Allah, the Exalted, says:

"And say: `My Rubb! Increase me in knowledge.'' (20:114)

"Are those who know equal to those who know not?''' (39:9)

"Allah will exalt in degree those of you who believe, and those who have been granted knowledge.'' (58:11)

"It is only those who have knowledge among His slaves that fear Allah.'' (35:28)

Anas (radiallahu anh) reported: The Messenger of Allah (salallahu 'alayhi wasallam) said: "Seeking knowledge is obligatory upon every Muslim."
[Ibn Majah]

Al-Thawri (rahmatullahi alaih) said: “It is the knowledge for which no person has any excuse for not knowing.”

What is meant by knowledge here is knowledge of sharee’ah (Islamic knowledge).

See also: Is It Compulsory?: http://www.muftisays.com/blog/Seifeddine-M/1226_22-02-2011/is-it-compulsory.html

Mu`awiyah (radiallahu anh) reported: The Messenger of Allah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) said, "When Allah wishes good for someone, He bestows upon him the understanding of Deen.''
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

Ibn Mas`ud (radiallahu anh) reported: The Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) said, "Envy is permitted only in two cases: A man whom Allah gives wealth, and he disposes of it rightfully, and a man to whom Allah gives knowledge which he applies and teaches it.''
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

Jealousy is forbidden and is held unlawful. The reason being that one who is jealous wants that the person, who possesses the quality of which he is jealous, be deprived of that quality. In these instances, however, envy is permissible for the reason that when one sees that a person has been graced by Allah with certain gifts and qualities, he also desires to be blessed with those gifts. In the latter case, he does not grumble and grieve but eagerly prays to Allah for those gifts. `Knowledge' here stands for the knowledge of the Qur'an and Hadith because this knowledge alone is beneficial for man, and it is through this knowledge that correct judgements can be made among the people. This Hadith has an inducement for acquiring useful knowledge along with wealth to spend in the ways ordained by Allah.

Abu Musa (radiallahu anh) reported: The Messenger of Allah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) said, "The guidance and knowledge with which Allah has sent me are like abundant rain which fell on a land. A fertile part of it absorbed the water and brought forth profuse herbage and pasture; and solid ground patches which retained the water by which Allah has benefited people, who drank from it, irrigated their crops and sowed their seeds; and another sandy plane which could neither retain the water nor produce herbage. Such is the similitude of the person who becomes well-versed in the religion of Allah and receives benefit from the Message entrusted to me by Allah, so he himself has learned and taught it to others; such is also the similitude of the person who has stubbornly and ignorantly rejected Allah's Guidance with which I have been sent.''
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

Sahl bin Sa`d (radiallahu anh) reported: The Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) said to `Ali (radiallahu anh), "By Allah, if a single person is guided by Allah through you, it will be better for you than a whole lot of red camels.''
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

"Better for you than red camels'' is an allegory for every thing that is better than anything else. Red camels used to be precious in Arabia, and their reference here is to highlight the value of guidance.

`Abdullah bin `Amr bin Al-`As (radiallahu anhuma) reported: The Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) said, "Convey from me even an Ayah of the Qur'an; relate traditions from Banu Israel, and there is no restriction on that; but he who deliberately forges a lie against me let him have his abode in the Hell.''
[Al-Bukhari]

Abu Hurairah (radiallahu anh) reported: The Messenger of Allah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) said, "Allah makes the way to Jannah easy for him who treads the path in search of knowledge.''
[Muslim]

Abu Hurairah (radiallahu anh) reported: The Messenger of Allah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) said, "He who calls others to follow the Right Guidance will have a reward equal to the reward of those who follow him, without their reward being diminished in any respect on that account.''
[Muslim]

Abu Hurairah (radiallahu anh) reported: The Messenger of Allah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) said, "When a man dies, his deeds come to an end except for three things: Sadaqah Jariyah (ceaseless charity); a knowledge which is beneficial, or a virtuous decendant who prays for him (for the deceased).''
[Muslim]

Examples of Sadaqah Jariyah: building a mosque, or a hospital, or digging a well, etc. As long as people will benefit from these, he will receive a reward for them.

Abu Hurairah (radiallahu anh) reported: The Messenger o Allah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) said, "The world, with all that it contains, is accursed except for the remembrance of Allah that which pleases Allah; and the religious scholars and seekers of knowledge.''
[At-Tirmidhi]

Anas (radiallahu anh) reported: The Messenger of Allah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) said, "He who goes forth in search of knowledge is considered as struggling in the Cause of Allah until he returns.''
[At-Tirmidhi]

Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri (radiallahu anh) reported: The Messenger of Allah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) said, "A believer never satisfies doing good until he reaches Jannah.''
[At-Tirmidhi]

Abu Umamah (radiallahu anh) reported: The Messenger of Allah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) said, "The superiority of the learned over the devout worshipper is like my superiority over the most inferior amongst you (in good deeds).'' He went on to say, "Allah, His angels, the dwellers of the heaven and the earth, and even the ant in its hole and the fish (in water) supplicate in favour of those who teach people knowledge.''
[At-Tirmidhi]

`Alim (learned person) here means scholar of the Qur'an and Hadith, who adheres to Faraid and Sunnah and remains busy in learning and imparting knowledge. `Abid (devout worshipper) is one who spends most of his time in the worship of Allah. The benefit of his voluntary prayer and remembrance of Allah is restricted to his own self while the benefit of knowledge of the scholar reaches others also. Hence, of the two, the latter is far superior.

Abud-Darda (radiallahu anh) reported: The Messenger of Allah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) 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]

Like the preceding Ahadith, this Hadith also mentions the eminence of learning religious knowledge, and respecting and honouring `Ulama'.

Ibn Mas`ud (radiallahu anh) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) saying, "May Allah freshen the affairs of a person who hears something from us and communicates it to others exactly as he has heard it (i.e., both the meaning and the words). Many a recepient of knowledge understands it better than the one who has heard it.''
[At-Tirmidhi]

Abu Hurairah (radiallahu anh) reported: The Messenger of Allah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) said, "He who is asked about knowledge (of religion) and conceals it, will be bridled with a bridle of fire on the Day of Resurrection.''
[Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi]

Abu Hurairah (radiallahu anh) reported: The Messenger of Allah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) said, "He who does not acquire knowledge with the sole intention of seeking the Pleasure of Allah but for worldly gain, will not smell the fragrance of Jannah on the Day of Resurrection.''
[Abu Dawud]

This Hadith has an inducement for acquiring knowledge for the Pleasure of Allah alone.

`Abdullah bin `Amr bin Al-`As (radiallahu anhuma) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) saying: "Verily, Allah does not take away knowledge by snatching it from the people, but He takes it away by taking away (the lives of) the religious scholars till none of the scholars stays alive. Then the people will take ignorant ones as their leaders, who, when asked to deliver religious verdicts, will issue them without knowledge, the result being that they will go astray and will lead others astray.''
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

It is a sign of the nearness of the Day of Judgement that the world will be deprived of genuine religious scholars, and illiterate people will become leaders who will have neither the knowledge of the Qur'an nor that of the Hadith.

Mirdas Al-Aslami (radiallahu anh) said: The Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) said, "The pious men will depart one after another, the dregs of people, like the sediment of barley or dates will remain; Allah will not raise them in value and esteem.''
[Al-Bukhari]

This Hadith shows that the demise of the pious people is one of the signs of the nearness of the Day of Resurrection. It also shows that during the last days near the Day of Resurrection, pious persons will not remain and only the wicked people will inhabit the earth and the Day of Judgement will dawn on such bad people.

» Posted by Seifeddine-M on 23rd September 2010

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