Can Knowledge Be Taken from Someone Younger in Age?
Source: Fatāwā Ameenpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Ameenpuri
❖ Question:
Is it permissible to seek knowledge from someone younger in age?
❖ Answer:
Yes, knowledge should be taken from those who possess it, regardless of whether they are younger in age or lower in worldly rank. This is the reliable means of receiving the legacy of divine revelation and preserving knowledge.
Muslims throughout history have always learned from scholars without differentiating between older or younger, higher or lower in status.
Seeking knowledge from the unqualified and unworthy, however, is in fact a way of destroying knowledge.
✿ Evidences
✔ ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd رضي الله عنه said:
كنت أقرئ رجالا من المهاجرين، منهم عبد الرحمن بن عوف
“I used to teach men from among the Muhājirīn — among them was ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAwf رضي الله عنه.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 6830, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 1691)
✔ Ḥāfiẓ Ibn al-Jawzī رحمه الله (597H) said:
فيه تنبيه على أخذ العلم من أهله وإن صغرت أسنانهم أو قلت أقدارهم
“This narration highlights that knowledge should be taken from its rightful people, even if they are younger in age or lesser in worldly rank.”
(Kashf al-Mushkil: 1/63)
Conclusion:Knowledge is sought from the people of knowledge, not based on their age or social status. The real criterion is expertise and authenticity in religion.
