Thread by @imanmbadawi

﷽

On Standards & Adab

Target audience :

- Teachers & Students of SK

- Those interested in understanding what the “adab slogan” really means
- and seeking insight into the distinction between stagnant Traditionalism & the eternally-flowing river of the Sunna

Filth in stagnant water renders it impure

As for the River of the Sunna - al-Kawthar - it forever satiates thirst

This is thread is about drinking pure water

ليس الطريق لمن سبق إنما الطريق لمن صدق
“The way is not for those who came before, but for those who are true”

The concrete before the abstract.

I’ve studied with scholars who are brilliant in their fields, of sharp minds not sharp tongues, a disposition softer than silk, impeccable character with women & the integrity of a mountain

They don’t teach Hadīth. They *are* the Hadīth.

They are such giants that make you feel small through their deep sincerity, penetrating perception, beautiful character & spirituality,

yet they lift you up so high through their nobility, courage, and chivalry.

They aren’t angels, but they have perfected their humanity…

Contrast this with those who are enamored with their pretentious posts, snark comments, highly superficial understandings and juvenile attitudes toward women & marriage.

Adab isn’t about people. Its about standards.

Social media is about people.

See the problem?

Even still, it is remiss to deny that social media hasn’t made us what we’ve become. Rather it has manifested what we became
Standards are demanded for those things that we hold dear and in highest esteem. This reverence is the very core of taqwa

quran.com/22/32

If we hold SK in esteem, we demand that its standards be met. That is taqwa & adab.

When people become the standard, we have a very serious problem

Thus, the idea that SK requires one to tolerate deplorable character that contradicts the very core of the Sunna is NOT adab

Its a fundamentally flawed ego-centric conception

It’s saying : This pursuit is about ME, so *I* have to tolerate this

As opposed to saying : This pursuit is about the most noble values, thus I will NOT tolerate it - neither in myself nor my teacher - for the sake of Allah

These critically distinct conceptions represent the core difference between *taking* SK versus *becoming* SK. This is what the masters of tasawwuf term as haqīqa — actualization

It is the peak of adab

Selling out our values to promote personal goals is adab?

No, it is NOT

If we seek SK for this world, then we allow people to set the standard

If we seek SK for the after-worldly, we submit to the standard set by Allāh & Rasūlullāh ﷺ

If we seek SK for Allah, we become the defenders of that standard

Adab is reverence. Reverence is standards

If anyone tries to make adab about themselves, they are the *shaykh of the ego*

Can a person have a great amount of knowledge yet still be shaykh of the ego? Absolutely.

How? If seeking SK is difficulty level 10/10, then overcoming the ego is difficulty level 100/10.

So, choose wisely, because you will become just like your shaykh

Make your intention clear & use SK against your ego, not for it

You’ll be able to distinguish between the adab of “tolerating” human deficiencies vs. accepting what is fundamentally antithetical to the Sunna.

Teachers have their ways. Some don’t like questions. Some place stringent conditions when dealing with women. Etc.

Ask teachers their preferences & adhere to them. That is the adab of the majlis.

Human? Yes

Tolerable? Yes

Tarbiya? Only if you had no semblance of it before

However, if any teacher exceeds bounds of how a Muslim should treat another / a human being should treat another / a decent man should treat a woman, it is NOT acceptable

Why? Because we demand STANDARDS for what we hold dear

That is taqwa and adab. Standards matter.

And if we reduce the standard to disqualify only those who commit open acts of lewdness, we haven’t honored SK nor shown reverence nor exhibited adab

Instead we’ve lowered the standard to a deplorable level that we wouldn’t even accept in matters of our dunya, let alone our Dīn

Taqwa isn’t ‘heroic’ damage control after the fact

It’s taking *proactive* *evasive* measures to protect what Allah has deemed sacred

Taqwa is translated as God-consciousness.

It’s never translated as Teacher-consciousness

If these ever contradict, we have a BIG problem

It we don’t demand a higher standard of ourselves, of teachers, of the integrity of SK, we’ll be collectively responsible for the result

People aren’t the standard, but they do have the power to lower or raise it, by virtue of their taqwa.

Be the latter. Allāh bless you.