The Ruling on Acquiring Knowledge from Recorded Tapes

Question:
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success, you mentioned (may Allah preserve you) that it is not valid to acquire knowledge from books. Is it permissible to acquire it from recorded tapes of scholars' lessons?

Answer:
It is even less permissible if it is taken from books. It is not taken from tapes, a fortiori, because books can be reviewed, read a second time, and reflected upon. However, a tape is speech that may contain an error from the speaker or an incorrect understanding. As for books, they are generally organized and edited, provided their authors are known for knowledge; they are edited and precise. But even though they are edited and precise, your understanding differs. Your understanding differs; you may misunderstand or err regarding what they intended. If this is the case with a book, it is a fortiori the case with a tape. The result is that one does not rely on the tape or the book. However, one may benefit from the tape and benefit from the book, but the benefit is not relied upon for issuing rulings. Rather, this is taken from the scholars. You may benefit yourself, but you do not rely on this, nor do you issue rulings based on it for people. That is not permissible. Listen, read, and benefit, but do not make yourself a scholar afterwards, issuing fatwas to people, sitting to teach, declaring things lawful and forbidden. That is what we mean. Yes.