قال ابن الجوزي – رحمه الله –

تأملت عجبًا، وهو أن كل شيء نفيس خطير يطول طريقه، ويكثر التعب في تحصيله. فإن العلم لما كان أشرف الأشياء، لم يحصل إلا بالتعب والسهر والتكرار، وهجر اللذات والراحة، حتى قال بعض الفقهاء: بقيت سنين أشتهي الهريسة لا أقدر؛ لأن وقت بيعها وقت سماع الدرس!.

صيد الخاطر

Ibn al-Jawziyy, Allāh have mercy on him, said:

I was contemplating something incredible. That is, every valuable and significant thing has a long road to it, and tiredness increases on the path to obtain it. As for ‘ilm (knowledge), as it is the most noble of dignified things, it cannot be obtained except with tiredness, sleepless nights, repetition, and abandonment of rest and pleasure. To the extent that some of the fuqahā’ said: I spent years desiring al-harīsah (a sweet dish of meat and barely) but I wasn’t able to get it, because the time to buy it was the time to listen to the lesson!
Translated by Ayesha Iqbal