What should be the aim of seeking knowledge?

Apart from rectification of the self being an aim of seeking Islamic knowledge. Your knowledge should be capable of helping you identify ‘what was stated by the Prophet ﷺ’, ‘what was done by his companions’ and what is the ‘opinion of a certain scholar after the first three best generations’.

Imām Ibn Al-Qayyim (رحمه الله) said:

“Knowledge is not plenitude of narration, research, and speech. However, it is a light through which sound statements are separated from the faulty ones, the true ones from the false ones, and what is from the niche of prophethood from what is from the opinions of men.”

[Ijtimā’ Al-Juyūsh Al-Islāmiyyah p. 77, Tweeted By Shaykh ‘Abdullāh
Al-Bukhārī, translated by RPubs Editorial]

But today, we see that the students of knowledge are clinging to the opinions of their Shaikhs and teachers, and abandoning what was done by the Prophet ﷺ and his companions. They seek knowledge, not to research the truth from the narrations, rather they seek knowledge to blindly follow the statements of men. And many of them are proud about such a blind following attitude.

Abdullah bin Mas’ood (رضي الله عنه) said: “Either become an Aalim (scholar) or a Muta’allim (student of knowledge), but in between both of them, do not become a Muqallid (Imma’atan, blind follower)” [Jaami Bayaan al- Ilm: 1/71,72 H. 108]