The Superiority Of

Knowledge, Learning,
And Teaching

Compiled by:
Seeking ‘Ilm (Knowledge)

The Messenger of Allah (SAAW) said: “Seeking ‘Ilm (knowledge) is

incumbant on every Muslim.” (Ibn Hahar Al-‘Asqalani, Al-Matalib al ‘Aliyah)

Ibn Majah reported this Hadith as follows: Anas Ibn Maalik reported, the
Messenger of Allah (SAAW) said: “Seeking knowledge is incumbent on
every Muslim; he who offers knowledge to those who do not appreciate it,
is like the one who decorates pigs with precious stones, pearls and gold”

The Best People

Jabir Ibn ‘Abd Allah narrated, the Messenger of Allah (SAAW) said:
“People are of different substances, the best of them in the Jahiliyah (A
state of ignorance), are the best in Islam, if they gain ‘ilm (knowledge).”
(Ahmad Ibn Hanbal)

Ibn Hibban reported on the authority of Abu Hurairah: “People are of

different substances in good and in evil, the best of them in
the Jahiliyah are the best in Islam, if they gain knowledge.”

Muslim reported it on the authority of Abu Hurairah, as follows:

“People are of substances like the substance of gold and silver: the best
among them in the Jahiliyah , are the the best in Islam, if they gain
knowledge, and the souls are hosts which are sent around, the similar
ones get acquainted, and from the different ones depart from each other.”
(Muslim; An-Nawawi, Riyah As-Salihin)

Al-Bukhari reported on the authority of Ayesha (RA) a part of this hadeeth

which begins with: “The souls…” only.

The Virtue of ‘Ilm (Knowledge)

Hudhaifah Ibn al-Yaman (RA) narrated, the Messenger of Allah (SAAW)

said: “The excess of ‘Ilm is better than the excess of ‘Ibadah (worship),
and the best of your religion is the wara’ (piety, self restrain).”
(At-Tabarani, Al-Awsat; Al-Bazzar)

The Meadows of Paradise

Ibn ‘Abbas reported, the Messenger of Allah (SAAW) said [to a group of
companions]: “When you pass by the meadows of Paradise indulge freely
in it. They said: O Messenger of Allah! What are the meadows of
Paradise? He said: The circles of ‘Ilm.” (At-Tabarani, Al-Mu’jam Al-Kabir)
Seeking ‘Ilm (Knowledge)

Abu Bakrah reported, I heard the Prophet (SAAW) saying: “You should be
a scholar, or a student, or a listener, or a lover of ‘Ilm and scholars, and
you should not be the fifth which makes you perish. ‘Ata’ said, Mis’ar said
to me: You added a fifth point which we do not have. The fifth point is: To
hate ‘Ilm and its people.” (At-Tabarani; Al-Bazzar)

The Defenders of Hadith

Abu Hurairah narrated, the Messenger of Allah (SAAW) said: “The most
honest men of future generations will carry this ‘Ilm (i.e. Hadith), they will
purify it from the falsification of the extremists, and the assumptions of the
liars, and the misinterpretation of the fools.” (Al-Khatib Al-Baghdadi, Sharaf As/
hab Al-Hadith; At-Tabrizi, Mishkat Al-Masabih)

Education

Ibn ‘Abbas narrated, the Messenger of Allah (SAAW) said: “Teach! Make
things easy! And do not make things complicated He (SAAW) repeated
this three times and then he added: And if you get angry, keep quiet”
(Ibn Hajar Al-‘Asqalani, Al-Matalib Al-‘Aliyah; At-Tayalisi; Ibn Hanbal; Ibn Abi Shaibah)

Al-Bukhari narrated it on the authority of Anas, as follows: “Make things

easy. And do not make them complicated. Be cheerful. And do not
be repulsive.”

