If your understanding of Islam merely comes from what you take of your surroundings and upbringing, you're most definitely getting things wrong.

There's no doubt about it.

A long time ago before I had even started my formal Islamic studies, I asked myself a simple question:

"How do I know my current understanding of Islam and Allah's expectations is actually true?"

And the reality was, I didn't know. My learning at the time was a mere composition of things I took here and there, not having identified the source for everything to verify it is true.

What I had known of Islam at the time may well have come from the Quran or a reliable source, but it could also have come from Uncle Jimmy who thinks Shaytan prays if you don't fold your prayer mat.

So what did I do?

I dismantled everything I knew and had no traceable source for, and I started over... from scratch.

I started with a clean slate, using first principles.

- I made my foundation the points all believers agree on: belief in Allah, His messengers, revelations, angels, and the final day we shall all be reckoned.

And this was a great decision, which is why I say:

The only things you should add to your understanding of Islam are things you actually have reason to believe.

- Let the template for your understanding be Allah's revelation, the Quran.

- Accompanied with this is your inquisitive mind.

Have questions and search for answers, as ultimately you're the one accountable for your own learning.

You should have no issue asking those you trust for reasons and explanations, because those with sufficient learning have no problem presenting a sound digestible and relatable argument.

Maintain a position of uncertainty about things until you have reason to believe they're true.

By doing this, you sift through all the misinformation you've previously learnt.

And this is exactly what I had done many years ago, and I can't recommend it enough.

The reality about students, graduates, and learning institutes
Whenever I tell students to take responsibility for their learning, some may assume I have no criticisms of their learning institutes... So let me address this and say something about institutes and students that everyone needs to hear.

As a student, the shortcomings of your institute are not in your control. You're not in a position of authority to enforce any change, and trying to do so just gives you a bad look.

Any concerns you do have should be acknowledged, and addressed after you graduate... at a time you do have some influence and don't appear like a rebel undermining the institute.

The reality, however, is that even with the shortcomings of an institute, students still have the ability to excel in their studies. And it only takes one student in your institute to demonstrate this.

If one student from your institute can excel, then you have no excuse as it demonstrates it is possible.

The problem is that most students are lazy.

In most Islamic institutes, the students that graduate and actually have a passion for what they study probably make up 10% (and I'm being generous with the figure).

And this really is no different to a university setting:

In a university class of, say, fifty students, there are some who pass with a 50% grade across all their assignments; others 60%; others 70% or even 80% or 90%.

Not all students in the same class are at the same level, even if they all "graduate" from the same institute.

Some have a passion for what they study, and others simply don't. Some are lazy, and others are hardworking.

Some won't even pick up a book again after they graduate.

Now you tell me. Does that sound like a student, let alone an aspiring scholar??

No, it clear doesn't. Most graduates of Islamic institutes are not aspiring scholars, and anyone in an active state of learning will tell you the same.

Does that mean they wasted their time in the institute? Absolutely not.

Nobody who spent time studying Islamic knowledge has wasted their time. They've rather spent their time well, gained clarity on issues, and are more knowledgeable than the state they started in. May Allah reward them.

But there's a difference between learning and aspiring to be a scholar. Merely graduating from an institute alone doesn't make you a scholar, especially if you have no passion for what you're studying and never continue to seek knowledge thereafter.

And a title you receive doesn't change that.

I say this all from a place of both love and transparency.

But I sincerely believe that if students just studied properly and recognised they're the only ones who can control their learning, they'll be smashing it and take their learning more seriously. ❤️🙏

As a student, if you have a choice between blaming your institute or yourself, blame yourself.

Exceptional students are exceptional irrespective of their environment and circumstance. They simply put in the graft and get the job done.

- They don't need to look to others for motivation.

- They don't need to be forced to pick up a book and read independently.

By blaming yourself for your learning, you assign all responsibility to yourself. Your learning is now in your hands.

And if you really view your learning that way, you'll strive to do your best regardless of the shortcomings of others or even your institute. You can't scapegoat anyone. It's all you, my man! 💪

One thing people don't get taught when studying is how to actually read books.

There's a difference between reading a book beginning to end, and actively grappling with its contents.

Ask yourself this question: When you engage with a book, what are you actually doing?

- You're connecting paragraphs together.
- You're linking a sentence in chapter 5 to a sentence in chapter 1.
- You're constantly agreeing, disagreeing, or suspending judgement on the arguments put forth.

Now, a good teacher will train the students to do this, or at least demonstrate it in class.

Otherwise it's something students must figure out themselves.

And if you don't figure it out, you'll just read books without processing what's being said.

You'll end up speed-reading technical material like you're reading a Harry Potter novel, and then think you've actually read the book.

But have you actually read it??

Take a step back for a moment.

If you don't figure out how to engage with a text yourself, you'll never be able to engage in any independent study and will only be able to regurgitate arguments.

Your learning will always require you to be spoonfed, and that's always an inferior and limiting state of learning.

Remember: 'Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.'

That's independent study. It's teaching yourself how to fish.

I was recently asked about the Fiqh concept of 'Sadd al-Dhari'ah'.

Sadd al-dhari'ah in a nutshell is blocking the means towards something prohibited.

It is to prohibit or discourage something on account of it likely leading to something else that is prohibited.

An example of this is the prohibition of seclusion (khalwah) between an unrelated man and woman.

