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Imaam Shaafi’ رحمه الله:
(lines of poetry - Advice for the aspiring student of knowledge)
أَخي لَن تَنالَ العِلمَ إِلّا بِسِتَّةٍ سَأُنبيكَ عَن تَفصيلِها بِبَيانِ ذَكاءٌ وَحِرصٌ وَاِجتِهادٌ وَبُلغَةٌ وَصُحبَةُ أُستاذٍ وَطولُ زَمانِ
“O my brother/sister, you will never attain knowledge until you possess six qualities, I will inform you of these in detail and with clarity:
Sharpness of the mind ~ Be someone who is intelligent; you will not be able to understand, memorise and absorb knowledge without intellect.
Eagerness to learn~ Be someone who is dedicated; if you have all the intelligence in this world but you are not eager and you don’t want the knowledge from your heart, then you will not be able to attain and grasp the knowledge.
Sacrifice time ~ Be someone who puts effort in; you need to put in time and effort into attaining this knowledge.
Have a means ~ You should have an amount of money; your books, your travels etc all require finances.
Company of a scholar ~ Have a companionship with a teacher; Imaam mentions ‘companionship’ which shows that attaining this knowledge requires more than just reciting to your teacher and attending their classes.
Length of time ~ Knowledge is not attained overnight, or in a few weeks or months but rather a length of time.
Important for a student of knowledge to possess all of these qualities and the Qur’aan is from the best of Knowledge that a person can attain