How does a Muslim begin in seeking knowledge?

Question:
May Allah reward you. He asks how a student of knowledge seeks knowledge? Is it by reading the lengthy books or by memorizing the concise texts?

Answer:
Knowledge is sought gradually under the guidance of scholars. One starts with the concise texts, memorizing them, then the intermediate ones, then the lengthy ones, step by step. This must be done under the guidance of the people of knowledge, not limited to just reading. It must be under the guidance of the people of knowledge who analyze these texts and phrases for him. The phrases that are condensed in the texts because they are brief for the sake of memorization require someone to explain and clarify them. The concise texts are very important in knowledge. A person does not enter the sciences except through the concise texts, because they are the entrances and foundations of knowledge. Whoever neglects the foundations is deprived of the foundations. If he does not memorize anything from the concise texts and goes to read in the lengthy books, this is not the way of learning. This is a path to loss. It is like one who enters a desert without knowing the way. If a person travels and enters a desert without knowing the way, he will perish in it. Similarly, the one who does not take the foundation and does not follow the established path but goes to read in the lengthy books and scholarly disagreements, he will be lost or mislead. He may also hold a defective belief. He may encounter false statements and think they are true, and then believe them. Yes.