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

Imaam Al-Awzaa’ee [may Allaah have mercy upon him] said, “If Allaah wishes to deprive a servant of His the blessing of knowledge, He places the Aghaaleet on his tongue”. (1) The Aghaaleet are the odd and difficult subject matters. (2)

Imaam Muhammad Ibn Saaleh Al-Uthaymeen [may Allaah have mercy upon him] said: ” [الطبوليات ] are those Masaa’il (affairs related to the religion) by way of which fame is sought. They are called Tubooliyyaat because it is similar to a Tabl (drum) which has a sound and an echo. So when an odd affair comes to the people and a (person) becomes famous by way of it, then it becomes as if it is the sound of a drum. (3)

A Lofty Ambition In Seeking Knowledge: Imaam Ibnul Qayyim [may Allaah have mercy upon him] said: The loftiest ambition in seeking knowledge is to acquire knowledge of the Qur’aan and the Sunnah- to be granted understanding by Allaah [i.e. granted Tawfeeq to acquire sound knowledge] and through the Sunnah of the Messenger, and acquaint oneself with the boundaries of the revelation [i.e. neither going into excess nor being lackadaisical]. And the most baseless ambition of the students of knowledge is to confine their ambitions in following the bizarre affairs and that which has neither occurred nor has it been revealed, or acquainting (oneself) with the differences of opinion and pursuing the statements of the scholars, whilst having no ambition to acquaint oneself with what is correct among those statements. Little is there to benefit from the knowledge of these people. (4)

[Ref 1: Jaami Bayaan Al-Ilm 1087]
[Ref 2: Jaami Bayaan Al-Ilm. Number 2038]
[Ref 3: Sharh Hilya Taalib al-Ilm, page: 19]
[Ref 4: An Excerpt from Al-Fawaa’id. page: 99. Slightly paraphrased]