Teaching the Art of Speaking - Moulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi

7/30/2019 Teaching the Art of Speaking - Moulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi

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Teaching The Art Of Speaking

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TEACHING THE

ART OF

SPEAKING

PUBLISHED BY JAMIAH MASIHIYYAH ASHRAFIYYAHDE DEUR


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A discourse by Hazrat Moulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi to students of Madrasah Imdaadul Uloom,

Thanabawan on 11TH Rajab 1330 Hijri


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Translation of the Aayat: Rahman taught the Quraan. Hecreated man. He taught him the art of speaking.


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FOREWARD ERROR!BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED.INTRODUCTION 6INSPIRATION COINCIDING IN THE HEARTS OF SEVERAL

BELIEVERS 6ITTBAAE SUNNAH AND DUAA ARE ESSENTIAL FORACCEPTANCE

7THREE SPECIAL BLESSINGS 7THE SEQUENCE OF BLESSINGS 8WHY KNOWLEDGE OF THE QURAAN PRECEDES THE ART OF

SPEECH 9DISCREPANCIES IN STYLE OF SPEECH 10THE AHLE HAQQ 11WE ARE ANATION WITH SIMPLICITY 12DESPOILING THE URDU LANGUAGE 13STUDENTS OF THE DEEN AND THE PRESERVATION OF THE

ARABIC LANGUAGE 14WHY ARABIC NEVERSPREAD IN HINDUSTAN 15OURORIGINAL LANGUAGE IS ARABIC 16SUMMARY OF THE AAYAT 17HADEETH-PART OF THE QURAAN 18NECESSITY PRECEDES CREATION-SOME EXAMPLES 19THE COLOSSAL MEMORY OF THE MUHADDITHEEN 20MANIFESTATION OF THE DEENS PERFECTION 21THE NIMAT OF BAYAAN 22THE NEED FORPERFECTION IN BAYAAN 22THE METHOD OF TEACHING 24HAZRAT THANWIS TEACHING 25

PRACTICE OF TEACHING QURAAN AND HADEETH 26NEW-FANGLED NAMES SHOULD BE DISCARDED 26THE INTENTION 27HYPOCRITICAL BAYAAN 27


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Forward

Takraar or the student assembly of repeating and revising

lessons is an integral part of success in studies. The othersbeing mutaalaah (pre-sabaq self-study), and punctual andattentive listening to the Ustaads explanation/lecture. It is forthis reason that Hakeemul Ummat, Mujaddidul MillatMoulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi said :

A student makes incumbent upon him three things, I canguarantee him that he will acquire ilm (knowledge) and such

ilm that great, great lawyers and barristers graduating from

Oxford and Cambridge Universities will not be able to stand

before him.

The three things referred to by Hazrat Moulana Ashraf AliThanwi are the three mentioned above-- mutaalaah

and punctual and attentive listening to the Ustaadsexplanation/lecture.This book is a translation of a lecture of Hazrat

Moulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi on the need,importance and method of making Takraar. It is oftremendous benefit to all those associated with Islamic

Academic Institutions.Jamiah Maseehiyyah Ashrafiyyah.


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Introduction

We know that this is the inauguration of a special andan auspicious gathering. The purpose of this gathering is

simply to inculcate in students the habit to deliver lectures sothat they do not fall short of the goal of ilm (knowledge) andthat which they have learned is not confined to themselves.They can convey it to others. For the purpose of speaking onthis topic, the aayat was recited.

Inspiration Coinciding In The Hearts Of SeveralBelievers

I chose this aayat for my bayaan beforehand, but outof good coincidence Qaari Saheb also recited the same rukoo.(Before the bayaan Qaari Muhammad Yaamin Saheb readsome qiraat for barakat). When Qaari Saheb commenced hisrecital I thought to myself that this conformity in choice is,

Insha Allah, a sign of this gathering being maqbool (acceptedin the Eyes of Allah). It is mentioned in the Hadeeth Shareef

regarding Shab-e-Qadr that since several dreams (viz. thedreams of Rasoolullah and some Sahabah

fo syad net tsal eht ni gnieb rdaQ ot mrofnoc ( Ramadhaan), therefore, there is strong reason to believe that it

is so. From this the Urafaa (those who have true perception ofthe Deen of Allah) have deduced that inspirations of the same

nature, settling on the hearts of several people, is a daleel-e-zanni (presumptive proof) of the correctness of thatinspiration. Though we are nothing and our inspirations are

nothing yet we say that in minor matters, minor inspirationshave the same effect as major inspirations in major issues. So,the inspiration in my heart and in Qari Sahebs heart to recitethis aayat, is an indication that this gathering is not futile,Insha-Allah. This is due to the fact that in both our hearts


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there is, with Praise to Allah, Islam and our gathering is but a

small gathering. In fact I have hope of it being accepted.

Ittbaae Sunnah and Duaa are Essential forAcceptance

One should however not suffice and rely on this

indication only. On the contrary, ways should be devised forits acceptance and that way is ittibaae sunnat (explicitfollowing of the sunnat. Together with that, duaa should also

be made which will be Insha Allahu Taala at the end of thebayaan. In the duaa one should petitionAllah Taala to makethese student assemblies fruitful and in accordance to thesunnat (way) of Nabi and that it should not go beyond the limits ofthe Shariat.

Duaa is a major thing in every matter. Pleasingindications are nothing but good omens which are glad-tidings. Bashaarat (glad-tidings) hold the lowest degree (in theShariat). Above that is, to devise and seek a way (tadbeer) andthe highest stage is, duaa coupled with tadbeer. It is as ifduaa is the final part of a complete cause of success. Duaa

plays a major role in acquisition of benefit. This was by theway (jumlah mutarizah. Now I will address the main issue.

Three Special Blessings

In these short verses Haq Subhaanahu wa Taala hasmentioned His special acts which are wholly rahmat (mercy).He has also mentioned His blessed name with the meaning of

rahmat. In these verses three rahmats are mentioned. All threeare major rahmats and all three commence with Ar-Rahman.Ar-Rahman is the subject (mubtada) and following it are the


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predicates (khabrs). Thus it is as though the Quraanic text isas follows:

From this we learn that the source of all these three bounties,is Allah Taalas rahmat. It is like a governor telling someone:The Benevolent Governor gave you a post. The BenevolentGovernor promoted you. The Benevolent Governor made youan officer. All people acquainted with language canunderstand that the factor contributing to these favours, is

benevolence. Similarly, the factor underlying these bounties isthe mercy of Allah Taala.

Furthermore the mercy too, is magnanimous sinceRahman is a word of mubaalaghah (a word denoting anexcessive quality in something). Thus the summary of thetranslation is that, He has taught the Quraan Who possessesexcessive mercy. This was the first bounty (nimat. Thesecond nimat is that He created man and the third nimat is

that He taught man the art of speech.

The Sequence Of Blessings

Of these three bounties the third sentence isappropriate to the purpose of this occasion. However, just asthe first two bounties are stated first, similarly in existencethey precede the third bounty. This is whether you look at it in

regard to material existence or abstract existence. For thisreason, those two sentences were also recited. The precedence(taqaddum and role of one is obvious, viz. . It

plays a worldly role and it is a worldly condition because aslong as insaan (man) is not created, taleem-e-bayaan is not

possible. So teaching and learning is dependent on existenceand existence is dependent on creating.

From this we apparently learn, that there was no needof mentioning it, since all know that, had man not been


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created he would not have been able to speak. By mentioningit separately, the point drawn is to make us aware of a nimat

which is a means of another nimat which is, in a way,independent and intended. It should not be regarded merely asa medium. This means that some favours/bounties in view of

being mediums, are commonly disregarded or overlooked.Therefore by mentioning it separately, it is as if stated that thistoo is a great bounty, worthy of independent mention andattention. .tamin ylno eht ton si Thus, if this nimatof creation was not touched upon then in the words there

would be no cautioning of its intent. In mentioning it we arecautioned that this too is a nimat on its own. Outwardly it isas such because creating is not merely the medium forimparting the art of speaking. In fact there are other reasonsand benefits too. In any case it is dependent on creation andthis is obvious.

Why Knowledge of the Quraan Precedes the Art ofSpeech

Now the precedence of the second condition is verydeep (ghaamiz). So much so that even the Ulamaa sometimesdo not reflect on it. That condition is ilmul-Quraan orknowledge of the Quraan. There is a Shari point ofdependance on it. In other words, although it is externally(hissan) possible to find the art of speech without the Quraan,

but a correct finding worthy of recognition will be aftertaleeme Quraan (teaching the Quraan. If in a bayaan theteachings of the Quraan are not upheld, then that bayaan andlecture will be baatil in the Shariah and as if non-existent.Lately, many have totally abandoned the teachings of the

Quraan. We frequently see the general public surpassing thelimits of the Shariah in most matters. They dont even spare athought for it. But, on the same token we find that students (ofthe Deen) are very far off the path of the Shariat in their


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statements and actions. For this very reason Ulamaa who havecomprehensive understanding of circumstances are hesitant in

permitting these jalsahs (gatherings) and anjumans(assemblies) for students. They fear, lest the doings of these

people transcend the limits prescribed by the Shariat.

