Imaam Sufyaan did not believe that a student of knowledge should dedicate himself to spreading knowledge, particularly when he was not in demand and when a sufficient number of scholars were available to the people. He felt that a student of knowledge should dedicate all of his time to the pursuit of knowledge, and that he should disseminate knowledge only after he gains expertise in a particular field. Al-Mahdee Abu ‘Abdullaah reported that he once heard Sufyaan say:
“The first stage of knowledge is silence; the second is listening and memorizing; the third is applying what one learned; and the fourth is teaching and spreading the knowledge that one learned.”
The profound wisdom contained in this advice makes it deserving of being taught to all students of knowledge, and even being written in gold. In a similar vein, Ath-Thauree once said:
