The virtue of the scholar and the learner

(There is no hadith under this chapter.)

Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The example of the scholars on earth is that of the stars in the sky, by which guidance is sought in the darkness of land and sea. When the stars are extinguished (that is, hidden), it is likely that the guides will go astray."
Ahmad recorded it; its chain contains Rishdin bin Sa'd, about whose use as evidence there is disagreement, and Abu Hafs, the student of Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), is also majhul (unknown). And Allah knows best.

Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates this saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "People are like mines (that is, like mines of minerals). Those of them who were considered the best in the period of Ignorance will also be considered the best in Islam, provided they acquire understanding (that is, knowledge) (of the teachings of the religion)."
Ahmad recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "People are of two kinds: the scholar and the student. These two are equal in reward, and there is no good in the people besides them (that is, others)."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat and al-Mu'jam al-Kabir. The chain of the narration in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat contains Nahshal bin Sa'id, and the other chain contains al-Rabi' bin Badr, and both of them are kadhdhab (liars).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The world is cursed, and everything in it is cursed, except for the scholar, the remembrance of Allah Almighty and whatever is connected with it (that is, these things are not cursed)."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat and said: No one narrated it from Ibn Thawban from Abdah except Abu al-Mutarrif al-Mughirah bin Mutarrif. (Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say: I have not seen anyone who mentions him.

Sayyiduna Abu al-Darda' (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The scholar and the student are partners in good, and there is no good in all the rest of the people."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir; its chain contains Mu'awiyah bin Yahya al-Sadafi, about whom Yahya bin Ma'in said: He is halik (ruined) and laysa bi-shay' (worthless).

Sayyiduna Abdullah (bin Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Be a scholar or be a student, and do not be anything besides these. If you cannot do even that, then love the scholars and do not bear hatred towards them."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih, except that the narrator Abd al-Malik bin Umayr did not live in the time of Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him).

Sayyiduna Abu Bakrah (may Allah be pleased with him) relates: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "Be a scholar, or be a student, or be a listener, or be one who loves (them); do not be the fifth (besides these four), or you will be ruined." Ata' relates: Mis'ar said to me: "You have told us an additional fifth thing which we did not have." He related: "The fifth is that you bear hatred towards knowledge and the people of knowledge."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in all three books, and al-Bazzar recorded it, and its narrators have been declared trustworthy.

Zirr bin Hubaysh relates: I came to Sayyiduna Safwan bin Assal al-Muradi (may Allah be pleased with him), and he asked: "O Zirr, why have you come?" I replied: "To seek knowledge." He said: "Remain a scholar or remain a student, and do not remain anything besides these."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat; its chain contains Hafs bin Sulayman, whom Imam Ahmad declared thiqah (trustworthy), while many people declared him da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Abu al-Rudayn (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whenever some people gather together over the Book of Allah Almighty and teach it to one another, they are counted as the guests of Allah Almighty, and the angels surround them until they rise from their place or become engaged in some other conversation. Whenever a person goes out to acquire knowledge, fearing that this knowledge may depart, or copies that knowledge, fearing that it may be effaced, such a person is like one who goes out morning and evening in the path of Allah. And whoever is held back by his deeds, his lineage cannot hasten him forward."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir; its chain contains Isma'il bin Ayyash, about whose use as evidence there is disagreement.

Sayyiduna Abd al-Rahman bin Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates this saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "The scholar has been given superiority over the worshipper by seventy (70) degrees; between every two degrees is a distance as great as that between the sky and the earth."
Abu Ya'la recorded it; its chain contains al-Khalil bin Murrah. Imam Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) said: He is munkar al-hadith (his narrations are rejected). Ibn Adi said: I have not seen any munkar hadith (narrated from him); he is among those whose hadith is to be written down, and he is not matruk (abandoned).

Sayyiduna Abu Umamah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates this saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "Whoever goes to the mosque intending nothing but to learn good or to teach it will have a reward like that of a pilgrim whose Hajj is complete."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir, and all its narrators have been declared trustworthy.

Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates this saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "Whoever enters this mosque of mine in order to learn something good or to teach it is in the rank of one who strives (mujahid) in the path of Allah. And whoever enters it for any other purpose, that is, comes to talk with people, is in the rank of a person who sees something and likes it, but that thing belongs to someone else."
Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir; its chain contains a narrator, Ya'qub bin Humayd bin Kasib, whom Imam Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) and Ibn Hibban declared thiqah (trustworthy), while Imam Nasa'i (may Allah have mercy on him) and others called him da'if (weak). They based his weakness only on the fact that a prescribed punishment (hadd) had been carried out on him; his hearing (sama') is sound.

Sayyiduna Safwan bin Assal al-Muradi (may Allah be pleased with him) says: "Whoever goes out of his house seeking knowledge, the angels lower their wings for the student and the scholar."
Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir. Imam Tirmidhi recorded this narration, but he did not mention the scholar. Its chain contains a narrator, Abd al-Karim bin Abi al-Mukhariq, and he is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Wathilah bin al-Asqa' (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever seeks knowledge and attains it, Allah Almighty records for him a double share (kifl) of reward; and whoever seeks knowledge but does not attain it, Allah Almighty records for him a single share of reward."
Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir, and its narrators have been declared trustworthy.

Sayyiduna Sakhbarah (may Allah be pleased with him) relates: Two men passed by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) while he was seated and was giving admonition. He said: "Sit down, both of you! You are upon goodness." When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stood up and his Companions dispersed from him, those two men also stood and said: "O Messenger of Allah! You said to us: 'Sit down, both of you! You are upon goodness.' Is this specific to us, or is it general for all people?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There is no servant who seeks knowledge except that it (seeking knowledge) becomes an expiation for his past (sins)." (Allamah Haythami says:) I say: Imam Tirmidhi recorded only these words from it: "Whoever seeks knowledge, it becomes an expiation for his past (sins)."
Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir; its chain contains a narrator, Abu Dawud the blind, and he is kadhdhab (a liar).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever is overtaken by death while he is seeking knowledge, when he appears before Allah Almighty, there will be no difference between him and the prophets (peace be upon them) except the rank of prophethood."
Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat; its chain contains a narrator, Muhammad bin al-Ja'd, and he is matruk (abandoned).

It is reported about Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that once he was passing through the market of Madinah. He stopped and said: "O people of the market! What has made you so helpless?" They asked: "O Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah! What is the matter?" Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "The inheritance of the Messenger of Allah is being distributed while you are here. Why do you not go and take your share?" The people asked: "Where is it (being distributed)?" Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "In the mosque." So they hurried off, and Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) waited there for them until they came back. Then Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) asked them: "What happened?" They replied: "O Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah! We went to the mosque and entered it, but we did not see anything being distributed in it." Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) asked them: "Did you not see anyone in the mosque?" They replied: "Yes indeed (we did). We saw some people praying, some people reciting the Qur'an, and some people discussing together what is lawful and what is unlawful." Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said to them: "Woe to you! That is the inheritance of Sayyiduna Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)."
Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat, and its chain is hasan (good).

Sayyiduna Abu Umamah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Any young person whose growing up is spent in knowledge and worship until he becomes grown, Allah Almighty will give him on the Day of Resurrection the reward of ninety-two (92) siddiqs (truthful ones)."
Tabarani recorded this narration in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir; its chain contains a narrator, Yusuf bin Atiyyah, and he is matruk al-hadith (abandoned in hadith).