I often get asked this question, and to be honest, although my day to day schedule changes from time to time, I have certain things that I just have to accomplish during the day; if I don’t, then the rest of my day goes badly and I generally feel down. First thing first; Qur’aan! How can people say that they are serious students of Islaam yet they have almost no Qur’aan in their hearts? Similarly, if you read many of the biographies of the past scholars they usually always say, that the scholar was born and shortly afterwards he memorised the Qur’aan [sometimes it might actually say he memorised the Qur’aan and then he was born! But I am pretty sure that is an editing mistake] As a result, I spend my early mornings going through my Qur’aan. Usually, I wake up an hour before fajr and combine the night prayers with my reading of the Qur’aan. This is because - to be honest - the most rewarding part about memorising Qur’aan is being able to stand before your Lord in the middle of the night and recite with ease. It was once mentioned to Imaam Ahmad bin Hanbal regarding a student of knowledge who didn’t stand up for the night prayers; the Imaam replied, “What an evil person he is!” After we pray our fajr prayers in the masjid [in the university] I do one of two things; I might take out my mus-haf and read my daily manzil [about five juzz] or I might sit down with one of the brothers and we would read two juzz to eachother. More often than not I tend to do the latter. When we are finished, it is usually time for breakfast and then our first lesson in the University starts. At this time, it is about 07.30am and we sit in class up until the athaan for dhuhur prayers is called which is about 12.00pm. Sometimes I go to the Haram [the Prophets masjid] to study straight after dhuhur but normally I go back to my room take my qayloolah [midday nap; call it siesta if you want] and wake up with the athaan of asr. The University provides transportation to and from the haram, the buses from the university leave after asr until a little before magrib and they bring you back home from the haram after isha, all free of charge. Once I reach the haram the sittings with the scholars start; the masjid is literally filled with scholars and teachers in general. The scholars usually sit on chairs and the students sit around them on the floor. I spend my time after asr studying Fiqh under one of the scholars from the Shaafi’ madhab. After I am done, I usually make my way to my Shaykh for Qur’aan to whom I read for an Isnaad and Ijaazah, and he corrects my tajweed etc [and mind you, he never opens a mus-haf but knows it all like surah fatiha]. When that is finished, the athaan for magrib is called and I am always delighted when Budayr leads the prayer. The masjid really starts buzzing and comes alive when the Salah is over, you can barely take a step without hearing a shaykhs voice in the speakers saying “And Allah the Most High said!” and you take some more steps and you hear the next Shaykh saying “And the Messenger of Allah said!” Even though you really want to stop and sit down in all the circles, you have to keep focused and make it to your lesson in time. I rush to get a good place so I can sit in what perhaps is the biggest study circle in the haram: It is taught by Shaykh Abdul-Muhsin Al-‘Abbad the Muhaddith of Madeenah, and you cannot take your eyes off this man because he is simply so amazing! You know the mental picture you have in your mind of how a scholar should be? Well this Shaykh is better! You cannot look at him and not love him; it is like love just enters your heart when you see him. May Allah reward the Shaykh.  He goes through the six books of hadith with the chain of narrators and everything. Sometimes you lose track of reality and think to yourself that this must have been how studying with Imaam Bukhaaree and his likes would have been like. What I enjoy the most though is when the dars is finished, the Shaykh gives a few minutes for questions and answers, and this is the best, in particular during Hajj when people ask very beneficial questions and everyone benefits from the answers of the Shaykh. I usually rush towards my Aqeedah class afterwards where I study the classical books of Aqeedah with a student of Shaykh ‘Uthaymeen, and it is impossible to sit with this Shaykh except that you understand and if you have problems in understanding he will MAKE you understand, one way or another. His class is less formal and he does not sit on a chair but on the ground like us, and the groups he teaches only consist of 10 students at a time, so you can’t get away daydreaming!  The Isha salah with Shaykh Huthayfi marks the closure of yet another busy day and we make our way back to the university and our beds. This is when I get in touch with family and friends, they always complain that I am too busy! This is also when I remember I haven’t eaten all day, but please do not tell my mother! Written by: Isma'eel bin Muhammad Nur