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Muslim.” (1) Likewise, every act of worship that the Sacred Law has made obligatory upon each individual requires him to know its rulings, such as the rulings of zakah, if he possesses wealth, and the rulings of Hajj, if it has become obligatory upon him.
As for the collective obligation, it is to pursue learning until one reaches ⦗167/b⦘ the level of independent legal reasoning and the rank of issuing legal verdicts. If the people of a town neglect to learn it, they all incur sin; but if one person from each town undertakes it and learns it, the obligation is lifted from the others. They must follow him in the new matters that arise for them. Abu Umamah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “The superiority of the scholar over the worshipper is like my superiority over the least of you.” (2)
Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “One jurist is more formidable to Satan than a thousand worshippers.” (3)
Al-Shafii said: Seeking knowledge is better than voluntary prayer.
(1) In manuscript B: “and every Muslim woman.” Ibn Majah narrated the hadith in al-Muqaddimah, chapter: “The virtue of scholars and encouragement to seek knowledge,” no. 424, 1/81. In al-Zawa'id, he said: “Its chain of transmission is weak due to the weakness of Hafs ibn Sulayman.” Kanz al-Ummal, 10/130-131, attributes it to Ibn Adi, al-Bayhaqi, al-Tabarani, and al-Khatib. The hadith has been narrated through numerous chains from several Companions. Although every individual chain contains some weakness, their multiplicity strengthens the hadith. For this reason, al-Mizzi and Ibn al-Qattan graded it hasan, while al-Suyuti deemed it sahih due to supporting evidence and included it among the mutawatir hadiths. Al-Maqasid al-Hasanah states: “Some compilers have appended to this hadith the words, ‘and every Muslim woman,’ but these words are not mentioned in any of its chains, even though their meaning is sound.” See: Ibn al-Dib'a, Tamyiz al-Tayyib min al-Khabith, p. 116; Kashf al-Khafa, 2/56-57; al-Kattani, Nazm al-Mutanathir min al-Hadith al-Mutawatir, pp. 35-37.
(2) Narrated by al-Tirmidhi in al-Ilm, chapter: “What has been related concerning the superiority of religious understanding (fiqh) over worship,” 7/456-457. He said: “This is a hasan, gharib, sahih hadith.” Al-Darimi also narrated it from Mak'hul as a mursal report, with a hasan chain, in al-Muqaddimah, chapter: “Those who said: Knowledge is reverent fear and consciousness of Allah,” 1/88. He also narrated it from al-Hasan as a marfu report in the chapter: “The virtue of knowledge and the scholar,” 1/97-98. It was also narrated by the author in Sharh al-Sunnah, 1/278, and by Ibn Abd al-Barr in Jami Bayan al-Ilm, 1/46. See also al-Albani's commentary on al-Mishkah, 1/74-75.
(3) Narrated by al-Tirmidhi in al-Ilm, chapter: “What has been related concerning the superiority of religious understanding (fiqh) over worship,” 7/450. He said: “This is a gharib hadith, and we know it only through this route.” It was also narrated by Ibn Majah in al-Muqaddimah, chapter: “The virtue of scholars and encouragement to seek knowledge,” no. 222, 1/81. Its chain includes Ruh ibn Junah, who is very weak and accused of fabricating hadith. Ibn Abd al-Barr also narrated it from Ibn Abbas and from Abu Hurayrah in Jami Bayan al-Ilm, 1/52-53. Its chain includes Yazid ibn Iyad, who was a liar. See al-Albani's commentary on al-Mishkah, 1/75; Sharh al-Sunnah, 1/278.
مُسْلِمٍ" (١) . وَكَذَلِكَ كَلُّ عِبَادَةٍ أَوْجَبَهَا الشَّرْعُ عَلَى كُلِّ وَاحِدٍ، يَجِبُ عَلَيْهِ مَعْرِفَةُ عِلْمِهَا، مِثْلُ: عِلْمِ الزَّكَاةِ إِنْ كَانَ لَهُ مَالٌ، وَعِلْمِ الْحَجِّ إِنْ وَجَبَ عَلَيْهِ.