Ahmad Ibn Hanbal narrated it as follows: “Teach and give good tidings.
Make things easy, and do not make them hard”

Reporting Hadith

‘Abd Allah Ibn Mas’ud narrated, the Messanger of Allah (SAAW) said:
“May Allah brighten [the face of] a person who hears a hadith from us, and
reports it as he heard it, because many people which the hadith is
reported to, perceive it better than the one who reported it to them.”
(Ibn Hibban, Sahih)

Envy

‘Abd Allah Ibn Mas’ud (SAAW) said, the Messenger of Allah (SAAW) said:
“Let there be no envy, except in two things:

1. A man whom Allah gave a wealth and guided him to spend it in

righteous way.
 2. Or a man to whom Allah gave wisdom and he acts wisely and
teaches it to others.”

(Al-Bukhari and Muslim; See An-Nawawi, Riyad As-Salihin)

The Purpose of Acquiring Knowledge

Jabir Ibn ‘Abd Allah narrated, the Messenger of Allah (SAAW) said:
“Do not acquire knowledge in order to vie with scholars, and to wrangle
with the foolish, and to sit in the best seats: whoever does that his abode
will be the Fire, the Fire.” (Ibn Hibban, Sahih)

Beneficial Knowledge

Jabir Ibn ‘Abd Allah narrated, I heard the Messenger of Allah (SAAW)
saying: “My Lord, I ask You for beneficial knowledge, and I seek refuge
with You from non-beneficial knowledge.” (Ibn Hibban, Sahih)

Learning Quran and Religion

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)

Allah’s Path

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)

A Path to Paradise

Ibn ‘Abbas narrated, the Messanger of Allah (SAAW) said:

“Any person who goes along a course seeking knowledge, Allah will make
for him the path to Paradise easy because of it. And he who is slow-paced
in doing good deeds, his noble lineage will not give him priority [into
Paradise].” (Muslim, Sahih; Ad-Darimi, Sunan; An-Nawawi, Riyad As-Salihin)
Mujahid

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)

The Angels Love For Knowledge Seekers

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 angles 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”)

The Prophet’s Care for Students

Whenever Abu d-Darda’ saw the students, he used to say: “Greetings to

the seekers of knowledge.” And he said: “The Messenger of Alalh (SAAW)
urged people to take good care of you” (Ad-Darimi, Sunan) It has been
narrated, that Abu Harun Al-‘Abdi and Shahr Ibn Hawshab said: Whenever
we visited Abu Sa’id Al-Khudri, he used to say to us: “Greetings to the
recommedation of the Messenger of Allah”

The Messanger of Allah (SAAW) said: “You will conquer land, and some
people” Or he said: “Young men will come to you seeking knowledge, and
comprehending religion, and learning from you: if they come to you teach
them, and be kind to them, and make space for them in your circles, an
explain Hadith to them.”

Therefore, Abu Sa’id used to say to us: “Greetings to the Messenger of

Allah’s recommendation, the Messenger of Allah (SAAW) ordered us to
make a space for you in our circles, and explain Hadith to you.”
(Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr, Jami’)
Honoring Scholars

‘Abadah Ibn As-Samit narrated, the Messenger of Allah (SAAW) said:

“He who does not respect our elders, and does not have mercy on our
children, and does not honor our scholars, is not of my Ummah.”
(Ahmad Ibn Hanbal; At-Tabarani; Al-Hakim; Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani, Mukhtasar At-Targhib;
Ibn ‘Abd Al-Barr, Jami’ Bayan Al-‘Ilm)

The Reward for Calling for Guidance

Abu Hurairah (RA) narrated, the Messenger of Allah (SAAW) said:

“Anyone who calls [people] to a right guidance, he will be rewarded like
the reward of all those who followed him, without depriving them anything
from their reward.* And anyone who calls [people] to an error, he will get
of the sin, like the sins of those who followed him without decreasing
anything of their sins.” (Ibn Hibban, Sahih)

Learning

Abu Hurairah (RA) narrated, the Messenger of Allah (SAAW) said:

“Indeed Acquiring knowledge is done through learning. Indeed Acquiring
knowledge is done through learning. And anyone who cares about good, it
will be to him, and anyone who protects himself from evil, he will be saved
from it.” (Ad-Daraqutni, in Al-Ifrad; Al-Khatib)