In The Name of Allaah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.

Shaikh Saaleh Aala Ash-Shaikh [may Allaah preserve him] said: This is not the era of relaxation! This is not the era of sleeping! This not the era of amusement! Rather, it is the era of striving and fulfilling that which will bring about mighty reward for the people. “Verily, ahead of you are days of patience, the one who does good deeds in that time will have the reward of fifty men…” [Hadeeth]

This makes the affair great indeed, because at present we find that the majority of the people are amazed with their views – a young person who is only ten years old debates with you in major issues…. you find the ignoramus debating with you in affairs, until it has become that the young one argues in the issues of the religion, so everyone becomes amazed with his view; therefore this makes the affair great upon the people of knowledge- the students of knowledge and those attributed to knowledge. Indeed, they have a great role in this ummah. This era is an era of striving, therefore obligated on them is that they spread the knowledge which Allaah has bestowed on them – spreading it through recorded voice, through statements that can be read, spreading it by meeting the people, just as the Prophet [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] said, “Your own self has rights over you, your family have rights over you, your Lord has rights over you, so give everyone the rights owed to them”. We see that many people give great rights to themselves… this era is not an era of amusement…! End of quote Paraphrased Excerpt. Listen to full speech here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmpfLd_4lBs

Finally, this is no suggestion that one puts himself forward to teach in a Masjid or wonders as to why he is not being asked to teach; rather as Ustaadh Abu Tasneem [hafidhahullaah] reminded me – whilst I accompanied him to Stoke-On-Trent – that if there are already enough teachers in a town or city, a student of knowledge – besides seeking his livelihood – should be engaged in other activities, such as teaching Arabic, travelling to very small communities where Dawah is greatly needed after consultation with his elders and seniors in the Dawah etc..

Benefit The People By Asking Beneficial Questions During Study Circles or Ask a Student of Knowledge to Teach Them: It is not a condition that a questioner can only ask about what he does not know, rather he can ask about something he knows but is not known to others; so he asks a question in order to facilitate understanding for others. If you are in the presence of a scholar and you know that some of those present fall short in affairs related to the prayer- either lackadaisical or that they do not perform the prayer on time, or that they fall short in some of its Shuroot [conditions] and waajibaat [obligatory acts of the prayer] – so you ask a question regarding these affairs even though you know the answer; you ask in order to benefit those who are present and so that they are facilitated with understand in their religion. These types of questions are very beneficial as opposed to questions that are not correct – that is because some people ask questions in order to confuse those present and bring about doubts etc. A question cannot be beneficial unless the questioner intends to benefit himself and others. When Jibreel [peace be upon him] came to the Messenger [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] he did not appear as a teacher, rather he asked questions, even though the Messenger described him as one who came to teach the people their religion. This shows that the one who asks a scholar a question in order that the people can learn what they do not know is rewarded like one who teaches people their religion. A scholar teaches people directly, but the one who asks the scholar a question becomes a means for the people to learn, for the one who guides to good is like one who does the good deed.  For example if you ask a student of knowledge in your country to give lessons in your Masjid –to teach the forty hadeeth of An-Nawawi or other books of the scholars, and you inform him of the needs of the people, so he begins to teach, explain and revise etc you will receive all that reward. The one who guides to good is just like one who performs the good deed. The commoner can be a means to teaching others by asking a scholar, or by gathering other commoners to take them to the circles of knowledge, disseminating beneficial audio lectures etc. [An excerpt from ‘Sharh of the forty hadeeth of Imaam An-Nawawi. Lesson number 2. By Shaikh Abdur Razzaaq al-Badr (hafidhahullaah)]