Chapter on the reward for the scholars and those who seek knowledge
Al-Kāfi|Volume 1|Book 2|Chapter 4
Al-Kāfi
Book 2, Chapter 4
Chapter on the reward for the scholars and those who seek knowledge
6 hadiths 1ـ 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 (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ الله (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) 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.
1. 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 عليه السلام 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.’”
- Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (1/113)
- Ṣaḥīḥ al-Kāfī
2ـ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ مَحْبُوبٍ عَنْ جَمِيلِ بْنِ صَالِحٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ عَنْ ابي جعفر (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) قَالَ إِنَّ الَّذِي يُعَلِّمُ الْعِلْمَ مِنْكُمْ لَهُ أَجْرٌ مِثْلُ أَجْرِ الْمُتَعَلِّمِ وَلَهُ الْفَضْلُ عَلَيْهِ فَتَعَلَّمُوا الْعِلْمَ مِنْ حَمَلَةِ الْعِلْمِ وَعَلِّمُوهُ إِخْوَانَكُمْ كَمَا عَلَّمَكُمُوهُ الْعُلَمَاءُ.
2. 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 عليه السلام 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.”
- Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (1/115)
- Ṣaḥīḥ al-Kāfī, vol. 1, p. 4
3ـ 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 (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) 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.
3. 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 عليه السلام 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 عليه السلام 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 عليه السلام responded, “Yes, even if he would be dead.”’
- Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (1/115)
- Ṣaḥīḥ al-Kāfī
4ـ وَبِهَذَا الاسْنَادِ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْحَمِيدِ عَنِ الْعَلاءِ بْنِ رَزِينٍ عَنْ أَبِي عُبَيْدَةَ الْحَذَّاءِ عَنْ ابي جعفر (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) 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.
4. 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 عليه السلام 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.”
- Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (1/116)
- Ṣaḥīḥ al-Kāfī
5ـ 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.
5. Al-Husayn b. Muhammad narrated from ‘Ali b. Muhammad b. Sa‘d, who raised it to Abu Hamza, from ‘Ali b. al-Husayn عليه السلام, who said: "If people knew the value of seeking knowledge, they would pursue it even at the cost of shedding their own blood and crossing deep waters. Indeed, Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, revealed to Daniel: 'The most despised of My servants to Me is the ignorant one who belittles the rights of the scholars and neglects following them. And the most beloved of My servants to Me is the God-conscious seeker of great reward, who adheres to the scholars, follows the forbearing, and accepts wisdom from the wise.'"
- Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (1/116)
- Ṣaḥīḥ al-Kāfī
6ـ عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ الْقَاسِمِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ سُلَيْمَانَ بْنِ دَاوُدَ الْمِنْقَرِيِّ عَنْ حَفْصِ بْنِ غِيَاثٍ قَالَ قَالَ لِي أَبُو عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) مَنْ تَعَلَّمَ الْعِلْمَ وَعَمِلَ بِهِ وَعَلَّمَ لله دُعِيَ فِي مَلَكُوتِ السَّمَاوَاتِ عَظِيماً فَقِيلَ تَعَلَّمَ لله وَعَمِلَ لله وَعَلَّمَ لله.
6. 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 عليه السلام 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.”
- Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (1/117)
- Ṣaḥīḥ al-Kāfī