Umar Quinn

🕌 The Khula Reality Check 📅 December 5–7, 2025 📍 Masjid Ibn Baaz – South Philadelphia It’s time for a real conversation about responsibility and resolution. Join us for an eye opening weekend with Shaykh Hamza Abdur Razzaaq & Shaykh Umar Quinn as we discuss: ✨ When and how to seek or grant a Khul’a ✨ The responsibilities that come with it ✨ A realistic approach to saving our families Healing starts with honesty. Don’t miss it ! come out and join us! #MasjidIbnBaaz #KhulaRealityCheck #IslamicEvent #MarriageInIslam #FamilyHealing #SouthPhilly #CommunityGrowth

‎🚨BRAND NEW MONTHLY LESSON ❗️ ‎💥TODAY ❗️ ‎📚Marhaban Ya Talib al-Ilm  ‎مرحبا يا طالب العلم ‎by Shaykh al-‘Allamah Rabee bin Hadi al-Madkhali رحمه الله ‎شرف الطالب وكمال زينته بمعرفة فضل📕 العلم وعظيم أهميته Part 3 ‎🗓️ Monday 3rd of November 2025 ‎🕰️ 20:00 U.K. Time ‎With our noble teacher: ‎🎙️ Abu Muhammad al-Maghribi حفظه الله ‎📍Somali Women’s Group, 171 Lodge Lane, Liverpool, L8 0QQ ‎☕️ Tea & refreshments after the class ‎📺Live on YouTube: youtube.com/@markazbukhari

الإبانة- إياكم والخصومات

🌟“Were it Not For My Daughters & My Sins…” Manṣūr ibn Ismāʿīl captured in poetry the frustration felt by many who are stifled by the surrounding society: «لَوْلَا بَنَاتِي وَسَيِّئَاتِي *** لَذُبْتُ شَوْقًا إِلَى الْمَمَاتِ “Were it not for my daughters and my sins, I would melt away in longing for death. لِأَنَّنِي فِي جِوَارِ قَوْمٍ *** بَغَّضَنِي قُرْبُهُمُ حَيَاتِي» For I dwell among a people whose nearness has made my very life detestable to me.” He laments the weariness of living among foul and hateful people whose company has made life bitter. Only his responsibilities—his daughters—and the burden of his own sins restrain him from wishing earnestly for death. This poetry captures the yearning of the righteous for solitude and escape from a morally bankrupt society. 📚Al-Khaṭṭābī, Abū Sulaymān Ḥamd ibn Muḥammad al-Bustī, al-ʿUzlah (Cairo: al-Maṭbaʿah al-Salafiyyah, 2nd ed., 1399 AH / 1979 CE), p. 79.

‏[مَنْ قَلّ صِدْقُه قَلّ صَديقه] -قال العلّامة الماورديُّ: "الكذبُ جِماعُ كُلِّ شرٍّ وأصلُ كُلِّ ذَمٍّ؛ لِسُوءِ عَواقبِه وخُبثِ نتائِجِه؛ لأنّه يُنتِجُ النّميمةَ، والنّميمةُ تُنتِجُ البَغضاءَ، والبَغضاءُ تؤولُ إلى العَداوةِ، وليس مع العدَاوةِ أمنٌ ولا راحةٌ، ولذلك قيل: مَنْ قَلَّ صِدْقُهُ قَلَّ صَدِيقُهُ" (أدب الدّنيا والدين)(٢٦١) • 🔘https://t.me/dr_elbukhary/4550 • 🔄

