ANSWER:

What you’re doing is giving in to the whispers of Satan. 

If you truly seek knowledge then you must not worry about what people think.

Scholars say: knowledge is blocked from two: someone who is arrogant and someone who is shy.

Whenever I want to ask a question to a sheikh or knowledgeable person at my mosque, I become fearful that I am only asking them to make myself look good, as if I am very keen to seek knowledge, which causes me to not ask the question. As a back-up, I sometimes contact a sheikh anonymously online to prevent riyaa’, though this can be difficult sometimes. Is what I am doing recommended or permissible