Is one who is occupied with seeking a livelihood from knowledge, and sometimes occupied in prayer by thinking, sinful for this occupation?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : The honorable Shaykh says to me, "I have many jobs in which I seek a livelihood, and they occupy me from seeking beneficial knowledge..."
The Shaykh : Who is saying...?
The questioner : The questioner.
The Shaykh : The questioner?
The questioner : Yes, Shaykh, he says to me, "I have many jobs in which I seek a livelihood, and they occupy me from seeking beneficial knowledge. This work occupies me to the point that sometimes, during the time of my prayer, I am preoccupied with thinking. Am I held accountable for this work?"
The Shaykh : Yes. As for being occupied by work from seeking knowledge, there is no blame, because seeking knowledge is a collective obligation (fard kifayah); if enough people fulfill it, it drops off the others. As for being occupied from prayer, listen to the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-Munafiqun 63:9] So do not be among the losers. Try to be present with your heart as you are present with your body in prayer, and do not be preoccupied with anything else. Accustom yourself to this until you find the pleasure of prayer, and until your prayer restrains you from what is shameful and what is wrong. Yes.
The Shaykh : Who is saying...?
The questioner : The questioner.
The Shaykh : The questioner?
The questioner : Yes, Shaykh, he says to me, "I have many jobs in which I seek a livelihood, and they occupy me from seeking beneficial knowledge. This work occupies me to the point that sometimes, during the time of my prayer, I am preoccupied with thinking. Am I held accountable for this work?"
The Shaykh : Yes. As for being occupied by work from seeking knowledge, there is no blame, because seeking knowledge is a collective obligation (fard kifayah); if enough people fulfill it, it drops off the others. As for being occupied from prayer, listen to the saying of Allah the Exalted: