KNOWLEDGE IS NOT BASED ON A LOT NARRATING AND SPEECH RATHER ITS A LIGHT PLACE IN THE HEART
"Indeed many of those from the later times have been tested with this, thinking that whoever’s speech, arguments, and conflicts are the most in matters of the religion, then he is more knowledgable than one who is not as such and this is pure ignorance. Look at the major companions and their scholars such as Abu Bakr, Umar, Ali, Mu’aadh, Ibn Mas’ud and Zaid bin Thaabit and how they were. Their speech was less than Ibn Abbaas and they were more knowledgable than him. Also the speech of the students of the companions were more than that of the companions and the companions were more knowledgable than them. Therefore knowledge is not (based on) a lot of narrating and speech, rather it is a light that is placed in the heart by which the servant understands the truth and distinguishes between the truth and falsehood. [The servant] expresses [this knowledge] by way of short expressions that reach the [desired] goals.”
Source: the virtue of the knowledge of the Salaf over the khalaf – Ibn Rajab pg. 5
Translated by Abu Anas Atif Hasan
«وقد فُتن كثيرٌ مِن المتأخِّرين بهذا فظنُّوا أنَّ مَن كثر كلامُه وجداله وخصامه في مسائل الدين فهو أعلمُ ممَّن ليس كذلك، وهذا جهلٌ محضٌ، وانظر إلى أكابر الصحابة وعلمائهم كأبي بكرٍ وعمر وعليٍّ ومعاذٍ وابن مسعودٍ وزيد بن ثابتٍ كيف كانوا؟ كلامهم أقلُّ مِن كلام ابن عبَّاسٍ وهم أعلمُ منه، وكذلك كلام التابعين أكثرُ مِن كلام الصحابة والصحابةُ أعلمُ منهم، وكذلك تابِعو التابعين كلامُهم أكثرُ مِن كلام التابعين والتابعون أعلمُ منهم، فليس العلم بكثرة الرواية ولا بكثرة المقال، ولكنَّه نورٌ يقذف في القلب يفهم به العبد الحقَّ ويميِّز به بينه وبين الباطل، ويعبِّر عن ذلك بعباراتٍ وجيزةٍ محصِّلةٍ للمقاصد».
[«فضل علم السلف على الخلف» لابن رجب (٥)]