WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.240 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 00:00:03.720 --> 00:00:09.679 “Is he who payeth adoration in the watches of the night, prostrate and standing, bewaring of the Hereafter and hoping for the mercy of his Lord, (to be accounted equal with a disbeliever)? Say (unto them, O Muhammad): Are those who know equal with those who know not? But only men of understanding will pay heed.” (39:9) 00:00:10.980 --> 00:00:16.980 The Splendor of Knowledge and Wisdom. 00:00:17.140 --> 00:00:21.620 By Dr. Hamzah Ibn Fayi' Al Fathi. 00:00:22.019 --> 00:00:23.420 May Allah preserve him. 00:00:27.140 --> 00:00:29.780 Beneficial Reading. 00:00:32.079 --> 00:00:36.399 The man of letters, Abbas Al 'Aqqad—may Allah the Exalted have mercy upon him—said, 00:00:36.719 --> 00:00:41.600 he who passed away in the year 1964 AD: 00:00:42.140 --> 00:00:45.179 "Reading a good book three times 00:00:45.500 --> 00:00:49.820 is more beneficial to you than reading three new books." 00:00:51.420 --> 00:00:55.340 Beneficial reading is accompanied by focus, 00:00:55.740 --> 00:00:58.380 or by my returning to the book repeatedly. 00:00:58.780 --> 00:01:00.700 This is a scholarly methodology 00:01:01.020 --> 00:01:05.900 that falls under the practice of repeating a book and striving to comprehend it, 00:01:06.459 --> 00:01:10.939 because a single reading does not suffice for a book rich in benefits, 00:01:11.180 --> 00:01:12.620 or one with many pages, 00:01:13.099 --> 00:01:18.299 or one whose subject matter is dense and requires greater focus and comprehension. 00:01:18.780 --> 00:01:20.620 Thus, repeated reading 00:01:21.019 --> 00:01:25.980 is more effective, beneficial, and lasting than a single, rapid reading. 00:01:26.849 --> 00:01:30.290 It is for this reason that the understanding of certain sciences and texts remains elusive 00:01:30.769 --> 00:01:35.489 due to a single, abbreviated, or flawed reading 00:01:35.969 --> 00:01:38.609 that lacks repetition and focus, 00:01:39.170 --> 00:01:43.489 because, in most cases, it is impossible to achieve comprehension from a single reading. 00:01:44.049 --> 00:01:46.930 Yes, it may be beneficial for some people, 00:01:47.170 --> 00:01:49.329 but they are a rare few. 00:01:50.500 --> 00:01:53.299 The standard practice is for students to repeat their books 00:01:53.700 --> 00:01:57.939 and not be hasty in trying to understand or master them at first glance 00:01:58.260 --> 00:01:59.939 or through initial impressions. 00:02:00.500 --> 00:02:04.340 This is a form of high diligence and profound concern. 00:02:05.060 --> 00:02:08.740 The salaf before us and the scholars of the past provided 00:02:09.060 --> 00:02:13.300 examples of dedicated repetition in internalizing and mastering books, 00:02:13.699 --> 00:02:16.659 and in remaining devoted to them for months and years. 00:02:17.219 --> 00:02:20.419 Through this, scholarly brilliance and firm grounding are achieved, 00:02:20.979 --> 00:02:23.539 and all obstacles to understanding are dispelled. 00:02:24.750 --> 00:02:26.430 Among the examples here 00:02:27.069 --> 00:02:31.629 is what Al Khatib Al Baghdadi recorded in Al Jami' regarding the importance of repetition, saying: 00:02:32.110 --> 00:02:34.830 "Prolong the mention of a hadith, lest it be forgotten." 00:02:35.469 --> 00:02:37.150 Abbas Al Dawri said: 00:02:37.789 --> 00:02:40.030 "I heard Yahya Ibn Ma'in say: 00:02:40.590 --> 00:02:41.629 'If we had not written down— 00:02:42.110 --> 00:02:43.629 and in another narration, 'heard'— 00:02:44.110 --> 00:02:47.150 the hadith fifty times, we would not have known it.'" 00:02:47.870 --> 00:02:48.830 It is narrated from some of them 00:02:49.389 --> 00:02:51.789 that he heard Abu Bakr Ibn 'Atiyyah 00:02:52.430 --> 00:02:56.750 mention that he repeated Sahih Al Bukhari seven hundred times. 00:02:57.539 --> 00:03:01.219 It is also reported from Bakr Ibn Muhammad Ibn Abi Al Fadl Al Ansari 00:03:01.699 --> 00:03:04.500 that, in the beginning of his studies, he would sometimes 00:03:04.979 --> 00:03:07.620 repeat a single issue four hundred times. 00:03:08.479 --> 00:03:11.840 One day, he was asked about an unusual issue, and he replied: 00:03:12.400 --> 00:03:16.879 "I repeated this issue one night in a tower of the Bukhara fortress 00:03:17.360 --> 00:03:18.800 four hundred times." 00:03:19.620 --> 00:03:22.740 It is reported from the grammarian Ibn Hisham—may Allah have mercy upon him— 00:03:23.219 --> 00:03:26.020 that he read the Alfiyyah a thousand times. 00:03:26.909 --> 00:03:29.229 Contemporary scholars were also known for this, 00:03:29.789 --> 00:03:31.069 such as Sheikh Ibn Baz, 00:03:31.389 --> 00:03:32.669 Bakr Abu Zayd, 00:03:33.150 --> 00:03:34.509 Mahmud Shakir, 00:03:35.069 --> 00:03:36.590 Hammad Al Ansari, 00:03:36.990 --> 00:03:37.789 and others. 00:03:38.270 --> 00:03:39.789 May Allah have mercy on them all. 00:03:40.349 --> 00:03:41.789 And Allah is the Grantor of success.