Obstacles In the Path of Seeking Knowledge

This concise collection of words discusses some of the obstacles that confront the student of knowledge on his continuing path towards acquiring beneficial knowledge with further explanation and clarification. I have presented this advice in the form of obstacles so that it would be more likely for them to be avoided and stronger in terms of the warnings regarding them since contained in these obstacles are things that guide towards avoiding them and help to eliminate them. I have repeatedly cited narrations of the pious predecessors that are related to these obstacles so that the reader can establish a link to them and take from their biographies a personal methodology since they were more guided and more mindful of Allah (‘azza wa jalla). Az-Zuhri said Yunus ibn Yazid: “Do not look down upon knowledge since knowledge consists of valleys. So whatever you take from it, let it be a significant portion before you convey it [to others]. And take it over days and nights. Do not take knowledge all at once. For certainly, whoever seeks to take it all at once will lose it all at once. Instead, take it little by little over days and nights.” (Jami Bayyan al-‘Ilm wa Fadlihi / volume 1 page 104).