The Virtue of Knowledge and the Seeker of Knowledge:
In this case as well, it is best that one sits in the circle of education and teaching because the worship of recitation and voluntary prayers is considered less virtuous than the worship of knowledge through education and teaching. Accordingly, in Mu’jam al-Tabarani al-Awsat and Musnad al-Bazzar, there is a narration from Hazrat Hudhaifa bin Yaman (may Allah be pleased with him) in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
فضل العلم خير من فضل العبادة وخير دينكم الورع
The virtue of knowledge is better than the virtue of worship, and your best religion is fear and piety.
Similarly, in Sahih Muslim, Abu Dawood, Tirmidhi, Nasa’i, Ibn Majah, Ibn Hibban, and Mustadrak Hakim, there is a narration from Hazrat Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
من سلك طريقا يلتمس فيه علما سهل الله به طريقا إلى الجنة وما اجتمع قوم فى بيت من بيوت الله يتلون كتاب الله ويتدارسونه بينهم إلا حفتهم الملائكة ونزلت عليهم السكينة وغشيتهم الرحمة وذكرهم الله فيمن عنده
Whoever sets out on the path to seek knowledge, Allah will make the path to Paradise easy for him. And when a people gather in Allah’s house (mosque, madrasa, etc.) and engage in the recitation of the Book of Allah and teaching and learning, the angels surround them. Allah’s tranquility descends upon them, His mercy envelops them, and Allah mentions them among His nearest angels.
The virtue of those who attend circles of teaching and learning can also be understood from this hadith narrated from Hazrat Abu Darda (may Allah be pleased with him) in Abu Dawood, Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, Ibn Hibban, and Bayhaqi, where the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
من سلك طريقا يلتمس فيه علما سهل الله له طريقا إلى الجنة وإن الملائكة لتضع أجنحتها لطالب العلم رضا بما يصنع
Whoever takes the path to seek knowledge, Allah will make the path to Paradise easy for him. And the angels spread their wings on his path to express their pleasure with him.
And in Ibn Majah, Ibn Hibban, Mu’jam al-Tabarani, Mustadrak Hakim, and Musnad Ahmad, Hazrat Safwan bin Assal al-Muradi (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates:
I came to the presence of the Prophet (peace be upon him) while he was leaning on his red cloak in the mosque. I said that I have come to seek knowledge. He said:
مرحبا بطالب العلم أن الطالب العلم تحفته الملائكة بأجنحتها ثم يركب بعضهم بعضا، حتى يبلغوا السماء الدنيا من محبتهم بما يطلب
Welcome to the seeker of knowledge. Indeed, the seeker of knowledge is enveloped by angels with their wings, and then they mount one another and ascend to the sky of the world. This is their expression of love for the seeker of knowledge.
Among similar hadiths, there is one in Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, Ibn Hibban, and Mustadrak in which Zarrin Habish narrates that:
I came to the presence of Hazrat Safwan bin Assal (may Allah be pleased with him), and he asked: What have you come to take? I said I am wandering in pursuit of knowledge. He said: I heard the Prophet (peace be upon him) say:
ما من خارج خرج من بيته فى طلب العلم، إلا وضعت له الملائكة أجنحتها رضا بما يصنع
Whenever a person sets out from his home for the purpose of seeking knowledge, the angels spread their wings on his path to express their pleasure with his action.
And in Mu’jam al-Tabarani and Mustadrak Hakim, there is a narration from Hazrat Abu Imamah (may Allah be pleased with him) in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
من غدا إلى المسجد لا يريد إلا أن يتعلم خيرا أو يعلمه كان له أجر كأجر حاج تاما حجته
Whoever goes to the mosque solely for the purpose of learning or teaching knowledge, he will receive the reward of an entire Hajj.
Whereas in Ibn Majah, Bayhaqi, and Mustadrak Hakim, there is a narration from Hazrat Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
من جاء مسجدي هذا لم يأته إلا لخير يتعلمه، فهو بمنزلة المجاهد فى سبيل الله، ومن جاء لغير ذلك فهو بمنزلة الرجل ينظر إلى متاع غيره
Whoever comes to my mosque solely for the purpose of learning or teaching some good (knowledge), he will be counted among those who strive in the way of Allah. And whoever comes for any other purpose, he will be like someone who looks greedily at another’s property.