🖊️Muḥammad ibn Idrīs al-Shāfiʿī (رحمه الله) said: «قَبُولُ ‌السِّعَايَةِ أَضَرُّ مِنَ السِّعَايَةِ، لِأَنَّ السِّعَايَةَ دَلَالَةٌ، وَالْقَبُولَ إِجَازَةٌ، وَلَيْسَ مَنْ دَلَّ عَلَى شَيْءٍ كَمَنْ قَبِلَ وَأَجَازَ. “Accepting tale-bearing is more harmful than tale-bearing itself. For tale-bearing is but a pointing of the way (to evil), whereas accepting it is an endorsement and sanction, and the one who merely directs toward an evil is not like the one who approves and permits it. وَالسَّاعِي مَمْقُوتٌ إِذَا كَانَ صَادِقًا لِهَتْكِهِ الْعَوْرَةَ، وَإِضَاعَتِهِ الْحُرْمَةَ، وَمُعَاقَبٌ إِنْ كَانَ كَاذِبًا لِمُبَارَزَتِهِ اللهَ بِقَوْلِ الْبُهْتَانِ وَشَهَادَةِ الزُّورِ.» The tale-bearer is despised even when truthful, for he violates another’s privacy and desecrates their honor. And he is punishable if he lies, for he has defied Allah by uttering slander and bearing false witness.” 📚Abū Nuʿaym Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Iṣfahānī, Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ wa Ṭabaqāt al-Aṣfiyāʾ, 10 vols. (Cairo: Maṭbaʿat al-Saʿādah, 1394 AH / 1974 CE), 9:122.

Maturity isn’t about having an opinion on everything— it’s knowing when to stay silent, when to speak, and how to do both with dignity. You don’t have to vocalize every thought. And when you share your opinions, do so respectfully and calmly. Not every person needs to hear how you feel or what’s on your mind. Your opinion isn’t even close to the whole truth, and disagreement isn’t betrayal. Not everyone who challenges you is your enemy. When you criticize, do it to build, not to break. Never let petty difference turn into division. You don’t need to dominate every room or always have the last word. Say and write only what matters—clarity, sincerity, and purpose are worth more than noise and length. And whenever you start to feel like you’re the smartest person in the room, that’s your sign to find another—one that challenges you, humbles you, and helps you grow. Be careful about venting to anyone. Maturity means guarding trust and emotions. Keep sensitive things between you and Allah—He alone protects hearts and secrets. Don’t parade arrogance under the label of “authenticity” or “keeping it real.” True realness is knowing when to speak, and when silence is better. When you love others, tell them. But never carry hurtful words to those who were spoken ill of. It is better to bend the truth for reconciliation than to carry the sin of gossip and division (namīmah). Love and goodwill expand hearts and remove the cold distance between people. Spread seeds of unity, and remember: Mature believers understand that not everyone must feel the same way about everyone—or everything—because someone they admire or detest happens to dislike or dislike it. This is how adults interact as Muslims: with patience, proportion, and purpose. Love opens what hate would have closed—so compete with others in spreading seeds of love, but think for yourself when it comes to hate or abandonment.

🌙 Reflect Over This Gem from the Salaf One of the greatest Imams of the early generations, Ibrāhīm al-Nakhaʿī –rahimahullah – said: ❝كَانُوا يَتَزَاوَرُونَ وَهُمْ مُخْتَلِفُونَ.❞ “They used to visit each other even while they held differing views.” 🤝 Differing over matters less than Uṣūl should never create alienation (وحشة) between people of Sunnah and Salafiyyah. 📚 Source: Abū Yūsuf Yaʿqūb ibn Sufyān al-Fasawī, Al-Maʿrifah wa al-Tārīkh, vol. 3, p. 134. #Salaf #Ikhtilaf #Adab #Brotherhood #Salafiyyah

The people are in desperate need of them, and their rights—if set forth in detail—could never be fully enumerated.” 📚 ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Nāṣir al-Saʿdī, Nūr al-Baṣāʾir wa-al-Abṣār fī Umūr al-Manāhij wa-al-ʿAqāʾid wa-al-Wasāyā wa-al-Adab

