In Quest Of Knowledge (PART 1)

In Quest of Knowledge: Imam Syafi'e (Abu Asad)

PART 1: Thirst For Knowledge

It was from my very childhood that I had had a longing for acquiring religious knowledge. It had not taken me long to learn much. I had learnt the Holy Quran by heart, as also many hadiths of the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h). my eagerness for more knowledge only increased with the passing of time, and whenever I heard of any scholar I became impatient to hasten to learn what I could from him.

Then, hardly beard on my chin, that I began to beg my aged mother to let me venture forth in quest of more learning. She was a widow, and there were just the two of us in the house, with me as her soul, rather tender support. She would listen to my entreaties, and keep quite.

I persisted, and my eagerness at last seemed to be winning her over. But I noticed that she had lost air as if something was weighing on her mind, and so one day I caught hold of one of her hands in mine and, placing my own head on one of her shoulders, said, “Mother, dearest, if the prospect of my going away worries you so much, I shall give up the idea, and be content with whatever knowledge it may please God to enable me to pick up locally, staying on just to be by your side and serving you as best I can”