The Journey of Knowledge: The Guidance of Our Ancestors on the Path to Learning
There are many narrations regarding the virtue of seeking knowledge. Abhnef (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "Scholars are those worthy of being masters. The end of greatness without knowledge is humiliation." Salim b. Cad, on the other hand, related: "I was a slave. When a man who bought me for three hundred dirhams set me free, I looked for work and chose to study. Thanks to knowledge, before long, I refused to receive the king who came to visit me."
Zubayr b. Abū Bakr, in a letter his father wrote to him, said: "Read. For knowledge is wealth in poverty and an adornment in wealth." Likewise, Prophet Luqman gave the same advice to his son, saying: "My son! Attend the gatherings of scholars. Just as Allah revives the earth with the spring rain, He also illuminates the hearts of the believers with the light of wisdom."
Some scholars have said: "At the death of a scholar, everything—even the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky—mourns. His image is revived and his memories are recalled." Al-Zuhrī also said: "The word 'knowledge' (ʿilm) is masculine; true heroes love it."
There are also some verses (āyāt) in the Qur'an regarding the virtue of seeking knowledge. For example: "But why should not there go forth a group from every section of them to devote themselves to studies in religion and warn their people when they return to them, so that they may beware?" (Qur'an 9:122) is a verse that pertains to this subject. Additionally: "So ask the people of the reminder (dhikr) if you do not know." (Qur'an 16:43) also emphasizes the importance of attaining knowledge.
There are also hadiths on this subject. For example: "Whoever treads a path seeking knowledge, Allah will make easy for him the path to Paradise." (31) It is also narrated: "The angels lower their wings for the seeker of knowledge, being pleased with what he does." (32) Another hadith states: "To learn one matter in the morning is better for you than performing one hundred cycles of prayer." (33) This hadith expresses the importance of interest in knowledge.