Chapter on the reward for the scholars and those who seek knowledge
6 Aḥadīth
Muhammad ibn al-Hassan and Ali ibn Muhammad has narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad and Muhammad ibn Yahya from Ahmad ibn Muhammad, all from Ja’far ibn Muhammad al-Ash’ari from ’Abdullah ibn Maymun al-Qaddah and Ali ibn Ibrahim from his father from Hammad ibn ‘Isa from al-Qaddah from abu ‘Abdallah who has said the following. “The holy Prophet has said, ‘If one sets out on a journey to seek knowledge Allah will lead him to the way that would take him to paradise. The angels will stretch their wings for the pleasure of the seeker of knowledge and all that is in the heavens and earth even the whales in the oceans will ask forgiveness for him (from Allah). The excellence of the scholar over other people is like that of the moon over other stars during a full-moon night. The scholars are the heirs of the prophets. The prophets did not leave any Dirham or Dinar (wealth) as their legacy but they did leave knowledge as their legacy. Whoever acquires a share from such legacy has gained a very large share.’”
مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْحَسَنِ وَعَلِيُّ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ جَمِيعاً عَنْ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ الاشْعَرِيِّ عَنْ عَبْدِ الله بْنِ مَيْمُونٍ الْقَدَّاحِ وَعَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ حَمَّادِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنِ الْقَدَّاحِ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ الله ﷺ مَنْ سَلَكَ طَرِيقاً يَطْلُبُ فِيهِ عِلْماً سَلَكَ الله بِهِ طَرِيقاً إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ وَإِنَّ الْمَلائِكَةَ لَتَضَعُ أَجْنِحَتَهَا لِطَالِبِ الْعِلْمِ رِضًا بِهِ وَإِنَّهُ يَسْتَغْفِرُ لِطَالِبِ الْعِلْمِ مَنْ فِي السَّمَاءِ وَمَنْ فِي الارْضِ حَتَّى الْحُوتِ فِي الْبَحْرِ وَفَضْلُ الْعَالِمِ عَلَى الْعَابِدِ كَفَضْلِ الْقَمَرِ عَلَى سَائِرِ النُّجُومِ لَيْلَةَ الْبَدْرِ وَإِنَّ الْعُلَمَاءَ وَرَثَةُ الانْبِيَاءِ إِنَّ الانْبِيَاءَ لَمْ يُوَرِّثُوا دِينَاراً وَلا دِرْهَماً وَلَكِنْ وَرَّثُوا الْعِلْمَ فَمَنْ أَخَذَ مِنْهُ أَخَذَ بِحَظٍّ وَافِرٍ.
Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from al-Hassan ibn Mahbub from Jamil ibn Salih from Muhammad ibn Muslim from Ja’far who has said the following. “Those of you who teach will have the same reward as those who learn in addition to his higher position over the student. Learn knowledge from those possess knowledge and teach it to your brethren just as the scholars have taught you.”
مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ مَحْبُوبٍ عَنْ جَمِيلِ بْنِ صَالِحٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ عَنْ ابي جعفر قَالَ إِنَّ الَّذِي يُعَلِّمُ الْعِلْمَ مِنْكُمْ لَهُ أَجْرٌ مِثْلُ أَجْرِ الْمُتَعَلِّمِ وَلَهُ الْفَضْلُ عَلَيْهِ فَتَعَلَّمُوا الْعِلْمَ مِنْ حَمَلَةِ الْعِلْمِ وَعَلِّمُوهُ إِخْوَانَكُمْ كَمَا عَلَّمَكُمُوهُ الْعُلَمَاءُ.
Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Barqi from Ali ibn al-Hakam from Ali ibn abu Hamza from abu Basir from abu ‘Abdallah who has said the following. “Whoever teaches something good he will receive a reward for each time his student would practice such knowledge.” Abu Basir has said, “I asked the Imam, ‘Would this apply to the student if he would teach other people?’ The Imam replied, “Yes, it will apply to him even if all people would teach it.” I then asked, ‘Would it apply to him if he would already be dead?’ The Imam responded, “Yes, even if he would be dead.”’
عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ الْبَرْقِيِّ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحَكَمِ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي حَمْزَةَ عَنْ أَبِي بَصِيرٍ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ الله يَقُولُ مَنْ عَلَّمَ خَيْراً فَلَهُ مِثْلُ أَجْرِ مَنْ عَمِلَ بِهِ قُلْتُ فَإِنْ عَلَّمَهُ غَيْرَهُ يَجْرِي ذَلِكَ لَهُ قَالَ إِنْ عَلَّمَهُ النَّاسَ كُلَّهُمْ جَرَى لَهُ قُلْتُ فَإِنْ مَاتَ قَالَ وَإِنْ مَاتَ.
Through the same chain of narrator it is narrated from Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Hamid from al-‘Ala’ ibn Razin from abu ‘Ubayda al-Hadhdha’ from abu Ja’far who has said the following. “Whoever teaches a subject of guidance he will receive a reward equal to the rewards of those who would practice such guidance without any reduction in the rewards of the later ones. Whoever would introduce a subject of misguidance he will suffer equal to the suffering due for each time it is practiced without any reduction in the suffering of whoever would practice such misguidance.”
وَبِهَذَا الاسْنَادِ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْحَمِيدِ عَنِ الْعَلاءِ بْنِ رَزِينٍ عَنْ أَبِي عُبَيْدَةَ الْحَذَّاءِ عَنْ ابي جعفر قَالَ مَنْ عَلَّمَ بَابَ هُدًى فَلَهُ مِثْلُ أَجْرِ مَنْ عَمِلَ بِهِ وَلا يُنْقَصُ أُولَئِكَ مِنْ أُجُورِهِمْ شَيْئاً وَمَنْ عَلَّمَ بَابَ ضَلالٍ كَانَ عَلَيْهِ مِثْلُ أَوْزَارِ مَنْ عَمِلَ بِهِ وَلا يُنْقَصُ أُولَئِكَ مِنْ أَوْزَارِهِمْ شَيْئاً.
Al-Husayn ibn Muhammad has narrated from Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Sa‘d in a marfu’ manner from abu Hamza from Ali ibn al-Husayn who has said the following. “If only people knew how much reward there is for seeking knowledge, they would have sought it even if they would have had to shed their blood for it or dive in large waves. Allah the Blessed and Most High revealed to Daniel saying, ‘The most hated among my creatures are the ignorant ones who disrespect the scholars and do not follow them. The Most beloved to Me in My servants are the pious ones who work hard to become entitled for greater rewards, who always stay close to the scholars, follow the fore-bearing people and accept (the advise of) people of wisdom.”
الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ سَعْدٍ رَفَعَهُ عَنْ أَبِي حَمْزَةَ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بن الحسين (عَلَيْهما السَّلام) قَالَ لَوْ يَعْلَمُ النَّاسُ مَا فِي طَلَبِ الْعِلْمِ لَطَلَبُوهُ وَلَوْ بِسَفْكِ الْمُهَجِ وَخَوْضِ اللُّجَجِ إِنَّ الله تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى أَوْحَى إِلَى دَانِيَالَ أَنَّ أَمْقَتَ عَبِيدِي إِلَيَّ الْجَاهِلُ الْمُسْتَخِفُّ بِحَقِّ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ التَّارِكُ لِلاقْتِدَاءِ بِهِمْ وَأَنَّ أَحَبَّ عَبِيدِي إِلَيَّ التَّقِيُّ الطَّالِبُ لِلثَّوَابِ الْجَزِيلِ اللازِمُ لِلْعُلَمَاءِ التَّابِعُ لِلْحُلَمَاءِ الْقَابِلُ عَنِ الْحُكَمَاءِ.
Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from al-Qasim ibn Muhammad from Sulayman ibn Dawud al-Minqari from Hafs ibn Ghiyath who has said that abu ‘Abdallah said the following. “Whoever acquires knowledge and practice what he has learned and teach it to others for the sake of Allah, among the angels of heavens he will be called a great personality. It will be said there: ‘He learned for the sake of Allah, practiced for the sake of Allah and taught it for the sake of Allah.”
عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ الْقَاسِمِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ سُلَيْمَانَ بْنِ دَاوُدَ الْمِنْقَرِيِّ عَنْ حَفْصِ بْنِ غِيَاثٍ قَالَ قَالَ لِي أَبُو عَبْدِ الله مَنْ تَعَلَّمَ الْعِلْمَ وَعَمِلَ بِهِ وَعَلَّمَ لله دُعِيَ فِي مَلَكُوتِ السَّمَاوَاتِ عَظِيماً فَقِيلَ تَعَلَّمَ لله وَعَمِلَ لله وَعَلَّمَ لله.