HADITH 1 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, theMessenger of Allah (SAAW) said:“Seeking knowledge is incumbent on every Muslim; he who offers knowledge tothose who do not appreciate it, is like the one who decorates pigs withprecious stones, pearls and gold”
HADITH 2 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 (Astate 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 inthe 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 bestamong them in the Jahiliyah , are the the best in Islam, if they gainknowledge, and the souls are hosts which are sent around, the similar onesget 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 hadeethwhich begins with: “The souls…” only.
HADITH 3 The Virtue of ‘Ilm
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 thebest of your religion is the wara’ (piety, self restrain).”(At-Tabarani, Al-Awsat; Al-Bazzar)
HADITH 4 The Meadows of Paradise
Ibn ‘Abbas reported, the Messenger of Allah (SAAW) said [to a group ofcompanions]:“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 circlesof ‘Ilm.”(At-Tabarani, Al-Mu’jam Al-Kabir)
HADITH 5 Seeking ‘Ilm
Abu Bakrah reported, I heard the Prophet (SAAW) saying:“You should be a scholar, or a student, or a listener, or a lover of ‘Ilmand 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)
HADITH 6 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, andthe assumptions of the liars, and the misinterpretation of the fools.”(Al-Khatib Al-Baghdadi, Sharaf As/hab Al-Hadith; At-Tabrizi, MishkatAl-Masabih)
HADITH 7 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; IbnAbi 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 notbe repulsive.”Ahmad Ibn Hanbal narrated it as follows:“Teach and give good tidings! Make things easy, and do not make them hard!”
HADITH 8 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, andreports it as he heard it, because many people which the hadith is reportedto, perceive it better than the one who reported it to them.”(Ibn Hibban, Sahih)
HADITH 9 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)
HADITH 10 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)
HADITH 11 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 Youfrom non-beneficial knowledge.”(Ibn Hibban, Sahih)
HADITH 12 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), itis better for you than to voluntarily pray one hundred rak’as (units ofprayer), and if you learn a category of knowledge (religion), regardless ifit is applied or not, it is better for you than to voluntarily pray onethousand rak’as.”(Ibn Majah, Sunan; Ibn Hajar Al-‘Asqalani, Mukhtasar At-Targhib wa-t-Tarhib;Al-Ghazali, Ihya’ ‘Ulum Ad-Deen)
HADITH 13 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 pathuntil he returns [to his home].”(At-Tirmidhi, Sunan, An-Nawawi, Riyad As-Salahin)
Hadith 14 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 [intoParadise].”(Muslim, Sahih; Ad-Darimi, Sunan; An-Nawawi, Riyad As-Salihin)
Hadith 15 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)
Hadith 16 The Angels Love For Knowledge Seekers
Safwan Ibn ‘Assal said: I came to the Prophet (SAAW) while he was recliningon 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, MukhtasarAt-Targhib; Ibn Hajar Al-‘Asqalani, Al-Isabah fi Tamyziz As-Sahabah, article“Safwan Ibn ‘Assal”)
Hadith 17 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 careof you” (Ad-Darimi, Sunan) It has been narrated, that Abu Harun Al-‘Abdi andShahr Ibn Hawshab said: Whenever we visited Abu Sa’id Al-Khudri, he used tosay 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 ofAllah’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’)
Hadith 18 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, MukhtasarAt-Targhib; Ibn ‘Abd Al-Barr, Jami’ Bayan Al-‘Ilm)
Hadith 19 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 thereward 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)* Up to this point is the version which Muslim reported in his Sahih.
Hadith 20 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)