Discrepancies In Style Of Speech

Nowadays I see that some young students of Arabic

leaving out many things of the Shariat in these gatherings.

Sometimes they mention topics in conflict to what is true andauthentic. Sometimes they adopt the mode of speech of thosefettered to Europe. (In other words, western-ways of speech).What is worse is that their elders and Ustaads do not prohibitthem from this style. In fact it is regarded as a boon andsource of dynamism to their speech. The reason for this is that

ilm (knowledge) has become scarce. Thus there is a need forgilding. Since they do not have with them something genuine

they have to resort to gilding. An un-gilded speech may nothave flowery words but it has internal beauty. On theotherhand a gilded speech may display flowery-language butthought and reflection will reveal that it has no substance. It ismere rhetoric. By reflection and contemplation both aretested. This meaning is borne out in Haafiz Sheerazis: meop

It means that it is best that you put me and my rival on the

touchstone of experience. In whomever there turns out to bealloy his face will be blackened. He will be disgraced.Although it may glitter but upon examination all the glitter

will fade away. And what is pure will remain glittering. Infact its glitter will double. In short, those who have a wealth

of ilm are not in need of any outward decorations. Thoselacking in ilm however, employ outward embellishment to


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their speeches. Then too, true beauty is not produced. Haafiz

says about that beauty:

Translation: O jealous one! Why are you jealous of Haafizspoetical composition. The beauty of speech and its acceptancein hearts are God-given gifts.

Translation: Feigned beloveds all wear jewellery. Our

Beloved possesses natural beauty.

The Ahle Haqq

We have seen the Ahle Haqq. The beauty andenchantment in their plain words are not to be found in highmetaphors. On the otherhand, the speeches of those deprivedof true knowledge seem only at first glance to be polished

and compact. However, the more you ponder over it, itsflimsiness, weakness and mere gathering of words becomes

apparent. This is because they have no wealth of knowledge.Unlike those who possess ilm. Their plain words is as said:

Translation: The more you look at my beloveds face, the

beauty of it will increase your beauty.I met an inspector of the Postal Service. He was a seeker ofthe truth. The peculiarity of seeking the truth is that the true

reality of things become apparent. This inspector used to sayregarding a person who is quite well-known in this dunya(world)which is called nowadays The AristocraticWorld I had the opportunity of staying with him andlistening to his speeches and I was under the impression thatthere was no one on par with him in his depth of knowledge.However, when I heard the speeches of the Ahle Haqq whoare not trained in the art of public speaking nor do they use


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grandiose words, then I realized what ilm is all about. This

inspector used to say: Upon reflection the difference Iunderstood between the speeches of the Ahle Haqq andmodernist speakers was that new-styled speeches superficially

appear to be dynamic and persuasive and the truth is with it.But when deep reflection is made then the real nature of itdawns and its flimsiness, falsity and gilding comes to light.The speeches of the Ahle Haqq by contrast appear to be atfirst, lacking attraction and dull. But the more one reflects

upon it, the power and veracity of it comes to light and itleaves a deep impression on the heart. All grandiloquence andembellishment fades away in comparison to it.

We Are A Nation With Simplicity

From this we get the answer to an objection which isamong the objections levelled against the Ulamaa that theydont know the art of lecturing . In answer, we assert that wehave with us the Quraan and Hadeeth and the wealth of itsteachings is with us. We are in no need of external glitter and

embellishment. It has been well said:

Translation: The beauty of the Friend (Allah) is not in need ofour defective love. The face which possesses natural beauty isnot in need of a face-lift. We are not in need of learning the

modern style of lecturing. We say emphatically that whoeveradopts a modern way of lecturing sows a seed of dislike in our

hearts. We prefer that way which is indicated in the HadeethShareef:

fo hsiw emirp eht oS .yticilpmis snaem hayyimmURasoolullah is that his ummat (followers)remain with much simplicity. The word nahnu (we) is used


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which includes the entire ummat. This is the essence ofexplicit following of the Nabi

. There should be complete simplicity ineverything.

Ummiyyah is attributed to Umm which meansmother. The purport of this is that our lives should be just asthe life of a child born from the stomach of the mother. Noaction of the child is pretended and made up. There is

instinctiveness in every action of it. This is the quality of kidswhich induces love for them in everyone. Otherwise, there

ought to be natural dislike for them since they are containersof najaasat (impurity. This instinctivenss is what makesattractive looking people sacrifice their lives for elderly

people in whom this quality is found. So the actual purport ofummiyyah is instinctiveness and not unlettered which is the

popular meaning. Unlettered is a branch of instinctiveness.

