It is reported on the authority of Al-Walīd b. Mazyad that he said: I heard Al-Awzāʿī say, when I asked him, “Who is a fool?” He replied, “One who is blind to what is wrong (evil), [though] he has insight into what is good.” Al-Dhahabī, Siyar A’lām Al-Nubalā` 7:116.
It is reported that Masrūq – Allāh have mercy on him – said: To (be guaranteed) one day in which I issue correct and just verdicts (fatwā) is more beloved to me than fighting in battle (ghazwah, jihād) for a year. Al-Dhahabī, Siyar A’lām Al-Nubalā` 4:66.
Imām Al-Zuhrī said: Verily, knowledge has calamities [that afflict it]. One of its calamities is when the scholar is left, until he goes away with his knowledge. Another calamity is forgetting [knowledge]. Yet another calamity is lying about [knowledge], and this is the worst type. Ibn ‘Abd Al-Barr, Jāmi’ Bayān Al-‘Ilm article 684.
It is reported that Ibrāhīm Al-Taymī – Allāh have mercy on him – said: What a great difference there is between you and those people [of the past, the Salaf]! Worldly wealth came to them but they fled from it, whereas the world turns its back on you and you go after it. Ibn Al-Mubārak, […]
It is reported that ‘Imrān b. Husayn – Allāh be pleased with him – was once relating hadīth amongst a group of people, when a man said: Leave this and give us something from the Book of Allāh. ‘Imrān said, “You are a dunce (stupid). Do you find in the Book of Allāh details of […]
It is reported that ‘Abdullāh b. Aḥmad b. Ḥanbal – Allāh have mercy on him – said: I asked my father, “Who are the [real] people?” He replied, “The [real] people are none but those who say ḥaddathanā and akhbaranā (those who report ḥadīth).” Abū Bakr Al-Daynūrī, Al-Mujālasah wa Jawāhir Al-‘Ilm article 3438.
It is reported that Imām Al-Ḥasan Al-Baṣrī – Allāh have mercy on him – said: To learn a single topic of knowledge and teach it to a Muslim is more beloved to me than having the whole world and giving it in the cause of Allāh. Al-Khaṭīb Al-Baghdādī, Al-Faqīh wa Al-Mutafaqqih article 53.
It is reported that ‘Abdullāh b. Masʿūd – Allāh be pleased with him – said: By Allāh, he who gives people verdicts (fatwā) for every question they ask him is crazy (majnūn). Ibn Battah Al-‘Ukbarī, Ibṭāl Al-Ḥiyal article 81, et al. Imām Ibn Battah (d. 304H) laments: So here is Ibn Masʿūd, swearing by Allāh […]
It is reported that Abū Qilābah – Allāh Have mercy on him – said: It is only the storyteller-preachers (al-quṣāṣ) who have killed knowledge. A man listens to a storyteller for a year without really learning anything that will last, whereas a man who sits with a scholar for an hour learns what will last […]
It is reported that Imām Aḥmad b. Ḥanbal – Allāh have mercy on him – said: Al-Shāfi’ī saw me sitting in his circle, and there was some ink on my shirt I was trying to hide. He said, “Young man, why are you hiding it? Having ink on ones clothes is a sign of lofty […]