Riyad al-Salihin
From the words of the Master of the Messengers
Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him
The Book of Knowledge
Chapter: The Excellence of Knowledge
Allah the Exalted says:
“Then exalted be Allah, the True King! And hasten not (O Muhammad) with the Qur'an ere its revelation hath been perfected unto thee, and say: My Lord! Increase me in knowledge.” (20:114)
And He the Exalted says:
“Is he who payeth adoration in the watches of the night, prostrate and standing, bewaring of the Hereafter and hoping for the mercy of his Lord, (to be accounted equal with a disbeliever)? Say (unto them, O Muhammad): Are those who know equal with those who know not? But only men of understanding will pay heed.” (39:9)
And those who do not know.
And He the Exalted says:
“O ye who believe! when it is said unto you, Make room! in assemblies, then make room; Allah will make way for you (hereafter). And when it is said, Come up higher! go up higher; Allah will exalt those who believe among you, and those who have knowledge, to high ranks. Allah is Informed of what ye do.” (58:11)
“O ye who believe! when it is said unto you, Make room! in assemblies, then make room; Allah will make way for you (hereafter). And when it is said, Come up higher! go up higher; Allah will exalt those who believe among you, and those who have knowledge, to high ranks. Allah is Informed of what ye do.” (58:11)
And He the Exalted says:
“And of men and beasts and cattle, in like manner, divers hues? The erudite among His bondmen fear Allah alone. Lo! Allah is Mighty, Forgiving.” (35:28)
On the authority of Mu'awiyah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"If Allah intends good for a person, He grants him deep understanding of the religion."
Agreed upon.
From the benefits of this hadith:
Whoever does not seek deep understanding of the religion and learn the principles of Islam,
And the branches connected to them,
Has been deprived of goodness.
A clear declaration of the superiority of the scholars over all other people,
And the superiority of deep understanding of the religion over all other sciences.
Knowledge is not attained through acquisition alone,
Rather, acquisition is merely a means.
Furthermore, the servant must seek the help of Allah,
That He may grant him sound understanding and sincere intention.
On the authority of Ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"There is no envy except in two cases:
A man to whom Allah has given wealth,
And he spends it in the cause of truth,
And a man to whom Allah has given wisdom,
And he judges by it and teaches it."
Agreed upon.
The intended meaning of 'envy' here is 'emulation' (ghibta),
Which is to wish for the same as another has.
On the authority of Abu Musa, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"The example of the guidance and knowledge with which Allah has sent me
Is like abundant rain that fell upon the earth.
Some of it was fertile soil that absorbed the water,
And produced much vegetation and grass.
Other parts were barren, holding the water,
By which Allah benefited the people,
So they drank from it, watered their animals, and irrigated their crops.
And it fell upon another portion,
Which was merely flat land,
That neither held water nor produced vegetation.
This is the example of one who is well-versed in the religion of Allah,
And benefits from what Allah sent me with,
So he learns and teaches.
And the example of one who does not raise his head for that,
And does not accept the guidance of Allah with which I was sent."
Agreed upon.
On the authority of Sahl ibn Sa'd, may Allah be pleased with him,
That the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
Said to 'Ali, may Allah be pleased with him:
"By Allah, for Allah to guide a single man through you
Is better for you than the best of camels."
Agreed upon.
On the authority of 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'As, may Allah be pleased with them both,
That the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Convey from me, even if it be a single verse.
And narrate from the Children of Israel, for there is no harm in it.
And whoever tells a lie about me intentionally,
Let him take his seat in the Fire."
Narrated by al-Bukhari.
From the benefits of this hadith:
The obligation to convey the religion, both the Book and the Sunnah,
And that a person should pass on what he has memorized and understood,
Even if it is a small amount.
If every servant hastens to do this,
The transmission of everything brought by the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, is preserved.
The removal of restriction regarding narrating from the Children of Israel,
Because there are wonders among them,
But one should neither believe them nor deny them,
Unless there is evidence in our Shari'ah supporting it through an authentic transmission.
