‘This is not your nest, so hop away.’ | Al-Albaani on Imaam Ash-Shaatibi’s Advice to the Scholar, Then What of the Student? by The Albaani Blog

Imaam ash-Shaatibi said, “And a scholar (here Shaikh al-Albaani said, “Examine this closely, he didn’t say, ‘a student of knowledge!’”)–if the [other] scholars have not borne witness for him, then the ruling regarding him is that he remains under the original state of an absence of knowledge–until someone else bears witness for him and until he himself knows [that] what he [i.e., the person who is already a scholar] bore witness to concerning him [is true].

And if not, then he, for a surety, is upon an absence of knowledge or is upon doubt.

So [the potential scholar] having the audacity to move forward in these two states instead of falling back is not done except by following desires [i.e., the two states being [1] a scholar bearing witness for this potential scholar and [2] that this potential new scholar knows in his heart that what the scholar is saying about him is true].

For it was his duty to get a fatwa from someone else about himself but he didn’t.

And it was from his right that he shouldn’t have been put forward unless someone else put him forward, and no-one did.”

Shaikh Al-Albaani commenting on this said, “This is Imaam ash-Shaatibi’s advice to ‘a scholar’ who is capable of going before the people with some share of knowledge–he is advising him not to do so until the scholars bear witness for him, fearful that he may be a person of desires.

So what, I wonder, do you think his advice would have been if he saw some of these who are grasping at this knowledge in this time of ours?!

There is no doubt that he would have said to such a one:

لَيْسَ هَذَا بِعُشِّكِ فَادْرُجِي

‘This is not your nest, so hop away.’

[Ed. Note: Al-Midaani said in Majma’ul-Amthaal, “‘This is not your nest, so hop away,’ i.e., this affair is not something you have a right in, so leave it … it is given as an example for someone who raises himself above his rank.”]

So is there anyone who will take heed?!

And indeed I, by Allaah, fear that these [people] will be included in his saying صلى الله عليه وسلم, “The intellects of the people of that time will be plucked away. And the scum of the people will be left behind for it [i.e., for that time]. Most of them will think that they are upon something, but they are not upon anything.” [As-Saheehah, no. 1682]

And Allaah’s Aid is sought.”

As-Saheehah, vol. 2, p.713.