Shaykh Saalih ibn Abdul Aziz Aali Shaykh:
“How much have we cried over the number of scholars passing, those we have met and taken knowledge from, or those we have heard of and would have loved to meet.
The people abstain from the scholars because they are in their midst and they are alive, but when they pass their hearts are moved.
We have scholars – the best of the Ummah in tawheed, hadith, fiqh and all of the legislated sciences. We see them passing away and we see only a few people with them. Many adhere to the religion, but when they have free time, they do not go to the scholars and learn.
The Ummah today is in need of the scholars who teach and cultivate. There is no doubt that during the era of the companions there were many scholars, and likewise during the era of the taabi’een.
But, today there are perhaps ten, twenty, thirty, or fifty. Ten years from now, the Ummah here in this country could reach thirty or forty million.
But who will teach them? One Scholar is not able to do it – even one hundred would not be able to do it. No doubt, they are in need of those who will take knowledge from its people and teach it.
So learn and take knowledge from the scholars today, because there will come a time when the people will search for a scholar and not find one who has actualized knowledge in statement and actions and is learned.
In other countries, you will see many who speak about knowledge, but those whose speech is governed by the Book and the Sunnah are few and rare because the scholars have passed away, the ignorant did not learn, and the number of people is growing.”
[Advices of Abu Ad-Dardaa (p.54-55)]
Shaykh Saalih ibn Abdul Aziz Aali Shaykh حفظه الله
Translated by Rasheed ibn Estes Barbee حفظه الله
{Path of the Righteous} 