نِعْمَ الرَّجُلُ الْفَقِيهُ فِي الدِّينِ، إِنِ احْتِيجَ إِلَيْهِ، نَفَعَ، وَإِنِ اسْتُغْنِيَ عَنْهُ، أَغْنَى نَفْسَهُ
What an excellent person is one well-versed in religion: when needed, he benefits others; when not needed, he remains self-sufficient.
Source: رواه رزين
نِعْمَ is a word of praise: “how excellent.” الْفَقِيهُ فِي الدِّينِ means a person with understanding of religion who puts that understanding to proper use. The report describes two outcomes: helping people when needed, and not becoming an unnecessary burden when not needed.
In إِنِ احْتِيجَ إِلَيْهِ نَفَعَ, إِنْ introduces a condition (“if”). احْتِيجَ is a passive past verb, “was needed,” while نَفَعَ means “he benefited [others].” The sentence connects knowledge directly to service.