Feeling that something is not right with seeking knowledge
Question

                Some seekers of Islamic knowledge feel that it is not right to aim for a certificate. How can the seeker of knowledge rid himself of these feelings?
Praise be to Allah. 
          He may respond to that in several ways: 
 
          Firstly, he should not aim for the certificate itself, 
          rather these certificates should be used as a means to work in order 
          to benefit people in any given field, because nowadays work is based 
          on certificates, and people usually cannot find a way to benefit others 
          except by these means. If he develops this intention, then his intention 
          is sound.                                                                     
          
 
          Secondly, anyone who wants to gain knowledge can only 
          find it in these colleges, so he should enter with the intention of 
          seeking knowledge and not let himself be affected by whatever certificates 
          he may gain after that. 
 
          Thirdly, if a person wants to earn the good things of 
          both this world and the Hereafter by means of his work, there is nothing 
          wrong with that, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 
 
          “And whosoever fears Allaah and keeps his duty to 
          Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty).
And He will provide him from (sources) he never could 
          imagine”
 
          [al-Talaaq 65:2-3]
 
           This is encouragement to fear Allaah with regard 
          to a worldly matter.
 
           If it is asked, with regard to a person who does 
          what he does for worldly purposes, how can we say that he is sincere? 
          
 
           Our answer is:
 
           If he is being sincere in his worship, and he does 
          not pay attention to people at all, and he is not doing it to show off 
          to people and earn their praise for his worship, rather his aim to earn 
          some materialistic gains as one of the results of his worship – then 
          this is not the same as showing off and trying to draw closer to people 
          by doing things which are only for drawing closer to Allaah, hoping 
          that people will praise him for that. But by hoping for material gain 
          from this action, his intention is undermined and it becomes a kind 
          of shirk, and his status is lower than that of someone whose intention 
          is focused solely on the Hereafter.
 
           I would like to take this opportunity to point 
          out when some people speak of worldly gains, such as saying that prayer 
          involves physical exercise and calms the nerves, and that fasting cleanses 
          the body and disciplines eating habits, we should not make worldly gains 
          the main aim of worship, because that will lead to a weakening of sincerity 
          and negligence in seeking the Hereafter. Hence Allaah has explained 
          to us in His Book that the wisdom behind fasting, for example, is to 
          promote taqwa (piety). The religious benefits are the primary aim, and 
          worldly benefits are secondary. When we speak to the common people we 
          should tell them of the spiritual aspects, and when we speak to those 
          who cannot be convinced by anything other than materialistic considerations, 
          then we can tell them of both the spiritual and worldly benefits; it 
          is a matter of addressing each in the manner he understands best.