ACCESS TO BOOKS
A Hadith states: “Preserve knowledge by writing it down.” (Sunan Al-Darimi, Hadith No. 514). According to this, there are two types of knowledge: one that is preserved in written form and another that remains unwritten. The difference between a knowledgeable person (‘alim) and an ignorant person (Jahil) lies in their access to these types of knowledge. An ignorant person can only access unwritten knowledge, while a knowledgeable person has access to both written and unwritten knowledge.
A person who cannot read is limited to what they can hear. Knowledge that exists beyond their hearing—preserved in books and written records—remains inaccessible to them. However, more than 99% of all knowledge is preserved in written form. Educational institutions enable people to access this preserved knowledge.
In my personal case, I am naturally an introverted person. Once, an Arab sheikh asked me about myself, and I replied: “I am a man who loves solitude.” (Ana rajulun yuhibbu al-‘uzlah).
The education I received at the madrasa made it possible for me to fully utilize my solitude for acquiring knowledge. If I had been deprived of the ability to study books, this would never have been possible. In that case, I would have only known the few things I happened to hear from people around me. However, being able to read meant that I could use all my time to increase my knowledge and understanding.
The greatest benefit of the ability to read is that it allows a person to connect with the minds of people worldwide, including even the knowledge and research of those who have passed away.
Someone once said, “A person with a book is never alone.” This statement is absolutely true. An educated individual, through books, can spend their days and nights in the company of brilliant minds. Clearly, there is no greater fortune than this.
Religious madrasas have given countless people this gift. These institutions have enabled individuals to learn from written works what they may never hear in person and to become companions of great thinkers and scholars through their books, even if they never had the chance to meet them.
From an early age, I have had the habit of reflecting on small things that most people overlook. This habit has allowed me to derive great lessons from seemingly insignificant matters. This specific quality is referred to in the Quran as “tawassum” (Quran, 15:75).
For example, during my time in the madrasa, I studied some books with Maulana Saeed Ahmad Nadwi, including books on Hadith. While studying Hadith, I experienced a remarkable realization. I thought to myself that the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), spoken 1,400 years ago and which I could not have heard personally, were now accessible to me through a book.
Similarly, I studied several books with Maulana Daud Akbar Islahi. While reading Duroos al-Tarikh al-Islami, I felt particularly aware that I was learning about events I had not personally witnessed but could now understand through the medium of books.
Among the Arabic books I studied in the madrasa was Al-Mufassal fi al-Nahw, which was taught to us by Maulana Akhtar Ahsan Islahi. The author of this book, Jarullah al-Zamakhshari (d. 538 AH), was a Mu‘tazilite scholar who did not hide his beliefs and openly criticized non-Mu‘tazilite scholars. The works of many Mu‘tazilite scholars from that era were destroyed, but Zamakhshari’s Al-Mufassal fi al-Nahw and Al-Kashshaf ‘an Haqaiq al-Tanzil were preserved as exceptions because no equivalent works in grammar and exegesis existed.
Through this incident, even during my education, I came to understand a profound truth of life: if a person excels in knowledge and skill to an extraordinary degree, even their fiercest opponents cannot ignore or dismiss them.
Educational curricula generally include classical books, and the same is true for madrasas. Most of the books I studied in my madrasa were classical works written by scholars of earlier generations. While reading these books, I would often feel a deep appreciation for the incredible blessing of the written word. Writing allows a person to access the works of learned individuals from every era, even without having lived in those times.
Madrasa education enables a person to gain access to books. Once someone becomes capable of learning from books, they simultaneously gain the ability to benefit from the research and intellectual contributions of thinkers and scholars from all over the world. Without the ability to study books, a person’s intellectual capacity remains limited. But with the ability to study, their personality expands into a universal one. The vast treasure trove of global literature becomes a wide academic feast available to them.
In this book, I have mentioned some incidents from my madrasa life. I have done so to make my observations about madrasas more tangible and relatable for readers. This is essentially an expression of a general truth conveyed through personal experiences. By generalizing these individual incidents, one can understand the kind of spiritual and human training that people receive in the environment of madrasas.
