حَدَّثَنَا مُسَدَّدُ بْنُ مُسَرْهَدٍ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ دَاوُدَ سَمِعْتُ عَاصِمَ بْنَ رَجَائِ بْنِ حَيْوَةَ يُحَدِّثُ عَنْ دَاوُدَ بْنِ جَمِيلٍ عَنْ کَثِيرِ بْنِ قَيْسٍ قَالَ کُنْتُ جَالِسًا مَعَ أَبِي الدَّرْدَائِ فِي مَسْجِدِ دِمَشْقَ فَجَائَهُ رَجُلٌ فَقَالَ يَا أَبَا الدَّرْدَائِ إِنِّي جِئْتُکَ مِنْ مَدِينَةِ الرَّسُولِ صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لِحَدِيثٍ بَلَغَنِي أَنَّکَ تُحَدِّثُهُ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَا جِئْتُ لِحَاجَةٍ قَالَ فَإِنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ مَنْ سَلَکَ طَرِيقًا يَطْلُبُ فِيهِ عِلْمًا سَلَکَ اللَّهُ بِهِ طَرِيقًا مِنْ طُرُقِ الْجَنَّةِ وَإِنَّ الْمَلَائِکَةَ لَتَضَعُ أَجْنِحَتَهَا رِضًا لِطَالِبِ الْعِلْمِ وَإِنَّ الْعَالِمَ لَيَسْتَغْفِرُ لَهُ مَنْ فِي السَّمَوَاتِ وَمَنْ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَالْحِيتَانُ فِي جَوْفِ الْمَائِ وَإِنَّ فَضْلَ الْعَالِمِ عَلَی الْعَابِدِ کَفَضْلِ الْقَمَرِ لَيْلَةَ الْبَدْرِ عَلَی سَائِرِ الْکَوَاکِبِ وَإِنَّ الْعُلَمَائَ وَرَثَةُ الْأَنْبِيَائِ وَإِنَّ الْأَنْبِيَائَ لَمْ يُوَرِّثُوا دِينَارًا وَلَا دِرْهَمًا وَرَّثُوا الْعِلْمَ فَمَنْ أَخَذَهُ أَخَذَ بِحَظٍّ وَافِرٍ
سنن ابودوٗد · Hadith 3641
Narrated Kathir ibn Qays: Kathir ibn Qays said: I was sitting with Abud Darda in the mosque of Damascus. A man came to him and said: Abud Darda, I have come to you from the town of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ for a tradition that I have heard you relate from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. I have come for no other purpose. He said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: If anyone travels on a road in search of knowledge, Allah will cause him to travel on one of the roads of Paradise. The angels will lower their wings in their great pleasure with one who seeks knowledge, the inhabitants of the heavens and the Earth and the fish in the deep waters will ask forgiveness for the learned man. The superiority of the learned man over the devout is like that of the moon, on the night when it is full, over the rest of the stars. The learned are the heirs of the Prophets, and the Prophets leave neither dinar nor dirham, leaving only knowledge, and he who takes it takes an abundant portion.
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020