Excellence of Knowledge
17 hadiths
Whoever goes out to seek knowledge is in the cause of Allah until he returns
Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whoever goes out to seek knowledge is in the cause of Allah until he returns.”
When Allah intends good for someone, He grants him the understanding of the religion
Mu‘āwiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) say: "When Allah intends good for someone, He grants him the understanding of the religion. Indeed, I am only a distributor, and Allah is the Giver. This Ummah will continue to follow Allah's laws, not being harmed by those who oppose them, until Allah's command comes to pass."
Indeed, I have not asked you to swear because I suspect you, but Jibrīl (Gabriel) came and told me that Allah Almighty is boasting about you before the angels
Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri reported: Mu‘āwiyah came upon a group of people sitting in a circle in the mosque and said: What has made you sit together? They said: We have sat together to remember Allah. He said: I adjure you by Allah, has nothing else made you sit together? They replied: By Allah, nothing else has made us sit together. He said: Indeed, I have not asked you to swear because I suspect you, and there was no one in the position I was in from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) who narrates fewer Hadīths from him than me. Verily, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) came upon a group of his Companions sitting in a circle and said: "What has made you sit together?" They said: We have sat together to remember Allah and praise Him for having guided us to Islam and for bestowing favor upon us. He said: "I adjure you by Allah, has nothing else made you sit together?" They said: By Allah, nothing else has made us sit together. He said: "Indeed, I have not asked you to swear because I suspect you, but Jibrīl (Gabriel) came and told me that Allah Almighty is boasting about you before the angels."
Among the portents of the Hour is that knowledge will be taken away, ignorance will prevail, adultery will spread, drinking alcohol will be common, and men will decrease in number while women will increase so much that for fifty women there will only be one man to look after them
Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I will narrate to you a Hadīth I heard from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) and none will narrate it to you other than me. I heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) say: "Among the portents of the Hour is that knowledge will be taken away, ignorance will prevail, adultery will spread, drinking alcohol will be common, and men will decrease in number while women will increase so much that for fifty women there will only be one man to look after them."
The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned something and said: "That will be at the time when knowledge disappears
Ziyād ibn Labīd (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned something and said: "That will be at the time when knowledge disappears." I said: "O Messenger of Allah, how will knowledge disappear when we recite the Qur’an and teach it to our children, and they teach it to their children (and so on) until the Day of Judgment?" He said: "May your mother be bereaved of you, O Ziyād! I thought you were the most knowledgeable man in Madīnah. Is it not the case with these Jews and Christians who read the Torah and the Gospel, yet they do not act upon anything therein?!"
Do not seek knowledge in order to show off in front of the scholars, or to argue with the foolish;
Jābir ibn ‘Abdullāh (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Do not seek knowledge in order to show off in front of the scholars, or to argue with the foolish; or to get the higher status in gatherings. Whoever does that, the Fire, the Fire."
they would listen to ten verses from the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) and not move to the next ten verses until they learned the knowledge and application contained therein
‘Abdur-Rahmān as-Sulami (may Allah have mercy upon him) reported: Those who used to recite the Qur’an to us from among the Prophet's Companions related to us that they would listen to ten verses from the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) and not move to the next ten verses until they learned the knowledge and application contained therein. They said: So, we learned knowledge and application.
O Abu al-Mundhir, do you know which verse of Allah's Book that you have is the greatest?" I said: "{Allah: none has the right to be worshiped except Him, the Ever-Living, All-Sustaining...} [Surat al-Baqarah: 255]." Thereupon, he struck me on the chest and said: "May knowledge be pleasant for you, O Abu al-Mundhir!
Ubayy ibn Ka‘b (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Abu al-Mundhir, do you know which verse of Allah's Book that you have is the greatest?" I replied: "Allah and His Messenger know best." He said: "O Abu al-Mundhir, do you know which verse of Allah's Book that you have is the greatest?" I said: "{Allah: none has the right to be worshiped except Him, the Ever-Living, All-Sustaining...} [Surat al-Baqarah: 255]." Thereupon, he struck me on the chest and said: "May knowledge be pleasant for you, O Abu al-Mundhir!"
When a person dies, his deeds come to an end except for three things: ongoing charity, beneficial knowledge, or a pious child who supplicates for him
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When a person dies, his deeds come to an end except for three things: ongoing charity, beneficial knowledge, or a pious child who supplicates for him."