حُقُوقُهُمْ عَلَى الْأُمَّةِ أَعْظَمُ مِنْ حَقِّ الْآبَاءِ وَالْأُمَّهَاتِ، فَإِنَّهُمْ رَبَّوْا أَرْوَاحَ الْعِبَادِ وَقُلُوبَهُمْ بِالْعُلُومِ النَّافِعَةِ، وَالْمَعَارِفِ الصَّحِيحَةِ، وَهُمْ هُدَاةُ الْأُمَّةِ فِي أُصُولِ دِينِهِمْ وَفُرُوعِهِ، وَهُمُ الْمَرْجُوعُ إِلَيْهِمْ فِي أَحْكَامِ الْحُقُوقِ وَالْمُعَامَلَاتِ، كَمَا أَنَّهُمُ الْمَرْجُوعُ إِلَيْهِمْ فِي أُمُورِ الْعِبَادَاتِ؛ بِهِمْ قَامَ الْكِتَابُ وَالسُّنَّةُ، وَبِهِمُ اتَّضَحَ الْحَقُّ مِنَ الْبَاطِلِ، وَالْهُدَى مِنَ الضَّلَالِ، وَالْحَلَالُ مِنَ الْحَرَامِ، وَالْخَيْرُ مِنَ الشَّرِّ، وَالصَّلاحُ مِنَ الْفَسَادِ. Their rights over the ummah are greater even than the rights of fathers and mothers. For it is they who have nurtured the souls and hearts of the servants with beneficial knowledge and sound understanding. They are the guides of the ummah in both the foundations and the branches of religion. They are those to whom people return in the judgments of rights and transactions, just as they return to them in matters of worship. By them the Book and the Sunnah are upheld; through them the truth is made distinct from falsehood, guidance from misguidance, the lawful from the unlawful, good from evil, and righteousness from corruption. وَهُمْ فِي ذَلِكَ عَلَى مَرَاتِبِهِمْ طَبَقَاتٌ، بِحَسَبِ مَا قَامُوا بِهِ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ وَالتَّعْلِيمِ، وَالنَّفْعِ الْكَثِيرِ أَوِ الْقَلِيلِ، فَحَقُّهُمْ عَلَى الْأُمَّةِ كَبِيرٌ، وَمَقَامُهُمْ جَلِيلٌ، فَعَلَى النَّاسِ أَنْ يُحِبُّوهُمْ، وَيُجِلُّوهُمْ، وَيُوَقِّرُوهُمْ، وَيَعْتَرِفُوا بِفَضَائِلِهِمْ، وَفَوَاضِلِهِمْ، وَيَشْكُرُوهُمْ عَلَى ذَلِكَ غَايَةَ الشُّكْرِ، وَيَدْعُوا لَهُمْ سِرًّا وَعَلَنًا، وَيَتَقَرَّبُوا إِلَى اللهِ بِمَحَبَّتِهِمْ وَالثَّنَاءِ عَلَيْهِمْ، وَيَنْشُرُوا مَحَاسِنَهُمْ، وَيَغُضُّوا الْقَلْبَ وَاللِّسَانَ عَنْ مَسَاوِيهِمُ الَّتِي إِذَا وُجِدَتِ اضْمَحَلَّتْ فِي جَنْبِ مَحَاسِنِهِمْ. They are, however, in varying degrees and ranks, according to the knowledge they possess, the teaching they undertake, and the extent of their benefit to others, whether great or small. Yet in every case, their right upon the ummah is immense, and their station is exalted. It is therefore upon the people to love them, to hold them in esteem, to honor them, to acknowledge their virtues and excellences, to thank them to the utmost, to pray for them both in private and in public, to seek closeness to Allah through loving them and praising them, to spread their merits, and to guard both heart and tongue from dwelling on their faults—faults which, if they exist, are diminished in the light of their many virtues. وَعَلَيْهِمْ أَنْ يَنْتَهِزُوا الْفُرْصَةَ فِي وُجُودِهِمْ، فَيَغْتَرِفُوا مِنْ مَعِينِ عِلْمِهِمْ، وَيَسْتَرْشِدُوا بِنُورِهِمْ، وَيَعْمَلُوا جَمِيعَ مَا يَقْدِرُونَ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الْأَسْبَابِ الَّتِي تُرِيحُهُمْ وَتُفَرِّغُهُمْ لِمَا هُمْ بِصَدَدِهِ مِنْ مَهَمَّاتِهِمُ الَّتِي هِيَ أَعْظَمُ الْمُهِمَّاتِ عَلَى الْإِطْلَاقِ، مِنْ تَعْلِيمِ الطَّلَبَةِ الْمُسْتَعِدِّينَ، وَالتَّجَرُّدِ لَهُمْ، وَمِنْ إِرْشَادِ الْعَوَامِّ، وَمِنَ الْفَتَاوَى الصَّادِرَةِ مِنْهُمْ وَالْوَارِدَةِ عَلَيْهِمْ، وَمِنْ اسْتِعْدَادِهِمْ لِلْحُكْمِ فِي قَضَايَا الْخَلْقِ، وَفَصْلِ خُصُومَاتِهِمْ، إِلَى غَيْرِ ذَلِكَ مِمَّا لَا يُحْصَى مِمَّا هُوَ مُتَوَقِّفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ. The people must also seize the opportunity of their presence, drawing from the fountain of their knowledge, seeking guidance by their light, and doing everything within their capacity to bring them comfort and relieve them so that they may devote themselves to the weighty tasks before them—tasks that are among the greatest of all functions without exception: teaching students who are prepared to learn, dedicating themselves fully to them, guiding the common folk, issuing fatwas in response to the questions that come to them, preparing themselves to judge the disputes of the people and resolve their conflicts, and countless other duties that depend upon them. وَالنَّاسُ مُضْطَرُّونَ إِلَيْهِمْ، وَحُقُوقُهُمْ عَلَى وَجْهِ التَّفْصِيلِ لَا يُمْكِنُ عَدُّهَا.»

