Is there a specific time limit for seeking knowledge under the scholars, after which one may exert independent effort and derive knowledge from the contents of books?

The questioner:
Shaykh Salih, you mentioned that it is necessary to sit with the scholars if a person wants to seek knowledge in a correct manner. Up to what stage does a person continue seeking knowledge under the scholars before he is left to his own effort and the derivation of knowledge from the contents of books?

The Shaykh:
There is no limit to the stages at which a student of knowledge stops, as long as he finds someone among the scholars who benefits him and it is possible for him to continue, then he should continue.

The presenter:
May Allah conceal [our faults].

The Shaykh:
Because knowledge has no limit. Now, scholars differ in their levels . So whenever a person can benefit from the scholars, he should seize the opportunity. And when he has accumulated a body of knowledge, yes, and rules and principles by which he can continue on the path and acquire more, then there is no harm in that. Now, that he becomes independent, now, but continuing to seek from the scholars and benefit from them is better, and there is no limit to which the seeking of knowledge ends. Yes.

The presenter:
May Allah reward you with good and do you good. What stage qualifies a student of knowledge to derive knowledge from the contents of books, for example, in university-level studies or above, Shaykh Salih?

The Shaykh:
This varies according to the understanding of people. Now, this is of two types. The first type is the beginner student, yes, who has memorized the concise texts and the principles of the sciences and has received their explanations from the hands of the scholars. He is able to continue in reading and acquiring knowledge within the limits of what the scholars have written and recorded. He is also able to prefer some opinions over others based on evidence, and he should always and forever search for the stronger opinion. As for the one who has reached a level of knowledge that qualifies him for derivation, he is called a mujtahid,

The presenter:
What Allah willed. Yes.

The Shaykh:
And this is rare or nonexistent in this time.

The presenter:
We seek help from Allah.

The Shaykh:
Where a person can independently derive rulings from the Book and the Sunnah, and the scholars have set conditions for this. They must be met. He must be knowledgeable in fiqh and its principles, knowledgeable in hadith and its principles, and knowledgeable in the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and what is in them of the absolute and the restricted, the specific and the general, the ambiguous and the clear, the abrogating and the abrogated, the explicit text and the apparent, and other sciences of the Book and the Sunnah.

The presenter:
is complete.

The Shaykh:
And he must also be proficient in the Arabic language in which the Qur'an was revealed, with a proficiency that enables him to understand the meanings and secrets of the language, and the understanding of the Book and the Sunnah. These are conditions that are rarely met in this time when ambitions have become short, but it is sufficient for the student of knowledge to follow the footsteps of the scholars and continue seeking and benefiting until he reaches a level where he can distinguish between the stronger and the weaker of the opinions of the scholars.