[This article is extracted from Shaykh Safi Ullah Fuad’s book “Nazzaratu Mu’allimin wa Nazaratuh” which is a collection of the author’s daily diaries that he wrote in Arabic. Our students of Thalitha class at Madani Madrasa London summarised and translated this chapter from the book as part of their translation training task. Mahfuz]
Acquiring the skill of writing is a great need. Such individuals will not be able to express themselves through this skill. No matter how firm they are in science and knowledge, they will still have many hidden feelings and sentiments. This weakness hinders them from fulfilling their responsibilities in the areas which are only achieved through writing. It also prevents them from externalising their science, knowledge, and life experiences. Due to this, their legacy ends as soon as they die.
In contrast, those who are proficient in this skill and use it in matters which are beneficial for the people, their legacy remains on the earth, despite their inevitable fate inside the grave as decayed bones.
We recommend students practise the following four writing instructions:
First:
One cannot be a successful writer without first being a successful reader. Successful readers are those who read literary texts written by reliable scholars, who have firm beliefs and good etiquette. They are also motivated to give, receive, closely examine and delve deeply into topics as well as giving their undivided attention to eloquent expressions, beautiful sentence structures, good methods, and great sayings within them. A great example of this is the book “Mukhtarat Min Adab al-Arab” by Imam Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi (May Allah have mercy on him).
Second:
One should be accustomed to the sentence structure and paragraph forms that use new expressions and styles. Before writing the sentences and paragraphs, one should be able to verbally say the sentences and converse with his friend. One should go to their teacher as a means of evaluating their sentences, to examine their Nahw (grammar) and Adab (skills), and correct any possible errors
Third:
One should incorporate writing a diary entry into their daily routine. Whoever does not persist and persevere in doing so, their expertise in writing will not grow and develop, no matter how many literary texts they read and how accustomed they are to expressions and sentence structures. Whoever writes diary entries but does not familiarise themselves with the phrases and sentence forms, their writing will not be up to standard. If a student also mindfully reads literary texts that contain expressions and unique sentence structures, there is no doubt that their diary entries, along with their writing, will be equipped with plenty of literary treasures.
Fourth:
One should read general texts (e.g. newspapers, magazines, etc.) on different topics which are relevant to current times. If a person does not know the relevant information, how will they write a good piece even if they enjoy writing it? This information is necessary for everyone to know so that they can continue to expand their knowledge and develop their understanding of related topics, such as الإيمان بالله (believing in Allah) and الكفر بالطاغوت (rejecting false idols). In addition, they can take a serious interest in the matter of being affiliated with the friends of Allah, and disassociating from the enemies of Allah.
The Art of Memoirs
Written by the honourable teacher, Nur Alam Al- Khalili Al- Amini (May Allah SWT have mercy on him), the senior editor of the monthly Arabic magazine (الداعي), and the teacher of Arabic literature in the university, Darul Uloom Deoband, India.
(The Shaykh wrote a list of rules about writing) Indeed the author did not learn writing according to these rules, rather he learnt it due to his courageous nature and passion for it. From the early stages of his studies, he wrote many letters to his colleagues, teachers, and acquaintances. Sometimes they would be concise, yet creative articles in which he would use different kinds of persuasive techniques. He would also employ various methods to beautify the meanings, through which he would illustrate his more delicate emotions.
Furthermore, he would also write many diary entries in both Urdu and Arabic. Included in these entries were record events, impressions, and reflections. He wanted to improve what he wrote until it was free of linguistic, morphological (Sarf) and grammatical (Nahw) errors, so that he could write without restrictions and have a natural flow. He did not need to pretend or rely on anything, rather it came from his soul.
It seems that the author was inclined towards writing both letters and diaries from his early days. These were his favourite academic tasks and he would take advantage of them at every opportunity.
In fact, he was in the writing field and graduated from the school of speech and memoirs. For this reason, he encourages novice writers and students to learn from authors with diligence in writing in these two fields naturally and not manufactured; these two types of writing consist of almost every kind of writing style.
What should you include in your diary?
Many times, students asked him: What should one write in a diary entry? So he responded, “Write about everything which occurs in your daily life. Specifically, things that draw your attention and may be of some relevance for the future. For example,
- If today’s lesson was amazing because the teacher conducted the lesson in a fun way, which made the students happy and made them laugh, as well as providing the students with a lot of information and experience, you can write about that. Or if some disputes occurred amongst the students, you can write about that too.
- You could also write about a picnic you went to in which a snake crossed your path, and you used a gentle, yet tiring method to save yourself from it. Or if your teacher returned from their hometown and you were very happy to meet them after a long time. That moment would leave you with an intense feeling that you could write about. If a party was held at your school (Madrasah) to celebrate awards for students or the arrival of respected guests or for the graduates of a training camp to refute the Qadianis or to reject innovations (Bid’ah) and movements against Islam, then you can write about that as well.
- Imagine a uniquely structured Masjid has been built at your University (Jami’ah) or a launch programme has been arranged; you can write about that. Perhaps new books written by famous writers are being launched, you can also write about them.
However, the above advice is not limited to just students; any person, including teachers and researchers, can write a daily diary entry. Through this, they can accumulate and preserve memories that they will not find anywhere else. Using their diary entry, a person will easily be able to write an autobiography based on all the events that happened in their lifetime.
The same suggestion applies to writing letters to a friend, a relative, or a teacher. A person can write about their personal life, academic achievements, views and thoughts on the current affairs of the world, and many more.
Unfortunately, the use of the internet has almost cancelled communication through writing letters. In the past, it used to be the direct outlet for a person to share their thoughts and knowledge. However, the door to diary entries is still open. If a person wants to, they can continue writing on the computer, if not, paper. Sadly, due to the dependency on computers, future generations will soon forget the use of how to write with a pen and paper.