Despoiling The Urdu LanguageThere should be, thus, no show and extravagance in

speech whatsoever. It should be wholly pure of deception andgilding. Yes, with simplicity there should be clarity. This isnecessary. However, now this style is gradually beingforsaken. We see the style of the prevalent language (i.e.English) creeping into the talk of the Ulamaa. Leave alone theShari aspect; we should see that our mother tongue is Urdu. It

has certain characteristics just as every language has certaincharacteristics. Now this modern style has been adopted and

the characteristics of English have been incorporated into theUrdu language. Day by day it is on the increase. This, in spiteof the fact that English does not fit well into it at all. Because

of this, the (Urdu) language is becoming horrible anddespoiled.

Among people there is a large group who callthemselves haami (upholders) of Urdu. They are in fact maahi


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(effacers) of Urdu. Every language has a material component

and an outward appearance. These two combined make up alanguage, not the material component on its own. So when the

outward appearance of Urdu ceases to remain it will not becalled Urdu. Thus, if we are upholders of Urdu we shouldmaintain its characteristics and our speech should be such thatif a foreigner listens to it he should be under the impressionthat we do not know a word of English and neither are wefamiliar with its style.

Students Of the Deen And The Preservation Of TheArabic Language

Even greater course for surprise is that many Englishwords have taken root in the speeches of Arabic-learningstudents. If words of any other language comes into theirspeech then it should be Arabic. Firstly, for this reason that

they are studying Arabic. Secondly, Arabic is our religiouslanguage and as such our original language. Urdu has become

our tongue just recently, otherwise our original and ancestrallanguage is Arabic because our forefathers came from Arabiaand settled in Hindustan. Many a times I lament the fact thatour elders never preserved the Arabic language yet they have

preserved their lineage. It was not even difficult upon them.Whichever country the Sahaabah-e-Kiraam

decarbme dnal eritne eht sesac tsom ni ,dereuqnoc

the Sahaabahs language and up till now that languageprevails. This, in spite of the Sahabah-e-Kiraam

ot erac hcum gnikat yltnerappa ton , ensure

By their inclusion of English words in Urdu speech.

that the locals adopt their language. Take Egypt for example.


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Through the barakat of the Sahaabah the language of the

whole of Egypt is Arabic, not withstanding the fact thatIslaam is not the religion of all the Egyptians. Okay, even ifthe degree of barakat (blessings) in the Sahabah is not foundin non-Sahaabah and thus nations conquered by non-Sahaabahnever take their language then at least they should have

upheld their own language. However, it is surprising that ourelders, upon coming to Hindustan leave alone spread their

language, they did not even upkeep their own language.

Why Arabic Never Spread in Hindustan

Reflection reveals that our elders mostly came toHindustan single and unmarried. They took Hindustan as their

home and married the local women who had converted toIslam. The mothers tongue had a greater influence on theoffspring and from this was born a new language. This samemotherly-influence is the reason behind the customs of

teejah, etc, still being in vogue among Muslims. Becausethese Hindi women had in them the customs of theirforefathers, so, when those days came they must have saidthat we do like this on these occasions. Our elders not seeing

any outward harm, out of sympathy they gave permissioneffecting slight changes. For example, instead of ushlook (a

Hindi poem) they introduced Faatihah and so forth. But, itwas at that time temporary. Nowadays, however, people

consider it farz-e-ain (incumbent on everyone), hence theUlamaa have prohibited these customs and consequently arecalled Wahhaabi and what not.

In short, because of this temporary motherlyinfluence, Arabic never took root in Hindustan. The father

used to speak Arabic and the mother Hindi, and children aremore with the mother learning the mothers tongue.Therefore, some Arabic and some Hindi mixed to form this


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diverse language. If at home they spoke Arabic and listened

from people outside their homes, then

The custom of making Quraan khatm on the third day of a persons death.

both languages would have remained as they were.Accordingly, we see the Bengalis and the British speakingtheir language and Urdu. The reason is simple. At home theyspeak Bengali and English respectively. Since our elders didnot take this care or could not (for some reason or the other)

our language is a murakkab (mixed) language. On the topic ofmixed, it comes to mind that Moulana Muhammad YaqoobSaheb idniH a was eh taht dias -Arabic mixed boyin Mecca Muazzamah wailing and saying:

Our Original Language Is Arabic

In short, the Hindi of the mother destroyed the Arabic

tongue. Thus the original language was lost. If someoneclaims that the mother-tongue is the original language, then Iwill counter that by saying that when ones lineage is from thefather then why will the fathers tongue not be the orig inaltongue?

