41/19. Chapter:
Jami at-Tirmidhi 2682 — Path to Knowledge
What Has Been Related About The Superiority Of Fiqh Over Worship
Hadith About Seeking Knowledge and the Path to Paradise
Jami at-Tirmidhi : 2682
Jami at-TirmidhiHadith Number 2682
حَدَّثَنَا مَحْمُودُ بْنُ خِدَاشٍ الْبَغْدَادِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَزِيدَ الْوَاسِطِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا عَاصِمُ بْنُ رَجَاءِ بْنِ حَيْوَةَ، عَنْ قَيْسِ بْنِ كَثِيرٍ، قَالَ قَدِمَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الْمَدِينَةِ عَلَى أَبِي الدَّرْدَاءِ وَهُوَ بِدِمَشْقَ فَقَالَ مَا أَقْدَمَكَ يَا أَخِي فَقَالَ حَدِيثٌ بَلَغَنِي أَنَّكَ تُحَدِّثُهُ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ أَمَا جِئْتَ لِحَاجَةٍ قَالَ لاَ . قَالَ أَمَا قَدِمْتَ لِتِجَارَةٍ قَالَ لاَ . قَالَ مَا جِئْتَ إِلاَّ فِي طَلَبِ هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ قَالَ فَإِنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ " مَنْ سَلَكَ طَرِيقًا يَبْتَغِي فِيهِ عِلْمًا سَلَكَ اللَّهُ بِهِ طَرِيقًا إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ وَإِنَّ الْمَلاَئِكَةَ لَتَضَعُ أَجْنِحَتَهَا رِضًا لِطَالِبِ الْعِلْمِ وَإِنَّ الْعَالِمَ لَيَسْتَغْفِرُ لَهُ مَنْ فِي السَّمَوَاتِ وَمَنْ فِي الأَرْضِ حَتَّى الْحِيتَانُ فِي الْمَاءِ وَفَضْلُ الْعَالِمِ عَلَى الْعَابِدِ كَفَضْلِ الْقَمَرِ عَلَى سَائِرِ الْكَوَاكِبِ إِنَّ الْعُلَمَاءَ وَرَثَةُ الأَنْبِيَاءِ إِنَّ الأَنْبِيَاءَ لَمْ يُوَرِّثُوا دِينَارًا وَلاَ دِرْهَمًا إِنَّمَا وَرَّثُوا الْعِلْمَ فَمَنْ أَخَذَ بِهِ أَخَذَ بِحَظٍّ وَافِرٍ " . قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى وَلاَ نَعْرِفُ هَذَا الْحَدِيثَ إِلاَّ مِنْ حَدِيثِ عَاصِمِ بْنِ رَجَاءِ بْنِ حَيْوَةَ وَلَيْسَ هُوَ عِنْدِي بِمُتَّصِلٍ هَكَذَا حَدَّثَنَا مَحْمُودُ بْنُ خِدَاشٍ بِهَذَا الإِسْنَادِ . وَإِنَّمَا يُرْوَى هَذَا الْحَدِيثُ عَنْ عَاصِمِ بْنِ رَجَاءِ بْنِ حَيْوَةَ عَنِ الْوَلِيدِ بْنِ جَمِيلٍ عَنْ كَثِيرِ بْنِ قَيْسٍ عَنْ أَبِي الدَّرْدَاءِ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَهَذَا أَصَحُّ مِنْ حَدِيثِ مَحْمُودِ بْنِ خِدَاشٍ وَرَأَى مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ هَذَا أَصَحَّ .
Qais bin Kathir Narrated from:
A Man From Al-Madinah Came To Abu Ad-Darda When He Was In Dimashq. So He Said: 'What Brings You O My Nephew?' He Replied: 'A Hadith Reached Me Which You Have Narrated From The Messenger Of Allah (ﷺ).' He Said: 'You Did Not Come For Some Need?' He Said: 'No.' He Said: 'Did You Come For Trade?' He Said: 'No, I Did Not Come Except Seeking This Hadith.'So He Said: 'Indeed, I Heard The Messenger Of Allah (ﷺ) Saying: Whoever Takes A Path Upon Which He Seeks Knowledge, Then Allah Makes A Path To Paradise Easy For Him. And Indeed The Angels Lower Their Wings In Approval To The One Seeking Knowledge. Indeed Forgiveness Is Sought For The Knowledgeable One By Whomever Is In The Heavens And Whomever Is In The Earth, Even The Fish In The Waters. And Superiority Of The Scholar Over The Worshiper Is Like The Superiority Of The Moon Over The Rest Of The Celestial Bodies.Indeed The Scholars Are The Heirs Of The Prophets, And The Prophets Do Not Leave Behind Dinar Or Dirham. The Only Legacy Of The Scholars Is Knowledge, So Whoever Takes From It, Then He Has Indeed Taken The Most Able Share.
[1] Whatever it contains is also narrated in other authentic Ahādīth . See Chapter 10 in the Book of Knowledge of Ṣaḥīḥ Al-Bukhārī , no. 2685 which follows, 2856 Al-Bukhārī , 2643 of At-Tirmidhī , and this Hadīth - Al-Ḥāfiẓ said there are chains to strengthen it - in Fatḥ Al-Bārī , chapter 10 of the Book of Knowledge, and it was graded Ṣaḥīḥ by Shaikh Al-Albānī.Reference : Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2682In-book reference : Book 41, Hadith 38English translation : Vol. 5, Book 39, Hadith 2682
Summary of Jami at-Tirmidhi Hadith 2682
This hadith about seeking knowledge is one of the clearest texts on the honor of learning. A man traveled only to hear a hadith, not for trade or personal need. Abu Ad-Darda then shared the words of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم: whoever takes a path seeking knowledge, Allah makes a path to Paradise easy for him. The hadith also says the angels lower their wings for the student of knowledge, and creation seeks forgiveness for the knowledgeable one. It compares the scholar to the moon among other heavenly bodies and says scholars are the heirs of the Prophets. Their inheritance is not money, but knowledge. So taking knowledge is taking a rich share.
What we learn from this hadith
- Traveling and making effort for knowledge is praised in this hadith.
- Seeking knowledge is linked with a path made easy toward Paradise.
- The scholar’s rank is shown through the image of the moon above other bodies.
- The inheritance of the Prophets is knowledge, not wealth.
