"intellectual laziness"

Shaykh Abdul Fattah Abu Ghuddah (Allah have mercy upon him) writes:

It is unfortunate that intellectual laziness has become widespread among today's students, and they have come to prefer rest and idleness over striving and struggling. Luxury and all forms of useless curiosity have become a purpose of life for them, and all pleasures have become a goal for them, such that they have no time left for studying and seeking knowledge. Their state has come to resemble that referred to by Imam Ahmad ibn Faris al-Razi (the philologist born in 329AH, died 395AH), may Allah have mercy on him, when he said:

If you are harmed by the heat of summer

And the dryness of autumn and the cold of winter

And you are distracted by the beauty of springtime

Then tell me: when will you seek knowledge?!

(the value of time)

staying engaged

We often think that by removing all the difficulties of our life we shall more quickly reach our aim, but on the contrary, my dear sir, it is only in the midst of worldly cares that we can attain our three chief aims: (1) self-knowledge – for man can only know himself by comparison, (2) self-perfecting, which can only be attained by conflict, and (3) the attainment of the chief virtue – love of death. Only the vicissitudes of life can show us its vanity, and develop our innate love of death or of rebirth to a new life.

(war & peace)