Bismillaahirrahmaaniraheem 1) There are 3 classes of people who seek knowledge.

The first group is the one consisting of Godly Men with true fear of Allah. They spend their entire lives a ttaining knowledge and acting upon what they have learnt by which, they continuo usly ascend towards Allah. The second group consists of those who learn knowledg e to save themselves from the harms of this world and especially of the afterlif e. The third consist of those who sway with the wind. They have no proper aim in their quests for knowledge and are easily duped by heresies and false fatwas (l egal decree based upon opinions of scholars). Their opinions sway with the chang ing opinions that come and go. 2) Habib Omar likens those who continously are in heedlessness and sin as those who have been swimming in a pool of stench for so long that they get used to the bad smell. As for those who are always busying themselves in deeds with the int entions to ascend towards Allah, a slight fall into heedlessness or sin could im mediately make them regret and repent because they are able to 'smell the stench ' of heedlessness and sin. 3) The aspiration of the idiots in acquiring knowledge is to simply memorize and acquire knowledge that they may simply narrate it to others. But the wise ones who acquire knowledge apply the knowledge that they acquire on themselves. Know that to 'carry' or 'preserve' a knowledge is to not only memorize them by heart but also to act upon it. 4) There was a scholar who had passed away. And someone had a dream of him where by that scholar was asked regarding the knowledge concerning labelling ahadeeth to whether the transmission is sound or not sound. Whether it was a weak hadeeth , or strong or false hadeeth...etc The scholar then replied to the person who as ked, " That kind of knowledge with the correct intention preserving ahadeeth and if done correctly did me no good concerning Allah. Neither did it do me any bad . But I know now that that kind of knowledge without proper intention of preserv ing ahadeeth and if done wrongly can only bring a person trouble." This was beca use such a subject of knowledge deals with the people who narrated ahadeeth. It deals with the people of Paradise. It also deals with the delicate issue of auth enticizing narrations of Prophet(s). 5) Habib Omar adds to point 4. that it is a far better thing to spend your time in reading Qur'an and doing remembrance of Allah. Such acts will bring you close r to Allah. Repair and strengthen the connection between you and Allah, instead of getting yourselves involved in making risky statements and fatwas. What you b ring forth for Allah is better that what your bring forth for humans. 6) Draw near to those who prefer silence and abstinence. For these are the peopl e who are granted wisdoms. There was a person who went to a mosque where there w ere 120 companions of the Prophet(s). A religious issue was brought forward requ iring an opinion. Not 1 of those companions accepted to voice their opinions ins tead that they prefered their other brother to answer. 7) The most important knowedge to increase oneself in is the knowledge of Allah. For this type of knowledge will add weight to your good deeds. 8) Habib Omar mentions about the situation of today's scholars who keeps issuing fatwas that change as time changes like how the seasons change. He warned them saying to them that the religion is not a toy! He asks, "How is it some people o r 'scholars' are called 'Shaykhs' by a bunch of followers when no awliya has eve r acknowledged him?" He says, "They call him 'Shaykh' when he never lived a day in the light of knowledge!" Such scholars simply use their tongues to seek the w orld. They amass knowledge merely to build for themselves a fan-base. Thos who f ollow such a shaykh is as dim-witted and without proper aim as such 'shuyukh' th

emselves. It has been said by Ibn Arabi " Whoever dares to be a shaykh without a n authorization is afflicted, deluded and deceived, and is to be feareed that he will finish life outside of Islam. This is because of the insolence to Allah it entails, and pretending to mediate between Allah and His servants, and to be a successor of His messenger in guidance and instruction. 9) Sayidina 'Ali mentioned about the chest of knowledge being in his breasts and that he is willing to entrust this chest of knowledge to whosoever is responsib le in upholding this trust. The ones who are responsible are the ones who uphold the sacred law and they are the ones who are responsible in protecting the sign s of Allah. Their hearts are pure. They are the true representatives of Prophet( s). They are like stars, whereby if one sets another rises. Meaning to say, when one dies, he passes his trust to another who is trustworthy as well. They culti vate the contents of this chest of knowledge (the trust) into the hearts of thei r truthful followers. They are no other that the awliyaa Allah (the saints of Go d). In their hearts are the secrets which originated from Allah and was passed t o Prophet(s) and then to the companions, especially that of Sayidina Ali (ra) an d Sayidina Abu Bakr Assiddiq (ra). This treasure of knowledge and secrets are th en inherited from one pure heart to another, to another, to another...Seek with sincerity, truthfulness and humbleness for these inheritors (True Scholars) and you will find them. Al Fatihah