🌟[[Honoring Our Scholars & Respecting One’s Teachers]] Sufyān Ibn ‘Uyaynah (d. 198 AH رحمه الله) recounts an invaluable advice about seeking knowledge that he received from his father upon reaching puberty: «قَرَأْتُ القُرْآنَ وَأَنَا ابْنُ أَرْبَعِ سِنِينَ، وَكَتَبْتُ الحَدِيثَ وَأَنَا ابْنُ سَبْعِ سِنِينَ، وَلَمَّا بَلَغْتُ خَمْسَ عَشْرَةَ سَنَةً قَالَ لِي أَبِي: يَا بُنَيَّ، قَدِ انْقَطَعَتْ عَنْكَ ‌شَرَائِعُ ‌الصِّبَا، فَاخْتَلِطْ بِالخَيْرِ؛ تَكُنْ مِنْ أَهْلِهِ، وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ لَنْ يَسْعَدَ بِالعُلَمَاءِ إِلَّا مَنْ أَطَاعَهُمْ، فَأَطِعْهُمْ؛ تَسْعَدْ، وَاخْدِمْهُمْ؛ تَقْتَبِسْ مِنْ عِلْمِهِمْ. قَالَ: فَجَعَلْتُ وَصِيَّةَ أَبِي هَذِهِ أَمِيلُ إِلَيْهَا وَلَا أَمِيلُ عَنْهَا، وَلَا أَعْدِلُ عَنْهَا.» “I recited the Qurʾān when I was four years old, and I began writing ḥadīth when I was seven. When I reached the age of fifteen, my father said to me: My son, the ways of childhood have now fallen from you. Associate with the people of goodness, and you will be counted among them. And know that none will truly prosper through the scholars except he who obeys them—so obey them and you will prosper, and serve them so that you may take from their knowledge.’ He continued: ‘So I made my father’s counsel something I inclined to, never turning away from it, nor deviating from it.’” 📚Abd al-Ghanī ibn ʿAbd al-Wāḥid al-Maqdisī, al-Kamāl fī Asmāʾ al-Rijāl, vol. 5, p. 218 (Kuwait: al-Hayʾah al-ʿĀmmah li-l-ʿInāyah bi-Ṭibāʿat wa-Nashr al-Qurʾān al-Karīm wa-l-Sunnah al-Nabawiyyah wa-ʿUlūmihā; 1st ed., 1437 AH/2016 CE). 🖋 Al-Qāḍī Abū Bakr ibn al-‘Arabī (d. 543 AH رحمه الله) said: «وَكَمَا يَلْزَمُ بِرُّ الْأَبَوَيْنِ، كَذَلِكَ يَلْزَمُ بِرُّ الْمُعَلِّمِينَ عَلَى الْمُتَعَلِّمِينَ؛ بِأَنْ يُقَبِّلُوا يَدَهُ، وَيَمْشُوا إِنْ رَكِبَ حَوْلَهُ، وَيُعَظِّمُوا قَدْرَهُ، وَيُعِينُوهُ فِي شُغْلِهِ، وَيَجْعَلُوهُ قِبْلَتَهُمْ، وَيَنْظُرُوا إِلَيْهِ، وَيَصْمُتُوا وَيُصْغُوا وَيَتَوَقَّرُوا، وَيَسْتَأْذِنُهُ فِي السُّؤَالِ، وَلَا يَحْفَظَ زَلَّتَهُ، وَلَا يَطْلُبَ عَثْرَتَهُ، وَيَسْتُرَ عَوْرَتَهُ، وَيَنْتَظِرَ فَيْأَتَهُ، وَهُمْ بِالْحَقِيقَةِ آكَدُ مِنَ الْآبَاءِ فِي الْمَبَرَّةِ مِنْ وَجْهٍ.» “And just as honoring one’s parents is an obligation, so too is honoring teachers an obligation upon students. They should show respect by kissing his hand, walking beside him if he rides, esteeming his rank, helping him with his needs, and treating him as their point of direction. They should fix their gaze upon him, remain silent in his presence, listen attentively with reverence, and seek his permission before asking questions. They should not record his slips, nor look for his mistakes, but rather conceal his shortcomings and wait patiently until his mood returns. In truth, from one perspective, teachers are even more deserving of dutiful respect than parents.” 📚Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad Ibn al-ʿArabī al-Maʿāfirī al-Ishbīlī, Sirāj al-Murīdīn fī Sabīl al-Dīn (Tangier–Beirut: Dār al-Taḥdīth al-Kattāniyyah, 1st ed., 1438 AH / 2017 CE), vol. 4, p. 77. ✒️ Al-Sa’dī (d. 1376 AH رحمه الله) said: أَعْظَمُ الْحُقُوقِ الْوَاجِبَةِ بَعْدَ حَقِّ الرَّسُولِ: حُقُوقُ الْعُلَمَاءِ الْمُعَلِّمِينَ الَّذِينَ هُمُ الْوَاسِطَةُ بَيْنَ الرَّسُولِ وَبَيْنَ أُمَّتِهِ فِي تَبْلِيغِ دِينِهِ، وَبَيَانِ شَرِيعَتِهِ، الَّذِينَ لَوْلَاهُمْ لَكَانَ النَّاسُ كَالْبَهَائِمِ. “The greatest rights owed—after the right of the Messenger ﷺ—are the rights of the scholars and teachers, those who stand as the link between the Messenger and his ummah in conveying his religion and clarifying his law. Were it not for them, people would be as cattle, wandering without guidance.