The status and rank of those who listen to lessons of Quran and Hadith can also be understood from this hadith narrated by about twenty-four companions (may Allah be pleased with them) and through approximately one hundred fifty-seven chains by thirty-seven Imams in more than forty-five books of Hadith and Sunnah other than the two Sahihs. Some scholars have written entire books on the authentication, investigation, commentary, and explanation of this hadith. Recently, Professor Abdul Hassan Hamad Al-Abbad of Madinah University wrote a work on the study of this hadith titled ”دراسة الحديث“ نظر الله امرا سمع مقالتي, consisting of over two hundred pages of medium size (published by Matabi’ al-Rashid, Madinah Munawwarah). In brief, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
نظر الله إمرأ سمع مقالتي فحفظها ورعاها ثم ذهب بها إلى من لم يسمعها
May Allah keep alive and flourishing the person who hears my words, memorizes them well, and then conveys them to those who have not heard them.
And in the words of Tirmidhi and Ibn Hibban, narrated from Hazrat Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him):
نظر الله إمرأ سمع منا شيئا فبلغه كما سمع فرب مبلغ أوعى من سامع
May Allah keep alive and flourishing the person who heard from us and conveyed as he heard. Among those who come after, many remember more than the one who heard.
And in Ibn Hibban, instead of نظر الله امرا, it is رحمه الله امرا: May Allah have mercy on him.
The virtue of knowledge, the seeker of knowledge, and the scholars is a vast subject. Some Imams have authored voluminous books on it. For example, the book of Allama Ibn Abd al-Barr
is probably the most comprehensive and voluminous book. For details, one may refer to such books. Similarly,
and especially the first volume of
,
are also worth studying. Here, instead of going into detail, we suffice with these indications because they clearly show the status and rank of knowledge and the seeker of knowledge. Sitting in scholarly circles is preferred over voluntary prayers and recitation. Therefore, if there is a pure lesson of Quran and Hadith in the mosque, sitting in such circles is better than ordinary voluntary prayers.
In the authoritative Hanafi fiqh book
, it is written:
فإستماع العظة أولى
Listening to admonition and lessons is more deserving and better.
And in Radd al-Mukhtar known as Fatawa Shamiyya (Hashiya Ibn Abidin), the author also supports and further explains the statement of Dur al-Mukhtar.
Return to the Intended Meaning:
This is why Imam Suyuti, may Allah have mercy on him, wrote in his book
that one of the innovations or newly introduced matters is that a person, despite ignorance and lack of knowledge, leaves scholarly gatherings and engages in voluntary worship. This is a grave mistake that exposes a person to many calamities opposed to the Shariah. Allah Almighty Himself advised His Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, in Surah Taha, verse 114:
﴿وَقُل رَّبِّ زِدْنِي عِلْمًا﴾
Say, “My Lord, increase me in knowledge.”
In this verse, the command to seek an increase in knowledge is given. And at the beginning of the incident of Prophet Musa and Khidr, peace be upon them, in Surah Al-Kahf, verse 66, the statement of Prophet Musa, peace be upon him, is narrated:
﴿هَلْ أَتَّبِعُكَ عَلَىٰ أَن تُعَلِّمَنِ مِمَّا عُلِّمْتَ رُشْدًا ﴾
May I follow you on the condition that you teach me from what you have been taught of sound knowledge?
The Prophets, peace be upon them, are given the highest level of knowledge by Allah Almighty. They are assisted and supported. Yet, they are still commanded to seek more knowledge. The reason is that knowledge has no limit. Every person remains in need of more knowledge.
