Knowledge

THE IMPORTANCE OF KNOWLEDGE

Anas (RA) said: the Messenger of Allah (SAAW) said:

“He who leaves his home in order to seek knowledge, he is in Allah’s path until he returns [to his home].”

(At-Tirmidhi, Sunan, An-Nawawi, Riyad As-Salahin)

Abud-Darda (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said,

“He who follows a path in quest of knowledge, Allah will make the path of Jannah easy to him. The angels lower their wings over the seeker of knowledge, being pleased with what he does. The inhabitants of the heavens and the earth and even the fish in the depth of the oceans seek forgiveness for him. The superiority of the learned man over the devout worshipper is like that of the full moon to the rest of the stars (i.e., in brightness). The learned are the heirs of the Prophets who bequeath neither dinar nor dirham but only that of knowledge; and he who acquires it, has in fact acquired an abundant portion.”

[Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi].

Abu Dharr narrated, the Messenger of Allah (SAAW) said to me:

“O Abu Dharr! If you learn one verse from The Book of Allah (The Quran), it is better for you than to voluntarily pray one hundred rak’as (units of prayer), and if you learn a category of knowledge (religion), regardless if it is applied or not, it is better for you than to voluntarily pray one thousand rak’as.”

(Ibn Majah, Sunan; Ibn Hajar Al-‘Asqalani, Mukhtasar At-Targhib wa-t-Tarhib; Al-Ghazali, Ihya’ ‘Ulum Ad-Deen)

Abu Hurairah said: I heard the Messanger of Allah (SAAW) saying:

“Anyone who comes to this mosque of ours in order to learn a good thing, or to teach it, is equal to the Mujahid in the path of Allah, and whoever comes for anything else, he is like a man who looks at other people’s belongings.”

(Ibn Majah, Sunan; Ibn Hajar Al-Haithami, Mawarid Az-Zam’an)

Safwan Ibn ‘Assal said: I came to the Prophet (SAAW) while he was reclining on a red coat [in the mosque] and I said to him:

“O’ Messenger of Allah! I came to seek knowledge. He said: Welcome knowledge seeker! Indeed, the angels surround the knowledge seeker with their wings, then they pile on top of each other until they reach the lower heaven out of their love of what he is seeking.”

(Ahmad Ibn Hanbal; At-Tabarani; Ibn Hajar Al-‘Asqalani, Mukhtasar At-Targhib; Ibn Hajar Al-‘Asqalani, Al-Isabah fi Tamyziz As-Sahabah, article “Safwan Ibn ‘Assal”)

Anas (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said,

“He who goes forth in search of knowledge is considered as struggling in the Cause of Allah until he returns.”

[At-Tirmidhi].

Umm Maryam