Merit and Significance of Knowledge

As the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was sitting among his Companions, he said: This is the time at which knowledge will disappear and be taken away from people. Thereupon, Ziyād ibn Labīd al-Ansāri (may Allah be pleased with him) wondered and asked the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him): How will knowledge be taken away from us and we lose it, whereas we recite and memorize the Qur’an?! By Allah, we will recite it and make our women and children and our children's children recite it. In response, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said in wonder: May your mother be bereaved of you, O Ziyād! I considered you to be among the knowledgeable people of Madīnah. Then, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) pointed out that knowledge will not be lost by the loss of the Qur’an, but knowledge will be lost by the loss of acting upon it. A case in point is the Jews and the Christians, who have the Torah and the Gospel, yet they did not derive benefit from them or their objective, namely acting upon what they have learned.

1. Having copies of the Qur’an and books in people's hands is of no avail unless they are acted upon.
2. Knowledge is taken away by several things, including the death of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), the death of the scholars, and the failure to act upon the knowledge.
3. One of the portents of the Hour is the disappearance of knowledge and failure to act upon it.
4. The Hadīth urges us to act upon knowledge, for this is the main objective.

سنن ابن ماجه (5/ 172) (4048)، سنن الترمذي (4/ 328) (2653)، مسند أحمد (39/ 417) (23990)، الكاشف عن حقائق السُّنن (2/721)، المفهم (6/705)، مشارق الأنوار الوهاجة (2/146)، مرشد ذوي الحجا والحاجة إلى سنن ابن ماجه والقول المكتفى على سنن المصطفى (24/ 274).

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) gave a warning to those who seek knowledge to show off in front of the scholars and demonstrate that they are also scholars like them; to argue with foolish and feeble-minded people; or to be given prominence and precedence over others in gatherings. Whoever does that becomes worthy of Hellfire due to his showing off and lack of sincerity in seeking knowledge for Allah's sake.

1. The Hadīth warns with fire those who seek knowledge to brag about it or use it for arguing with the foolish or achieving prominence in gatherings, and so on.
2. It is important that we have a sincere intention as we seek knowledge and teach it to others.
3. The intention is the basis of deeds and by which the reward is given.

سنن ابن ماجه (1/ 170) (254)، مرشد ذوي الحجا والحاجة (2/378)، مشارق الأنوار الوهاجة ومطالع الأسرار البهاجة في شرح سنن الإمام ابن ماجه (4/ 482).

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informed that the deeds of a person come to a halt when he dies. No good deeds are recorded for him after death, except for these three things, as he was the cause behind them: First: Charity whose reward is enduring, permanent, and ceaseless, like endowment, building mosques, digging wells, etc. Second: Knowledge from which people draw benefits, like authoring books of knowledge or teaching knowledge to someone, who in turn disseminates this knowledge after his teacher's death. Third: A pious, believing child who supplicates for his parents.

1. The scholars unanimously agreed that the rewards that reach a person after his death include ongoing charity, beneficial knowledge, supplication, and Hajj, as mentioned in other Hadīths.
2. He singled out these three things in the Hadīth because they represent the foundations of goodness and they are mostly the things virtuous people want to endure after their passing.
3. Any beneficial knowledge will bring reward, but at the top and pinnacle of it is the Shar‘i knowledge and the sciences that support it.
4. Knowledge is the most beneficial of these three, because knowledge benefits the person who learns it, preserves the Shariah, and benefits people in general. Plus, it is more comprehensive and inclusive as people learn from your knowledge that exists during your lifetime and endures after your death.
5. The Hadīth encourages us to raise righteous children, as they are the ones who will benefit their parents in the Hereafter, and an example of their benefit is that they supplicate for them.
6. It encourages kindness to parents after their death, which is also a form of righteousness from which the child benefits.
7. Supplication benefits a deceased person even if the supplicant is not his child. But, a person's child is specifically mentioned because he is mostly the one who continues to supplicate for his parents until he dies.

صحيح مسلم (3/ 1255) (1631)، البحر المحيط الثجاج في شرح صحيح الإمام مسلم بن الحجاج (28/ 413).