Ash-Shaykh Albany, rahimahullah, said:

أنا أقول: إن الدعوة السلفية الآن ـ مع الأسف ـ في إضطراب، واعزوا السبب في ذلك؛ إلي تسرع كثير من الشباب المسلم؛ في إدعاء العلم، فهو يتجرأ علي: الإفتاء، والتحريم، والتحليل قبل أن يعرف،

I say (that) verily the Salafi Dawah at the moment is in a disarray which is unfortunate. The ultimate reason for that is the hastiness of many of the muslim youth in alleging knowledge they don’t have. And they have the audacity to give fatwas and to declare this and that to be halaal and haraam before them having any knowledge of it.

بعضهم ـ كما سمعنا ـ لايحسن أن يقرأ آية من القرآن؛ ولو أنها أمامه في المصحف الكريم، فضلا عن أنه كثيرا ما يلحن في قراءة حديث الرسول ـ صلي الله عليه وسلم ـ فيصدق عليه المثل المعروف؛ في بعض البلاد * تذيب قبل أن يتحصرم * أي العنب؛ حينما يبدأ يصير حبا اخضر، وهذا هو الحصرم؛ ويكون حامضا جدا، فهو قبل أن يتحصرم؛ جعل نفسه كالزبيب!! أي كالعنب الذي نضج وصير ذبيبا،

Some of them – as we heard –  aren’t proficient in reciting one Ayah of the Quran even if it is in front of him from the Noble Mushaf, let alone the fact that he often makes pronunciations mistakes in reading the hadeeths of The Messenger of Allah sallahu alayhi wa salam. Hence it applies to him the well-known proverb of some countries:

تزبَّـب قبل أن يتحصرم تزبب

(He became a raisin before even becoming a sour grape)

It is referring to the grape when it begins to become a green berry, this is the first stage, when it is very sour. So therefore before he goes through this stage he makes himself a raisin, such as a ripe grape that eventually became a raisin (i.e. by putting himself forward to speak about knowledge before his time)

ولذلك فركوب كثير من هؤلاء الناس رؤوسهم وتسرعهم في إدعاء العلم والكتابة؛ وهم لم يمشوا بعد إلي منتصف طريق العلم؛ هو الذي جعل الذين ينتمون إلي الدعوة السلفية الآن ـ مع الأسف ـ شيعا وأحزابا.

Thus many of the people have begun to put themselves forward and to become hasty in claiming knowledge and in claiming the skills to author when they haven’t traversed half way in the path of knowledge. (This is that) which has unfortunately caused those ascribing themselves to the Salafi Dawah to split into groups and parties.

ولذلك علاجه الوحيد؛ بأن يتقي هؤلاء المسلمون ربهم ـ عز وجل ـ وأن يعرفوا  أنه ليس لكل من بدأ في طلب العلم؛ أن يتصدر في الإفتاء ـ في التحريم، والتحليل ـ وفي تصحيح الحديث وتضعيفه؛ إلا بعد عمر طويل؛ يتمرس في هذا العمر علي معرفة: كيف يكون الإفتاء، وكيف يكون الإستنباط من الكتاب والسنة.

Thus the only solution is that the Muslims fear their Lord azza wajall and that they come to know that it is not befitting for everyone who begins to seek knowledge to put himself forward to pass fatwas; in ruling things to be halaal or haraam and in declaring hadeeths to be authentic or weak except after a long lifetime. He practices learning in this lifespan how fatwas are delivered and how the rulings are derived from The Book and The Sunnah

Source: The Tape Questions posed to Albany from Kuwait, Side A.

Ash-Shaykh Muhammad bin Saalih al-Uthaymeen, rahimahullah said :

التصدر قبل التـأهل: مما يجب الحذر منه أن يتصدر طالب العلم قبل أن يكون أهلا للتصدر ، لأنه إذا فعل ذلك كان هذا دليلا على أمور :
1) اعجابه بنفسه .
2) ذلك يدل على عدم فقهه ومعرفته للأمور .
3) إذا تصدر قبل أن يتأهل لازمه أن يقول على الله ما لا يعلم .
4) أن الإنسان إذا تصدر فإنه في الغالب لا يقبل الحق لأنه يظن بسفهه أنه إذا خضع لغيره ولو كان معه الحق كان هذا دليلا على أن ليس بعالم .

“Putting oneself forward before being qualified is something mandatory to be aware of, that the student of knowledge puts himself forward before being qualified. Since if he were to do so it, would be a proof to several (critical) matters:

1) Him being amazed of himself.

2) That it indicates towards his lack of understanding and awareness of the affairs.

3) If he were to put himself forward before being qualified, it would become necessary that he speaks about Allah with no knowledge.

4) That if the person puts himself forward before his time, he usually ends up not accepting the truth because he assumes foolishly that if he submits to other than himself – although the truth is with him – that it would be an indication that he doesn’t have knowledge.

Reference : Kitaabul Ilm (71—83)

Extracted from thealbaanisite.com

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Ash-Shaykh Abu Bakr bin Zayd, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said:

“Beware of putting yourself forward before being qualified for verily it is a weakness in knowledge and actions and as it has been said, “whosoever puts himself forward before his time (i.e. being qualified), then indeed he has put himself forward for his humiliation”

Reference: Hilyatu Taalibil I’lm ,page 183,print:ibnul Jawzee.

Likewise it has been said:

“May Allah’s mercy be showen upon he who knows his level”

We ask Allah, The Most High to protect us all from this evil trait of surpassing one’s level and place, and Allah’s aid is sought.

Translated by

AbdulFattaah bin Uthman
Abu Fajr