Distinguishing the scholar from the pretender.

Question:
How can a student of knowledge, in this time when trials have multiplied, distinguish between the scholar and the pretender so that he may take knowledge from its rightful people?

Answer:
Answer: The scholars are known, not hidden. People recognize them, turn to them, and follow their example. The scholar is evident, not obscure, and the pretender is evident. One who has not studied under scholars and has not taken knowledge from scholars is a pretender. One who limits himself to books and reading books is a pretender. One whose teachers are not known is not a scholar; he must know who his teachers are and from whom he took his knowledge. Knowledge is like a tree. One who has no teachers is a foundling, and they call him a foundling. The matter is not easy. Receiving knowledge is not easy. One must receive knowledge from the scholars who are known for it, who are upright upon it, and who act upon it.