47/5. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 2673a — Knowledge Lost Through Scholars
The Taking Away Of Knowledge And The Spread Of Ignorance At The End Of Time
Hadith About Knowledge Taken Away by the Death of Scholars
Sahih Muslim : 2673a
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 2673a
حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا جَرِيرٌ، عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ عُرْوَةَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، سَمِعْتُ عَبْدَ، اللَّهِ بْنَ عَمْرِو بْنِ الْعَاصِ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ " إِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يَقْبِضُ الْعِلْمَ انْتِزَاعًا يَنْتَزِعُهُ مِنَ النَّاسِ وَلَكِنْ يَقْبِضُ الْعِلْمَ بِقَبْضِ الْعُلَمَاءِ حَتَّى إِذَا لَمْ يَتْرُكْ عَالِمًا اتَّخَذَ النَّاسُ رُءُوسًا جُهَّالاً فَسُئِلُوا فَأَفْتَوْا بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ فَضَلُّوا وَأَضَلُّوا " .
Abdullah bin 'Amr bin Al-'as Narrated from:
Abdullah b. 'Amr b. al-'As reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: Verily, Allah does not take away knowledge by snatching it from the people but He takes away knowledge by taking away the scholars, so that when He leaves no learned person, people turn to the ignorant as their leaders; then they are asked to deliver religious verdicts and they deliver them without knowledge, they go astray, and lead others astray.
Reference : Sahih Muslim 2673aIn-book reference : Book 47, Hadith 22USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 34, Hadith 6462
Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 2673a
This hadith about knowledge taken away by the death of scholars gives a clear explanation of how religious knowledge disappears from people. Abdullah b. Amr b. al-As reported that Allah's Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم said Allah does not take knowledge away by snatching it directly from people. Rather, He takes knowledge away by taking away scholars. When no learned person remains, people take ignorant leaders. Those leaders are asked for religious verdicts, and they answer without knowledge. As a result, they go astray and lead others astray. The hadith is a strong reminder to value learned people and to avoid speaking about religion without knowledge.
What we learn from this hadith
- Knowledge is taken away through the loss of scholars.
- Ignorant leadership can harm both the speaker and the followers.
- Religious verdicts should not be given without knowledge.
