Kathir b. Qais told how, when he was sitting with Abu Darda' in
the mosque of Damascus, a man came to him and said, “Abu Darda',
I have come to you from the town of the Messenger for a tradition I have
heard that you relate from God's messenger. I have come for no other
purpose.” He replied that he had heard God’s messenger say, “ If anyone travels on a road in search of knowledge God will cause him to
travel on one of the roads of paradise, the angels will lower their wings
from good pleasure with one who seeks knowledge, and the inhabitants
of the heavens and the earth and the fish in the depth of the water will
ask forgiveness for him. The superiority of the learned man over the
devout man 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 who leave
neither dinar nor dirham, leaving only knowledge, and he who accepts it
accepts an abundant portion.” Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah
and Darimi transmitted it, Tirmidhi calling Him Qais b. Kathir.
Ibn Mas'ud reported God’s messenger as saying, “No life is taken
unjustly without a portion of its blood being laid at the door of Adam’s
first son, because he was the first to introduce murder.” (Bukhari and
Muslim). We shall mention the tradition from Mu'awiya, “A section of
my people will continue .. .”* in the chapter on the reward of this
people, if God will.
*Book XXV, Chap. xli. The wording is slightly different.
Two men, one learned and the
other devout, were mentioned to God’s messenger, who then said, “The
superiority of the learned man over the devout man is like mine over
the most contemptible among you,” adding, “God, His angels, the inhabitants of the heavens and the earth, even the ant in its hole and even
the fish invoke blessings on him who teaches men what is good.”
Tirmidhi transmitted it.
Darimi transmitted it from Makhul in mursal
form, but did not mention the two men. He said, “The superiority of
the learned man over the devout man is like mine over the most contemptible among you.” Then he recited this verse, “Only those of His
servants who are learned fear God," (35:28) 1 then went on with the tradition to
the end.
One early morning when they were with God’s messenger some people came to him who were scantily clad, wearing striped
woollen garments,* with swords over their shoulders; most, nay all of
them, belonging to Mudar. God’s messenger showed signs of anger on
his face because of the poverty-stricken state in which he saw them,
and went in. After a little he came out and gave orders to Bilal who
uttered the call to prayer and announced that the time to begin prayer
had come. When the Prophet had prayed, he delivered an address in
which he said, “ ‘Fear your Lord, people, who created you from one
soul . . . God watches over you.’ ‘Fear God, and let a soul look to
what it has sent forward for the morrow. Let a man give sadaqa
from his dinars and dirhams, his clothing, his sa‘ of wheat and sa‘ of
dates, even if it is only half a date.” Jarir said: One of the Ansar
brought a purse which was almost too big for his hand to hold, indeed
it was too big. Then people came one after the other till I saw two
mounds of food and clothing, with the result that I saw the face of God’s
messenger glowing as if it were golden. He then said, “If anyone establishes a good sunna in Islam he will have a reward for it and the
equivalent of the rewards of those who act upon it after him, without
theirs being diminished in any respect; but he who establishes a bad
sunna in Islam will bear the responsibility of it and the responsibility
of those who act upon it after him, without theirs being diminished in
any respect.” Muslim transmitted it.
*[The text has an-nimar au al-'aba, thus giving an alternative word. This is not indicated in
the translation above.]
