Noble Competition in the Pursuit of Knowledge
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
The questioner says: Honorable Shaykh, you mentioned the virtue of knowledge, and the students compete in acquiring it. Is it possible for you to clarify for us noble competition in knowledge and the morals required for it?
Answer:
Competition in the pursuit of knowledge is entirely noble. All competition in the pursuit of knowledge, provided the intention is sound and the purpose is pure, is noble. However, if partisanship for one scholar over another enters into it, that is not noble. This is not noble. It is saying, "Do not learn from so-and-so, and leave so-and-so," without explaining the reason. Yes, if the person you are warning against is in error or on misguidance, that is fine. But if it is merely personal preference, that you do not want him, or that you dislike him, that is not permissible. This is not noble; this is malice.
The questioner says: Honorable Shaykh, you mentioned the virtue of knowledge, and the students compete in acquiring it. Is it possible for you to clarify for us noble competition in knowledge and the morals required for it?
Answer:
Competition in the pursuit of knowledge is entirely noble. All competition in the pursuit of knowledge, provided the intention is sound and the purpose is pure, is noble. However, if partisanship for one scholar over another enters into it, that is not noble. This is not noble. It is saying, "Do not learn from so-and-so, and leave so-and-so," without explaining the reason. Yes, if the person you are warning against is in error or on misguidance, that is fine. But if it is merely personal preference, that you do not want him, or that you dislike him, that is not permissible. This is not noble; this is malice.
Source
أهمية طلب العلم — alfawzan.live (36:47)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.