Al-‘Allamatul Muhaddith Shaykh Muhammad ‘Awwamah’s (hafizahullah) main teacher was Al-‘Allamatul Muhaddith Al-Mufassir Shaykh ‘Abdullah Sirajuddin (rahimahullah). Shaykh’s (hafizahullah) companionship (suhbah) with him spanned fifty years.
Shaykh ‘Abdullah (rahimahullah) was known for his exemplary respect and etiquette in all aspects of his life.
Below are three incidents from his life that reflect his exemplary adab in practice.
Respect for the Name of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam)
[25 Safar 1447, 19/08/25]
One of Shaykh ‘Abdullah’s (rahimahullah) most notable works, which he regarded as the crown jewel of his works, is his book on the noble Shamail (features and character) of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam).
«سيدنا محمد رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم شمائله الحميدة. خصاله المجيدة»
Shaykh ‘Awwamah (hafizahullah) mentioned the following:
“I had the honour of assisting Shaykh ‘Abdullah (rahimahullah) with the publishing of this book by handling matters between him and the printing press and proofreading his work, etc. When we reached the stage of designing the cover, Shaykh ‘Abdullah (rahimahullah) told me that one scholar had suggested placing the author’s name at the top of the cover, above the title, in accordance with the norm back then.
Shaykh ‘Abdullah said: “I responded to him saying: ‘No, no. How can I write my name above the name of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam)?'”
Once we finished that, we moved to the printing details. I said to him, “Shall we write the book title and the author’s name on the spine of the book?” He said, “No, no. If we write the name of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) here, when the reader opens the book, the name of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) will be face down on the table underneath.”
Shaykh (hafizahullah) says: “Look at the level of meticulousness! The level of respect! We must learn from the manners of our Mashayikh and ‘Ulama (rahimahumullah).”
Respect for a Quranic Verse
Shaykh (hafizahullah) continued:
“In those days, we were also transcribing the Juz ‘Amma (30th Juz of the Quran) for the young students. Every time I brought him the papers from the calligrapher to show him, he (rahimahullah) would stand up, kiss the papers, and then sit back down, demonstrating proper adab with Quran Karim.”
“Later, when discussing the cover of the Juz ‘Amma, I mentioned to him that calligraphers often extend the letter mim in the word ‘Amma (عم), making it resemble the name ‘Umar (عمر), and I asked: ‘Should we write it as (عَمَّ يَتَسَاءَلُونَ)?’ He replied: ‘No, because then it would be a complete verse on the cover. The young students will hold it, touch it, and rub it, and the words will fade away through their touch and frequent use. That is not proper etiquette with the Quranic verse.'”
كان ذوَّاقًا للأدب، والفَهْم، والنَّظَر البَعِيد، رحمه الله.
“When it came to adab (respect), he possessed refined taste, deep understanding, and farsighted vision.”
Respect for the Qiblah
[3 Rabi’ul Akhir 1447, 25/09/25]
On another occasion, while speaking about Shaykh ‘Abdullah (rahimahullah), Shaykh (hafizahullah) mentioned:
“Shaykh ‘Abdullah (rahimahullah) used to love performing wudu for every Salah. After completing the Sunnah and Fard Salah, when he wanted to put on his socks, he would not extend his leg straight toward the Qiblah. Rather, he would turn his body or leg away so as not to point his foot in that direction. Putting on the socks only takes a couple of seconds, [yet he was so mindful and had so much respect that] he would not extend his leg towards the Qiblah even for such a short time.”
A Student Observing Knowledge in Practice
Shaykh (hafizahullah) concluded by saying:
“I have studied under Shaykh ‘Abdullah and Shaykh ‘Abdul Fattah Abu Ghuddah (rahimahumallah). I accompanied them in travel and at home, in the company of the general masses and the elite, in private gatherings and in public gatherings. I would observe them with the eye of a student of knowledge, one who seeks to learn how to apply knowledge.
فكنتُ أَتَعلَّمُ مِنهم العِلْمَ، وأَتَعلَّمُ منهم تَطبِيقَ العِلْم ـ الجَانِب العَمَلِي ـ، فما رَأيتُ مِن أَحَدِهما مُخالَفةً لِأَدبٍ مِن آدابِ الشَّرْع، ولا سُنَّةٍ مِن سُنَنِه، أَبَدًا، اِلتِزامٌ بِالشَّرْع، بِآدابِه.
رَحمةُ اللهِ عَلَيهِم، ورَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهم، وجَزَاهُم عَنِ الإِسْلامِ والمُسْلِمِيْن كُلَّ خَير.
I would learn from them knowledge, along with its practical application. I never saw either of them violate a single etiquette of the Shari’ah or a single Sunnah. Never. They were always completely committed to the Shari’ah and its etiquette.”
Further Reflections From the Life of Shaykh ‘Awwamah (hafizahullah):
One observing Shaykh (hafizahullah) would immediately notice that he embodies the very same qualities he describes in his teachers. For example, on one occasion, when a guest gifted Shaykh a Mushaf (copy of the Quran Karim), he stood up from his chair, received it with both hands, and kissed it with the utmost respect.
He did the same when he was gifted a piece of the Ka’bah cloth (Kiswah Sharifah).