on mastery
Sep 17, 2025
·
1 min
How to master any craft according to Ibn Al-Qayyim in his book Al-Fawaid:
A seeker of nearness to Allah and the hereafter and even one striving for mastery in any field of knowledge, craft, or leadership so as to become a leader and a role model in it, must be courageous and bold, ruling over his own imagination, not subdued by the dominion of his fancies.
He must be detached from everything besides his ultimate goal, passionately devoted to what he is pursuing, knowledgeable of the path that leads to it, and the ways that hinder it.
He must be of high ambitions and steady heart, not deterred from his goal by the blame of the blamer or the criticism of the critic.
He should be often silent, constantly thoughtful, unmoved by the pleasure of praise or the pain of blame, committed to the means that aid him in his pursuit. Objections should not unsettle him.
His emblem is patience, and his comfort lies in fatigue.
He loves noble character traits, guards his time, and doesn't mix with people except cautiously, like a bird picking seeds among them.
He governs himself with hope and fear, longing for the results of being uniquely distinguished among his peers.
He doesn't allow any of his senses to be wasted in vain, nor his thoughts to wander aimlessly through the ranks of worldly affairs.
The key to all of this lies in abandoning habitual comforts and cutting off the ties that come between you and your goal. And as the common folk say: Maintaining proper etiquette by staying behind door keepers is better than disregarding etiquette by being accessible.