{"_id":"668da0790b76658b4c233822","title":"Is it permissible for students of knowledge to sit with scholars which they know have some misguided views, for the purpose of taking knowledge from them on others matters that they're solid in?","question":"Is it permissible for students of knowledge to sit with scholars which they know have some misguided views, for the purpose of taking knowledge from them on others matters that they're solid in? For example, a Shaykh may be an expert in advanced Arabic or have experience in things like Dawah or convert care that would be beneficial to learn from, while refraining from taking from other positions they have not in line with the majority of scholarship.","answer":"It is entirely possible to benefit from someone while disagreeing with them on certain matters. Sunni scholars typically avoid being dogmatic or sectarian.\n\nHowever, there is a risk for a student or layperson when learning from a teacher who holds deviant views, as those views may influence other areas indirectly. For instance, if a teacher has unorthodox beliefs in aqida and is teaching Arabic, those beliefs may still permeate their teaching. This is human nature; we cannot compartmentalize our beliefs entirely.\n\nTake, for example, al-Zamakhshari, who was a Mu'tazilite. Sunni scholars respect his knowledge of Arabic and often reference his tafsir for its lexical insights while disregarding his Mu'tazilite opinions. However, they warn students and laypeople against reading his tafsir because they might not be able to recognize his Mu'tazilite views and could unknowingly adopt them. The renowned scholar Imam al-Subki praised al-Zamakhshari's tafsir and read it himself. Yet, he mentioned that when he encountered parts of the book where al-Zamakhshari expressed views disrespectful to the Prophet ﷺ, he had to stop reading out of embarrassment from the Prophet ﷺ.\n\nUltimately, the decision of whom to study with is yours to make. However, it is my responsibility to inform you of the risks involved.","tags":[{"_id":"668d9fe50b76658b4c232867","tag":"Aqeedah: Sects and Religions","count":68},{"_id":"668d9fe50b76658b4c232851","tag":"Contemporary Life: Knowledge","count":33},{"_id":"668d9fe70b76658b4c23288e","tag":"Knowledge: Scholars","count":22}],"createdOn":"2024-07-09T20:41:29.221Z"}