Leaving formal studies to devote oneself to scholarly circles
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
What is the guidance of your Excellencies, O Shaykh, for the one who says, “I will leave formal studies and devote myself to the scholarly circles”?
The Shaykh:
One does not leave formal studies; one pursues formal studies and attends the scholarly circles, both of them. This is because formal studies help him in knowledge and benefit him in the future in teaching people and educating them. If he has a university degree or higher, people will benefit from him, he will be given more respect, and Allah will make him a benefit to the Muslim community if he is sincere in teaching and guidance. He also learns the other lessons and attends the circles of knowledge at other times. He combines two benefits: he studies the formal curriculum for which he is awarded a degree that benefits him and benefits people, and he studies in the circles of knowledge alongside this so that he benefits from another source in addition to what he gained from formal studies.
The circles can be held at night, in the afternoon, or at the beginning of the day. It is possible to balance between the two in many countries.
The presenter:
Peace be upon you, and Allah’s mercy and blessings. As for what follows, O Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Aziz (may Allah preserve you), I have a title I hope you will accept, which is “Shaykh al-Islam ‘Abd al-‘Aziz”?
The Shaykh:
That is enough for us. And the servant al-‘Aziz from al-Bakr is sufficient, praise be to Allah. We seek help from Allah, we seek help from Allah. May Allah make us and you among the callers to guidance.
What is the guidance of your Excellencies, O Shaykh, for the one who says, “I will leave formal studies and devote myself to the scholarly circles”?
The Shaykh:
One does not leave formal studies; one pursues formal studies and attends the scholarly circles, both of them. This is because formal studies help him in knowledge and benefit him in the future in teaching people and educating them. If he has a university degree or higher, people will benefit from him, he will be given more respect, and Allah will make him a benefit to the Muslim community if he is sincere in teaching and guidance. He also learns the other lessons and attends the circles of knowledge at other times. He combines two benefits: he studies the formal curriculum for which he is awarded a degree that benefits him and benefits people, and he studies in the circles of knowledge alongside this so that he benefits from another source in addition to what he gained from formal studies.
The circles can be held at night, in the afternoon, or at the beginning of the day. It is possible to balance between the two in many countries.
The presenter:
Peace be upon you, and Allah’s mercy and blessings. As for what follows, O Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Aziz (may Allah preserve you), I have a title I hope you will accept, which is “Shaykh al-Islam ‘Abd al-‘Aziz”?
The Shaykh:
That is enough for us. And the servant al-‘Aziz from al-Bakr is sufficient, praise be to Allah. We seek help from Allah, we seek help from Allah. May Allah make us and you among the callers to guidance.
Source
رحلتي مع الكتاب — islamhouse.com (54:12)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.