Continuation of the discussion on the importance of religious knowledge and that it is a great weapon with which the enemy is confronted.

If this is the intention of the student of knowledge, he will choose the direction from which the enemies of the Muslims are launching their attacks. Accordingly, it is obligatory for him to be aware of the bad ideas or corrupt beliefs occurring in the arena. We give as an example a time when people did not know the schools of the people of denial of the divine attributes, nor did they know the deviant, destructive ideas, because they had not left their lands and no one from outside had benefited them. They were united around their scholars and knew nothing but the truth. These people did not need to engage with other matters of the means of knowledge or defending the Shari'ah because they were safe. But when the enemy comes, we must prepare for him, and our preparation must be with a weapon suitable for their weapon. It is well known, for example, that if someone attacks you with cannons and missiles, it is not correct or appropriate to defend yourself with what is called white weapons, such as daggers and swords and the like, because it is obligatory to prepare for every enemy with what is suitable for his weapon.
Now, there are bad, malicious ideas in the arena; if they are not atheistic, they are closer to atheism than to moderation. There is no need to specify them, as it is known to many of you. We need to know these ideas and how to refute them. I tell you that refuting all deviant ideas is very easy, even if they exaggerate and magnify the matter. They are like a sponge; if you squeeze it with your hand, everything in it comes out. Do not be afraid of them, for they have no heard knowledge and no manufactured intellect. Therefore, if a person has intended to seek knowledge to protect the Shari'ah and defend it, he must know what is happening in the arena so that he can defend it. For every occasion there is a suitable speech, and for every place there is what is appropriate for it.
I tell you that protecting the Shari'ah and defending it is not possible except through its men. If you were in a library with a group of people, and an atheist entered to declare atheism, and you had no knowledge, but the library was full of books that refute the atheists and expose the falsehood of what they are upon, could a book jump out to refute this atheist? No, it is not possible. So, even if books are numerous, they are of no benefit. Scholars are necessary. If there is a scholar in the place I mentioned, he will speak to refute the words of this atheist until he retreats in defeat. These are three matters, all of which follow from the sincerity of intention.
The fourth matter: what Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) indicated: "that he intends to remove ignorance from himself and from others". When he intends that, he must strive in seeking it, because whoever wants wealth must earn it, must trade, and must enter all fields of commerce. If he wants to remove ignorance from himself, it is not possible or reasonable for him to sit without learning; he must strive in seeking it. And if he wants to remove ignorance from others, he must strive with utmost effort to spread his knowledge through appropriate means. Strong means in every field.
Knowledge can be spread through conversation in ordinary gatherings. He sits in a gathering at a feast in any place, and he can spread his knowledge. But how? In a polite, pleasing manner that does not cause boredom or heaviness. He can bring up an issue from the issues in the gathering with him. He brings up an issue and says: "What do you say about a man who did such and such, or said such and such?" Or he brings up a riddle to open the minds. At that time, he enters into teaching the people. I am not saying to impose yourself on the gathering you are in, because this is difficult for people's souls. But bring them to knowledge through pleasing, appropriate ways so that the gathering is occupied with knowledge, through discussion, presentation, or the like.
Likewise, he spreads his knowledge through audio tapes. And the tapes, praise be to Allah, have brought great benefit, especially since many people, particularly the youth, receive these tapes with passion and eagerness. They hardly come out but the people receive them and benefit from them. So these tapes, praise be to Allah, contain great benefit and the spread of knowledge. It is not limited to your place, your country, or your region, but it extends outside the country, as we have heard that the tapes of preachers and scholars go to distant places. This is one of the means of spreading knowledge.
Thirdly, knowledge can be spread through writing, writing letters, authoring books, paper publications, and the like, as much as possible, so that you spread your knowledge and benefit others and benefit yourself.
There is also the spread of knowledge through a hidden path that is hidden from the student of knowledge or from many students of knowledge, which is spreading knowledge through acting upon it. People often observe this scholar and see what he does, and they imitate him. Some people said that he used to pray, so some of those who saw him said: "You do such and such in your prayer." Look at how people monitored the actions of the student of knowledge in order to imitate him. This is a way of spreading knowledge. Indeed, this may be one of the most eloquent ways by which people are affected, because people's being affected by action may be stronger and more powerful than their being affected by speech. For this reason, we repeat what we have mentioned before: the student of knowledge does not become a jurist unless he acts upon his knowledge; otherwise, he is a reader and not a jurist.