Sunan ad-Darimi

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr bin al-As (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Allah will not take away knowledge by snatching it from the people, but He will take away knowledge by taking away the scholars. When no scholar remains, people will take ignorant ones as their leaders; they will be asked questions and will give verdicts without knowledge, thus they will go astray themselves and will lead others astray as well."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Umamah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Acquire knowledge before it disappears." The noble companions asked: O Messenger of Allah! How will knowledge disappear when we have the Book of Allah with us? The narrator said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) became angry, then said: "May your mothers lose you! Were not the Torah and the Gospel among the Children of Israel, yet they did not benefit them at all? The disappearance of knowledge is that the people of knowledge disappear. Indeed, the disappearance of knowledge is the disappearance of the people of knowledge."

Hilal bin Khabbab narrated that I said to Saeed bin Jubair, may Allah have mercy on him: O Abu Abdullah! What is the sign of the destruction of the people? He said: When their scholars perish.

Sayyiduna Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: As long as the former people continue to teach others and the latter continue to learn from them, goodness will remain. When the first perishes without teaching and the latter without learning, then the people will be destroyed.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: Do you know what is meant by «ذهاب العلم» (i.e., the removal of knowledge)? We said: No. He said: It means the removal of the scholars.

Sayyiduna Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Do you know how knowledge will decrease? The narrator said: Like cloth shrinks and a dirham becomes counterfeit. He said: No, it is like that too, but the taking away of knowledge is the taking away of the scholars.

Sayyiduna Abu Darda (may Allah be pleased with him) said: What is the matter that I see your scholars are passing away and the ignorant are not acquiring knowledge? Acquire knowledge before it is taken away, for the taking away of knowledge is the passing away of the scholars.

Sayyiduna Abu Darda (may Allah be pleased with him) said: People are of two types: a scholar and a learner; those besides them have no good in them.

Sayyiduna Abu Darda (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The one who teaches goodness and the one who learns (goodness), both are equal in reward, and apart from these two, there is no good in anyone.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Become a scholar, or a learner, or a listener, and do not be the fourth type, lest you be destroyed.

Sayyiduna Salman al-Farsi (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Goodness will remain as long as the elders continue to teach others, and when the elders pass away before others have acquired knowledge from them, the people will be destroyed.

Ahnaf bin Qais said: Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Acquire understanding of the religion before you become leaders.

Sayyiduna Tamim Dari (may Allah be pleased with him) said: During the time of Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), people began to take pride in building constructions, so Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: O people of Arabia! Beware of the earth, beware of the earth. Islam cannot be established without a community, and a community cannot exist without governance, and governance and leadership cannot be established without obedience. So, whoever is made a leader by his people on the basis of knowledge and understanding, he is a source of life for himself and his people, and whoever is made a leader by his people without understanding, it is destruction for him and his people.