We have heard that whoever wants to acquire beneficial knowledge must set aside a fixed time for it. How accurate is this statement?

The questioner : Your Eminence, we have heard that whoever wants to acquire beneficial knowledge must set aside a fixed time for it. How accurate is this statement? And if it is accurate, what is the way to achieve it and its means?

The Shaykh : In any case, a person should organize his time, to the best of his ability. For example, first, he should organize the books he intends to read. He should start, above all else, with understanding the Book of Allah the Exalted, because Allah the Exalted said: This comes before everything else. However, there is no harm in adding to this some of the hadiths of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), then what the scholars said regarding tawhid (the oneness of Allah) and the attributes, then what the scholars said regarding fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence). Likewise, there is no harm in mixing with these sciences some knowledge of the Arabic language, as it is now nearly abandoned by many students. You will find a student of knowledge who is advanced in knowledge, but when he reads, there is much error in his recitation, and when he writes, there is much error in his writing. This is not permissible. In any case, a student of knowledge must be under the guidance of a shaykh (a scholar or teacher) who directs him to what he should start with. Yes.