وَأَمَّا فَرْضُ الْكِفَايَةِ فَهُوَ: أَنْ يَتَعَلَّمَ حَتَّى يبلغ درجة ١٦٧/ب الِاجْتِهَادِ وَرُتْبَةَ الْفُتْيَا، فَإِذَا قَعَدَ أَهْلُ بَلَدٍ عَنْ تَعَلُّمِهِ عَصَوْا جَمِيعًا، وَإِذَا قَامَ مِنْ كُلِّ بَلَدٍ وَاحِدٌ فَتَعَلَّمَهُ سَقَطَ الْفَرْضُ عَنِ الْآخَرِينَ، وَعَلَيْهِمْ تَقْلِيدُهُ فِيمَا يَقَعُ لَهُمْ مِنَ الْحَوَادِثِ، رَوَى أَبُو أُمَامَةَ ﵁ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: "فَضْلُ الْعَالَمِ عَلَى الْعَابِدِ كَفَضْلِي عَلَى أَدْنَاكُمْ" (٢) .
وَعَنْ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ﵄ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: "فَقِيهٌ وَاحِدٌ أَشَدُّ عَلَى الشَّيْطَانِ مِنْ أَلْفِ عَابِدٍ" (٣) .
قَالَ الشَّافِعِيُّ: طَلَبُ الْعِلْمِ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ صَلَاةِ النَّافِلَةِ.
(١) في "ب": (ومسلمة) . والحديث رواه ابن ماجه في المقدمة، باب فضل العلماء والحث على طلب العلم، برقم (٤٢٤) : ١ / ٨١. قال في الزوائد: إسناده ضعيف لضعف حفص بن سلمان. وعزاه في كنز العمال: ١٠ / ١٣٠-١٣١ لابن عدي والبيهقي والطبراني والخطيب. وقد روي الحديث من طرق كثيرة عن عدد من الصحابة، وكل طريق منها لا يخلو من ضعف، ولكنها لكثرتها تقوي الحديث، لذلك حسنه المزي وابن القطان، وصححه السيوطي لغيره، وذكره في الأحاديث المتواترة. وقال في المقاصد الحسنة: قد ألحق بعض المصنفين بهذا الحديث: "ومسلمة" وليس لها ذكر في شيء من طرقه وإن كان معناها صحيحا. انظر: تمييز الطيب من الخبيث لابن الديبع: ص (١١٦) ، كشف الخفاء: ٢ / ٥٦-٥٧، نظم المتناثر من الحديث المتواتر للكتاني ص (٣٥-٣٧) .
(٢) أخرجه الترمذي في العلم، باب ما جاء في فضل الفقه على العبادة: ٧ / ٤٥٦-٤٥٧، وقال: هذا حديث حسن غريب صحيح. والدارمي عن مكحول مرسلا بسند حسن في المقدمة، باب من قال: العلم الخشية وتقوى الله: ١ / ٨٨، وأخرجه أيضا عن الحسن مرفوعا في باب فضل العلم والعالم: ١ / ٩٧-٩٨. والمصنف في شرح السنة: ١ / ٢٧٨، وابن عبد البر في جامع بيان العلم: ١ / ٤٦. وانظر: تعليق الألباني على المشكاة: ١ / ٧٤-٧٥.
(٣) أخرجه الترمذي في العلم، باب ما جاء في فضل الفقه على العبادة، ٧ / ٤٥٠ وقال: هذا حديث غريب، ولا نعرفه إلا من هذا الوجه، وابن ماجه في المقدمة، باب فضل العلماء والحث على طلب العلم برقم (٢٢٢) : ١ / ٨١. وفيه روح بن جناح، وهو ضعيف جدا، متهم بالوضع. وأخرجه ابن عبد البر عن ابن عباس، وعن أبي هريرة أيضا في جامع بيان العلم: ١ / ٥٢-٥٣. وفيه: يزيد بن عياض، وهو كذاب. انظر: تعليق الألباني على المشكاة: ١ / ٧٥، وشرح السنة: ١ / ٢٧٨.