The prohibition of lying about the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
The scholars have agreed that it is counted among the major sins.
Indeed, some have even gone so far as to declare the one who lies about the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, a disbeliever.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him,
That the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"And whoever treads a path seeking knowledge,
Allah will make easy for him a path to Paradise."
Narrated by Muslim.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him,
That the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Whoever calls to guidance,
Will have a reward like the rewards of those who follow him,
Without their rewards being diminished in the slightest."
Narrated by Muslim.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"When the son of Adam dies,
His deeds are cut off except for three:
Ongoing charity,
Or knowledge from which benefit is derived,
Or a righteous child who prays for him."
Narrated by Muslim.
From the benefits of this hadith:
The encouragement to prepare for death through righteous deeds.
Righteous deeds whose impact remains after the death of the doer, and whose reward continues.
The encouragement to endow works of righteousness,
Such as building mosques and schools,
Digging wells, and planting trees,
For all of these are ongoing charity.
The recommendation to teach knowledge and author beneficial books,
For it is among the beneficial knowledge whose impact endures,
And remains for a long time throughout the ages.
The encouragement to raise children and teach them the obligatory duties, the Sunnah, and manners,
So that they may be among the righteous.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, say:
"The world is cursed,
And cursed is what is in it,
Except for the remembrance of Allah the Exalted and what He loves,
And a scholar or a student."
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi.
His saying "and what He loves,"
Means obedience to Allah.
On the authority of Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Whoever goes out in pursuit of knowledge,
Is in the path of Allah until he returns."
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi.
On the authority of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him,
From the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, who said:
"A believer will never be satisfied with goodness,
Until his end is Paradise."
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi.
From the benefits of this hadith:
This hadith is supported by his saying, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him:
"Two types of people are never satisfied:
One who is greedy for knowledge and is never satisfied,
And one who is greedy for the world and is never satisfied."
The student of knowledge is greedy and never satisfied with knowledge,
Because this lack of satisfaction is a requirement of faith and a trait of the believers.
That is why when it was said to one of the Imams of Islam:
"Until when should one seek knowledge?" He replied:
"From the inkwell to the grave."
The student of knowledge seeks more of it,
In fulfillment of the saying of the Exalted:
“Then exalted be Allah, the True King! And hasten not (O Muhammad) with the Qur'an ere its revelation hath been perfected unto thee, and say: My Lord! Increase me in knowledge.” (20:114)
The pleasure derived from knowledge and faith,
Is in a state of constant renewal.
Its possessor remains a seeker of more, eager for it.
On the authority of Abu Umamah, may Allah be pleased with him,
That the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"The superiority of the scholar over the worshiper
Is like my superiority over the lowest among you."
Then the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Indeed, Allah, His angels, and the inhabitants of the heavens and the earth,
Even the ant in its hole,
And even the whale,
Pray for the one who teaches people goodness."
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi.
From the benefits of this hadith:
The encouragement to teach people goodness,
Because it is the cause of their salvation, happiness, and the purification of their souls.
And whoever does that,
Allah rewards him according to the nature of his deed,
By ordaining for him His prayer, the prayer of His angels, and the inhabitants of His heavens and earth,
Which becomes a cause for his salvation, happiness, and success.
The teacher of goodness to people,
Because he is a manifestation of the Lord's religion and His rulings,
And makes them aware of His names and attributes,
Allah has made His prayer and the prayer of the inhabitants of His heavens and earth,
A means of exalting him,
Honoring him, and manifesting praise for him,
Among the inhabitants of the heaven and the earth.
The scholars are the callers,
They perform the function of the Prophets,
Which is calling to Allah and teaching people goodness.
They are the heirs of the Prophets,
And therefore they are preferred over the people,
Just as the Prophets were preferred over the people,
Though this does not mean the two stations are equal.
On the authority of Abu al-Darda', may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, say:
"Whoever treads a path seeking knowledge,
Allah will make easy for him a path to Paradise.
