Explanation of Concise Books of Creed and Gradual Progress in Seeking Knowledge
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Question:
Honorable Shaykh, a questioner says: Some people hold that certain books of creed do not need explanation, as they are understood and known to the people, such as *The Three Fundamental Principles* and *The Four Bases*. They say that people are in greater need of explanations of the mother books. What is your opinion?
Answer:
The answer is simple. You are saying that people understand *The Three Fundamental Principles*. My brother, explain them to me. Clarify them for me. Praise be to Allah, as long as you understand them. This is a blessing. Clarify them for me. Explain them to me. You find that he has nothing and does not know them. So how can he claim something he does not know? By that, you refute him when you say to him, "Clarify it for me, may Allah reward you with good. I am a student; teach me the three principles. Explain them to me and clarify them." He does not know what they are.
The mother books are good, but knowledge is taken bit by bit; it is not taken all at once in a rush. We do not go to the mother books and leave the basics and the concise texts. The basics and the concise texts are the doors to knowledge. How do you enter knowledge without its door except through these concise texts? They are the gateway to knowledge that leads you into it. As for coming to knowledge from the top, you will not get anything and you will only tire yourself.
[Al-Baqarah 2:189] [Al-Baqarah 2:189], a house is not entered except through its door, and knowledge is not entered except through its door, and these are the concise texts. So Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, says: [Ali 'Imran 3:79], "Be men of deep knowledge." Who are the men of deep knowledge? They are those who teach the small matters of knowledge before the large ones, meaning they raise people upon it gradually, bit by bit. If you have a small child who was just born and you want him to eat a slaughtered animal, it is not suitable; he will die. You must give him a little at a time until he grows and develops.
Likewise, a student of knowledge is not given all the knowledge at once in a single go; he is given a little at a time. One issue every day or one issue every week, and you proceed with him until he advances in knowledge bit by bit. These concise texts are what formed the scholars; by Allah, they are what formed the scholars.
We taught them to them, and they taught them to those before them, and they reached the branches of knowledge and the detailed works through them. As for going to the detailed works and leaving the concise texts, this is contrary to learning knowledge, and you will not get anything because you came to the house without its door. So you will not get anything and you will never enter this house no matter how much you try,[Al-Baqarah 2:189] Yes. Ah.
Honorable Shaykh, a questioner says: Some people hold that certain books of creed do not need explanation, as they are understood and known to the people, such as *The Three Fundamental Principles* and *The Four Bases*. They say that people are in greater need of explanations of the mother books. What is your opinion?
Answer:
The answer is simple. You are saying that people understand *The Three Fundamental Principles*. My brother, explain them to me. Clarify them for me. Praise be to Allah, as long as you understand them. This is a blessing. Clarify them for me. Explain them to me. You find that he has nothing and does not know them. So how can he claim something he does not know? By that, you refute him when you say to him, "Clarify it for me, may Allah reward you with good. I am a student; teach me the three principles. Explain them to me and clarify them." He does not know what they are.
The mother books are good, but knowledge is taken bit by bit; it is not taken all at once in a rush. We do not go to the mother books and leave the basics and the concise texts. The basics and the concise texts are the doors to knowledge. How do you enter knowledge without its door except through these concise texts? They are the gateway to knowledge that leads you into it. As for coming to knowledge from the top, you will not get anything and you will only tire yourself.
And it is not righteousness to enter houses from the back, but righteousness is [in] one who fears Allah. And enter houses from their doors.
وَلَيْسَ الْبِرُّ بِأَن تَأْتُوا الْبُيُوتَ مِن ظُهُورِهَا وَلَٰكِنَّ الْبِرَّ مَنِ اتَّقَىٰ وَأْتُوا الْبُيُوتَ مِنْ أَبْوَابِهَاAnd enter houses from their doors.
وَأْتُوا الْبُيُوتَ مِنْ أَبْوَابِهَاbut [instead, he would say], "Be pious scholars of the Lord because of what you have taught of the Scripture and because of what you have studied."
وَلَٰكِن كُونُوا رَبَّانِيِّينَ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تُعَلِّمُونَ الْكِتَابَ وَبِمَا كُنتُمْ تَدْرُسُونَLikewise, a student of knowledge is not given all the knowledge at once in a single go; he is given a little at a time. One issue every day or one issue every week, and you proceed with him until he advances in knowledge bit by bit. These concise texts are what formed the scholars; by Allah, they are what formed the scholars.
We taught them to them, and they taught them to those before them, and they reached the branches of knowledge and the detailed works through them. As for going to the detailed works and leaving the concise texts, this is contrary to learning knowledge, and you will not get anything because you came to the house without its door. So you will not get anything and you will never enter this house no matter how much you try,
And enter houses from their doors. And fear Allah that you may succeed.
وَأْتُوا الْبُيُوتَ مِنْ أَبْوَابِهَا وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ
Source
لقاء مفتوح 12-11-1433هـ — alfawzan.live (47:12)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.