Ibn Mas'ud reported that God's messenger said to him, "Acquire
knowledge and teach it to the people, learn the obligatory duties and
teach them to the people, learn the Qur’an and teach it to the people;
for I am a man who will be taken away, knowledge will be taken away,
dissensions will appear, so that two men will disagree about an obligatory duty and find no one to decide between them.” Darimi and
Daraqutni transmitted it.
The Prophet mentioned a matter, saying,
“That will be at the time when knowledge departs.” I asked, “How can
knowledge depart when we recite the Qur’an and teach it to our children
and they will teach it to their children up till the day of resurrection?”
He replied, “ I am astonished at you,* Ziyad. I thought you were the
most learned man in Medina. Do not these Jews and Christians read the
Torah and the Injil without knowing a thing about their contents?”
Ahmad and Ibn Majah transmitted it, Tirmidhi transmitted something
similar from him, as did Darimi from Abu Umama.
Abu Huraira reported God’s messenger as saying, "Knowledge from which no benefit is derived is like a treasure from which nothing is expended in God’s path.” Darimi transmitted it.
‘Ali reported God’s messenger as saying, “ A time is soon coming to
mankind when nothing of Islam but its name will remain and only the
written form of the Qur’an will remain. Their mosques will be in fine
condition but will be devoid of guidance, their learned men will be the
worst people under heaven, corruption coming forth from them and
returning among them.” Baihaqi transmitted it in Shu'ab al-iman.
