Ibn Wahb, رحمه الله, said: مَا تَعَلَّمْتُ مِنْ أَدَبِ مَالِكٍ أَفْضَلَ مِنْ عِلْمِهِ What I learned from the manners of Malik was better than his knowledge.
Seeking ilm is important but soemething that is more important is adab. may Allah instill in us the adab that is desired from us. Ameen.
Malik ibn Anas, رحمه الله, said: تَعَلَّمِ الأَدَبَ قَبْلَ أَنْ تَتَعَلَّمَ الْعِلْمَ Learn good manners before seeking knowledge. (Gharāʼib Mālik ibn Anas 45) كانت أمي تعممني وتقول لي اذهب إلى ربيعة فتعلم من أدبه قبل علمه My mother would dress me up and say to me: Go to Sheikh Rabi’ah and learn from his manners before his knowledge. (Tartīb al-Madārik 1/130)Ibn Al-Mubarak, رحمه الله, said to the people of Hadeeth: أنتم إِلَى قَلِيلٍ مِنَ الْأَدَبِ أَحْوَجُ منكم إِلَى كَثِيرٍ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ You are in greater need of a little manners than a great deal of knowledge. (Tārīkh Dimashq 32918)Ibn Al-Mubarak said: طلبت الأدب ثلاثين سنة وطلبت العلم عشرين سنة وكانوا يطلبون الأدب ثم العلم I sought manners for thirty years and I sought knowledge for twenty years. The righteous predecessors would seek manners and then seek knowledge. (Ghāyat al-Nihāyah 1/446)Sufyan Ath-Thawri, رحمه الله, said: كَانَ الرَّجُلُ إِذَا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَكْتُبَ الْحَدِيثَ تَأَدَّبَ وَتَعَبَّدَ قَبْلَ ذَلِكَ بِعِشْرِينَ سَنَةً If a man intended to write the Hadeeth, he would study good manners and worship for twenty years before doing so. (Hilyat al-Awliyā 361)Al-Laith ibn Sa’d, رحمه الله, said to the people of Hadeeth: تَعَلَّمُوا الْحِلْمَ قَبْلَ الْعِلْمِ Learn forbearance before seeking knowledge. (Jāmi’ Bayān al-‘Ilm 581)Az-Zuhri, رحمه الله, said: كُنَّا نَأْتِي الْعَالِمَ فَمَا نَتَعَلَّمُ مِنْ أَدَبِهِ أَحَبُّ إِلَيْنَا مِنْ عِلْمِهِ We would come to a scholar and what we learned from his manners was more beloved to us than his knowledge. (Hilyat al-Awliyā 4575)Ibn Wahb, رحمه الله, said: مَا تَعَلَّمْتُ مِنْ أَدَبِ مَالِكٍ أَفْضَلَ مِنْ عِلْمِهِ What I learned from the manners of Malik was better than his knowledge. (Jāmi’ Bayān al-‘Ilm 581)