Nevertheless, since our original language is Arabic

and if we had to adulterate the Urdu language then we shouldhave done it with Arabic. But, surprisingly we have made

Urdu subordinate to English. The consequence of which isthat Urdu is close to being no more. The pure Urdu languageis like in the book Chaar Durwaish (The Four Mendicantsor Ghalibs Urduwi Muallaa. If any adulteration had to be

permitted then it should be with Arabic. With a mixture ofArabic the beauty would be enhanced. Look, if in a Farsi(Persian) text a word or two of Arabic appears then it appearsas if the sky has been lit up.


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To summarize, the English which has mixed into our

language and created some modernity to it is worthy ofdiscarding. Besides the previously mentioned defect in thisnew-style one other major fault is that it opens the door ofdeception whereas in the old way this is not the case. From aShari point of view it is imitating a faasiq nation. Thisimitation is in itself haraam. It appears in the HadeethShareef:

Translation: Whoever adopts the style of any nation, he isamong them.Tashabbuh (Imitating) is general in meaning. It includestashabbah in dress and in ways.

Its possible that someone calls the Moulanasprejudiced, but were not at all bothered by this accusation.We have, on one occasion proven the evilness of this

tashabbah with dalaail accepted by our detractors. (The gist of

those proofs is that if a man dresses like a woman and sits in amans gathering everyone will look scornfully at him. Besidesimitation what crime did he commit?) The Hadeeth I cited isfor those who are not antagonistic. I will go further and say to

our detractors that the Hadeeth vindicates you too becauseyou are after all Muslim.

Summary Of The Aayat

These then are the discrepancies created in thesespeeches. Because of abandoning the principles of the Shariatthese speeches have no worth and hold no credence in theShariat. It is thus established that just as the external (hissi)

existence of a bayaan is dependent on the creation of man,similarly its Shari existence (i.e. validity is dependent ontaleem-e-Quraan (teaching the Quraan). This is the summaryof the verses recited.


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Since this defect has spread in speeches on a broad

scale I wished to cite such an aayat through which its wrongsare established from the Quraan itself. So, all praises to Allahthat I have found this aayat (verse in which the Sharicondition of imparting the art of speaking is mentioned aswell, which is, that Allah has taught the Quraan. Since theobject of the Quraan is to practice upon it and if in a bayaan

the limits of the Shariat are not kept in mind then practice onthe Quraan was not made. When practice on the Quraan isdiscarded then practice on the Shariat is discarded. TheQuraan is similar to a text and all sciences of the Shariat are

like commentaries and meanings of the text. Some meaningscome out from the words of the text, some from theindications of the text, some from the necessity of the text,

some particular and some universal.

Hadeeth-Part Of The QuraanAccordingly, one woman came to Hazrat Abdullah

Bin Masood and said: I heard you have curseda woman who plucks her hair, etc.Abdullah Bin Masood: Why should I not curse one whomthe Quraan has cursed?Woman: I have read the entire Quraan. There is nothing ofthis in it.

Abdullah Bin Masood:In other words, if you read thoughtfully then you would havefound it, because, Rasoolullah proscribed these acts and it is stated in theQuraan that whatever the Rasool of Allah instructs you with

accept it and what he forbids you from abstain from it. In thisway these injunctions are also purported by the Quraan. So

look! Hazrat Abdullah Ibn Masood includes the


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statement of Rasoolullah in the Quraan. Inthe Quraan itself it appears

Translation: When we dictate it then follow its recital.Thereafter, its exposition is Our responsibility. So Rasoolullah clarified the ijmaal (ambiguous aayat) of theQuraan. If some inconspicuousness remained in the Hadeeththen the Illustrious Mujtahideen made it clear until

(I have perfected for you your Deen) became manifestly

apparent. Then after the manifestation of this perfection sincethere remained no need, through Divine Wisdom the power ofijtihaad terminated. Now there is no necessity for it.

Necessity Precedes Creation-Some examples

Allah Taalas qudrat is amazing. When there is aneed for something He creates it. When the need is fulfilled itceases. Hence, Hazrat Aadam was created from

clay.

i.e.plucking of the hair to show bigger forehead for beauty purposes.

When his creation was complete then Hazrat Hawwa was

created from his rib. When one man and one woman cameinto existence then that method was discontinued. Thereafterthrough the husband-wife relationship all people were created.Hazrat Isas .yranidro eht fo tuo ,niaga saw noitaerc ,

Other things are also as such (That is, necessityprecedes its appearance). Accordingly, I have seen a statementof one doctor in the papers. He writes that the reason for theshortage of rain is that with tree-felling few trees remain. So

the way to more rainfall is to plant trees in abundancewherever there are few of it. Allah knows what reason this

doctor may have understood its reason to be but the mysterybehind it is that with the diminishing of trees the need for


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abundant rainfall does not remain. Where there are plenty of

trees, there, the need for more rainfall remains. Farmingrequirements again are starting to be met through canals.Rainwater is therefore not connected much with it. In short,science accepts this fact and we accept it. The aayat:

(Translation: We have given you whatever you asked for)indicates the same. Likewise, as long as the need for the

illustrious Mujtahideen remained the power of ijtihaad(independent judgment based on the interpretation andapplication of the four proofs of the Shariat) continued to

surface. When this need was realized, this power disappeared.

