What is the best for a student of knowledge: to remain in the pursuit of knowledge, or to strive in the path of Allah, or to call people to Allah, or to spend in charity for the poor?
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The questioner : May Allah reward the honorableThe Shaykh : I have several options before me, and I wish to follow one of them. I seek your opinion, may Allah reward you with good. I am a student of knowledge, and the options before me are: first, to seek Islamic knowledge in this country; second, to travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina or elsewhere to strive in the path of Allah; third, to travel to our country to work for the religion of Allah and call people to it, knowing that the outcome of this path is usually captivity?
The Shaykh : What is it?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Captivity?
The questioner : Yes, exactly. Fourth: to remain in this country, gather what is easy for me of my wealth, and send it, or a part of it, to the poor, the needy, and the captives in our country. So what is your advice to me, may Allah guide you?
The Shaykh : I see that seeking Islamic knowledge is the best of these things, the best of these options, because the religion does not stand except through knowledge. People today are in need of Islamic knowledge, in need of established knowledge, so that scholars do not perish and people take ignorant leaders who issue rulings without knowledge, thereby going astray and leading others astray. So seeking Islamic knowledge is the best of these options in my view, unless you are one who is not qualified for knowledge, because some people are not vessels for knowledge. Either they are like a basket used to draw water—do you know this proverb? "Like a basket used to draw water". If you draw water with a basket and then lift it out of the water? Is there anything left? No, because some people are like that; they have no memory at all. Or he is a man with strength, courage, and boldness, but when he sits to study knowledge, he finds laziness, lethargy, and no benefit. In this case, we say the best is for you to go to the battlefronts in the lands of the Muslims. The most deserving people, in my view today, are Bosnia and Herzegovina, because we are optimistic about their victory over the oppressive, unjust Serbs. And as you hear on the radio, there is no activity by the disbelieving nations to stop the aggression of the Serbs. So if there is someone who encourages the mujahideen to repel the aggression of these people, there is much good in that. People differ in reality; each person can be given what is most suitable for his condition. For this reason, you will find that the answers of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) to those who seek his ruling differ according to the man's condition., because the Messenger knew from his condition that remaining with his parents and being dutiful to them was better than going to strive in the path of Allah, and perhaps he was not the man suitable for striving in the path of Allah. But when he spoke in general terms, Abdullah ibn Mas'ud asked him Riyad as-Salihin 1286, and sometimes the answer differs from this according to the condition of the questioner. Yes.
The Shaykh : What is it?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Captivity?
The questioner : Yes, exactly. Fourth: to remain in this country, gather what is easy for me of my wealth, and send it, or a part of it, to the poor, the needy, and the captives in our country. So what is your advice to me, may Allah guide you?
The Shaykh : I see that seeking Islamic knowledge is the best of these things, the best of these options, because the religion does not stand except through knowledge. People today are in need of Islamic knowledge, in need of established knowledge, so that scholars do not perish and people take ignorant leaders who issue rulings without knowledge, thereby going astray and leading others astray. So seeking Islamic knowledge is the best of these options in my view, unless you are one who is not qualified for knowledge, because some people are not vessels for knowledge. Either they are like a basket used to draw water—do you know this proverb? "Like a basket used to draw water". If you draw water with a basket and then lift it out of the water? Is there anything left? No, because some people are like that; they have no memory at all. Or he is a man with strength, courage, and boldness, but when he sits to study knowledge, he finds laziness, lethargy, and no benefit. In this case, we say the best is for you to go to the battlefronts in the lands of the Muslims. The most deserving people, in my view today, are Bosnia and Herzegovina, because we are optimistic about their victory over the oppressive, unjust Serbs. And as you hear on the radio, there is no activity by the disbelieving nations to stop the aggression of the Serbs. So if there is someone who encourages the mujahideen to repel the aggression of these people, there is much good in that. People differ in reality; each person can be given what is most suitable for his condition. For this reason, you will find that the answers of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) to those who seek his ruling differ according to the man's condition.