[Learn Arabic to Resemble the Salaf & Strengthen Your Mind, Religion, & Character] 🎯Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728 AH رحمه الله) advised: «وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ اعْتِيَادَ اللُّغَةِ يُؤَثِّرُ فِي الْعَقْلِ، وَالْخُلُقِ، وَالدِّينِ تَأْثِيرًا قَوِيًّا بَيِّنًا، وَيُؤَثِّرُ أَيْضًا فِي مُشَابَهَةِ صَدْرِ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ مِنَ الصَّحَابَةِ وَالتَّابِعِينَ، وَمُشَابَهَتُهُمْ ‌تَزِيدُ ‌الْعَقْلَ وَالدِّينَ وَالْخُلُقَ.» “Know that the habitual use of a language has a powerful and manifest effect on the mind, the character, and the religion. It also influences one’s resemblance to the first generation of this Ummah—the Ṣaḥābah and the Tābi’īn; and resemblance to them increases one in intellect, religion, and character.” 📖 Ibn Taymiyyah, Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥalīm. Iqtiḍāʾ al-Ṣirāṭ al-Mustaqīm li-Mukhālafat Aṣḥāb al-Jaḥīm. 7th ed. Beirut: Dār ʿĀlam al-Kutub, 1419 AH/1999 CE, 1:527.

