Shaikh: If the intent is seeking knowledge is the knowledge that is communal, that is, he has gained knowledge of what will correct his Aqeedah, his worship, his behavior, however he did not expand in that and he wants to expand in it and it is knowledge that is a communal obligation and not an individual obligation, then we say: he chooses between continuing in memorizing the Quran because it is also a communal obligation or seeking knowledge. Even if he started seeking knowledge later as you mentioned in the question. Verily in the likes of this, his innate preparedness is observed. Perhaps [some] students of knowledge have an innate preparedness to memorize and not an innate preparedness to understand the legislated rulings and preserving them and memorizing them. So then with the condition which has been clarified before, if he gained knowledge that is an individual obligation, then he chooses to seek knowledge even in a later age or to continue to memorize the Quran and have concern for it”
[Silsilatul Huda wan Nur no. 729]
Translated by
Faisal Ibn Abdul Qaadir Ibn Hassan
Abu Sulaymaan
