Is it better to devote oneself to knowledge or to devote oneself to da'wah?

The Shaykh : This is a question that comes to us often: Is it better to seek knowledge or to devote oneself to da'wah? In reality, it is not a forbidden question. First, it is possible to combine the two. We know that the da'iyah (caller to Allah) does not spend his time from the Fajr prayer until after the 'Isha' prayer constantly calling people. Does any of the callers do this? No, he calls for half an hour here and half an hour there. He does not remain silent from Fajr until he prays 'Isha'; that is impossible. There must be intervals, so it is not difficult to combine calling to Allah with seeking knowledge. He seeks knowledge for an hour or two, then calls for half an hour, for example. There is no contradiction. This is the first point. Second, it is not possible to call to Allah without knowledge. Calling to Allah out of ignorance may cause more harm than not calling at all. Many callers have zeal and love for good, and you find them forbidding what is lawful or making obligatory what is not obligatory based on their zeal. If they had knowledge, they would have steadfastness. It is not hidden from you what happened with 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) regarding the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah. What did he do? He opposed the treaty and came to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) wanting to undo the treaty. But the steadfastness of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) revealed the truth. Therefore, a caller cannot call to Allah without knowledge. This is if we mean knowledge of what he is calling to. We are not saying that one cannot call to Allah unless he is an expert in all sciences. No, if we said that, the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) would not be valid: Did you understand? So the answer is from two angles: The first angle is that there is no contradiction between knowledge and da'wah. The second angle is that da'wah is not possible without knowledge of what one is calling to. Now, what remains for us is: the means of da'wah. The means of da'wah are many. Da'wah is not limited to a person standing up and speaking. Da'wah is through speech, through writing, and through one's own actions. A person in whom you have trust, you find that you look at what he does and you do the same. This is da'wah. This is a type of da'wah. In fact, da'wah through action and deeds may have a stronger impact than da'wah through the tongue. Is that clear?
The student: Shaykh, may Allah bless you. The student of knowledge... da'wah, especially da'wah in the neighborhoods, because Shaykh! There are many wrongdoings in the neighborhoods... he missed the prayer... if he sits, meaning if he goes to them, his time is wasted. And some of them, meaning he thinks he is present, and a person falls into difficulty, either he leaves them or... and he is among them, and the person... meaning the time is short... So is a person excused... if it is his strong opinion that this person is weak in response and also weak in accepting from him, and he finds in his time... with him?