The Ruling on Delving into Details and Fine Points of Issues
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
First question: Your Eminence, many young people occupy themselves with the details of matters and the fine points of issues, and we may find them neglecting other matters. What is your advice for such a young man?
Answer:
My advice to everyone is to pay attention to the important matters; indeed, to pay attention to the most important matters before the important ones. The student’s goal should be insight into his religion, especially regarding creed and caring for it. He should strive to have the utmost insight into his creed from the Book and the Sunnah, and to know what the people of the Sunnah and the community are upon, so that he adheres to it and remains steadfast upon it.
Then, pay attention to knowing what Allah has made obligatory upon him and what Allah has forbidden, before the recommended practices; so that he is clear about what Allah has made obligatory and what He has forbidden.
My advice is also for every student of knowledge not to occupy himself with recommended practices or disliked things, and to argue about them, to the neglect of what Allah has made obligatory upon him in terms of understanding what He has made obligatory and what He has forbidden. Let him pay attention to the important matters and what is closer and more closely related to creed before what is below that. Then, let him pay attention to the obligatory and the forbidden before the recommended and the disliked.
So, the conclusion is that he should pay attention to the most important, then the next most important, and strive to understand his religion from all aspects; so that he performs the obligatory with insight and leaves the forbidden with insight. His occupation should not be arguing with his colleagues about some recommended practices or some disliked things, while he is ignorant of what Allah has made obligatory upon him and ignorant of what Allah has forbidden, or ignorant of some of that.
First question: Your Eminence, many young people occupy themselves with the details of matters and the fine points of issues, and we may find them neglecting other matters. What is your advice for such a young man?
Answer:
My advice to everyone is to pay attention to the important matters; indeed, to pay attention to the most important matters before the important ones. The student’s goal should be insight into his religion, especially regarding creed and caring for it. He should strive to have the utmost insight into his creed from the Book and the Sunnah, and to know what the people of the Sunnah and the community are upon, so that he adheres to it and remains steadfast upon it.
Then, pay attention to knowing what Allah has made obligatory upon him and what Allah has forbidden, before the recommended practices; so that he is clear about what Allah has made obligatory and what He has forbidden.
My advice is also for every student of knowledge not to occupy himself with recommended practices or disliked things, and to argue about them, to the neglect of what Allah has made obligatory upon him in terms of understanding what He has made obligatory and what He has forbidden. Let him pay attention to the important matters and what is closer and more closely related to creed before what is below that. Then, let him pay attention to the obligatory and the forbidden before the recommended and the disliked.
So, the conclusion is that he should pay attention to the most important, then the next most important, and strive to understand his religion from all aspects; so that he performs the obligatory with insight and leaves the forbidden with insight. His occupation should not be arguing with his colleagues about some recommended practices or some disliked things, while he is ignorant of what Allah has made obligatory upon him and ignorant of what Allah has forbidden, or ignorant of some of that.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.