aqeedah is the foundation to build everything. If your Aqeedah is solid, so will everything else. Aqeedah is the knowledge that teaches you what it means to worship Allah. The scholars say the most important knowledge is the one that helps you to worship Allah’ -Fatimah Maitambari

I struggled a bit with putting this here mostly because I didn’t want to overwhelm you with Arabic terms you may not be familiar with. But it’s importance, however, trumps my fear. This is because a rocky foundation can be detrimental on this path and we may also be in dire need of reviewing our relationship with Allah and our beloved messenger. Alhamdulllilah,  hope is not lost. We can start over, with a firm conviction to get it right. The solution is not to run away completely, but rather to dust ourselves up and try again. We live in times when the lines are so blurred, they are running over! We must therefore be as careful as we can. 

The sister who added this, did so with so much passion, I was inspired to do an assessment too (May we not do things in vain, Ameen). Simply put, this covers believing and knowing Allah , His Angels, His Books and His Messengers, His Attributes.

‘Aqeedah refers to the matters which are known from the Quran and sound Hadeeth, and which the Muslim must believe in his heart, in acknowledgement of the truth of Allah and His Messenger.And Allah knows best. - Islam QA

‘What has helped my knowledge-seeking are curiosity and need. Most times when faced with challenges we all need help; ease, solutions, guidance, knowledge, wisdom. This has most definitely contributed to what I have sought over the years, covering different aspects, emotions and in my life at different times.’ -  Miriam Elegbede

This point was highlighted so many times and reflecting on my experience, I agree on how true it is. Seeking knowledge based on what you currently need does have immense benefits and is a great way to get started on this path. This is where an assessment comes in, find out what  your current situation  is, and  the areas where improvement is needed. Once you have done this, you can then begin to seek knowledge that is relevant to these areas. It is a great way to get started while proving solutions to areas where you may struggle. 

‘Signing up for physical classes with friends also helps break the inertia. We get to hang out before or after class, which is a win-win.’ -Rafidah AR

 ‘Having a great support system comprising of people who have the same aspiration in seeking knowledge* is very important as well, alhamdulillah Allah blessed me with 4 beautiful soul sisters, (and later on with a whole community through AA plus) that has been helping me to get closer to Him.’ -Tisa

Communities and circles of knowledge with people on a similar journey has proven to be very helpful on my journey and from the conversations I also had with others, I am clearly not alone in this. There is nothing more beautiful than having conversations, hangouts etc. with people and it directly ties into your knowledge goals. It really is a beautiful thing. As someone who has also almost ‘dropped out’ a number of times I can assure you that support is needed.

‘A good place to start is engaging with the Qur'an because all of the studies are around the Qur'an.’ There are many ways to come to the Qur'an - reading, reflecting, going through the grammar and translating, improving Tajweed. And then there are beneficial lessons on fasting, Fiqh, Aqeedah, or even Salah. Sometimes we think we know these things but we do not.  -Aisha Nana Ahmed

‘My journey started with Fahm Quran, it is a journey through the book of Allah, Tafsir of the Quran. The journey so far has been amazing, insightful, knowledgeable, beneficial, and has made me understand the Quran more. It has taught me to have more Taqwa, Sabr, and Yaqeen.’ -Aisha Ummi Tukur Bello

When I think of the Quran, I cannot but think of what an incredible blessing it is. It truly was sent to us as Guidance and Healing for what is in our hearts, Masha Allah. The benefits and its beauty cannot be overestimated and the pathways it opens up on this journey is just so beautiful. It meets you at any and every point you are on this journey and also serves as anchor to get  you through, hold it tight and let it power you through.

Insha Allah, I hope that the message here inspires you to finally get started and score at least one goal against your Nafs. The gems shared by the beautiful sisters who contributed can not be fully covered in this post. But Insha Allah I will consider either a second part (can you have a second part to a second part though?

Lol) or will present it in another content form that will Insha Allah be beneficial.

May Allah make your path smooth and the journey easy.