There were two brothers during the time of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). One of them used to come to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and the other used to work to earn a living. Once, the working brother complained to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) about his brother. Thereupon, he replied: Perhaps you are granted sustenance because of him
Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: There were two brothers during the time of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). One of them used to come to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and the other used to work to earn a living. Once, the working brother complained to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) about his brother. Thereupon, he replied: "Perhaps you are granted sustenance because of him."
The guidance and knowledge with which Allah has sent me are like abundant rain that fell on some ground
Abu Mūsa (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The guidance and knowledge with which Allah has sent me are like abundant rain that fell on some ground. A part of it was good, absorbing the water, so it brought forth abundant herbage and pasture; and there were some bare patches in it that retained the water by which Allah gave benefit to people who drank, watered, and grew plants. But some of it fell on another flat portion that could not retain the water or produce herbage. That is like the one who becomes versed in Allah's religion and receives benefit from the message entrusted to me by Allah, so he knows for himself and teaches others; and it is like the one who does not show regard to that and does not accept Allah's guidance with which I have been sent."
The superiority of the scholar over the worshiper is like my superiority over the lowest among you
Abu ’Umāmah al-Bāhili (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: Two men were mentioned to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him): one of them was a devout worshipper and the other a scholar. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The superiority of the scholar over the worshiper is like my superiority over the lowest among you." Then, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, Allah, His angels, the inhabitants of the heavens and the earth, even the ant in its hole, and even the fish, invoke blessings upon one who teaches people goodness."
Whoever follows a path in pursuit of knowledge, Allah will facilitate for him a path to Paradise
Abu Ad-Dardā’ (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever follows a path in pursuit of knowledge, Allah will facilitate for him a path to Paradise. Indeed, the angels lower their wings for the seeker of knowledge, out of pleasure at what he does. Verily, the inhabitants of the heavens and the earth, even the fish in the water, ask forgiveness from Allah for the knowledgeable. The superiority of a scholar over a devout worshiper is like the superiority of the moon over the rest of the stars. Indeed, the scholars are the inheritors of the prophets, who bequeath neither dinar nor dirham, only knowledge. So whoever acquires it has actually taken abundant wealth."
من غدا إلى المسجد لا يريد إلا ليتعلم خيرًا أو يعلمه كان له أجر معتمر
عَنْ أَبِي أُمَامَةَ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «مَنْ غَدَا إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ لَا يُرِيدُ إِلَّا لِيَتَعَلَّمَ خَيْرًا أَوْ يَعْلَمَهُ كَانَ لَهُ أَجْرُ مُعْتَمِرٍ تَامِّ الْعُمْرَةِ، فَمَنْ رَاحَ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ لَا يُرِيدُ إِلَّا لِيَتَعَلَّمَ خَيْرًا أَوْ يُعَلِّمَهُ فَلَهُ أَجْرُ حَاجٍّ تَامِّ الْحِجَّةِ».
People are precious metals, like the metals gold and silver. The best of them in the pre-Islamic period are the best of them in Islam, if they understand. Souls are conscripted soldiers, whichever of them come together, they unite and whichever of them disregard each other, they diverge
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "People are precious metals, like the metals gold and silver. The best of them in the pre-Islamic period are the best of them in Islam, if they understand. Souls are conscripted soldiers, whichever of them come together, they unite and whichever of them disregard each other, they diverge." Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: ''You find people like metal; the best of them in the pre-Islamic era are the best of them in Islam, if they understand. And you find the best of people in this matter are those who detest it most. And you find the most evil of people are the two-faced; the ones who come to these with one face and to those with another.''
Whoever relieves a believer from one of the hardships of this world, Allah will relieve him from one of the hardships of the Day of Judgment
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever relieves a believer from one of the hardships of this world, Allah will relieve him from one of the hardships of the Day of Judgment. Whoever makes things easy for someone in difficulty, Allah will make things easy for him in this world and the Hereafter. Whoever covers a Muslim, Allah will cover him in this world and the Hereafter. Allah is in the aid of the slave as long as the slave is in the aid of his brother. Whoever treads a path seeking knowledge, Allah will make easy for him a path to Paradise. No group of people gather in one of the houses of Allah, reciting the Book of Allah and studying it among themselves, except that tranquility descends upon them, mercy envelops them, the angels surround them, and Allah mentions them to those near Him. And whoever is slowed down by his deeds will not be hastened forward by his lineage."
May Allah brighten the person who hears something from us and conveys it as he heard it, for perhaps the one to whom it is conveyed is more mindful than the hearer
‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) say: "May Allah brighten the person who hears something from us and conveys it as he heard it, for perhaps the one to whom it is conveyed is more mindful than the hearer."