Question:
Can you explain to us what knowledge must be known by every muslim?
Is it compulsory to travel in order to seek this knowledge or is it sufficient to listen to audios of scholars from ‘Ahlus Sunnah’ and renowned students of knowledge online if one is unable to travel?
Answer:
There is indeed knowledge that is obligatory and knowledge that contains the objective (understanding the religion) and knowledge that contains a means to the objective (for example, the study of the arabic language).
The knowledge that must be studied is the likes of ‘aqeedah’ (creed); it is from the knowledge that must be known by every muslim. This is the knowledge intended in the statement of the Prophet ﷺ
طَلَبُ الْعِلْمِ فَرِيضَةٌ عَلَى كُلِّ مُسْلِمٍ
Seeking knowledge is compulsory upon every muslim
[Narrated by Anas in ibn Majah. Hadith Number 224]
Learning ‘aqeedah’ and the correct creed is compulsory upon every muslim, such is the prayer; It follows aqeedah and tawheed in importance and is compulsory upon every muslim to learn.
The Prophet ﷺ taught his companions how to pray and showed great concern in teaching them. From this is the hadith of ‘The man that prayed badly‘ [Narrated by Abu Huraira in Al-Bukhari. Hadith Number 793] that we have come across in our lessons over the past few days.
The Prophet ﷺ taught him how to pray as he was praying incorrectly. He ordered him to go back in order to establish his prayer correctly three times. Once he realised he did not know how to pray any other way he said Teach me, Oh Messenger of Allah ﷺ so he taught him how to pray.
Therefore, this knowledge must be studied otherwise you will continue to pray incorrectly. Perhaps you may become sinful if you neglect its study whilst you are able to travel. There is no doubt about this.
Hajj and Umrah are also from the obligatory knowledge. This must be studied by every muslim that intends to perform hajj or umrah before doing so. As for entering them in a state of ignorance, this is haraam. This must be studied by whoever intends to and is able to perform them.
Zakat is also from the obligatory knowledge that must be studied by those who possess the conditional amount of wealth for it to be paid.
As for travel in order to seek this knowledge; if there is nobody in your country to teach you the obligatory knowledge, it is compulsory for you to travel in order to seek it.
This was the fatwa given by Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy upon him) and others when some of the people asked if they could travel to seek knowledge despite the objection of their parents ‘Can I travel to seek knowledge despite the objection of my parents’ he said ‘yes‘ and the intended knowledge was the knowledge that is obligatory.
In the case of the subjects that are recommended to study; it is compulsory for him to obey his parents, remain in his country and not leave without permission (if prevented). As for the subjects that must be known he is obligated to leave even if they do not give permission if he does not find anyone else to teach him in his country.
Therefore, if you find someone in your country to teach you, you are not obliged to travel. This is also the case for the person that is able to access the audios of the scholars of Ahlus Sunnah, so long as he has good understanding whereby he understands what he hears from these audios. In this case it is not a problem for him to rely upon them.
If this is not the case because you need to ask questions to a scholar then these audios are not sufficient. Perhaps you may encounter a problem during or after the lesson the audios cannot assist in.
If a person has no alternative then it is hoped he will derive benefit through it by the will of Allah. People understand in different ways; some by audios, others by reading books of scholars. If you are from them, you are not obliged to travel if you are able to understand upon hearing and upon reading.
It is hoped that in this case the person is not obliged to travel.
Answered by: Shaykh Abu Bilaal Al-Hadhramy – may Allah preserve him
Source: https://t.me/abubilalhami/2800
Answered on: 1 Rabbi Al-Awal 1441 (29th October 2019)
Translated by: Abu Sufian Saami ibn Daniel Al-Ghaani