Seeking Knowledge for One Who Lives in a Country Without Scholars

Question:
Your Eminence the Shaykh, the questioner says: I love you for the sake of Allah. He is from France and says: What is your advice to us regarding seeking and acquiring knowledge, given that we live in France and there are no scholars among us?

Answer:
Whoever is able to travel to the scholars must do so. He must learn the matters of his religion; at the very least, he must learn the necessary knowledge without which his religion cannot be sound. Therefore, it is obligatory for him to learn the necessary knowledge, even if it requires him to travel. As for knowledge beyond the necessary, it is recommended (mustahabb) for whoever is able to do so. However, learning the matters without which religion cannot be sound—creed, prayer, zakah, fasting, and Hajj—is essential for every Muslim to learn, even if it requires him to travel to learn them. Yes.