Does traveling to seek knowledge fall under the prohibition of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) against traveling except to three mosques?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : Now, if someone were to say, “Is it not prescribed for us to travel, to set out, to seek knowledge?”
The student : Yes
The Shaykh : Now, how can it be said, “Do not travel except to three mosques”? We say that traveling to seek knowledge is not for the place itself, but for the benefit that is in it. For this reason, some people are mistaken when they see that some people go to a certain town to listen to the Friday preacher because they are more affected by him, or because they benefit more from him. They say that driving a car to the second town is part of traveling, and it is forbidden, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Jami` at-Tirmidhi 326Sahih (Darussalam) So what do we say about this, Yahya? It seems as if you are sleepy today.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Here, what do we say to him?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : This is not for the honor of the place, nor because his heart is drawn to the place, but for the benefit. The Companions themselves (may Allah have mercy on them) would travel to seek knowledge. Yes.
The student : Yes
The Shaykh : Now, how can it be said, “Do not travel except to three mosques”? We say that traveling to seek knowledge is not for the place itself, but for the benefit that is in it. For this reason, some people are mistaken when they see that some people go to a certain town to listen to the Friday preacher because they are more affected by him, or because they benefit more from him. They say that driving a car to the second town is part of traveling, and it is forbidden, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
A mount is not saddled (for a journey) except to three Masajid
لا تشد الرحال إلا إلى ثلاثة مساجدThe student: ...
The Shaykh : Here, what do we say to him?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : This is not for the honor of the place, nor because his heart is drawn to the place, but for the benefit. The Companions themselves (may Allah have mercy on them) would travel to seek knowledge. Yes.