Wrestling is From the Sunnah
Al-Furoosiyyah by Imaam Ibnul-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah

CHAPTER: HIS(SAW) WRESTLING

And as for his (SAW) wrestling, in the Sunan of Aboo Daawood, upon the authority of Muhammad Ibn ’Alee Ibn Rukaanah, who said, “Verily Rukaanah wrestled the Prophet (SAW), and the Prophet (SAW) took him down.” And this hadeeth has a story surrounding it that we will now mention. Our Shaykh, Abul-Hajjaaj al-Haafidh in his book Tahdheebul-Kaamil mentions:

‘‘Rukaanah Ibn ’Abd-Yazeed al-Qurayshee was from those who accepted Islaam upon the conquering of Makkah. And he was the one who wrestled the Prophet (SAW), and the Prophet (SAW) took him down twice or three times. That was before he accepted Islaam. It is said that this was without a doubt the reason he accepted Islaam. This hadeeth is the most firmly established report of the Prophet’s (SAW) wrestling, however, as for what has been mentioned about the Prophet(SAW) wrestling Aboo Jahl, that is baseless.’’

Az-Zubayr Ibn Bukkaar said in his book an-Nasab, ‘‘Rukaanah Ibn ’Abd-Yazeed was the one who wrestled the Prophet(SAW) in Makkah before he embraced Islaam. He was from the strongest and harshest of the people. He said, “If you can take me down, I will believe in you.” So the Prophet (SAW) wrestled him and took him down. He then proclaimed, “I testify that you are a magician!” Later he accepted Islaam.

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The Excellence of the Scholars
By Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah

Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, says in the Noble Qur’aan:

“Allaah bears witness that none has the right to be worshipped but He, and the angels, and those having knowledge (Oolul-’llm) (also bear witness to this; (He is always) maintaining His creation in justice. None has the right to be worshipped but He. the All-Mighty. the All-Wise.” (Soorah Aal-’Imraan (3):18)

This verse shows the superiority of knowledge (”ilm) and its people; the following points can be inferred from this verse:

1. Allaah chose the people of knowledge (Oolul ‘ilm) to bear witness to His Oneness (Tawheed) over and above the rest of His creation.

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Advice to Students of Knowledge
Shaykh Muhammad Ibn Saalih Ibn ‘Uthaymeen

Finally, I sincerely advise, myself first, and my Muslim brothers, especially the students of knowledge not to make haste and be quick when a new issue befalls a person until he verifies the situation, gains knowledge and then speaks, so that he does not speak about Allaah without knowledge.

As, the person who gives judgment is an emissary between the people and Allaah; he conveys the Sharee’ah of Allaah as has been reported from the Messenger of Allaah (Sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam): “The scholars are the inheritors of the Prophets” [Ahmad (5/196). Aboo Daawood, at-Tirmidhee and others]; and the Prophet (sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam) has also said:  “The judges are three: (only) one of the judges being in paradise and he is the one who knew the truth and judged according to it.” [Related by Aboo Daawood with the following wording: "The judges are three; one of the judges is in Paradise and two are in the Fire. With regards to the one in Paradise then he is the man who knew the truth and judged according to it. The man who knew the truth and was unjust in his ruling is in the Fire, and the man who judged between the people out of ignorance is in the Fire."]

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Ten Lessons Ibn al-Mubarak Taught Us
ibn al Jawzi

‘Abdullah bin al-Mubarak was a scholar known for simultaneously combining numerous traits of virtue. In fact, his friends would sit and count all of the good things that were part of his character and personality. adh-Dhahabi related that they said: “Let’s sit and count the good traits that Ibn al-Mubarak has.” So, they ended up listing: “Knowledge, Fiqh, literature, grammar, language, zuhd, eloquence, poetry, praying at night, worship, Hajj, Jihad, bravery, instinct, strength, speaking little in what doesn’t concern him, fairness, and lack of conflict with his companions.”

Reading through his life story, one sees exactly this and cannot help but to derive brief yet heavy lessons from how this man lived:

1- No matter how bad you think you are, you can always become better.

In ‘Tartib al-Madarik’ (1/159), al-Qadi ‘Iyad mentioned that Ibn al-Mubarak was asked about the circumstances in which he began studying. He replied: “I was a youth who drank wine and loved music and singing while engaging in these filthy acts. So, I gathered some friends to one of my gardens where there were sweet apples, and we ate and drank until we passed out while drunk. At the end of the night, I woke up and picked up the stringed oud and began singing:
Isn’t it time that you had mercy on me * And we rebel against those who criticize us?

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Benefecial Knowledge
Shaykh ibn Taymiyyah

Abul `Aasim al-Qaasim bin Yoosuf bin Muhammad at-Tajeebee as-Sabtee al-Maghribee says:

I requested our leader, the shaykh, faqeeh, imaam, respected scholar, vanguard of the predecessors, leader of the later generations, reviver of the Deen, expresser of rare and wonderful ideas with great eloquence and literacy, the most knowledgeable person I have met in the lands of the East and West, Taqi ud-Deen Abul-`Abbaas Ahmad bin Taymiyyah (may Allaah enable us to continue benefiting from him):

- To point me towards those books which I may rely upon regarding knowledge of hadeeth, and other sciences of the sharee`ah.

[...]

Ibn Taymiyyah answered:

All praise be to Allaah, Lord of the Worlds.

As for which books one may depend on for the different branches of knowledge, then this is a vast topic, and again, the answer to this varies according to people’s backgrounds in different lands. This is because in each land, one field of learning or way or mode of thinking may be easier than another, but the source of all good and blessings is that one seeks help from Allaah in acquiring knowledge inherited from the Prophet, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam, because that is what is truly fit to be named knowledge. Anything else is either not knowledge at all even though people call it so, or it is knowledge which is not beneficial, or it is beneficial knowledge, in which case it is necessarily true that there exists in the inheritance of Muhammad, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam, that which replaces it, being similar to it or better than it.

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