The Colossal Memory Of The Muhadditheen

In the same way, memory power were bestowedperfectly till the age it was required. So much so that HazratIbn Abbaas would remember a Qaseedah of 100

poems after listening to it just once.When Imam Tirmidhi ecno ,dnilb emaceb

he happened to be on a journey. At a certain place on the wayhe bowed his head whilst being seated on a camel. The camel-

driver enquired from him the reason for this. He replied thatthere is a low-lying branch of a tree at this place. The camel-driver replied That there is no such tree here. ImamTirmidhi immediately stopped his camel and said:

If my memory has become so weak, then from this dayonwards I will discontinue narrating Ahaadeeth. Having saidthis he sent someone to enquire from the nearby village. Most

of the village folk denied the existence of a tree there.However some elderly people of the village said that many

years ago there was a tree there and it had been cut down.Twelve years have passed since then. When people believedhim then only he proceeded with his journey.


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Similarly, an episode appears in Abu Dawood. A

narrator relates that he heard a Hadeeth from a Bedouin. Aftera period of time he thought to himself let me test the memoryof the Bedouin, lest he has narrated the Hadeeth to meerroneously. Thus the narrator went to him and asked aboutthe Hadeeth. He (the Bedouin) related the Hadeeth and said:

You testing me? My memory is so strong that I haveperformed seventy Haj every year on a new camel and I can

recall on which camel I made Haj in which year.Imam Bukhari went to a certain place. The Ulamaa

there wished to test him. They mixed up 100 Ahaadeeth and

recited them before Imam Bukhari. Imam Bukhari said aftereach Hadeeth: (I am not aware of it). When they had finishedImam Bukhari related to them the 100 Ahaadeeth the waythey had recited the 100 to him and he gave the correct

version.

However when Hadeeths were compiled in books and theneed for so powerful memories terminated, then, retentiveskills started to wane.

Manifestation Of The Deens Perfection

In short, termination of ijtihaad was after themanifestation of the perfection of the Deen. Manifestation of

that perfection through ijtihaad simply shows that their qiyaas(analogical deduction) was, similar to Hadeeth, an expositionof the Quraan and also an exposition to the Hadeeth. Thus the

ijtihaadaat of the Mujtahideen and the statements of Nabi are all sciences of the Quraan. In this wayknowledge of the Quraan means knowledge of the Shariat andabandoning the Quraan means abandoning the Shariat. Inadducing an even clearer proof, an incident comes to mind in


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which Rasoolullah stated regarding onehearing:

Translation: I will pass judgment between you two with theKitaab of Allah.Thereafter Rasoolullah , proceeded to give averdict in accordance to the Hadeeth.

The summary of all this is that the bayaan whichconforms to the Quraan is that bayaan which is in accordanceto the Shariat. Speech and writing both are included in

bayaan. Hence, it is stated in one place in the Quraan shareefregarding this inclusion/relationship:

In other words, bayaan is sometimes bil qalam (written) and

sometimes bil lisaan (verbal). These are the two types ofbayaan.

The Nimat Of Bayaan

This bayaan is a nimat with regard to worldlybenefits too, but they will not be mentioned now. Right nowDeeni benefits will be mentioned. In this regard this bayaan isa great deeni nimat. The benefits are that by virtue of the ilm(knowledge) by us this day and age, we can be among theaccepted servants of Allah Taala. This is only by virtue ofnimat-e-bayaaniyya. If our illustrious pious predecessors didnot expand and compile the sciences (of the Deen) then wewould have been left in the dark.

The Need For Perfection in Bayaan

Similarly if we wish to acquire the reward of benefitto others then the way to this is to acquire expertise in writingand speaking and thereafter deliver the uloom (sciences) of

the Deen to others. We have seen Ulamaa who lack


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proficiency in writing and speaking. Very few people canderive benefit from them.