💡 The late Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Shaykh ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz Āl al-Shaykh (رحمه الله), was both an exceptional scholar and a masterful khatīb. The death of a scholar is a calamity like no other—the departure of knowledge. Preserving and sharing his fatwas, writings, and sermons would be a great service to the Ummah. May Allah grant him Paradise and bless his successor with success. https://x.com/aboosuhailah/status/1970573660533469468?s=46

Sulaymān al-Khawwas said: «لَوْ عَامَلَ عَبْدٌ اللَّهَ بِحُسْنِ التَّوَكّلِ، وَصِدْقِ النِّيَّةِ لَهُ بِطَاعَتِهِ؛ لَاحْتَاجَتْ إِلَيْهِ الْأَمَرَاءُ فَمَنْ دُونَهُمْ، فَكَيْفَ يَكُونُ هَذَا مُحْتَاجًا، وَمَوْئِلُهُ وَمَلْجَوُهُ إِلَى الْغَنِيّ الْحَمِيدِ؟» "If a servant were to deal with Allah with beautiful reliance and true sincerity in obedience to Him, then rulers and all beneath them would come to need him. So how could such a man be in need of any person—when his refuge and sanctuary is with the One who is free of all need and worthy of all praise?" 📚Abü Bakr Ibn Abi al-Dunya, al-Tawakkul 'alà Allah, (Beirut: Mu'assasat al-Kutub al-Thaqāfiyyah, 1st ed., 1413 AH / 1993 CE), 64; also cited in Ibn 'Asäkir, Tarikh Madinat Dimashq,(Beirut: Dār al-Fikr, 1415 AH / 1995 CE), vol. 72, p. 249.

💵[The Awesome Reward of Loaning Money & Giving Extra Time for Repayment] 1️⃣From Sulayman ibn Buraidah, from his father, (Buraydah b. Husayb رضي الله عنه) who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: "مَنْ أَنْظَرَ مُعْسِرًا فَلَهُ بِكُلِّ يَوْمٍ مِثْلَهُ صَدَقَةٌ، "Whoever gives respite to an insolvent person, he will have charity equal to it for each day.” Then I heard him say: مَنْ أَنْظَرَ مُعْسِرًا فَلَهُ بِكُلِّ يَوْمٍ مِثْلَيْهِ صَدَقَةٌ، “Whoever gives respite to an insolvent person, he will have charity double to it for each day.” I said: I heard you, O Messenger of Allah, say: “Whoever gives respite to an insolvent person, he will have charity equal to it for each day Then I heard you say: Whoever gives respite to an insolvent person, he will have charity double for each day” He (ﷺ) said: لَهُ بِكُلِّ يَوْمٍ صَدَقَةٌ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَحِلَّ الدَّيْنُ فَإِذَا حَلَّ الدَّيْنُ فَأَنْظَرَهُ فَلَهُ بِكُلِّ يَوْمٍ مِثْلَيْهِ صَدَقَةٌ" “He will have charity for each day before the debt becomes due, and when the debt becomes due and he gives respite, he will have double charity for each day." [Reported by Ahmad and Ibn Mājah; graded Sahih by Al Albānī in As-Silsilah As-Saheehah" (86)] 2️⃣And from Abu Qatadah (رضي الله عنه): He sought a debtor who hid from him, then he found him and he said, "I am insolvent." He said, "By Allah?" He said, "By Allah." He said: "I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: "مَنْ سَرَّهُ أَنْ يُنْجِيَهُ اللَّهُ مِنْ كَرْبِ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ فَلْيُنَفِّسْ عَنْ مُعْسِرٍ أَوْ يَضَعْ عَنْهُ" “Whoever is pleased that Allah saves him from the distress of the Day of Resurrection, let him give respite to an insolvent person or reduce his debt." [Saheeh At-Targhib Wat-Tarheeb (903)] In summary, these two hadīth demonstrate a few amazing rewards connected to loaning money: 1️⃣ For every day between the loan and the set date for its repayment, the lender is rewarded its amount in charity. 2️⃣If the debtor is insolvent (due to difficult circumstances), the lender is rewarded twice its amount for every day that he waits for repayment. 3️⃣ By relieving the debt by giving extra time, lessening its amount or forgiving the debt, the lender will be spared from distress on the day of Judgment.

