The Shaykh al-Albani mentioned some of his fragrant biography and some of his books.

The Shaykh: This book, *The Series of Weak and Fabricated Hadiths*, is known to you. I review it every day. Why? Because I compiled it at the beginning of my pursuit of knowledge. This is another book on which I wrote on the cover that it is not permissible to print it, because... The first one, these people did not know it; it is two volumes in my handwriting, the handwriting of youth. I wrote on it that it is not permissible to print it because it needs to be reviewed.
Abu Malik: Look at this precision, what Allah willed. It looks as if it was printed from a distance; it looks as if it was printed. One would not doubt that it was printed.

The Shaykh: This writing here.
Abu Malik: What Allah willed. I do not desire to print this book because...
Al-Halabi: Our Shaykh says in the margin of the first volume of *Al-Rawd al-Nazir*: "I do not desire to print this book because it is the first fruit of my work and it needs to be reviewed."

The Shaykh: Even though I benefit from it.
Abu Malik: What Allah willed.

The Shaykh: I benefit from it greatly.
Abu Malik: Yes.

The Shaykh: I am dedicated to it and careful in tracing the sources and elegant in the writing. However, my handwriting, as you heard from the calligraphy teacher in primary school, is like the handwriting of a duck in the mud; it is barely readable.
Al-Halabi: The date of this book... the year 1359, meaning sixty years ago.

The Shaykh : Yes.
Al-Halabi: May Allah bless.

The Shaykh: The point is, and I am now in this state of incapacity and weakness that you see me in, I am no longer able to continue with the projects that were in my hands. But my Lord, Mighty and Majestic, has bestowed upon me some strength, some energy. Because the truth is, more than a year has passed for me, and I was almost bedridden. A long time passed during which I could not write a single line, even like the handwriting of a duck in the mud. But now I write. And if I look at the handwriting, I improve it and beautify it. But I cannot expand in returning to the sources as is my habit in all my writings. This is not hidden from those of you who are familiar with my works and writings. But my Lord, Mighty and Majestic, does not like idleness for me, even in a state of incapacity and sitting in a chair I rarely leave. So He inspired me with what occupies my mind within the limits of my capacity. A project came to me related to the research I mentioned in general, which is the refinement of my book *Sahih al-Jami' al-Saghir*.
Abu Malik: What Allah willed.

The Shaykh: I am refining my book.
Abu Malik: What Allah willed.

The Shaykh: Because this book was also compiled about forty years ago, and the information was limited and the sources were limited, despite the fact that I lived in the al-Zahiriyyah Library, full of historical manuscripts, which I believe I... who broke the seal of these books.
Abu Malik: What Allah willed.

The Shaykh: Because I remember well, I would take the book and open the page and hear the crackling sound.
Abu Malik: Allah.

The Shaykh: What is in it?
Abu Malik: This is from the ones that have stuck together.

The Shaykh: The sticking together of the ink.
Abu Malik: Yes, yes.

The Shaykh: No one has used it.
Abu Malik: Yes.

The Shaykh: It is not in the library, despite the fact that I was surrounded by thousands of such sources. But later I found myself drowning in printed versions of manuscripts I had not heard of before. That matter requires a review. My purpose in all of this is to present to my brothers, the students of knowledge, a practical lesson: that if they find in themselves the capacity for research, knowledge, and writing, let them make it for themselves. And let them seek help from those who are more knowledgeable than them in knowledge and older in age. And from the truthful sayings of the Salaf that guide us is that people remain in knowledge and goodness as long as they take knowledge from the elders and not from the juniors.
I give an example for these young people who do not benefit from the heritage, the eternal heritage. And benefiting from it requires what we mentioned earlier of study, reading, patience, perseverance, and dedication. I give you an example of that Andalusian who wanted to fly, so he climbed a mountain... and he made some wings. What is his name, Faras?
Abu Malik: 'Abbas ibn Firnas.

The Shaykh: And in that was his destruction. There is no blame on him because he was an innovator. But now, where have airplanes reached? And we give an example now of these students who do not study the knowledge of the Salaf, like the man who wanted to invent an airplane now.
And the airplane has reached its peak in innovation, invention, and artistry, and the like. And this is destruction. This is not destruction; this is the destruction of the Hereafter. That was the destruction of this world. And how great is the difference between them. And here comes to us the saying of him (peace and blessings be upon him) in some fatwas: Like the one who was asked about knowledge and concealed it; he will be bridled on the Day of Resurrection with a bridle of fire. So whether the scholar was asked and did not answer, or he was asked and was not knowledgeable but answered without knowledge, both are in the Fire. This is what is available to me as an answer to this question. And I ask Allah, Mighty and Majestic, to inspire us with guidance, and to make us know ourselves, and to guide us to the paths of our Salaf, who feared Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and were scrupulous about issuing fatwas unless they returned to them and found that they had no choice but to issue a fatwa and say, "This is our opinion. So whoever has a better opinion than this, let him bring it to us." Now, the fatwa is issued with certainty, as if it were revelation from the sky. And from whom? From one who I do not know if the expression is known to you, from one who is still in the shallows.
Abu Malik: Yes.

The Shaykh: Meaning, from one who is still on the shore of the sea, has not yet entered it.
Abu Malik: He has not entered it yet, or he is in the shallow water.

The Shaykh : Yes?
Abu Malik: Meaning, in the shallow water.

The Shaykh: Yes, indeed. Allah is the helper, and there is no power and no strength except by Allah.
Abu Malik: May Allah reward you with good, our Shaykh, for this useful and pleasant answer.

The Shaykh: And you too
Abu Malik: In reality, we are in need of this, and how much we need it. And I ask Allah to prolong your life and to bless your knowledge, our Shaykh. We conclude from this that a student of knowledge, in order to be able to be a student of knowledge, must first strive to form the true, correct scientific aptitude capable of starting and repeating in matters of knowledge. And this aptitude, in reality, is difficult to acquire in these days, and very difficult, for reasons. Because the schools of knowledge, or institutes, or scientific colleges do not cultivate the scientific aptitude at all; rather, they give black papers and say to the student, "Take your exams."

The Shaykh: This is the root of the problems.
Abu Malik: Yes, indeed. And as for the students of knowledge who claim that they take knowledge from its people, or from the Shaykhs, or from the senior students of knowledge, they are far more incapable, and very far more incapable, of attaining this virtue, the virtue of the correct scientific aptitude. And that is because they have lost the striving and perseverance, and not being occupied with other than knowledge, and the striving and sincerity. These are matters that are not easy to remain firm in for many students of knowledge. And there is a matter you must have mentioned and given an example of with yourselves. We, our Shaykh, may Allah bless you, know what you have attained of knowledge, not by your own testimony about yourselves, for you, praise be to Allah, are not those who developed yourselves in this wide field, the field of the knowledge of the Sunnah. But all the people of knowledge testify to it, the far and the near, the lover and the hater, equally. And I do not know why they hate. And I would have liked to say that they must strive for love, not for hate. That is because love unites and does not divide, and elevates and does not lower. But many people do not understand. Our Shaykh, may Allah bless you, I want to point out an issue that came to my mind now, so that you can add it to the previous answer to the previous question. It is that many students of knowledge also fall, not into an error, but into a sin. I say a sin, truly. And that is when they color their answer or the transmission of the answer in knowledge. Sometimes, if the matter is permissible to them and they are pleased with it, they say it, praise it, and permit the matter and state it as it was. And if they are not pleased with it, they hesitate and stumble, delaying sometimes and advancing sometimes. The purpose of all of this is that they do not master declaring the scientific matter that they hear or receive from that scholar or that one.