The virtue of knowledge

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates this saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "A little knowledge is better than much worship. It is enough for a man's understanding (or learning) that he worships Allah, and it is enough for a man's ignorance that he is self-admiring about his own opinion. People are only of two kinds: a believer and an ignorant person. So do not harm the believer, and do not live alongside the ignorant."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat and al-Mu'jam al-Kabir; its chain contains Ishaq bin Asid, about whom Abu Hatim said: One should not occupy oneself with him.

Sayyiduna Hudhayfah bin al-Yaman (may Allah be pleased with him) relates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to me: "The excellence of knowledge is better than the excellence of worship, and the best thing in your religion (that is, your deeds) is scrupulous piety (wara')."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat, and al-Bazzar recorded it; its chain contains Abdullah bin Abd al-Quddus, whom Imam Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) and Ibn Hibban declared thiqah (trustworthy), while Yahya bin Ma'in and a group declared him da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The most excellent worship is acquiring understanding (that is, knowledge) (of religious rulings), and the most excellent religion (that is, practice) is scrupulous piety."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in all three books; its chain contains Muhammad bin Abi Layla, whom the scholars declared weak because of his poor memory.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The excellence of knowledge is greater than worship, and the sum of the religion is scrupulous piety."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir; its chain contains Sawwar bin Mus'ab, who is extremely da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Abd al-Rahman bin Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A little understanding (that is, knowledge) (of the rulings of the religion) is better than much worship, and the best of your deeds is the easiest of them."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir; its chain contains Kharijah bin Mus'ab, who is extremely da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whenever one thing has been joined to another, nothing among them is more excellent than knowledge being joined to forbearance."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat and al-Mu'jam al-Saghir, as a narration of Hafs bin Bishr from Hasan bin al-Husayn bin Yazid al-Alawi, from his father. (Allamah al-Haythami says:) I have not seen anyone who mentions any one of them.

Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No earner has earned anything like the excellence of knowledge; knowledge guides its companion (that is, the person of knowledge) to guidance or turns him away from ruin. And a man's religion does not become upright until his deeds become upright."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Saghir and al-Mu'jam al-Awsat, but he recorded the word "intellect" in it in place of "deeds". Its chain contains Abd al-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam, who is da'if (weak).