The hadith about learning and teaching, each in Arabic with a plain English rendering, the narrator, the collection and number, and the grading. Several famous sayings about knowledge are weak or not hadith at all, and they are listed at the end.
وَمَنْ سَلَكَ طَرِيقًا يَلْتَمِسُ فِيهِ عِلْمًا سَهَّلَ اللَّهُ لَهُ بِهِ طَرِيقًا إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ
Whoever takes a path to seek knowledge, Allah makes easy for him, through it, a path to Paradise.
Narrated by Abu Hurayrah · Sahih Muslim 2699 · Sahih
مَنْ يُرِدِ اللَّهُ بِهِ خَيْرًا يُفَقِّهْهُ فِي الدِّينِ
When Allah wants good for someone, He gives him understanding of the religion.
Narrated by Mu'awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan · Sahih al-Bukhari 71; Sahih Muslim 1037 · Sahih (agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim)
طَلَبُ الْعِلْمِ فَرِيضَةٌ عَلَى كُلِّ مُسْلِمٍ
Seeking knowledge is a duty on every Muslim.
The scholars explain the duty as the knowledge you need for your own faith, prayer, fasting, zakat and dealings. Knowledge beyond that is a communal duty: some must learn it for everyone.
Narrated by Anas ibn Malik · Sunan Ibn Majah 224 · This sentence is graded sahih by al-Albani through its many chains, while several earlier critics held each chain weak. The rest of this report in Ibn Majah, about pearls and swine, is very weak
خَيْرُكُمْ مَنْ تَعَلَّمَ الْقُرْآنَ وَعَلَّمَهُ
The best of you are those who learn the Quran and teach it.
Narrated by Uthman ibn Affan · Sahih al-Bukhari 5027 · Sahih
بَلِّغُوا عَنِّي وَلَوْ آيَةً
Convey from me, even a single verse.
Narrated by Abdullah ibn Amr · Sahih al-Bukhari 3461 · Sahih
وَإِنَّ فَضْلَ الْعَالِمِ عَلَى الْعَابِدِ كَفَضْلِ الْقَمَرِ لَيْلَةَ الْبَدْرِ عَلَى سَائِرِ الْكَوَاكِبِ وَإِنَّ الْعُلَمَاءَ وَرَثَةُ الأَنْبِيَاءِ وَإِنَّ الأَنْبِيَاءَ لَمْ يُوَرِّثُوا دِينَارًا وَلاَ دِرْهَمًا وَرَّثُوا الْعِلْمَ فَمَنْ أَخَذَهُ أَخَذَ بِحَظٍّ وَافِرٍ
The superiority of the scholar over the worshipper is like the superiority of the moon on the night it is full over all the other stars. The scholars are the heirs of the prophets. The prophets did not leave dinars or dirhams as inheritance; they left knowledge, so whoever takes it has taken a large share.
The same hadith begins with the path to Paradise and the angels lowering their wings for the student of knowledge.
Narrated by Abu ad-Darda · Sunan Abi Dawud 3641; Jami' at-Tirmidhi 2682; Sunan Ibn Majah 223 · Graded sahih by al-Albani; some critics, such as Shu'ayb al-Arna'ut, graded this chain weak, though the hadith has supporting chains
نَضَّرَ اللَّهُ امْرَأً سَمِعَ مِنَّا حَدِيثًا فَحَفِظَهُ حَتَّى يُبَلِّغَهُ غَيْرَهُ فَرُبَّ حَامِلِ فِقْهٍ إِلَى مَنْ هُوَ أَفْقَهُ مِنْهُ وَرُبَّ حَامِلِ فِقْهٍ لَيْسَ بِفَقِيهٍ
May Allah brighten the face of a person who hears a hadith from us, memorises it and passes it on. Many carry understanding to someone who understands it better than they do, and many carry understanding who do not understand it themselves.
Narrated by Zayd ibn Thabit · Jami' at-Tirmidhi 2656; Sunan Abi Dawud 3660 · Graded sahih by al-Albani
لاَ حَسَدَ إِلاَّ فِي اثْنَتَيْنِ رَجُلٌ آتَاهُ اللَّهُ مَالاً فَسُلِّطَ عَلَى هَلَكَتِهِ فِي الْحَقِّ، وَرَجُلٌ آتَاهُ اللَّهُ الْحِكْمَةَ، فَهْوَ يَقْضِي بِهَا وَيُعَلِّمُهَا
There is no envy except in two cases: a man to whom Allah gave wealth and who spends it on what is right, and a man to whom Allah gave wisdom, who judges by it and teaches it.
Envy here means wishing to have the same blessing, not wishing it taken away.
Narrated by Abdullah ibn Mas'ud · Sahih al-Bukhari 73; Sahih Muslim 816 · Sahih (agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim)
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يَقْبِضُ الْعِلْمَ انْتِزَاعًا، يَنْتَزِعُهُ مِنَ الْعِبَادِ، وَلَكِنْ يَقْبِضُ الْعِلْمَ بِقَبْضِ الْعُلَمَاءِ، حَتَّى إِذَا لَمْ يُبْقِ عَالِمًا، اتَّخَذَ النَّاسُ رُءُوسًا جُهَّالاً فَسُئِلُوا، فَأَفْتَوْا بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ، فَضَلُّوا وَأَضَلُّوا
Allah does not take away knowledge by snatching it from people. He takes knowledge away by taking the scholars, until, when no scholar is left, people take ignorant leaders. They are asked and give answers without knowledge, so they go astray and lead others astray.
Narrated by Abdullah ibn Amr · Sahih al-Bukhari 100; Sahih Muslim 2673 · Sahih (agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim)
مَنْ سُئِلَ عَنْ عِلْمٍ فَكَتَمَهُ أَلْجَمَهُ اللَّهُ بِلِجَامٍ مِنْ نَارٍ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ
Whoever is asked about something he knows and hides it, Allah will bridle him with a bridle of fire on the Day of Resurrection.
