BENEFIT 205: To the Shabaab who wish to specialise in Jarh wa ta'deel

Sheikh Yūsuf Al-Jazaa’iri hafidahullāh said : If a person is busied with an abundance of books (in one science), when will he study those other sciences? Rather, one should choose the most important books in every field, thus saving himself time. After exploring various branches of knowledge and extracting the essence of each, a student should then focus on the discipline in which they wish to specialise. التخصص بعد الدوران Specialisation comes after exploration (of the various sciences). For example, one cannot specialise in Usool Al-Fiqh without sufficient knowledge in Aqeedah, Tafseer, and Fiqh itself, which are the ultimate objectives behind studying Usool Al-Fiqh. Similarly, one should not specialise in Nahu while lacking in more important sciences. Instead, they should acquire an adequate understanding of Nahu, and the same will Usool Al-Fiqh, Balāghah, Mustalah ḥadith, and Al-Qawā'id Al-Fiqhiyyah. Similarly, he acquires a good share of Fiqh; taking the most important issues and books. Afterwards, a student of knowledge will recognise their own strengths and inclinations towards a particular specialisation. Specialisation is indeed a reality. Shaykh Muqbil, may Allah have mercy on him, cited the Athar of Hudhayfah in his advice to students of knowledge; a well-known printed advice titled "Advice to Students of Knowledge" or something similar. He used Hudhayfah's saying, "People used to ask the Prophet ﷺ about good, but I used to ask him about evil," to demonstrate the importance of specialisation. Hudhayfah, may Allah be pleased with him, specialised in narrations related to trials and tribulations, benefiting the Ummah through this specialisation. However, Hudhayfah did not specialise until he had acquired a broad foundation in other sciences from the Prophet ﷺ. Likewise, a student of knowledge should specialise in one or several fields only after gaining sufficient knowledge in other sciences. @almanhajussalafi