Then, in contrast to writing there is a greater need tobuild perfection in speech since the benefit of writing isconfined to scholars and educated people and the benefit of

speech is broader in which the confined benefit is alsoincluded. So, with regard to general and specific benefit

verbal bayaan has two ways to it. One is dars (teaching)whose benefit is confined to students and the other is lectures,

the benefit of which is for the masses. In both, benefitting is

dependent on acquisition of sufficient power of speech. Thusour talabaa (students) are in need of practice and perfection of

these two. In other words, when a lecture is given it should begiven in such a way that laymen understand fully. And when a

dars (lesson) is given then in such a way that the audiencewho are students understand it. Then there are two categoriesof academic lessons (darsiyyat). One is simply Aaliyaat

(sciences which are aids in acquiring the prime subjects suchas Nahw, Sarf, Mantiq, etc) and the second is Maqaasid

(prime subjects such Fiqh, Tafseer, Hadeeth, etc). A talk onAaliyaat is absolutely confined since only students study andunderstand it and a talk in Maqaasid is general as well as

confined. That is, Quraan and Hadeeth are presented beforestudents as well as before the general public. Therefore, this

should be borne in mind during mashq (practice). Studentswho are busy with Aaliyaat should only be made to speak inthe jalsah of mashq firstly by reading the Ibaarat (text) of the

Kitaabs and thereafter unraveling the contents. They shouldnot expand beyond this. Besides clarity of speech there isanother benefit in this which is that they will learn to teach.

This is because there are several harms in giving a particular topic to suchbeginners expecting them to lecture on the topic. Firstly, due to incompetency

they are unable to correctly speak on those topics. If they are corrected then

how much? If they are not corrected then they will labour under ignorance andthe listeners will also fall into error. Secondly, they discard their Madrasa

lessons and concern themselves the whole time with these topics. Thirdly, if they


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remain deficient in their Kitaabs but well-trained in speech then they will chooselecturing as a profession and being jaahil lecturers they will ruin (the Deen and

Iemaan of) creation.Just as it is harmful for such beginners to expand further in their

talks, similarly in writing as well. Like nowadays, sending articles and essays to(Deeni) journals has become the norm. (Moulana Thanwi, quddisa sirruhu)

The Method Of Teaching

Our Buzrugs method of teaching was simply to solveand unravel the Kitaabs. They should not mention anything

more. Yes if something was very important then they used to

mention it.It is furthermore, important to bear in mind that, what

one does not know it should clearly be stated. This approachhas been inherited from Moulana Mamlook Ali Sahebilaat eht taht si dohtem siht ni egatnavda ehT . b-e-ilm (student of Deen) will always have confidence in the

mudarris (teacher). He will understand that whatever I am toldis correct. Where this way is not adopted and instead the

explanation is concocted--most students realize the obstinacyof the Ustaads--then there is museebat (tribulations). Thelessons are disrupted. The students too learn this bad-approach. Some people say that by admitting ones fault,students become worse. This is all nonsense. They become

better as explained earlier. They then have confidence in themudarris. In short, this is the style of teaching so in lecturingit should be kept in mind as well.

Research points and superfluous details should be

omitted. These taqreers (talks in the student assemblies) areorganized only to show the method of teaching not to showoff ones skill.

Furthermore, the futile points mentioned during dars

are not beneficial since no one remembers them. The harm ofsquandering time is something on its own. Like MoulanaSiddeeq Saheb Marhoom Gangohi I nehW :dias went to Dehli to teach, local students were put in my care and


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Sullam (a text book on logic) was commenced. I enquiredfrom them whether they wished to learn probing all the details

or plainly. They replied: We will learn probing all thedetails. At night I studied many commentaries and marginalnotes and in the morning taught the sabaq (lesson) with all theresearch. The following day I posed the same question. Thestudents answered the same that we will learn from stem tostem. I said: If that is the case, then whatever I saidyesterday, repeat it so that I may gauge whether you have theability to learn with tehqeeq (investigation, research or not?

When they heard this they all started gaping at me and not onecould repeat it. Then I said: Listen! Inspite of you havinglistened to my lecture but you could not explain and Iexplained it to you not withstanding the fact that my Ustaaddid not lecture it to me, afterall what is the reason for this? Itappears that the need is for istidaad (building up ones

potential) which is through the kitaab. These lectures serve nopurpose. Therefore do the kitaab! Then they came to

understand and were satisfied with mere solving the kitaab.To summarize, the style of public-speaking for a

mudarris is exceptionally harmful. I saw one student teachinga mubtadi (beginner) Meezan (an elementary text book on

Arabic etymology/morphology). In the khutbah of the kitaabhe was elucidating the types of Alif Laam tareef. I told him:Molvi Saheb! Why are you waylaying this poor boy? He willthink all these contents to be part of Meezan and thinking it to

be difficult he will leave Meezan (and abandon his Deen.