[“They Say I am Reserved” An Advice on Self-Respect & Preserving the Dignity of Islamic Knowledge] Many of us grow up in places where teachers and scholars are not respected. Instead of being honored, they are dismissed, undermined, unsupported, or even attacked and mocked. There is nothing new about any of that. The Qāḍī ʿAlī ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz al-Jurjānī, was criticized for keeping his distance from people. But his “distance” was not arrogance or antisocial withdrawal—it was self-respect. He refused to lower himself for worldly gains, to flatter potential benefactors, or to use sacred knowledge as a tool to win favor. He famously composed the following poetry: يَقُولُونَ لِي فِيكَ انْقِبَاضٌ وَإِنَّمَا … رَأَوْا رَجُلًا عَنْ ‌مَوْقِفِ ‌الذُّلِّ ‌أَحْجَمَا “They say I am reserved—yet all they have seen is a man who recoils away from dishonor. أَرَى النَّاسَ مَنْ دَانَاهُمْ هَانَ عِنْدَهُمْ … وَمَنْ أَكْرَمَتْهُ عِزَّةُ النَّفْسِ أُكْرِمَا I see that whoever gets too close to people is devalued by them, but he who is ennobled by self-dignity is honored. وَلَمْ أَقْضِ حَقَّ الْعِلْمِ إِنْ كَانَ كُلَّمَا … بَدَا طَمَعٌ صَيَّرْتُهُ لِي سُلَّمَا I would not fulfill the right of knowledge if every opportunity for a favor that arose, I turned into a ladder for myself. وَمَا كُلُّ بَرْقٍ لَاحَ لِي يَسْتَفِزُّنِي … وَلَا كُلُّ مَنْ لَاقَيْتُ أَرْضَاهُ مُنْعِمَا Not every flash of lightning stirs me to chase it, nor do I flatter every man I meet as a potential benefactor. إذَا قِيلَ هَذَا مَنْهَلٌ قُلْتُ قَدْ أَرَى … وَلَكِنَّ نَفْسَ الْحُرِّ تَحْتَمِلُ الظَّمَا If they say, “Here is a spring to drink from,” I answer, “I see it— But the soul of the free endures thirst with patience.” انْهَهَا عَنْ بَعْضِ مَا لَا يَشِينُهَا … مَخَافَةَ أَقْوَالِ الْعِدَا فِيمَ أَوْ لِمَا I restrain it from things that wouldn’t even dishonor it, lest my enemies ask in scorn, “Why this, and why that?” وَلَمْ أَبْتَذِلْ فِي خِدْمَةِ الْعِلْمِ مُهْجَتِي … لِأَخْدُمَ مَنْ لَاقَيْتُ لَكِنْ لِأُخْدَمَا I did not exhaust myself in the service of knowledge to serve everyone I meet, but so that I might be served in return. أَأَشْقَى بِهِ غَرْسًا وَأَجْنِيهِ ذِلَّةً … إِذًا فَاتِّبَاعُ الْجَهْلِ قَدْ كَانَ أَحْزَمَا Shall I toil to plant it, only to reap humiliation? If so, then seeking ignorance would have been the wiser course of action. وَلَوْ أَنَّ أَهْلَ الْعِلْمِ صَانُوهُ صَانَهُمْ … وَلَوْ عَظَّمُوهُ فِي النُّفُوسِ لَعُظِّمَا Had the people of knowledge preserved its dignity, it would have preserved them; Had they magnified it in their souls, it would have been magnified. وَلَكِنْ أَهَانُوهُ فَهَانَ وَدَنَّسُوا … مُحَيَّاهُ بِالْأَطْمَاعِ حَتَّى تَجَهَّمَا But they debased it, so it was debased, and stained its countenance with greedy expectations until it grew ugly.” This is how we rebuild a culture of respect for teachers and scholars: by starting with our personal attitudes on its preciousness, holding learning as sacred, and refusing to let it be debased. Knowledge is not a cheap commodity: Do not bow for crumbs or flatter those those with influence. Learning is a crown, not a begging bowl. Don’t feed the egos of self-appointed gatekeepers; flatten delusional hierarchies. Respect begins with yourself: If you treat what you know as cheap, others will follow suit and devalue knowledge. Carry what you know with dignity, and people will honor you because of it. Walk away from humiliation: Better to die on your feet than live on your knees. Better to remain obscure and even mediocre than to treat knowledge in a way that drags you into pandering for money or status. Not everyone who wears an honorific title protects its sanctity. The easy road—compromise, flattery, cheap rewards—only makes you small. The harder road of self-respect builds strength that no one can strip from you. Learning should elevate, not humiliate you: The purpose is to honor you, not to belittle you. Knowledge is meant to free you, not chain you.