Advice for Students of Knowledge and the Virtue of Seeking Religious Knowledge
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The Shaykh:
May Allah greet you and bless you.
The questioner:
We begin with the message from the questioner Abu 'Abdullah. He says: What is the advice of Shaykh Salih for students of knowledge, especially regarding making use of their time and vacations in seeking religious knowledge? And what is the virtue of seeking religious knowledge for the Muslim man and woman?
The Shaykh:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. Seeking knowledge is of two types. The first type is obligatory for every Muslim; it is an individual obligation (fard 'ayn). This is what enables a Muslim to know his religion, including his creed, his prayer, his Hajj, and his fasting. It includes knowing the five pillars of Islam and what is obligatory for them, and acting accordingly. This is an individual obligation for every Muslim, without which the religion cannot be established. The second type is a collective obligation (fard kifayah). If a sufficient number of students of knowledge undertake it, the sin is lifted from the rest. This involves learning the rulings of transactions, the rulings of inheritance, and the rulings of criminal offenses, among all that Muslims need. If a sufficient number undertake it, the sin is lifted from the rest, and it remains a recommended practice (sunnah) for the others. However, if everyone neglects it, they all commit a sin. Yes.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you.
May Allah greet you and bless you.
The questioner:
We begin with the message from the questioner Abu 'Abdullah. He says: What is the advice of Shaykh Salih for students of knowledge, especially regarding making use of their time and vacations in seeking religious knowledge? And what is the virtue of seeking religious knowledge for the Muslim man and woman?
The Shaykh:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. Seeking knowledge is of two types. The first type is obligatory for every Muslim; it is an individual obligation (fard 'ayn). This is what enables a Muslim to know his religion, including his creed, his prayer, his Hajj, and his fasting. It includes knowing the five pillars of Islam and what is obligatory for them, and acting accordingly. This is an individual obligation for every Muslim, without which the religion cannot be established. The second type is a collective obligation (fard kifayah). If a sufficient number of students of knowledge undertake it, the sin is lifted from the rest. This involves learning the rulings of transactions, the rulings of inheritance, and the rulings of criminal offenses, among all that Muslims need. If a sufficient number undertake it, the sin is lifted from the rest, and it remains a recommended practice (sunnah) for the others. However, if everyone neglects it, they all commit a sin. Yes.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you.
Source
نور على الدرب - الفوزان - 03/104 — archive.org (0:51)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.