Hazrat Thanwis Teaching

I have always maintained mere unraveling of the

kitaab as the style of my teaching. I never spoke on anythingsuperfluous. My unraveling was also such that extremely

difficult places were found easy by the students. In Sadra (akitaabs name the discussion of Muthannaat Bit Takreer is a


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famous discussion. In Kanpoor one Molvi Fazle Haq--astudent --was learning by me Sadra. The day this part came,

without great care, in the usual way I explained the lesson.When he understood it properly, I told him that this is the partwhich is known as Muthannaat Bit Takreer. He was verysurprised and exclaimed: This is not difficult at all! In thefinal examination, the examiner gave the same portion in thequestion sheet. The explanation written by Molvi Fazle HaqSaheb Marhoom of that part (which is upto today preserved inthe archives of Madrasa Jamiul Uloom) was admired by the

examiners. Some said that they had not come across such anexplanation of the discussion ever.

Practice Of Teaching Quraan And Hadeeth

So the major effort should be to make the kitaab aseasy as A,B,C; not to display ones greatness. This is the stylefor Aaliyaat. As far as the Maqaasid, that is, the sciences of

Islaam are concerned since they are spoken about sometimesin front of laymen and sometimes in the presence of scholars,

therefore, there should be two styles of practicing it. There aretwo ways to this. Either half of the time in each jalsah(gathering) be allocated for the scholarly-style and half for thelaymen-style or on one occasion the talk should be in thescholarly-style and on another occasion the talk should be in astyle suitable for the public.

New-fangled Names Should Be Discarded

Now, Alhadulillah, all important points in this regardhave been mentioned. The only thing that remains is the titleof this jalsah. In my opinion the name Taleemul Bayaan is

best. Nowadays the craze is on the increase among people thatwhen they start some work they prescribe some new and

unique name for it. By virtue of this same craze, Nadwa ( an


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Islamic institution in Lucknow, India) have made a big slip-up, that is in search of a new name. The name for the Majlis

of Ulamaa has been prescribed Nadwa, which was the nameAbu Jahl the head of the ignoramusesthe enemy ofAllahgave to the majlis which was established with the sole

purpose of taking up ways to harm Rasoolullah and impeding the path of his propagation of the Deen. Perhapsit is not surprising that the effect of this name is that today this

pure noor (lightdeen of Islam) is venting its anger inNadwa.

The Intention

It now seems best to relate one Hadeeth regarding thepurpose of bayaan. Rasoolullah

said:

Look! At that time this type of anjuman (assembly) was not tobe found and nor were the majaalis (gatherings) in this format

but Rasoolullah made arrangements alreadythen, that:Whoever learns the techniques of speech to hold sway overthe hearts of people Allah Taala will not accept on the Day ofQiyaamah any nafl or farz of his.This Hadeeth is sufficient caution for corrupt motives andwith it the reason for preceeding over simore clearly underlined which was mentioned earlier on.

Hypocritical Bayaan

I wish to arouse those students who adopt modernstyle in their speech. The reason for which is by and large(desire for) jaah (fame), honour and general acceptance. For

this reason efforts are made to have bombastic words and


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compact rhymes. But this serves no purpose. The worth of

talks and bayaans of this kind is like a famous story of an

artificial jewellery-seller carrying a bag of bangles. A villagerbeat his stick on the bag and enquired: What is inside? Theseller replied: Strike it again and it will be nothing. Unlikethe olden bayaans. Even if you strike it fifty times it remainsin its same state. Its power is not weakened in the least. Infactfrom the Hadeeth we learn that to talk very audaciously andfreely is reprehensible. Accordingly, it appears in theHadeeth:

Translation: Modesty and cautious speech are branches ofImaan whilst audacity and free speech are branches of Nifaaq(hypocrisy).In this Hadeeth Rasoolullah has mentionedHayaa (modesty) in contrast to bathaa (audacity) and ayy(caution) in contrast to bayaan (free speech). Bathaa and

bayaan have been declared to be branches of Nifaaq. The

context indicates that the iyy intended is that which is onaccount of Hayaa. Hayaa itself has a broad meaning. It could

be Hayaa of khalq (creation) or Hayaa of the Khaaliq(Creator). However, Hayaa of Allah is intended here, that is,one should contemplate upon every word that it should not bein violation of the Shariat. From this Hadeeth we also learnthat a bayaan which transgresses the limits of the Shariat doesnot come within the purview of naayab eht ecnismentioned in the aayat was mentioned as a nimat (bounty. Inthe Hadeeth then, the bayaan which is a product of bathaa has

been included in Nifaaq. There can be no contradictionbetween the Quraan and Hadeeth. Thus we learn that thebayaan which is reprehensible can never be a nimat.Therefore, to abstain from such a bayaan is of utmostimportance. Now make duaaunto Allah Taala that he grantstowfeeq (ability, guidance, assistance) of explicit obedience inall matters. Aameen Yaa Rabbal Aalameen.


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Teaching the Art of Speaking - Moulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi

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