Questions: A student of knowledge who started at an advanced age: what advice do you give him? And if it is not possible to find a shaykh to study with, should he seek knowledge without a shaykh?
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The questioner : A student of knowledge who started at an advanced age: how should he begin? And what do you advise him? And if it is not possible to find a shaykh to study with and keep close to, should he strive to seek knowledge without a shaykh?
The Shaykh : I say to the one whom Allah has blessed with the direction to seek knowledge, and who is old: I ask Allah the Exalted to help him with it, because seeking knowledge in old age involves difficulty and requires great effort, because we know that as a person’s age advances, his understanding increases but his memorization decreases. So this man who has started seeking knowledge now—may Allah the Exalted help him—must double his efforts and dedicate all his time to this work.
Then, he should choose a scholar in whose knowledge and religion he has trust, to seek knowledge from him, because seeking knowledge through shaykhs is more abundant, closer, and shorter. It is more abundant because a shaykh is a repository of knowledge, especially shaykhs who have extensive knowledge in grammar, rhetoric, tafsir, hadith, fiqh, and other matters.
So, instead of reviewing, for example, twenty books, he comes to this shaykh, and in five minutes he understands it... and it is also shorter in time and duration, because he obtains in his seeking from this scholar in a short time what he would not obtain in a long time if he received knowledge from the pages of books.
And it is also closer to safety from the book, because you might rely on a specific book whose author’s methodology is contrary to the methodology of the Salaf, whether in evidence or in rulings.
So, the important thing is that I advise this man who started, or whom Allah has blessed with seeking knowledge in old age, that he must stick to a shaykh who has knowledge, whose knowledge is trustworthy, and whose religion is trustworthy, because that is easier for him. He should not despair, he should not despair, he should not say, “I have reached an age of extreme old age, so I fear that I will not...”, he should not despair.
It was mentioned to me that some people of knowledge entered the mosque one day, at a time when he entered outside the prohibited times, and sat down. So one of the common people said to him: “Stand up and pray two rak’ahs.” So he stood up and prayed two rak’ahs. Is he ignorant, or not ignorant?
The student: Ignorant.
The Shaykh : Ignorant. And this common man’s knowledge... and one day after the ‘Asr prayer, when he entered the mosque, he said the takbir and prayed two rak’ahs. So the common man said: “Do not pray, this is a prohibited time.” He said: “Oh, glory be to Allah! This man is more knowledgeable than me!”...
So he said: “I must seek knowledge.” So he began seeking knowledge and became an imam. So this ignorance was the cause of his knowledge.
So I say to this brother: Do not despair. Perhaps you will obtain knowledge if Allah blesses you with success and knows from you a good intention. So do not despair of seeking knowledge even if you are old.
And the example I mentioned about this scholar, that he entered after ‘Asr and prayed, and the common man said to him: “Do not pray, this is a prohibited time.” Which one is more correct, regardless of which one is more knowledgeable? Which one is more correct? The common man is more knowledgeable, and this one who prayed is more correct. How can correctness be without knowledge?
Now, this one who prayed, in reality, prayed without knowledge, but the one who forbade him forbade him based on knowledge, even though the scholars differed on this issue. But the correct view is that the greeting of the mosque has no prohibited time, and that whenever you enter the mosque, you should not sit until you pray two rak’ahs. Rather, we have a rule broader than that: every prayer that has a cause has no prohibition. Pray; whenever a cause for prayer is found at any time, pray it.
The Shaykh : I say to the one whom Allah has blessed with the direction to seek knowledge, and who is old: I ask Allah the Exalted to help him with it, because seeking knowledge in old age involves difficulty and requires great effort, because we know that as a person’s age advances, his understanding increases but his memorization decreases. So this man who has started seeking knowledge now—may Allah the Exalted help him—must double his efforts and dedicate all his time to this work.
Then, he should choose a scholar in whose knowledge and religion he has trust, to seek knowledge from him, because seeking knowledge through shaykhs is more abundant, closer, and shorter. It is more abundant because a shaykh is a repository of knowledge, especially shaykhs who have extensive knowledge in grammar, rhetoric, tafsir, hadith, fiqh, and other matters.
So, instead of reviewing, for example, twenty books, he comes to this shaykh, and in five minutes he understands it... and it is also shorter in time and duration, because he obtains in his seeking from this scholar in a short time what he would not obtain in a long time if he received knowledge from the pages of books.
And it is also closer to safety from the book, because you might rely on a specific book whose author’s methodology is contrary to the methodology of the Salaf, whether in evidence or in rulings.
So, the important thing is that I advise this man who started, or whom Allah has blessed with seeking knowledge in old age, that he must stick to a shaykh who has knowledge, whose knowledge is trustworthy, and whose religion is trustworthy, because that is easier for him. He should not despair, he should not despair, he should not say, “I have reached an age of extreme old age, so I fear that I will not...”, he should not despair.
It was mentioned to me that some people of knowledge entered the mosque one day, at a time when he entered outside the prohibited times, and sat down. So one of the common people said to him: “Stand up and pray two rak’ahs.” So he stood up and prayed two rak’ahs. Is he ignorant, or not ignorant?
The student: Ignorant.
The Shaykh : Ignorant. And this common man’s knowledge... and one day after the ‘Asr prayer, when he entered the mosque, he said the takbir and prayed two rak’ahs. So the common man said: “Do not pray, this is a prohibited time.” He said: “Oh, glory be to Allah! This man is more knowledgeable than me!”...
So he said: “I must seek knowledge.” So he began seeking knowledge and became an imam. So this ignorance was the cause of his knowledge.
So I say to this brother: Do not despair. Perhaps you will obtain knowledge if Allah blesses you with success and knows from you a good intention. So do not despair of seeking knowledge even if you are old.
And the example I mentioned about this scholar, that he entered after ‘Asr and prayed, and the common man said to him: “Do not pray, this is a prohibited time.” Which one is more correct, regardless of which one is more knowledgeable? Which one is more correct? The common man is more knowledgeable, and this one who prayed is more correct. How can correctness be without knowledge?
Now, this one who prayed, in reality, prayed without knowledge, but the one who forbade him forbade him based on knowledge, even though the scholars differed on this issue. But the correct view is that the greeting of the mosque has no prohibited time, and that whenever you enter the mosque, you should not sit until you pray two rak’ahs. Rather, we have a rule broader than that: every prayer that has a cause has no prohibition. Pray; whenever a cause for prayer is found at any time, pray it.