How should a student of knowledge treat the general public in order to call them to the truth?
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The questioner : Your Eminence, it was the way of the prominent scholars of the Salaf (may Allah be pleased with them) that they would deal with the general public and be patient with their harm in order to influence them and attempt to call them to the straight path. Do you not see that it is necessary for a student of knowledge to likewise enter into the midst of people, deal with them with kindness, be patient with their harm, fulfill their needs, and intercede for them? Because some students of knowledge, O Shaykh, may consider themselves too high for that, claiming that it might occupy them from seeking knowledge. And entering into the midst of people, claiming that they are negligent and have some negligence in some of the sunnahs or some of the obligatory duties, makes him consider himself too high for them. So how does one combine this matter? May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : By Allah, there is no doubt that mixing with people and being patient with their harm is better than not mixing with people and not being patient with their harm. But if they occupy him from what is more important, the legal principles require that we start with the most important, then the next most important. If a person continued to accept everything people ask of him, he would become occupied even from the prayers. In our current time, how many are there who beg and ask for money, and how many are there who ask for intercession? If a person opened the door to people in this matter, he would become occupied even from the obligatory prayer. But sometimes he does this and sometimes that, and he distinguishes between the urgent matter and the non-urgent matter; it is necessary to distinguish. Also, if a person sees from mixing with people that they insult him and do not revere his word or his guidance, let him be moderate. Because some people, if they mix with people and, for example, laugh with them, joke with them, and make themselves like one of them, they ride them and do not revere them, and they do not take their word. But perhaps he is with people who he descends to this level with because he knows his status in their hearts, so even if he mixes with them in this way, it is fine. But with others, he cannot mix with them in this way. And a person is the doctor of himself. Yes.
The Shaykh : By Allah, there is no doubt that mixing with people and being patient with their harm is better than not mixing with people and not being patient with their harm. But if they occupy him from what is more important, the legal principles require that we start with the most important, then the next most important. If a person continued to accept everything people ask of him, he would become occupied even from the prayers. In our current time, how many are there who beg and ask for money, and how many are there who ask for intercession? If a person opened the door to people in this matter, he would become occupied even from the obligatory prayer. But sometimes he does this and sometimes that, and he distinguishes between the urgent matter and the non-urgent matter; it is necessary to distinguish. Also, if a person sees from mixing with people that they insult him and do not revere his word or his guidance, let him be moderate. Because some people, if they mix with people and, for example, laugh with them, joke with them, and make themselves like one of them, they ride them and do not revere them, and they do not take their word. But perhaps he is with people who he descends to this level with because he knows his status in their hearts, so even if he mixes with them in this way, it is fine. But with others, he cannot mix with them in this way. And a person is the doctor of himself. Yes.