The Etiquette of the Scholar with His Students in Disseminating Knowledge
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The Shaykh : A person should be wise in his teaching when disseminating knowledge, such that he presents to the students matters that their minds can grasp, not bringing them difficult problems. He should nurture them with knowledge, little by little.
For this reason, some of them said in defining the divine scholar (al-'alim al-rabbani): "The divine scholar is the one who nurtures people with the small matters of knowledge before the large ones."
And we all know that a building is not brought in all at once and placed on the ground to become a constructed palace; rather, what is it? It is built brick by brick until the construction is complete.
So the teacher should take into account the minds of the students, such that he presents to them what their minds can comprehend.
For this reason, the scholars are commanded to narrate to people what they know. Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said:.
Likewise, the teacher should pay attention to the fundamentals and rules, because the fundamentals and rules are what knowledge is built upon. The scholars have said: "Whoever is deprived of the fundamentals is deprived of reaching the goal."
Meaning: one does not reach the goal if deprived of the fundamentals.
So he should present to the students the rules and fundamentals from which the specific issues branch out, because the one who learns only the specific issues will not be able to find the right path when a difficult problem comes to him and he needs to know its ruling, because he does not have a fundamental principle.
The truth is that I sometimes digress to a matter that may not be included in or required by the occasion, but allow me, may Allah bless you.
What are we talking about?
The student: Disseminating knowledge.
The Shaykh : No, the original topic.
Sahih Ibn Hibban 7:117
For this reason, some of them said in defining the divine scholar (al-'alim al-rabbani): "The divine scholar is the one who nurtures people with the small matters of knowledge before the large ones."
And we all know that a building is not brought in all at once and placed on the ground to become a constructed palace; rather, what is it? It is built brick by brick until the construction is complete.
So the teacher should take into account the minds of the students, such that he presents to them what their minds can comprehend.
For this reason, the scholars are commanded to narrate to people what they know. Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
Indeed, you will not narrate to a people a narration that their minds do not reach except that it will be a trial for some of them.
إنك لن تحدث قومًا حديثًا لا تبلغه عقولهم إلا كان لبعضهم فتنةLikewise, the teacher should pay attention to the fundamentals and rules, because the fundamentals and rules are what knowledge is built upon. The scholars have said: "Whoever is deprived of the fundamentals is deprived of reaching the goal."
Meaning: one does not reach the goal if deprived of the fundamentals.
So he should present to the students the rules and fundamentals from which the specific issues branch out, because the one who learns only the specific issues will not be able to find the right path when a difficult problem comes to him and he needs to know its ruling, because he does not have a fundamental principle.
The truth is that I sometimes digress to a matter that may not be included in or required by the occasion, but allow me, may Allah bless you.
What are we talking about?
The student: Disseminating knowledge.
The Shaykh : No, the original topic.