To Provide Answers, There are Limitations and Conditions – Discourses of Hakimul Ummat Hazrat Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi (Rahmatullahi Alaihi)

To provide answers, there are limitations and conditions

In a series of conversations, Hazrat said:

I dislike the approach of scholars who attempt to answer every question asked by a questioner.
There are also conditions for providing answers.
Certainly, Namaz (prayer) is a significant pillar of the faith, but even that is not free from restrictions and conditions.
The outcome of these conditions is that first, it should be determined whether the question is necessary or unnecessary.
Then, if it is determined that it is necessary in itself, it should be observed whether the question is being asked as a mere curiosity or if there is a genuine need for it.
If it is merely for curiosity and not for any practical purpose, such a person should never be answered.
However, the part of knowledge that is obligatory is exempted from this.
It is essential for scholars to consider the purpose of such discussions.
When scholars abandoned these principles, they fell into useless disputes,
which is why common people, even ignorant ones, consider scholars as their target for criticism, interfere in religious matters contrary to their positions, needlessly bother scholars, and entangle them in arguments.

The reason scholars do this most of the time is that they fear that by giving an answer, they will be considered more knowledgeable or they have ulterior motives.
For example, they may defame us or believe that they do not know anything or they may stop financial support to the Madrasah. That is why they are always ready to answer every question. So, this is also a great calamity.
It is also evident that even the greatest scholars, researchers, imams, and mujtahids had nothing to say about certain matters other than “I don’t know”.
In short, scholars should not be dependent on the questioner, rather they should make the questioner dependent on them.
Yes, where the question is necessary and the seeker truly needs it, they should answer even if they have to leave their own work and interests because there is a religious need in that case.
The conclusion is that one should be personally committed to the religion and should also guide others towards it. Do not turn religion into a game or mere entertainment as it is happening now.

It was a common practice of Maulana Abdul Qayyum Sahib, a resident of Bhopal, not to answer futile questions. If someone asked about a particular issue as in which Hadith it is mentioned, he would say, “I am not a new Muslim who needs to search for Hadith. My forefathers have been Muslims since the time of the Prophet. They have conveyed the religion to us.”
It meant he wanted to convey that the question was futile. Therefore, scholars should adopt this approach, and the current trend is harmful and has grave consequences.

Discourses of Hakimul Ummat: Part 5, Page 34