Narrated by Abu Hurayrah · Sunan Abi Dawud 3658; Jami' at-Tirmidhi 2649 · Graded hasan sahih by al-Albani
مَنْ تَعَلَّمَ عِلْمًا مِمَّا يُبْتَغَى بِهِ وَجْهُ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لاَ يَتَعَلَّمُهُ إِلاَّ لِيُصِيبَ بِهِ عَرَضًا مِنَ الدُّنْيَا لَمْ يَجِدْ عَرْفَ الْجَنَّةِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ
Whoever learns knowledge by which the pleasure of Allah is sought, and learns it only to gain something of this world, will not smell the fragrance of Paradise on the Day of Resurrection.
Narrated by Abu Hurayrah · Sunan Abi Dawud 3664 · Graded sahih by al-Albani
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ عِلْمًا نَافِعًا، وَرِزْقًا طَيِّبًا، وَعَمَلاً مُتَقَبَّلاً
O Allah, I ask You for knowledge that benefits, provision that is good, and deeds that are accepted.
The Prophet ﷺ said this after the salam of the Fajr prayer. More duas for learning are on dua for knowledge.
Narrated by Umm Salamah · Sunan Ibn Majah 925 · Graded sahih by al-Albani
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ عِلْمٍ لاَ يَنْفَعُ وَمِنْ قَلْبٍ لاَ يَخْشَعُ وَمِنْ نَفْسٍ لاَ تَشْبَعُ وَمِنْ دَعْوَةٍ لاَ يُسْتَجَابُ لَهَا
O Allah, I seek refuge in You from knowledge that does not benefit, from a heart that is not humble, from a soul that is never satisfied, and from a dua that is not answered.
Narrated by Zayd ibn Arqam · Sahih Muslim 2722 · Sahih
These are often posted as hadith, but the hadith critics did not accept them as the Prophet's ﷺ words, or they are not found in the hadith books at all. Do not pass them on as hadith.
"Seek knowledge, even if it is in China."
Where: Ibn Adi, al-Kamil; al-Bayhaqi, Shu'ab al-Iman. Grade: very weak; Ibn Hibban called it false and others called it fabricated. The sound hadith of the path to Paradise says the same thing about travelling for knowledge.
"Seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave."
Where: A popular saying. Grade: not found as a hadith in any collection. Its meaning, that learning never stops, is good, but do not attribute it to the Prophet ﷺ.
"The ink of the scholar is holier than the blood of the martyr."
Where: Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi and later books. Grade: fabricated or extremely weak, according to the hadith critics.
مَنْ خَرَجَ فِي طَلَبِ الْعِلْمِ فَهُوَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ حَتَّى يَرْجِعَ
"Whoever goes out to seek knowledge is in the path of Allah until he returns."
Where: Jami' at-Tirmidhi 2647. Grade: graded weak (da'if) by al-Albani; at-Tirmidhi called it hasan gharib.
Arabic: the standard wording from the fawazahmed0 hadith-api dataset of the six books and the Muwatta, cut to the Prophet's ﷺ words. English: our own plain rendering. Words in brackets are the setting, not the hadith. Muslim numbers follow Abd al-Baqi, as on sunnah.com. Pending review by the scholars on our team.
Guide
Short answer: the best known authentic hadith about seeking knowledge is "Whoever takes a path to seek knowledge, Allah makes easy for him a path to Paradise" (Sahih Muslim 2699). Others say that Allah gives understanding of the religion to those He wants good for (Sahih al-Bukhari 71), that the scholars are the heirs of the prophets (Sunan Abi Dawud 3641), and that seeking knowledge is a duty on every Muslim (Sunan Ibn Majah 224). The famous "seek knowledge even in China" is very weak.
In these hadith, knowledge (ilm) first means knowledge of Allah, the Quran and the Sunnah. The scholars divide it in two. What every Muslim must know for himself, such as how to pray, fast and deal honestly, is an individual duty (fard ayn). Deeper study of the law and of useful worldly sciences, medicine for example, is a communal duty (fard kifayah): if enough people learn it, the rest are free of blame. The hadith also praise teaching: the best of you learn the Quran and teach it, and even one verse should be passed on.
A good first step is the Quran itself. The Noorani Qaida teaches you to read it, and the hifz planner helps you memorise it.
The rulings on this page are pending review by the scholars on our team.
salah (prayer), charity (sadaqah), lying and truthfulness, tahajjud (the night prayer), kindness and mercy, patience (sabr), cleanliness and purity, intention (niyyah), marriage (nikah), parents and mothers, neighbours. Or see all hadith topics.
Questions
It is reported by Ibn Adi and al-Bayhaqi, but its chain is very weak, and some critics called it fabricated. Do not quote it as the Prophet's ﷺ words. The authentic hadith on travelling for knowledge is Sahih Muslim 2699.
It is in Sunan Ibn Majah 224. Al-Albani graded this sentence sahih because of its many chains, though several earlier critics held each chain weak. The addition about pearls and swine in the same report is very weak.
"Whoever takes a path to seek knowledge, Allah makes easy for him, through it, a path to Paradise" (Sahih Muslim 2699, from Abu Hurayrah).
Sunan Abi Dawud 3641 and Jami' at-Tirmidhi 2682, from Abu ad-Darda: the prophets left no money, they left knowledge. Al-Albani graded it sahih.
Allahumma inni as'aluka ilman nafi'an, wa rizqan tayyiban, wa amalan mutaqabbalan: O Allah, I ask You for beneficial knowledge, good provision and accepted deeds (Sunan Ibn Majah 925).