Some students seek knowledge from those who are young in both knowledge and age, while leaving aside the senior scholars who possess this knowledge?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : We have many students who are young... and they are young in age and knowledge, despite the presence of senior scholars who are proficient in this discipline?
The Shaykh : By Allah, what I see is that a person should seek knowledge from a mature scholar rather than from the young ones, because the young ones are at their level. What amazes the young, novice students is that the one who has taken on teaching resolves an issue, whether hadith, fiqh, or creed, completely and reviews it. So when the young novice hears this, he thinks he is one of the greatest scholars. But if he were to go a little beyond the place where he resolved and refined it and went back to check, he would find that he has no knowledge. This is a problem. The young student, by his name, is a young student, and he thinks that the one above him by one degree is one of the greatest scholars. This is a problem. However, some of the senior scholars may not be able to spare time for people, so you find, for example, that he is not open to them or willing to sit with them. And the one who says, "If you do not find water, then perform tayammum."
The questioner : A shaykh to whom the poet's saying may apply: "He took on teaching, every deluded one *** A dullard called the teaching jurist".
The Shaykh : No, in any case, we cannot say anything. Rather, rushing ahead is a jurisprudential principle. It is said: "Whoever rushes to something before its time is punished by its deprivation." And we say to the person: Be patient, my brother. If you are on a sincere intention, following the sound path, you will attain what was attained by others. Wait, do not rush. It is heavy, there is no doubt. Yes.
The questioner : Shaykh, what is the cure for low ambition in seeking knowledge?
The Shaykh : This is the affliction. What is the cure for low ambition in seeking knowledge?
The Shaykh : By Allah, what I see is that a person should seek knowledge from a mature scholar rather than from the young ones, because the young ones are at their level. What amazes the young, novice students is that the one who has taken on teaching resolves an issue, whether hadith, fiqh, or creed, completely and reviews it. So when the young novice hears this, he thinks he is one of the greatest scholars. But if he were to go a little beyond the place where he resolved and refined it and went back to check, he would find that he has no knowledge. This is a problem. The young student, by his name, is a young student, and he thinks that the one above him by one degree is one of the greatest scholars. This is a problem. However, some of the senior scholars may not be able to spare time for people, so you find, for example, that he is not open to them or willing to sit with them. And the one who says, "If you do not find water, then perform tayammum."
The questioner : A shaykh to whom the poet's saying may apply: "He took on teaching, every deluded one *** A dullard called the teaching jurist".
The Shaykh : No, in any case, we cannot say anything. Rather, rushing ahead is a jurisprudential principle. It is said: "Whoever rushes to something before its time is punished by its deprivation." And we say to the person: Be patient, my brother. If you are on a sincere intention, following the sound path, you will attain what was attained by others. Wait, do not rush. It is heavy, there is no doubt. Yes.
The questioner : Shaykh, what is the cure for low ambition in seeking knowledge?
The Shaykh : This is the affliction. What is the cure for low ambition in seeking knowledge?