And the angels lower their wings for the student of knowledge,
Out of pleasure with what he is doing.
And the scholar is prayed for by those in the heavens and those on the earth,
Even the whales in the water.
And the superiority of the scholar over the worshiper
Is like the superiority of the moon over all the stars.
And the scholars are the heirs of the Prophets,
And the Prophets did not leave behind a dinar or a dirham,
But they left behind knowledge,
So whoever takes it has taken a bountiful share."
Narrated by Abu Dawud and al-Tirmidhi.
From the benefits of this hadith:
The encouragement to respect students of knowledge and be humble before them,
And to be pleased with their work and to pray and seek forgiveness for them.
The excellence of knowledge,
And its rays of light that illuminate the paths of goodness and truth for people.
Knowledge is the greatest and most noble wealth,
And whoever possesses it should respect and honor it.
The perfection of knowledge is through action,
And following the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
Regarding character and conduct.
Insulting and harming scholars is a form of wickedness and misguidance.
This is because they are the bearers of the Prophetic legacy.
On the authority of Ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, say:
"May Allah brighten the face of a person who hears something from us,
and then conveys it exactly as he heard it,
for many a person to whom knowledge is conveyed understands it better than the one who heard it directly."
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi.
"May Allah brighten the face of a person..."
This is a supplication for his excellence.
The intended meaning is:
May Allah make his character and his status excellent.
Among the benefits of this hadith:
The encouragement to convey knowledge and teach people goodness.
One must preserve knowledge accurately, without addition or omission,
because the one who conveys it is a trustee.
People’s levels of understanding vary;
thus, "many a person to whom knowledge is conveyed understands it better than the one who heard it directly."
And "many a bearer of fiqh is not a faqih (jurist) himself."
The Prophet, peace be upon him, spoke this for anyone from his Ummah who conveys a hadith he has heard.
It implies that the mercy of Allah, the Majestic and Exalted, will protect him,
and that he will be among the successful on the Day of Resurrection.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
"Whoever is asked about knowledge and conceals it,
will be bridled on the Day of Resurrection with a bridle of fire."
Narrated by Abu Dawud and al-Tirmidhi.
Among the benefits of this hadith:
The necessity of punishment on the Day of Resurrection
for the one who conceals knowledge that is needed for the affairs of the Muslims.
Whoever acquires knowledge should pay its zakat by spreading it among the people.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
"Whoever acquires knowledge that is intended for the sake of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic,
but does not acquire it except to attain some worldly gain,
will not perceive the fragrance of Paradise on the Day of Resurrection."
Meaning its scent.
Narrated by Abu Dawud.
Among the benefits of this hadith:
One must have sincerity in seeking and teaching knowledge.
Whoever uses knowledge as a vehicle for worldly desires and vanities,
Allah will punish him on the Day of Resurrection.
On the authority of Abdullah Ibn 'Amr Ibn al-'As, may Allah be pleased with them both, who said:
I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, say:
"Allah does not take away knowledge by snatching it from the people,
but He takes away knowledge by the death of the scholars,
until, when no scholar remains,
people will take ignorant leaders,
who will be asked questions and will issue fatwas without knowledge,
so they will go astray and lead others astray."
Agreed upon.
"Taking away the scholars" means their death.
Among the benefits of this hadith:
The death of scholars is a calamity that befalls the Ummah and a breach in Islam.
The encouragement to preserve knowledge,
and the warning against appointing the ignorant as leaders.
Issuing fatwas is the true form of leadership.
And the condemnation of those who undertake it without knowledge.
The ignorant prevail when scholars fall short of their duty.
Issuing fatwas based on personal opinion
is a path of misguidance and leading others astray.
The ignorant person is bold in issuing fatwas,
for he speaks without knowledge.
But when people of knowledge are asked about a matter they do not have knowledge of,
they say, "I do not know."
Riyad al-Salihin.