The seclusion itself is not intrinsically harmful, but because it is a circumstance that can lead to fornication, it is prohibited. This is sadd al-dhari'ah.

Now here's the question: Is sadd al-dhari'ah an agreed upon principle?

Although this principle is commonly attributed to Imam Malik, it is in reality a rational principle not only accepted by various jurists in practice but also a principle applied in the Quran & Hadith themselves.

Sadd al-dhari'ah is simply an extension of accepting that the Law is built on benefits and harms (masalih and mafasid).

In other words, if a jurist knows that something will certainly lead to what is prohibited, it rationally makes sense that that thing will too be prohibited as a result of its consequence.

Now the issue that arises isn't so much in accepting the principle in theory. Rather, the problem is in applying this principle because it can often lead to slippery-slope arguments.

If the principle of sadd al-dhari'ah is void of any framework, it leads to moral relativism because it allows one to arbitrarily alter the default ruling of permissibility.

And without understanding the framework of sadd al-dhari'ah correctly, you could technically prohibit the use of all phones, social media, Telegram, or even leaving the house in cases beyond need -- because each of these instances can technically lead to prohibited actions.

But the fact that these things aren't prohibited indicates that there's a framework for the principle that isn't so superficially applied, and that there's a legal analysis beyond "can X lead to Y sin?"

We also see botched applications of this principle in two contemporary issues:

1) Prohibiting women from driving because they might visit their boyfriends if they have a car. (A very strange argument for blanket prohibition lol.)

2) Some fatwas on interaction between an unrelated man and woman. There's a tendency here to fall into slippery slope arguments that aren't actually based on texts of prohibition.

People often forget that they don't need to jump to claims of prohibition (tahrim) when applying sadd al-dhari'ah.

It is possible that something is not prohibited but rather simply discouraged (makruh) as a result of sadd al-dhari'ah, and this discouragement may itself be contextual.

Although this category of discouragement (karahah) is extremely important, it's often neglected in discussions on sadd al-dhari'ah broadly, and gender interaction more specifically.

Now there's certainly more to say on this principle, its framework, and how it relates to other concepts, but I'll leave that for another day and I hope this has offered some clarity.

A relative of mine took issue with "conflating religious obligations with culture".

I responded: it's easy to address this if you just tackle the root problem.

And the root problem is your approach to learning.

People have two ways of understanding Islam:

1) Accepting everything in their environment without reflection.

2) Maintaining a position of uncertainty about things until you have reason to believe they're true.

These are two very different approaches.

The first approach requires little thought and throws you a list of problems by design.

Think about this:

If you're simply taking religious ideas in your environment for granted, then know that you could've easily adopted a different set of beliefs were you raised in a different environment, a different country, or a different tradition.

Therefore, your environment alone cannot be a yardstick for truth.

People who find themselves in this position would do themselves a great service by simply starting from scratch - from first principles!

Focus first on areas of scholarly agreement, and build on that. This ensures that you're creating a solid foundation.

I'm actually planning to deliver a course with this very thing in mind. Stay tuned! ?❤️

I was asked an interesting question recently: What makes you confident in responding to Islamic questions?

I would often ask myself this very question when I began studying.

And I think the answer lies in two parts:

1) The confidence one has in their learning.
2) Being liable for responding to questions when standing before God.
I always assumed it was easier to avoid responding to questions and passing the buck, as this always appeared "safer" when standing before God.

But is it actually "safer"?

This entirely depends on your perspective.

It can certainly be safer to let someone else respond, from the perspective that you're ultimately speaking on behalf of God and should know what you're talking about.

But, for a moment, ask yourself these two questions:

1) What if, by you abstaining from providing an answer, you are certain the questioner will get their response elsewhere and likely from someone who has no idea what he's talking about?

2) Or what if you're certain you've researched the question (quantitatively) to a degree that puts you in a better position to respond than most others?

In either of these two cases, is it actually "safer" to not respond to the questioner and pass the buck?

Can someone not argue that you are now actually liable before God for refusing to respond to the questioner?

As you can see, the script is now flipped.

Ultimately, whether or not you respond goes back to how confident you are in your answer and your learning.

True knowledge has an unusual characteristic that empowers the learner. And with that feeling of empowerment comes confidence, and with confidence comes your ability to answer questions.

If you're confident in your answer, you'll respond. If not, then you won't (which is fine).

A former colleague asked me, "Are your criticisms of students about me??" ?

I'm glad the posts are relatable. ❤️

Would you rather learn something to remember it for a week, or the rest of your life?

The answer's pretty simple, but if you're only learning to pass an exam then you'll never remember anything you learn.

Studying merely for the sake of an exam is targeting your short-term memory.

You're trying to cram everything in your brain in a short space of time.

What this means is that you're not paying much attention to the things you're learning, nor are you giving yourself enough time to build mental connections with the information.

You're just storing everything in your short-term memory, which is why you forget everything the day after the exam.

The purpose of studying is never the exam.

It's to internalise the content.

And you can only internalise your studies for as long as you remember them.

If you can't speak about your past studies now, then you can't claim them. It's simply something you learnt in the past. It's not what you know now.

So focus on long-term memory.

You can do this in three ways:
(i) Constantly review the things you learn.
(ii) Read more on the content you're studying.
(iii) Discuss the topics with others.

It's these activities that'll bring your learning to life.