Did scholars such as Al-Nawawi, Ibn al-Qayyim, and Ibn al-Jawzi focus solely on seeking knowledge and isolate themselves from people? And is isolating oneself from people better than mingling with them?

The general principle is to mix with people for good, and this is better than isolation, as the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "The Muslim who mixes with people and is patient with their harms is better than the Muslim who does not mix with people and is not patient with their harms."

Isolation is praiseworthy if it is from evil that a believer cannot remove or mitigate, such as isolating oneself from people during times of tribulation and war, and from gatherings of evil and obscenity.

The jurisprudential rule here is that mixing and isolation are subject to the five legal rulings: they may be obligatory, forbidden, recommended, disliked, or permissible, depending on the time, place, people, and circumstances. Scholars have elaborated on this: Al-Nawawi: He believes that mixing is better for one who is safe from tribulations, and that the hadith about the virtue of isolation refers to times of tribulation or to those whose evil people are not safe from. Ibn Al-Qayyim: He prefers mixing with people for good and isolating from them in evil, and that the believer who mixes with people and is patient with their harms is better. Ibn Al-Jawzi: He believes that isolation from evil is obligatory, while teaching students and guiding seekers is better. He warns against the isolation innovated by the ignorant and the Sufis, emphasizing that isolation from creation is the root of all good.

Thus, isolation can be obligatory at one time, recommended at another, permissible at another, disliked at another, and forbidden at another.