عَنِ الْوَلِيدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ الْجُرَشِيِّ قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا جُبَيْرُ بْنُ نُفَيْرٍ عَنْ عَوْفِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ (الْأَشْجَعِيِّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ) أَنَّهُ قَالَ: بَيْنَمَا نَحْنُ جُلُوسٌ عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ نَظَرَ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ ثُمَّ قَالَ: ((هَذَا أَوَانُ الْعِلْمِ أَنْ يُرْفَعَ))، فَقَالَ لَهُ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الْأَنْصَارِ يُقَالُ لَهُ زِيَادُ بْنِ لَبِيدٍ: أَيُرْفَعُ الْعِلْمُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ! وَفِينَا كِتَابُ اللَّهِ وَقَدْ عَلَّمْنَا أَبْنَاءَنَا وَنِسَاءَنَا؟ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ: ((إِنْ كُنْتُ لَأَظُنُّكَ مِنْ أَفْقَهِ أَهْلِ الْمَدِينَةِ)) ثُمَّ ذَكَرَ ضَلَالَةَ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابَيْنِ وَعِنْدَهُمَا مَا عِنْدَهُمَا مِنْ كِتَابِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، فَلَقِيَ جُبَيْرُ بْنُ نُفَيْرٍ شَدَّادَ بْنَ أَوْسٍ (رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ) بِالْمُصَلَّى فَحَدَّثَهُ هَذَا الْحَدِيثَ عَنْ عَوْفٍ فَقَالَ: صَدَقَ عَوْفٌ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: وَهَلْ تَدْرِي مَا رَفْعُ الْعِلْمِ؟ قَالَ: قُلْتُ: لَا أَدْرِي، قَالَ: ذَهَابُ أَوْعِيَتِهِ، قَالَ: وَهَلْ تَدْرِي أَيُّ الْعِلْمِ أَوَّلُ أَنْ يُرْفَعَ؟ قَالَ: قُلْتُ: لَا أَدْرِي، قَالَ: الْخَشْوُعُ حَتَّى لَا تَكَادُ تَرَى خَاشِعًا
Sayyiduna Awf bin Malik Ashja'i (may Allah be pleased with him) says: One day we were sitting with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), he looked towards the sky and said: "This will be the time when knowledge will be taken away." A man from the Ansar named Ziyad bin Labid said: "O Messenger of Allah! Will knowledge be taken away while the Book of Allah is present among us and we are teaching it to our children and women?" The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I used to consider you among the most intelligent people of Madinah." Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned the misguidance of the People of the Book, i.e., the Jews and Christians, and the state of the Book of Allah with them. When Jubair bin Nufair met Sayyiduna Shaddad bin Aws (may Allah be pleased with him) at the place of Eid, he narrated to him the hadith of Sayyiduna Awf (may Allah be pleased with him). He said: "Yes, Awf has spoken the truth," then he said: "And do you know what the taking away of knowledge is?" I said: "No." He said: "It means the removal of the vessels of knowledge. And do you know which knowledge will be taken away first?" I said: "No." He said: "Khushu' (humility and concentration) in prayer, (and its absence will be so much that) it may be that you do not see a single person performing prayer with khushu'."