Advice from a student in the presence of the Shaykh to the youth regarding making the best use of their time and their earnestness in seeking correct Islamic knowledge

The student : We say, O my brothers, that such blessed gatherings do not occur frequently; rather, they are rare, especially when a group of youth like this comes together. The youth, as some writers or modern sages describe them, are said to be "the nerve of life." There is no doubt that this description is largely accurate in characterizing the youth. The youth are always, and forever, as they are described, but they also possess enthusiasm, strong momentum, intense impulsiveness, and a lack of deliberation in many cases, along with being swept away by emotion and failing to stand firm with the correct judgments of reason, let alone standing firm or being well-versed in the judgments of the Shari'ah. Therefore, I say: First, may Allah reward our Shaykh with good for what he has bestowed upon us from the knowledge and wisdom that Allah has granted him. And I say secondly, we, the group of Shaykhs—and I do not mean by "Shaykhs" the presidents or the great scholars, but rather I mean...—what I advise you of is three things. First, that you turn to knowledge with the kind of devotion that protects you from the ignorance that is prevalent among the people of this world. Ignorance is the hallmark of backwardness. The further a person moves away from knowledge, the closer he becomes to Satan and the further he moves from the Most Merciful. And the closer he becomes to knowledge, the closer he is to the Most Merciful and the further he is from Satan. This is the first point. As for the second, that you love one another for the sake of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and that none of you harbors resentment in his heart, hatred in his soul, or a flare of anger toward another, which might lead him to harm his brother. How good it is for a person to reach the end of his long night with a sound heart, free from the plagues or diseases that spread among the people of this world in their competition for the worldly life, their turning toward it, and their turning away from the Hereafter. This is the second point. As for the third, that you always keep in mind that at your age, you are closest to receiving matters with precise, conscious understanding, so that nothing escapes you. So you must make use of your youth and your psychological and intellectual capacities to grasp many issues and circumstances—scientific issues and social circumstances—so that, if Allah wills, you may be among the wise in this world, for knowledge gives birth to wisdom, and knowledge of circumstances enables a person to understand history and the world of people. Thus, he becomes wise through his knowledge and his understanding of the conditions of human beings. These are three matters—three issues—that I wished to advise myself with, and as I told you, I have boarded that ship which is now sailing toward the unknown, and we do not know whether there will be a meeting between us and you or not. So this is my advice to you, and I conclude this blessed gathering with his saying (peace and blessings be upon him) when he advised one of his Companions: .
And may Allah send prayers and blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon his family and his Companions and the brothers of the Prophets.