The great Sahabi, Sayiduna Abu Ayyub al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
“Whoever desires that his knowledge be abundant and his forbearance (hilm) be great, then he should sit in gatherings other than those (he is accustomed to) of his own people.”
Kitāb al-Uzla, Ibn Abi Dunya (narration 96)
The Ahl al-Sunnah Wa’l Jamā’ah consists of the three schools of of theology; the Asharis, the Maturīdis, and the (true) Atharīs, and the four schools of law; the Hanafīs, the Malikīs, the Shāfi’īs, and the Hanbalīs. The scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah represent the majority of the flag-bearers of the sacred knowledge of this Ummah throughout the ages from all corners of the world.
If anyone desires to attain abundant knowledge, they should understand that Sunni scholarship is vast and they must avoid isolating themselves, becoming narrow-minded, and rigid in their thinking.
Photo: Sayyid Muhammad ibn Alawi al-Maliki with Allamah Abd al-Hakim Sharaf al-Qadiri during the former’s visit to Pakistan.
Orthodox Muslim 