5 Adab/Etiquettes When Attending Zoom Halaqah/Classes/Webinars
Almost every Imam, Shaykh and Ustadha are doing Zoom halaqahs or Facebook Live sessions with their students and followers these days alhamdulillah!
As students, we may not be able to benefit from being in their presence but here are 7 things you should still uphold when attending an online class with your teacher.
You may be in the comfort of your bedroom but a gathering of ‘ilm (knowledge) is still attended by angels, even if you can’t see them! These adab or etiquettes is so that you can fully benefit from the sessions. Knowledge, as mentioned by Imam Ghazali and other scholars, is a light that Allah places in your heart. Your zeal and sincerity in attending these sessions while upholding the following will maximise how much you receive from the teacher/session inshaAllah!
1 — Be in a state of wudhu’ (ablution)
You wouldn’t attend a physical class at the masjid without having wudhu’, so why would you attend an online one without? The blessings and benefits of wudhu’ is, amongst many others, to safeguard you from shaytaan. Having wudhu’ during a class/online session protects you and will help you with understanding. Physically going through the motions of wudhu’ also helps you mentally to get into the headspace that “Oh I’m not in normal circumstances, I’m going to attend a class now” even if you’ll be sitting on your bed.
2 — Don’t forget your miswak!
Just like taking wudhu’ purifies yourself, using the miswak purifies your mouth and is pleasing to Allah!
The Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam said:
“ The Miswak cleanses the mouth and pleases the Lord.”
[Al-Bukhari]
3 — Cover your aurah
Yes, your video may not be turned on, but covering your aurah when attending a Zoom halaqah is not for your teacher to see or not see. It’s for the angels attending, and for you to demonstrate your seriousness when it comes to knowledge. As mentioned before, all these ‘small’ things help to maximise the blessings that you would get from a session.
4 — Pay attention
We know it sounds super obvious but really, attending it online rather than in person is actually much harder to pay attention! When you’re physically in class/at the masjid and your teacher is in front of you, you’re less likely to be talking to someone else, or have someone talk to you, or to check your phone or your laptop. But when your teacher is on one tab, and other websites are on your other tabs, your younger brother is coming in and out of your room, it becomes really really hard to pay attention.
To mitigate this, make sure you leave a sign on your door so your family members know that you should not be disturbed during that duration of the class. If you can place your phone under the pillow or put it on Flight Mode, we salute your dedication! Don’t forget to have your notebook or Note app ready so that you can continue taking notes. Be engaged in class and ask questions just as you would in a physical class.
5 — Be grateful
Your teacher/Imam/Shaykh/Ustadha did not need to figure out how to use Zoom or to do Facebook Live or to sacrifice their time to continue teaching you and providing spiritual guidance and counsel. But they’re doing it.
Scholars in the past have said that “Knowledge is sought, it does not just come.” However, we are so privileged to have knowledge coming to us at the tip of our fingers! We show gratitude to our teachers by maintaining the adab, and also by thanking Allah for this great gift.
As my teacher Ustazah Wan Nadia says, “Sometimes knowledge enters and stays in the heart not because of our brilliant intellectual capacity or sound comprehension and understanding, but really, it could be the barakah (blessing) of the adab you observe towards knowledge and your teachers even when they are not in your presence.”
Which classes/halaqahs/webinars are you attending during this lockdown? Share with us!
