Shaykh Salih al-Fawzan explains the statement of Ibn Sirin, emphasizing that Islamic knowledge must be taken directly from trustworthy scholars who are sound in knowledge and religion, and not merely from books, recordings, or the internet.
What is the meaning of the statement of ibn Sirīn, ‘Indeed this religion is knowledge, so look towards whom you take your knowledge from’, and is it necessary to know the condition of the person in order to take knowledge from him?
Yes, this is what we have mentioned to you previously. Knowledge is not taken from books, cassettes, websites or the internet. Rather knowledge is taken directly from the scholars. This is [how it is sought], likewise it is not taken from all of the scholars neither. The student of knowledge should choose one who is trustworthy with regards to his knowledge and religion, then he should learn from him.
