Guidance for the student of knowledge.
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The reader: So you must strive to take much of the legacy of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and exert your utmost effort in seeking, acquiring, and scrutinizing it. However far you may progress in knowledge, remember how much the predecessors left for their successors. This is found in the biography of Ahmad ibn 'Abd al-Jalil in the History of Baghdad.
The Shaykh : Yes, you must strive to take much of the legacy of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), which is this knowledge. For the prophets (peace and blessings be upon them) did not bequeath a single dirham or dinar; rather, they bequeathed knowledge. Whoever takes it has taken a generous share of the legacy of the prophets (peace and blessings be upon them). Then know that the legacy of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) is either through the Noble Qur'an or through the Prophetic Sunnah. If it is through the Noble Qur'an, you are spared the need to examine its chain of narration and look into it, for the Qur'an does not require examination of its chain, as it is mass-transmitted, the greatest of mass-transmission. But if it is in the Prophetic Sunnah, you must first look to see whether its attribution to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) is authentic or not. If you are able to scrutinize this yourself, that is preferable. Otherwise, follow a scholar. If you cannot do something, leave it and move on to what you can do. Yes.
The reader: And in the biography of Ahmad.
The Shaykh : And his saying: "Exert your utmost effort in seeking, acquiring, and scrutinizing." Exerting your utmost effort means exerting your capacity. Exerting your capacity in scrutinizing is a matter of great importance, because some people take the apparent meanings and generalities of texts without scrutinizing whether that apparent meaning is intended or not, whether that general statement is specified or not, and whether that absolute statement is restricted or not. You will find them striking one part of the Sunnah against another because they have no knowledge of this matter; they do not scrutinize. This is prevalent among many of the young people today who care for the Sunnah. You will find one of them rushing to judge the ruling derived from a hadith or to judge the hadith itself. This is a danger, a great danger. Yes.
The reader: And in the biography of Ahmad ibn 'Abd al-Jalil in the History of Baghdad.
The Shaykh : Yes, you must strive to take much of the legacy of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), which is this knowledge. For the prophets (peace and blessings be upon them) did not bequeath a single dirham or dinar; rather, they bequeathed knowledge. Whoever takes it has taken a generous share of the legacy of the prophets (peace and blessings be upon them). Then know that the legacy of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) is either through the Noble Qur'an or through the Prophetic Sunnah. If it is through the Noble Qur'an, you are spared the need to examine its chain of narration and look into it, for the Qur'an does not require examination of its chain, as it is mass-transmitted, the greatest of mass-transmission. But if it is in the Prophetic Sunnah, you must first look to see whether its attribution to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) is authentic or not. If you are able to scrutinize this yourself, that is preferable. Otherwise, follow a scholar. If you cannot do something, leave it and move on to what you can do. Yes.
The reader: And in the biography of Ahmad.
The Shaykh : And his saying: "Exert your utmost effort in seeking, acquiring, and scrutinizing." Exerting your utmost effort means exerting your capacity. Exerting your capacity in scrutinizing is a matter of great importance, because some people take the apparent meanings and generalities of texts without scrutinizing whether that apparent meaning is intended or not, whether that general statement is specified or not, and whether that absolute statement is restricted or not. You will find them striking one part of the Sunnah against another because they have no knowledge of this matter; they do not scrutinize. This is prevalent among many of the young people today who care for the Sunnah. You will find one of them rushing to judge the ruling derived from a hadith or to judge the hadith itself. This is a danger, a great danger. Yes.
The reader: And in the biography of Ahmad ibn 'Abd al-Jalil in the History of Baghdad.