Al-Taqrīb wa-al-Taysīr - Al-Nawawi - (82)

Al-Taqrīb wa-al-TaysīrAl-Nawawi

and he should put into practice whatever hadiths he hears that deal with acts of worship and etiquette, for that is the zakāt due on hadith and the best means of preserving it.

Section:
He must honor his shaykh and every person from whom he receives hadith, for such reverence is part of venerating knowledge and a condition for benefiting from it. He should believe in his shaykh’s distinction and superiority, seek his approval, and not remain with him so long as to weary him. Rather, he should consult him regarding his own affairs—what to study, how to study, and the manner of his engagement.

Whenever he gains access to a session of transmission, he should guide others to it as well; hiding it is a mark of baseness found among uninformed students, and the one who conceals it risks being deprived of benefit. The blessing of hadith lies in conveying it to others, and through its dissemination it thrives.

He must beware, utterly, lest shyness or arrogance keep him from diligent pursuit of knowledge or from taking it from someone lower than himself in lineage, age, or other considerations. Let him bear patiently with any harshness from his shaykh, concern himself with what is important, and not waste time amassing teachers merely for the boast of having many. He should write down and listen to an entire book or booklet that comes his way, without selecting only portions; if selection becomes necessary, he should undertake it himself, and if he is unable, let him seek the aid of a ḥāfiẓ (hadith master).

Section:
He must not be satisfied with mere hearing and writing without understanding. Let him ascertain each hadith’s authenticity, legal implications, meanings, vocabulary, grammatical inflection, and the names of its transmitters—verifying all of this and giving special attention to mastering what is difficult, both by memorizing it and by writing it down. He should begin with the two Ṣaḥīḥs, then the Sunan of Abū Dāwūd, al-Tirmidhī, and al-Nasāʾī; afterward, the Sunan al-Kubrá of al-Bayhaqī, to which he should give particular care, for nothing comparable to it has been compiled. Next, whatever additional works are needed, then among the musnads the Musnad of Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal and its likes; among the works on hidden defects, his Kitāb al-ʿIlal and the book of al-Dāraquṭnī; among the collections of narrators’ names, the Taʾrīkh of al-Bukhārī, the work of Ibn Abī Khaythamah, and the book of Ibn Abī Ḥātim; and for precision in names, the book of Ibn Mākūlā. He should devote attention to the books on uncommon hadith terminology and their commentaries. Let accuracy be his hallmark; let him review what he has memorized and discuss it with the people of knowledge.

وينبغي أن يستعمل ما يسمعه من أحاديث العبادات والآداب، فذلك زكاة الحديث وسبب حفظه. فصل: وينبغي أن يعظم شيخه ومن يسمع منه فذلك من إجلال العلم وأسباب الانتفاع، ويعتقد جلالة شيخه ورجحانه ويتحرى رضاه ولا يطول عليه بحيث يضجره وليستشره في أموره وما يشتغل فيه، وكيفية اشتغاله، وينبغي له إذا ظفر بسماع أن يرشد إليه غيره فإن كتمانه لؤم يقع فيه جهلة الطلبة فيخاف على كاتمه عدم الانتفاع فإن من بركة الحديث إفادته وبنشره ينمى، وليحذر كل الحذر من أن يمنعه الحياء والكبر من السعي التام في التحصيل وأخذ العلم ممن دونه في نسب أو سن أو غيره، وليصبر على جفاء شيخه، وليعتن بالمهم، ولا يضيع وقته في الاستكثار من الشيوخ لمجرد اسم الكثرة، وليكتب وليسمع ما يقع له من كتاب أو جزء بكماله ولا ينتخب فإن احتاج تولى بنفسه، فإن اقتصر عنه استعان بحافظز فصل: ولا ينبغي أن يقتصر على سماعه وكتبه دون معرفته وفهمه فليتعرف صحته وفقهه ومعانيه ولغته وإعرابه وأسماء رجاله محققاً كل ذلك معتنياً بإتقان مشكلها حفظاً وكتابة مقدماً الصحيحين، ثم سنن أبي داود، والترمذي، والنسائي، ثم السنن الكبرى للبيهقي، وليحرص عليه فلم يصنف مثله، ثم ما تمس الحاجة إليه، ثم من المسانيد مسند أحمد بن حنبل وغيره، ثم من العلل كتابه، وكتاب الدارقطني، ومن الأسماء تاريخ البخاري، وابن أبي خيثمة، وكتاب ابن أبي حاتم ومن ضبط الأسماء كتاب ابن ماكولا، وليعتن بكتب غريب الحديث، وشروحه، وليكن الاتقان من شأنه، وليذاكر بمحفوظه، ويباحث أهل المعرفة.