The Importance of Learning Among the Scholars

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Your Eminence! We have some young men who love seeking knowledge in the Nubian lands, in the far south of Cairo. What is your advice to them regarding which books to start with in jurisprudence, creed, or hadith, especially since there is no teacher available?
The truth is that if there is no teacher in a certain country, the matter is serious; because a person reviewing the book on his own, having never previously sought knowledge, may misunderstand the book, rely on his own understanding, and thus go astray and lead others astray. Therefore, one must learn from a scholar, whether by learning directly with the scholar, or through his clear and evident books, or his tapes. As for a layperson taking the book and then going to inform people: "The ruling is such and such, and the ruling is such and such," that is an error. But perhaps one of them will come to the Arab and Islamic countries, study in the universities, and then return to his people to call them to Allah.As Allah the Exalted said:

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

وَمَا كَانَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ لِيَنْفِرُوا كَافَّةً فَلَوْلا نَفَرَ مِنْ كُلِّ فِرْقَةٍ مِنْهُمْ طَائِفَةٌ لِيَتَفَقَّهُوا فِي الدِّينِ وَلِيُنْذِرُوا قَوْمَهُمْ إِذَا رَجَعُوا إِلَيْهِمْ

[At-Tawbah: 122] Likewise, Allah directed a group of the jinn to His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) to listen to the Qur'an.Allah the Exalted said:

And [mention, O Muhammad], when We directed to you a few of the jinn, listening to the Qur'an. And when they attended it, they said, "Listen quietly." And when it was concluded, they went back to their people as warners.

وَإِذْ صَرَفْنَا إِلَيْكَ نَفَراً مِنَ الْجِنِّ يَسْتَمِعُونَ الْقُرْآنَ فَلَمَّا حَضَرُوهُ قَالُوا أَنْصِتُوا فَلَمَّا قُضِيَ وَلَّوْا إِلَى قَوْمِهِمْ مُنْذِرِينَ

[Al-Haqqah: 29] So it is good for these people that one of them should be sent forth to fulfill the collective obligation, to learn from the scholars in the Islamic lands, and then return to his people to warn them.

Source shamela.ws

The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.

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