One of the greatest living scholars (my respected teacher) Shaykh Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani (حفظه الله) recently returned from his two week stay in Al-Madina Al-Munawwara. He shared some amazing and interesting aspects of his trip with the students at his Darul Uloom. Below is the summary in English of what he said; it is worth a read!

The older ustadh walked up to a rosebush and handed the young ustadh a rosebud and told him to open it without tearing off any petals. The young ustadh looked in disbelief at the older ustadh and was trying to figure out what a rosebud could possibly have to do with his wanting to know the will of Allah for his life and ministry.

Suwar min Hayātit Tabi`īn: A book, written by Shaykh ʿAbd ar-Raḥmān al-Bāshā (رح), that narrates varied anecdotes from the life of 30 tabiʿūn, many of whom have been portrayed in voluminous compilations. Below are some motivational excerpts from the lives of several remarkably outstanding tabi`īn from whose lives we can take lessons from.

This is a brief description of two prominent modern-day Muslim scholars. One is an Egyptian trained at al-Azhar, while the other is Indo-Pak trained at Deoband. The Azhari scholar has a legal approach and legal opinions that categorically contradict those of his Deobandi counterpart. Compare them and witness how they end up speaking about each other. Some of you may find it shocking.

During his old age, Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal رحمه الله was travelling, when he stopped by a town.

After Isha salah, he wanted to stay the night, in the Masjid. Owing to his humility, he hadn’t introduced himself to anyone, thinking that if he did, he would be welcomed by many people.

In the discussion of Ḥajj the author of Hidāyah explains that a person going for Ḥajj can put on the Iḥrām prior to the Mawāqīṭ, he mentions regarding adoring the Iḥrām from the house.

Years ago, I sat in Dar al-Ifta in Cairo reading with a teacher, and he asked, “Have you ever thought why the scholars use the word bāb (door) to title what you call chapters in English?” I responded, “Yes, but I did not give it a lot of thought.”

What followed was eye opening…

Reading is a fundamental aspect of one’s learning. It develops a individuals way of thinking and perception. Listed below are eleven benefits of reading:

One of the best advice I received when I started my journey to study sacred knowledge was to be ready to tolerate the nature of different teachers.

Sometimes I see certain students who give up studying because a teacher told them off or said something to them out of anger etc. The teachers are also human and will say things sometimes which you may not like but be patient. Have sabr. Not all teachers in history were nice and calm.