The Saying: "Whoever has no Shaikh, his Shaikh is Satan"
Question :
What is your opinion regarding those who say: "Whoever has no Shaikh, his Shaikh is Satan."?!
Answer:
There is no doubt that knowledge is transmitted by its bearers - and they are the righteous scholars - and whoever receives knowledge from them benefits greatly, understanding the texts (of the Qur'an and Sunnah), knowing how to study and how to act, and that whoever restricts himself to reading books only, (certain) things may not be apparent to him and he may misunderstand what he reads, but I do not concur with this saying and it is not an authentic Hadith - neither Marfu' nor Mawquf. It might be a saying of some of the scholars, intended to warn people against staying away from the people of knowledge and to encourage them to attend lectures given by the scholars. And Allah is the Granter of success.
Source:
Ibn Jibreen
Fatawa Islamiyah, Vol. 1 Page 377