ذِكْرُ وَصْفِ الْعُلَمَاءِ الَّذِينَ لَهُمُ الْفَضْلُ الَّذِي ذَكَرْنَا قَبْلُ
Kathir ibn Qays said: I was sitting with AbudDarda' in the mosque of Damascus. A man came to him and said: AbudDarda, 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. (Using translation from Abū Dāʾūd 3641)
كُنْتُ جَالِسًا مَعَ أَبِي الدَّرْدَاءِ فِي مَسْجِدِ دِمَشْقَ فَأَتَاهُ رَجُلٌ فَقَالَ يَا أَبَا الدَّرْدَاءِ إِنِّي أَتَيْتُكَ مِنْ مَدِينَةِ الرَّسُولِ فِي حَدِيثٍ بَلَغَنِي أَنَّكَ تُحَدِّثُهُ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ أَبُو الدَّرْدَاءِ أَمَا جِئْتَ لِحَاجَةٍ أَمَا جِئْتَ لِتِجَارَةٍ أَمَا جِئْتَ إِلَّا لِهَذَا الْحَدِيثِ؟ قَالَ نَعَمْ قَالَ فَإِنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ «مَنْ سَلَكَ طَرِيقًا يَطْلُبُ فِيهِ عِلْمًا سَلَكَ اللَّهُ بِهِ طَرِيقًا مِنْ طُرُقِ الْجَنَّةِ وَالْمَلَائِكَةُ تَضَعُ أَجْنِحَتَهَا رِضًا لِطَالِبِ الْعِلْمِ وَإِنَّ الْعَالِمَ يَسْتَغْفِرُ لَهُ مَنْ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَنْ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَالْحِيتَانُ فِي الْمَاءِ وَفَضْلُ الْعَالِمِ عَلَى الْعَابِدِ كَفَضْلِ الْقَمَرِ لَيْلَةَ الْبَدْرِ عَلَى سَائِرِ الْكَوَاكِبِ إِنَّ الْعُلَمَاءَ وَرَثَةُ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ إِنَّ الْأَنْبِيَاءَ لَمْ يُوَرِّثُوا دِينَارًا وَلَا دِرْهَمًا وَأَوْرَثُوا الْعِلْمَ فَمَنْ أَخَذَهُ أَخَذَ بِحَظٍّ وَافِرٍ»