Is memorizing the scientific texts a condition for reaching the rank of scholars?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
May Allah reward you, Honorable Shaykh. This questioner says: Is memorizing the scientific texts a condition for reaching the rank of scholars, or is it sufficient to read them with careful attention and read their commentaries? I ask for guidance in this matter.
Answer:
Memorizing the scientific texts and understanding them by receiving their explanations from the scholars is the correct path of knowledge. It is not for a person to memorize the texts on his own, without sitting with the people of knowledge and listening to their explanations and clarifications. Rather, he is content with memorizing them while he does not understand their meanings.
Likewise, knowledge is not by understanding alone without memorization. Both are necessary: memorization is necessary, and understanding the meaning is necessary. This understanding must be through the people of knowledge, not relying on his own understanding, for he may be mistaken. It is necessary to refer to the people of knowledge who explain and clarify these texts.
This is the method of learning from ancient times until our time, until some lazy people appeared who are content with acquiring books and reading them, and they claim that they have become people of knowledge merely through perusal and reading. No, these are not people of knowledge.
And these people are a danger to themselves and a danger to the people, for they come out with errors and wrong understandings, confusing ideas and causing confusion among the people. Allah, Glorious and Exalted is He, says:[Al-Baqarah 2:189] This is general for tangible houses and metaphorical houses, which are knowledge. Things are not entered except through their doors and entrances; they are not entered from their backs, from their tops, or from their sides. Yes.
May Allah reward you, Honorable Shaykh. This questioner says: Is memorizing the scientific texts a condition for reaching the rank of scholars, or is it sufficient to read them with careful attention and read their commentaries? I ask for guidance in this matter.
Answer:
Memorizing the scientific texts and understanding them by receiving their explanations from the scholars is the correct path of knowledge. It is not for a person to memorize the texts on his own, without sitting with the people of knowledge and listening to their explanations and clarifications. Rather, he is content with memorizing them while he does not understand their meanings.
Likewise, knowledge is not by understanding alone without memorization. Both are necessary: memorization is necessary, and understanding the meaning is necessary. This understanding must be through the people of knowledge, not relying on his own understanding, for he may be mistaken. It is necessary to refer to the people of knowledge who explain and clarify these texts.
This is the method of learning from ancient times until our time, until some lazy people appeared who are content with acquiring books and reading them, and they claim that they have become people of knowledge merely through perusal and reading. No, these are not people of knowledge.
And these people are a danger to themselves and a danger to the people, for they come out with errors and wrong understandings, confusing ideas and causing confusion among the people. Allah, Glorious and Exalted is He, says:
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 أَبْوَابِهَا
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، هل حفظ المتون العلمية شرط لبلوغ مرتبة العلماء؟ لمعالي الشيخ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.