Al-Hasan reported in mursal form that God’s messenger said, “If
death comes to anyone when he is seeking knowledge with the purpose
of using it to revivify Islam, there will be only one degree between him
and the prophets in paradise.” Darimi transmitted it.
وسنذكر حديث جابر:
"فإنما شفاء العي السؤال" في باب التيمم إن شاء الله تعالى.
We shall mention Jabir’s tradition, “The only cure for perplexity is
to ask”* in the chapter on performing ablution with sand, if God will.
*Book 111. Chap. xi, section ii.
He also reported in mursal form that God’s messenger was asked
which of two men who had been among the B. Isra’il was superior, one
who was a learned man who observed the prescribed prayers, then sat
and taught men what is good, the other who fasted by day and prayed
during the night. He replied, “The superiority of this learned man who
observed the prescribed prayers, then sat and taught men what is good
over the devout man who fasted by day and prayed during the night is
like my superiority over the most contemptible among you.” Darimi
transmitted it.
Ibrahim b. ‘Abd ar-Rahman al-‘Udhri reported God's messenger
as saying, "In every successive century those who are reliable authorities
will preserve this knowledge, rejecting the changes made by extremists, the plagiarisms of those who make false claims for themselves, and the
interpretations of the ignorant.”*
*The source is lacking. The editor of the Damascus edition of the Mishkat says the tradition
is given by Baihaqi in al-Madkhal.
