BENEFIT: What is the ruling on saying "Life taught me," and does it fall under Shirk?

Sheikh Sulaymān Ar-Ruhayli hafidhahullah answered: May Allah bless you, this is an important question. Perhaps, O brothers, O students of knowledge, I should alert students of knowledge and scholars to an important matter I have noticed in this time. Some people hunt for a specific sentence from the speech of some Muslim rulers, or from the speech of some scholars, or from some students of knowledge, and then they go and ask the people of knowledge about it. Their intention is not to learn what is good; rather, their intention is to defame the Muslim rulers, the Muslim scholars, or certain people using the words of the scholars. So he goes to a Sheikh, a scholar, or a student of knowledge like myself, and says, "O Sheikh, what is your opinion on someone who says such-and-such?" or "What is your opinion on the statement such-and-such?" I say to myself and my brothers: if you hear "What is your opinion on someone who says...", then beware. "What is your opinion on the statement such-and-such?"—beware. For many questioners do not want to know the truth; they only want to cause harm. You find them taking the Sheikh's words, placing it (out of context), and then bringing the speech of another scholar who said the same thing, or bringing a ruler of the Muslims who said the same thing, so they either discredit the scholar or insult the ruler. Thus, students of knowledge and scholars must be vigilant and block the paths of the people of falsehood. Personally, I have completely closed the door on this issue. As soon as a questioner starts and says, "O Sheikh, what is your opinion on someone who says...", I say, "Be quiet, I don't have an answer," because we do not know the people and we do not know their intentions, and warding off harms takes precedence over bringing about benefits. Regarding this question: "Life taught me," what is the ruling on this phrase? Attributing teaching to a creation—such as saying "My teacher taught me," "My Sheikh taught me," "The school taught me," "Life taught me"—the original ruling for it is that it is permissible. Because the intended meaning among rational people is that this is the cause (Sabab) of the knowledge. So my Sheikh is the cause of my knowledge, my teacher is the cause of my knowledge, my school is the cause of my knowledge, and life—with its experiences and what occurs in it of sweet and bitter—is a cause for learning. So there is nothing wrong with this. If someone says: "Doesn't it become minor Shirk with this meaning?" I say no, and it is not Harâm (forbidden) in the first place. Because minor Shirk is to make something a cause when it is not actually a cause. As for life, it is a cause for learning. Think with me, O brothers, if I said to one of you: "My experience with you taught me not to entrust you with a secret." Is this not acceptable? Does it not indicate a correct meaning? There is no doubt about this. Okay, when does the phrase become major Shirk? It becomes so—and this is the case with all causes—in one situation: if a person believes that it acts on its own, that it is the entity granting knowledge and teaching by itself. And in my view, this meaning is far from the intention of the Muslim who speaks this phrase. The basic principle is to interpret speech as correct unless the opposite is proven. In summary, what I see, and Allah knows best, is that the phrase "Life taught me," considering that it is a cause for knowledge through its experiences and events, is a phrase with nothing wrong with it. What is prohibited is for the Muslim to believe that it teaches by itself. Source: https://t.me/tullabilm26/209