Is it better for a student of knowledge to mix the sciences he begins with?
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The student: Does a student of knowledge move between the sciences, such as the science of creed and the science of jurisprudence?
The Shaykh : You know that the sciences are not all equal; some are more important than others. So you should focus your efforts on the most important ones, without neglecting the other supporting sciences. For example, if a man says, "I love grammar, so I will focus my efforts on grammar and not deal with anything else," we would say that is a mistake. Focus your efforts on what your soul desires so that your time is not wasted, because if a person tries to force himself to study something he has not chosen, his time will be wasted. But do not forget the other sciences.
Likewise, do not burden yourself with too many sciences, because an excess of sciences weakens a person’s motivation and understanding. Those who studied in formal schools know this. You will find, for example, in institutes or secondary schools, that there are fifteen subjects, and they are wasted on the person. If you wanted to discuss something deep from the subjects he studied, you would not find anything in him.
So if a person focuses on the sciences and limits them as much as he can, this becomes better for him and more beneficial. It is mentioned that some people say: "Whoever masters one of the sciences well is sufficient with it for the other sciences." This is undoubtedly a mistake. If you mastered grammar well, would that suffice you for knowing jurisprudence?
And what is mentioned about Abu Yusuf and al-Kisa'i that they debated in the presence of al-Rashid, and al-Kisa'i said: "If a person masters a science, whichever science he masters, he is sufficient with it for the others." And Abu Yusuf brought up the case of a man who forgets the prostration for forgetfulness, and al-Kisa'i said: "He does not have to prostrate." He said: "Where is this found in your science?" — because al-Kisa'i was an imam in grammar — He said: "From the rules of my science that the diminutive is not diminished." Is this valid as evidence for a legal ruling? Never. And I think this story is fabricated; it is not authentic.
But in any case, a person should focus. In my opinion, the most important thing to focus on is the Noble Qur'an. The Qur'an is a treasure of great value; whenever you take a verse and reflect upon it, sciences open up to you within it that only Allah knows. Then the Qur'an is a foundation, meaning the Qur'an is not like any book by any scholar; it is a foundation by which a person argues before Allah, Mighty and Majestic, because it is the speech of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He. Therefore, I see that we should focus on the science of exegesis, and then on knowing what is authentic from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
And you know that what is attributed to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) requires effort before it can be evidence. The effort is to know its authenticity to the Messenger, because there are many hadiths narrated by weak people, either due to their lack of trustworthiness or their poor memorization, or the like. Indeed, there are many fabricated hadiths falsely attributed to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), because desires have increased, so one who does not fear Allah places whatever he wishes of hadiths and attributes them to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). The Sunnah requires great care in establishing its authenticity from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). As for the Qur'an, it does not need this because it is established by mass transmission, transmitted by the younger generations from the older ones. So caring for the Book and the Sunnah is a matter of substance, but that does not mean turning away from what the scholars have written. It is necessary to make use of the opinions of the scholars and how they derive rulings from the Qur'an and the Sunnah, and we limit ourselves to this.
The Shaykh : You know that the sciences are not all equal; some are more important than others. So you should focus your efforts on the most important ones, without neglecting the other supporting sciences. For example, if a man says, "I love grammar, so I will focus my efforts on grammar and not deal with anything else," we would say that is a mistake. Focus your efforts on what your soul desires so that your time is not wasted, because if a person tries to force himself to study something he has not chosen, his time will be wasted. But do not forget the other sciences.
Likewise, do not burden yourself with too many sciences, because an excess of sciences weakens a person’s motivation and understanding. Those who studied in formal schools know this. You will find, for example, in institutes or secondary schools, that there are fifteen subjects, and they are wasted on the person. If you wanted to discuss something deep from the subjects he studied, you would not find anything in him.
So if a person focuses on the sciences and limits them as much as he can, this becomes better for him and more beneficial. It is mentioned that some people say: "Whoever masters one of the sciences well is sufficient with it for the other sciences." This is undoubtedly a mistake. If you mastered grammar well, would that suffice you for knowing jurisprudence?
And what is mentioned about Abu Yusuf and al-Kisa'i that they debated in the presence of al-Rashid, and al-Kisa'i said: "If a person masters a science, whichever science he masters, he is sufficient with it for the others." And Abu Yusuf brought up the case of a man who forgets the prostration for forgetfulness, and al-Kisa'i said: "He does not have to prostrate." He said: "Where is this found in your science?" — because al-Kisa'i was an imam in grammar — He said: "From the rules of my science that the diminutive is not diminished." Is this valid as evidence for a legal ruling? Never. And I think this story is fabricated; it is not authentic.
But in any case, a person should focus. In my opinion, the most important thing to focus on is the Noble Qur'an. The Qur'an is a treasure of great value; whenever you take a verse and reflect upon it, sciences open up to you within it that only Allah knows. Then the Qur'an is a foundation, meaning the Qur'an is not like any book by any scholar; it is a foundation by which a person argues before Allah, Mighty and Majestic, because it is the speech of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He. Therefore, I see that we should focus on the science of exegesis, and then on knowing what is authentic from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
And you know that what is attributed to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) requires effort before it can be evidence. The effort is to know its authenticity to the Messenger, because there are many hadiths narrated by weak people, either due to their lack of trustworthiness or their poor memorization, or the like. Indeed, there are many fabricated hadiths falsely attributed to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), because desires have increased, so one who does not fear Allah places whatever he wishes of hadiths and attributes them to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). The Sunnah requires great care in establishing its authenticity from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). As for the Qur'an, it does not need this because it is established by mass transmission, transmitted by the younger generations from the older ones. So caring for the Book and the Sunnah is a matter of substance, but that does not mean turning away from what the scholars have written. It is necessary to make use of the opinions of the scholars and how they derive rulings from the Qur'an and the Sunnah, and we limit ourselves to this.