An increase in the scholar's knowledge.
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : Fourth: Spreading knowledge and teaching it increases it. The scholar's knowledge increases when he teaches people, correct?
The student: Correct.
The Shaykh : How does it increase?
Because it is a review of what he had memorized and an opening up of what he had not memorized. And how often a scholar benefits from students of knowledge.
I mean, his students who are with him sometimes bring meanings that are not on his mind, and he benefits from them while he is teaching them, and this is something observed.
Therefore, the teacher should, if he benefits from a student and the student opens for him one of the doors of knowledge, encourage the student and thank him for it. This is contrary to what some people think, that if a student opens something for him and clarifies for him something that was hidden from him, the teacher gets upset. He says, "This is a boy teaching a Shaykh," so he gets upset and you find him avoiding discussing with him, fearing that he will reveal to him a matter that was hidden from him.
This is a deficiency in his knowledge, rather, this is a deficiency in his intellect, because if Allah grants you students who remind you of what you forgot and open for you what you did not know, then this is a blessing from Allah upon you.
This is one of the benefits of spreading knowledge: that it increases when you teach people, for the sake of your knowledge. As the one who compared wealth and knowledge said regarding knowledge:
"It increases with much spending from it *** And decreases if you tightly clench your fists over it"
If you tightly clench your fists over it and hold onto it, it decreases, you forget it. But if you spread it, does it increase or not?
The student: It increases.
The Shaykh : It increases, as I said.
The student: Correct.
The Shaykh : How does it increase?
Because it is a review of what he had memorized and an opening up of what he had not memorized. And how often a scholar benefits from students of knowledge.
I mean, his students who are with him sometimes bring meanings that are not on his mind, and he benefits from them while he is teaching them, and this is something observed.
Therefore, the teacher should, if he benefits from a student and the student opens for him one of the doors of knowledge, encourage the student and thank him for it. This is contrary to what some people think, that if a student opens something for him and clarifies for him something that was hidden from him, the teacher gets upset. He says, "This is a boy teaching a Shaykh," so he gets upset and you find him avoiding discussing with him, fearing that he will reveal to him a matter that was hidden from him.
This is a deficiency in his knowledge, rather, this is a deficiency in his intellect, because if Allah grants you students who remind you of what you forgot and open for you what you did not know, then this is a blessing from Allah upon you.
This is one of the benefits of spreading knowledge: that it increases when you teach people, for the sake of your knowledge. As the one who compared wealth and knowledge said regarding knowledge:
"It increases with much spending from it *** And decreases if you tightly clench your fists over it"
If you tightly clench your fists over it and hold onto it, it decreases, you forget it. But if you spread it, does it increase or not?
The student: It increases.
The Shaykh : It increases, as I said.