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Life Lessons – ‘Ilm is Far More than Just Words | Shaykh Waleed Basyouni

Published

April 11, 2013

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We were walking back to my teacher’s Riyadh home from the masjid after the Isha prayer when all of the sudden an old car stopped near us. A Pakistani worker got out to greet my teacher, Sh. Hamad Al-Shaetwy. The Shaykh was surprised to see him.

“Where you have been?” exclaimed the Shaykh, “I’ve been looking for you. SubhanAllah, la illaha illa Allah!!!!” The shaykh kept repeating it. The man told the Shaykh his story, explaining why he had been gone for more than 2 years. He then politely said, “Sh. Hamad, I’m sorry I didn’t finish the work on your house. I know I left it in the middle, but it was not my choice. I’m sure you heard.”

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The Shaykh said, “Don’t worry, I need to pay you for the work you did do for me. I’ve been looking for you all this time, and I couldn’t get hold of you.”

The man said, “Shaykh, don’t worry. It’s not much, and I never finished the work anyway,” but the Shaykh said, “Come tomorrow to get your money, and I have something I want to show you.”

Later on, the Shaykh told me, “I’ve been looking for this man everywhere to give him 1500 SR that I owe him. I had given up on ever finding him.”

I said to myself, “Why doesn’t he just give him his money right now? Why does he want him to come back tomorrow? It’s not much money for my shaykh to give!”

The next day I found out the reason. Sh. Hamad had asked one of his friends in Pakistan to build a masjid on behalf of this worker since he hadn’t been able to find him to pay him, and the masjid’s opening ceremony was that very day. His contact had promised to send a picture of the completed masjid the next day, and that was why he asked the man to come back then. Sh. Hamad showed the man the masjid’s pictures, and after giving him the money, he asked him to look after the masjid that was built in that man’s region in Pakistan.

The man said with tears in his eyes, “Shaykh, my family and I have often discussed our dreams of building a masjid just like it. One day, we will have money, and we will build masjid just like this one!”

Afterwards, I asked the Shaykh how much the masjid had cost. After some insistence on my part, he said that it cost more than 30,000 SR.

At that moment I realized that ‘Ilm is far more than just information we memorize and words we say.

This is a weekly series of stories about my teachers and what I have learned from them through my years of studying with them. If you enjoy these stories and lessons and think they should continue, please show your support by commenting here and liking and sharing the post on my Facebook page!

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Sh. Waleed Basyouni

is Vice President of AlMaghrib Institute and Director of Clear Lake Islamic Center (CLIC). He is a frequent guest speaker at Universities, Conventions, Radio Talk Shows, Television, Interfaith meetings, and community centers nationally and internationally. He is also a member of the North American Imam Federation (NAIF), Assembly of Muslim Jurists in America (AMJA)-Fatwa and Research Committee, Director of Texas Dawah Convention, and Advisor to numerous Islamic Societies/Organizations around the US. Shaykh Waleed Basyouni graduated with a Bachelors in Islamic Sciences from Al-Imam Muhammad University, KSA; did his Masters in Islamic Theology, World Religions and Modern Religious Sects from Al-Imam Muhammad University; and acquired a Doctorate in Theology. He is also an instructor at the American Open University in Alexandria, VA, USA, and serves as, the Imam of Clear Lake Islamic Center, Houston, TX, USA. Shaykh Waleed has Ijaazahs in reciting the Holy Quran and in several books of Hadeeth, awarded by various scholars. He studied with great scholars time such as Shaykh Ibn Baz, Abdul-Razzaq Afify and others.

8 Comments

Saada Al-Ghafry

April 14, 2013 at 1:31 AM

Thank you very much, Shaykh Waleed, for sharing deeper lessons and “light bulb” moments arising from being with your esteemed teachers. I would like to continue learning from what YOU learnt. Jazaaka Allahu khayran.

Reply
O H

April 14, 2013 at 7:30 AM

Jazak Allaahu Khair Shaykh for the great story with key lessons to be learned. Long may the series continue In sha Allaah

Reply
azmathmoosa

April 14, 2013 at 11:11 AM

do such people exist in our times?! mashaAllah!!

Reply
- Mohammad
  
  September 1, 2016 at 10:12 AM
  
  Do such people exist in our time? Yes, they do, but we choose to ignore them, discredit them and/or allow ourselves to believe them only as some kind of myth (or we believe they existed only in the past. Our own mentality becomes one of our greatest enemies.
  
  Reply
Amal S

April 17, 2013 at 2:49 AM

jazaakAllahu khairan

Reply
Khan

May 9, 2013 at 1:15 PM

Salaam,
Very nice examples indeed.Hope there are more lessons yet to read.

Reply
nayeem1971

May 16, 2013 at 5:28 AM

These kind of stories are sources of inspiration for real eiman and taqwa… May Allah protect us always.

Reply
Hamdi

June 8, 2013 at 9:56 PM

Jazakillah Khayr Shaykh, for these insightful lessons. They are a breath of fresh air and it is quite interesting listening to stories of the Men who taught you.

Reply