In short, seeking knowledge is obligatory. Avoidance of knowledge and scholars strengthens the dominance of ignorance. The obligation of acquiring knowledge is also evident from the hadith narrated from Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, in Ibn Majah, Al-Kamil Ibn ‘Adi, and Shu’ab al-Iman by Bayhaqi; from Husayn ibn Ali, may Allah be pleased with them, in Mu’jam al-Tabarani al-Saghir and Tarikh Baghdad by Al-Khatib; from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, in Mu’jam al-Tabarani al-Awsat; from Ibn Mas’ud, may Allah be pleased with him, in Mu’jam al-Tabarani al-Kabir; from Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, in Tarikh Baghdad by Al-Khatib; and from Abu Sa’id al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, in Mu’jam al-Tabarani al-Awsat and Shu’ab al-Iman by Bayhaqi, in which the Prophet said:
طلب العلم فريضة على كل مسلم
Seeking knowledge is obligatory upon every Muslim (male and female).
And in
, the hadith narrated from Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, begins similarly, but at the end, additional words are:
وإن طالب العلم يستغفر له كل شيء حتى الحيتان فى البحر
For the seeker of knowledge, everything in the world prays for his forgiveness. Even the fish in the sea pray for his pardon.
And up to طلب العلم فريضه على كل مسلم this hadith is authentic. However, at the end, in some narrations, the word و مسلمه appears, which is not authentic. The scholars of hadith have discussed this. Moreover, even without it, the word مسلم includes both men and women.
And here it should be clarified that the knowledge whose acquisition is declared obligatory, whose seeking is encouraged, and whose circles are strongly urged to attend, is the knowledge of the Qur’an and Sunnah. Not any book of stories or tales. And the circles referred to are those of Qur’an and Hadith study, not those where mere talk or storytelling is going on. Because in mosques, gatherings based on weak and fabricated narrations, speeches, or such matters are prohibited, as has been explained in detail. Sitting in such a circle where Qur’an and Sunnah are taught is superior to voluntary worship.
And some people avoid sitting in such circles where a scholar delivers admonition and advice, distributing pearls of Qur’an, Hadith, wisdom, and insight. If such a person leaves these circles and instead gathers elsewhere merely to pass time and engages in idle talk, then the authentic hadith of Sahih Bukhari applies to him, which the Imam Sahib mentioned:
باب من قعد حيث ينتهي به مجلس ومن رأى فرجة فى الحلقة فجلس فيها
Meaning, the chapter about a person who sits wherever he finds a place, and if he sees an empty spot in any circle, he sits there.
In the hadith under this chapter, Abu Waqqad Laythi, may Allah be pleased with him, narrates:
The Prophet, peace be upon him, was sitting in the mosque. The companions were also present. At that moment, three men came. Two of them approached the Prophet, peace be upon him, and one went back. Of the two, one sat in an empty spot in the circle, and the other sat behind. When the Prophet, peace be upon him, finished, he said:
ألا أخبركم عن النفر الثلاثة أما أحدهم فأوى إلى الله فأواه الله وأما الآخر فاستحيا، فاستحيا الله منه، وأما الآخر فأعرض، فأعرض الله عنه
I will tell you about three persons: one who asked Allah for a place, so Allah provided him a place; the second was shy, so Allah was shy of him; and the third turned away, so Allah turned away from him.
While explaining this hadith, Hafiz Ibn Hajar wrote in Fath al-Bari:
This hadith establishes the recommendation of attending scholarly gatherings and that one should behave respectfully in such gatherings and fill any gaps. Similarly, this hadith praises those who set out with others in pursuit of goodness (i.e., knowledge).
And he further writes:
Attendance at scholarly circles and the presence of a scholar in the mosque is a cause of virtue and blessing.
Along with this statement of the author, it should also be noted that it is not hidden from anyone that the sitting of a scholar for the dissemination of knowledge is a great blessing for the public. It becomes obligatory for people to seek knowledge even if they have to travel far. If a teacher of knowledge is present nearby and they turn away from him, then this is their misfortune and misery. In the early centuries, people used to travel for months just to acquire one hadith of the Prophet. Today, the market of hadith and wisdom is the most expensive, and people run after their carnal desires. انا لله وانا اليه راجعون
