مشكوة المصابيح
Mishkat al-Masabih
كتاب العلم
The Book of Knowledge
(الاعْتِرَافُ بِالجَهْلِ لَيْسَ عَيْبًا)
(Admitting ignorance is not a flaw)
Hadith 272
وَعَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ قَالَ: يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ مَنْ عَلِمَ شَيْئًا فَلْيَقُلْ بِهِ وَمَنْ لَمْ يَعْلَمْ فَلْيَقُلِ اللَّهُ أعلم فَإِن من الْعلم أَن يَقُول لِمَا لَا تَعْلَمُ اللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ. قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى لِنَبِيِّهِ (قُلْ مَا أَسْأَلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ أَجْرٍ وَمَا أَنا من المتكلفين)
‘Abdallah [b. Mas'ud] said:If any of you people knows anything he should make it known, but if anyone does not know he should say that God knows best, for saying this when one does not know is a part of knowledge. God said to His prophet, “Say, I do not ask you for any reward for it, and I am not a pretender.”* (Bukhari and Muslim.) *Qur’an, xxxviii, 86.
