Verify Whatever You Hear or Read

Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan stated:

Do not be in a haste with regard to what you hear from the people especially towards the end of time; as there are many who speak, issue religious rulings, raise (themselves) to (the status of having) knowledge and saying (possessing public audience), especially (this time) when the media is modernized; and every one now talks in the name of knowledge and religion so much so that even the people of misguidance and the strayed sects started talking in the name of religion on satellite television channels. The danger is very great!

It is therefore obligatory upon you, O Muslim and specifically the seeker of knowledge to verify. Do not be hasty about whatever you hear; you must verify and know the person that said it and from where he brought such thought. Then what is his basis? Is his evidence from the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allaah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam)? Then, where did the person of this thought learn? From whom did he acquire knowledge? These are issues that require verification especially in this time. It is not every speaker (that you should accept what he says) even if he is an eloquent and fluent speaker who articulates speech (in a convincing way) to the listening (of the general public).

Do not be deceived by it until you see the extent of what he has of knowledge and understanding. Perhaps, his speech may be little but he is a scholar; and his speech may be much, whereas he is an ignorant person who has nothing in him of understanding. Rather, he has magical speech to deceive people and pretends that he is an understanding scholar and thinker or the like of that just to deceive and make them deviate from the truth.

What matters is not much speech and its eloquence; rather, regard should only be given to what it contains of knowledge and proof. It is possible that a little educative speech would be much more beneficial than much speech of eloquence that you cannot derive except a little benefit from it. And this is the reality of our time; as the speech (usually delivered) is much and little knowledge (derived from it). Reciters are becoming many while scholars are becoming few... So beware of this.

Source: A Gift to the Reader in Annotation of Sharh as-Sunnah, vol. 1, p. 87-88 by Dr, Saalih bin Fawzaan bin Abdullah al-Fawzaan; translated by Abdus-Sami Abdus-Salam, published by Dar Makkah International.