How to seek knowledge in times of restriction?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
The questioner says: There are no scholars in our country who follow the methodology of the Salaf, nor any students of knowledge, and we have nothing but books and tapes. Yet there are harassments regarding the appearance of the beard and raising the garment above the ankles. Despite this, how do we seek religious knowledge? May Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
Seeking religious knowledge means that you travel to a country that has scholars, or that has religious schools and universities. You travel to seek knowledge wherever it is found, based on His saying, the Exalted:[At-Tawbah 9:122] So you should strive to go to the countries where there is religious education under the hands of scholars. Seek the knowledge, and when you return to your country, spread the good and the call to Islam in it, so that perhaps Allah may benefit through you and save your country from the ignorance in it and from what you mentioned. This will be a reform, and it will be through your hands.
As for you sitting in your country in its ignorance and its evil, with no one traveling to seek knowledge, this is not permissible. It is obligatory for the one who is able to travel to seek knowledge to do so. Yes.
The questioner says: There are no scholars in our country who follow the methodology of the Salaf, nor any students of knowledge, and we have nothing but books and tapes. Yet there are harassments regarding the appearance of the beard and raising the garment above the ankles. Despite this, how do we seek religious knowledge? May Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
Seeking religious knowledge means that you travel to a country that has scholars, or that has religious schools and universities. You travel to seek knowledge wherever it is found, based on His saying, the Exalted:
And it is not for the believers to go forth [to battle] all at once. For there should separate from every division of them a group [remaining] to obtain understanding in the religion and warn their people when they return to them that they might be cautious.
وَمَا كَانَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ لِيَنفِرُوا كَافَّةً فَلَوْلَا نَفَرَ مِن كُلِّ فِرْقَةٍ مِّنْهُمْ طَائِفَةٌ لِّيَتَفَقَّهُوا فِي الدِّينِ وَلِيُنذِرُوا قَوْمَهُمْ إِذَا رَجَعُوا إِلَيْهِمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَحْذَرُونَAs for you sitting in your country in its ignorance and its evil, with no one traveling to seek knowledge, this is not permissible. It is obligatory for the one who is able to travel to seek knowledge to do so. Yes.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، كيف يطلب العلم حال التضييق؟ للشيخ الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.