The Art of Learning: Timeless Wisdom for the Seeker of Knowledge

by Burhan al-Din al-Zarnuji, Shams Tameez (translator)

126 pages, Paperback

Published January 8, 2025

About the author

Burhan al-Din, or Burhan al-Islam al-Zarnuji (d. 602 AH/1223) was a Muslim scholar and the author of the celebrated pedagogical work, Ta'līm al-Muta'allim-Ṭarīq at-Ta'-allum (Instruction of the Student: The Method of Learning).

Al-Zarnuj was born and lived in Zarnuj, a well-known town beyond the river Oxus in the present Turkistan, Kazakhstan. Burhan al-Din (lit. proof of the Din) or Burhan al-Islam (lit. proof of Islam) al-Zarnuji were his agnomen, or moniker. He studied with many shaykhs including: Shaykh Burhān al-Dīn ‘Alī ibn Abī Bakr al-Marghīnānī (1152–1197), author of Al-Hidāyah; Shaykh Abu al-Muhamid Qawaduddin Hammad ibn Ibrahim al-Saffar; the great Shaykh Hasan ibn Mansur Qadiykhani; and others.

The exact date of his death is unknown, though it is speculated that he died in 602 AH/1223 or 640 AH/1242-1243 in Bukhara.

Al-Zarnuji's treatise, Ta'līm al-Muta'allim-Ṭarīq at-Ta'-allum, is a short introduction to the secrets of attaining knowledge. Acknowledged as a book in which even the most advanced and experienced teachers find advice they have yet to apply in their teaching, this book serves to create the proper framework for the Shari'ah program and its students and teachers alike.

Reviews

[Aymaan · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Thus, everyone should engage themselves in virtuous deeds so that their desires do not preoccupy them. A wise person does not concern himself excessively with worldly matters, for worry and sorrow neither reverse calamities nor bring benefit.”

“It is narrated that Yahya Ibn Mu’adh al-Razi said: ‘The night is long, so do not shorten it with sleep. And the day is bright, so do not darken it with sins.’”

“When a man’s intellect is perfected, his words decrease; Be assured of a fool’s ignorance if he speaks excessively. Speech is an adornment, silence is safety; If you speak, do not overdo it. Never have I regretted my silence, But often have I regretted my words.”

Honestly, such a beautiful short book. I literally recommend this to anybody who desires to seek knowledge !!

[Farha · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick summary of the Islamic approach towards knowledge acquisition beginning with setting our intentions. In a nutshell, the book talks about attitudes towards learning and offers brief strategies that can be utilised to enhance the process of acquiring knowledge.

[Ahmad Jomaa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has some fantastic passages and beautiful messages. I strongly feel however that it should be abridged, as some of the included points starkly fall short from the quality of the main body of work, and actually harm it overall... may Allah reward the author.