107 - The merits of knowledge and scholars

The Prophet (peace be upon him) tells us in this hadith about the merits of a person who pursues Islamic knowledge. 

1. The Prophet (peace be upon him) mentions that whoever takes a way seeking useful knowledge will be rewarded by God who makes it easy for that person to do good deeds that ensure his admittance into Heaven. The hadith mentions knowledge and its way in general terms so as to include all mental and material ways that lead to the acquisition of such knowledge, and all branches and aspects of religious knowledge, as well as any amount of knowledge, little or much.

The hadith covers all effort a person takes to acquire knowledge. Thus, the pursuit of a way to knowledge covers both physical and mental efforts. Physical effort includes going to a place of learning, such as a mosque, school or university, or taking a trip to another country. Mental effort includes every way of learning and retaining information. ‘Knowledge’ referred to in the hadith is mainly religious knowledge, and covers any small or great amount.     

2. The Prophet (peace be upon him) tells us in this hadith that the angels put down their wings before the one who pursues knowledge, either as a mark of humility, or in acknowledgement of his great merit. The text of the hadith may also mean that the angels fold their wings and stop flying, landing close to the one who pursues knowledge, shading him or her.

4. The Prophet (peace be upon him) adds another merit for those who pursue knowledge, namely that God makes all creation pray to God to forgive them their sins. This is due to the fact that the knowledge they acquire and what they do to acquire it are causes for mercy to be bestowed by God on humanity. Such pursuit of knowledge results in an increase of deeds undertaken in obedience of God. Moreover, the portents of the Last Hour include that knowledge will become scarce, while ignorance will increase. This is a sign of the approach of the end of life. 

This particular favour is similar to what is stated in the hadith which quotes the Prophet (peace be upon him):

The Prophet (peace be upon him) further states that a scholar who fulfils his duties towards knowledge, implementing and teaching it, is better than a worshipper who devotes his time to worship, and that such merit is like the superiority of the light of the full moon to that of stars and planets. The moon spreads its light over vast expanses and enables travellers in the desert to continue on their journey. It benefits cities and people, while the light of a planet is limited to itself, giving nothing to its surrounding area. The same applies to scholars and worshippers: a scholar benefits himself and others, while the reward of worship is given to the worshipper alone.

In this simile, the Prophet likens a scholar to the moon which reflects the light it gains from another source, namely, the sun. The same is the case of a scholar whose knowledge is gained from God’s revelations and the Prophet’s Sunnah.

6. The Prophet (peace be upon him) adds another merit of scholars, stating that they are the heirs of prophets. As such, they have the same status towards prophets as children have towards their parents. Children inherit their parents when they die. Scholars inherit the knowledge of prophets, teaching it to people. Prophets do not bequeath gold, silver, money or any type of property. They rather leave behind a great gem of knowledge. Whoever learns it, gets hold of a great wealth which is much superior to material riches. He gets a full share of the heritage of prophethood.

1. When you feel a yearning to be in Heaven, and when you feel that attaining it is hard, seek religious knowledge, because learning the divine faith is itself an act of worship. Such learning will tell you which acts of worship earn the greatest reward. It gives you motivation, serenity and diligence in worship. 

2. Whoever seeks high standing, blessing and facilitation of purpose should seek religious knowledge. Angels, who are among the noblest of God’s creation, honour those who pursue such knowledge, cover them and do God’s bidding to make their work and tasks easier.

3. When one pursues Islamic knowledge, one must approach it with respect. God has assigned some angels to attend circles of learning. The pursuer of knowledge must show due respect to these angels, making sure that there is neither a dog nor an image in their circle of learning. The angels assigned by God are honourable, given the tasks of guardianship and recording. 

4. Our sins are numerous! Hence, we need to frequently pray for God’s forgiveness. Learning and spreading Islamic knowledge ensures that God’s creation in the heavens and earth, including devout people, will pray for our forgiveness. 

5. We may think that the universe around us is inanimate, but it is alive by God’s will. Even fish, which we think to be dumb, pray for the forgiveness of those who pursue knowledge. They do this in obedience of God’s command, as He is the One who gives everything its distinctive nature and form, and further guides them.

6. God clearly states that a scholar is of a higher status than one who devotes his time to worship. This because, like the moon, a scholar spreads light in the community. If a scholar remains aloof, unwilling to impart knowledge, what will be his distinctive merit?

7. This hadith shows very clearly that scholars hold the highest status, because they are the heirs of the best chosen people, the prophets. None is better qualified to deliver the message of prophets to people than scholars. Therefore, they come next to the prophets in their merit. Such status deserves to be sought by our best efforts to overcome impediments and discard life’s enjoyments.

8. In the hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) says that prophets did not bequeath any money. This refers to the fact that all prophets cared little for this present life’s fleeting comforts.

9. Scholars are the heirs of prophets. They inherit from prophets the need to persevere in their efforts to acquire and spread knowledge. Moses travelled far and persevered through hunger in order to learn from al-Khaḍir, whose status was lower than his own. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) also persevered through hardships to spread knowledge. The same applies to those who inherit the heritage of the prophets. In this connection, Ibn Abu Ḥātim al-Rāzī said: ‘We spent seven months in Egypt, without having a cooked meal. We would attend scholars in their circles during the day, and we would spend a long period of the night copying and comparing. I went with a friend of mine to visit one elderly scholar, but we were told that he was unwell. We saw some fish which looked fine and we bought it. When we got home, it was the time when some scholar’s circle was due and we went to attend it. The fish remained at our place over the next three days, and it was about to go bad. We ate it raw, as we did not have the time to roast it’. He then said: ‘Learning cannot be gathered if you let your body relax’. 

10. A person who wants to acquire a fine sense of fearing God should acquire Islamic knowledge. Only a person who pursues such knowledge truly understands God, fears and loves Him, appreciating His sublime status.

The sentence is expressed in such a way that implies that none other than those endowed with knowledge stand truly in awe of God, because their feelings are based on true knowledge of Him.