«102»- وَ قَالَ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله نَوْمٌ مَعَ عِلْمٍ خَيْرٌ مِنْ صَلَاةٍ مَعَ جَهْلٍ.

«102»- And he — may God bless him and his family — said: A sleep with knowledge is better than a prayer with ignorance.

«103»- وَ قَالَ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله أَيُّمَا نَاشٍ نَشَأَ فِي الْعِلْمِ وَ الْعِبَادَةِ حَتَّى يَكْبَرَ أَعْطَاهُ اللَّهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ ثَوَابَ اثْنَيْنِ وَ سَبْعِينَ صِدِّيقاً.

«103»- And he — may God bless him and his family — said: Whatever youth grows up in knowledge and worship until he becomes great, God gives him on the Day of Resurrection the reward of seventy-two truthful ones.

«104»- وَ قَالَ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله قَلِيلٌ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ كَثِيرِ الْعِبَادَةِ.

«104»- And he — may God bless him and his family — said: A little of knowledge is better than much worship.

«105»- وَ قَالَ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله مَنْ غَدَا إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ لَا يُرِيدُ إِلَّا لِيَتَعَلَّمَ خَيْراً أَوْ لِيُعَلِّمَهُ كَانَ لَهُ أَجْرُ مُعْتَمِرٍ تَامَّ الْعُمْرَةِ وَ مَنْ رَاحَ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ لَا يُرِيدُ إِلَّا لِيَتَعَلَّمَ خَيْراً أَوْ لِيُعَلِّمَهُ فَلَهُ أَجْرُ حَاجٍّ تَامَّ الْحِجَّةِ.

«105»- And he — may God bless him and his family — said: Whoever goes at morning to the mosque desiring nothing but to learn some good or to teach it has the reward of one who performs the lesser pilgrimage complete; and whoever goes at evening to the mosque desiring nothing but to learn some good or to teach it has the reward of a pilgrim whose pilgrimage is complete.

«106»- وَ عَنْ صَفْوَانَ بْنِ غَسَّانَ قَالَ: أَتَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله وَ هُوَ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ مُتَّكِئٌ عَلَى بُرْدٍ لَهُ أَحْمَرَ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنِّي جِئْتُ أَطْلُبُ الْعِلْمَ فَقَالَ مَرْحَباً بِطَالِبِ الْعِلْمِ إِنَّ طَالِبَ الْعِلْمِ لَتَحُفُّهُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ بِأَجْنِحَتِهَا ثُمَّ يَرْكَبُ بَعْضُهَا بَعْضاً حَتَّى يَبْلُغُوا سَمَاءَ الدُّنْيَا مِنْ مَحَبَّتِهِمْ لِمَا يُطْلَبُ.

«106»- And from Safwan b. Ghassan, who said: I came to the Prophet — may God bless him and his family — and he was in the mosque, reclining upon a red mantle of his. I said to him: O Messenger of God, I have come seeking knowledge. And he said: Welcome to the seeker of knowledge! Indeed the seeker of knowledge — the angels encompass him with their wings, then they mount one upon another until they reach the heaven of this world, out of their love for that which he seeks.

«107»- وَ قَالَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عليه السلام كَفَى بِالْعِلْمِ شَرَفاً أَنْ يَدَّعِيَهُ مَنْ لَا يُحْسِنُهُ وَ يَفْرَحَ إِذَا نُسِبَ إِلَيْهِ وَ كَفَى بِالْجَهْلِ ذَمّاً يَبْرَأُ مِنْهُ مَنْ هُوَ فِيهِ.

«107»- And the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, said: It is nobility enough for knowledge that he who is not good at it lays claim to it and rejoices when he is ascribed to it; and it is blame enough for ignorance that he who is in it dissociates from it.

«108»- وَ عَنْهُ عليه السلام أَيْضاً الْعِلْمُ أَفْضَلُ مِنَ الْمَالِ بِسَبْعَةٍ الْأَوَّلُ أَنَّهُ مِيرَاثُ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ وَ الْمَالَ مِيرَاثُ الْفَرَاعِنَةِ الثَّانِي الْعِلْمُ لَا يَنْقُصُ بِالنَّفَقَةِ وَ الْمَالُ يَنْقُصُ بِهَا الثَّالِثُ يَحْتَاجُ الْمَالُ إِلَى الْحَافِظِ وَ الْعِلْمُ يَحْفَظُ صَاحِبَهُ الرَّابِعُ الْعِلْمُ يَدْخُلُ فِي الْكَفَنِ وَ يَبْقَى الْمَالُ الْخَامِسُ الْمَالُ يَحْصُلُ لِلْمُؤْمِنِ وَ الْكَافِرِ وَ الْعِلْمُ لَا يَحْصُلُ إِلَّا لِلْمُؤْمِنِ خَاصَّةً السَّادِسُ جَمِيعُ النَّاسِ يَحْتَاجُونَ إِلَى صَاحِبِ الْعِلْمِ فِي أَمْرِ دِينِهِمْ وَ لَا يَحْتَاجُونَ إِلَى صَاحِبِ الْمَالِ السَّابِعُ الْعِلْمُ يُقَوِّي الرَّجُلَ عَلَى الْمُرُورِ عَلَى الصِّرَاطِ وَ الْمَالُ يَمْنَعُهُ.

«108»- And from him also, peace be upon him: Knowledge is more excellent than wealth in seven ways. The first: that it is the inheritance of the prophets, while wealth is the inheritance of the pharaohs. The second: knowledge is not diminished by expenditure, while wealth is diminished by it. The third: wealth has need of a keeper, while knowledge keeps its possessor. The fourth: knowledge enters into the shroud, while wealth remains behind. The fifth: wealth is obtained by the believer and the unbeliever, while knowledge is obtained by none but the believer in particular. The sixth: all people have need of the possessor of knowledge in the matter of their religion, and they have no need of the possessor of wealth. The seventh: knowledge strengthens a man for the passing over the Bridge, while wealth holds him back from it.

«109»- وَ عَنْ زَيْنِ الْعَابِدِينَ عليه السلام لَوْ يَعْلَمُ النَّاسُ مَا فِي طَلَبِ الْعِلْمِ لَطَلَبُوهُ وَ لَوْ بِسَفْكِ الْمُهَجِ وَ خَوْضِ اللُّجَجِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى أَوْحَى إِلَى دَانِيَالَ أَنَّ أَمْقَتَ عَبِيدِي إِلَيَّ الْجَاهِلُ الْمُسْتَخِفُّ بِحَقِّ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ التَّارِكُ لِلِاقْتِدَاءِ بِهِمْ وَ أَنَّ أَحَبَّ عِبَادِي عِنْدِي ١

«109»- And from Zayn al-'Abidin, peace be upon him: If people knew what is in the seeking of knowledge, they would surely seek it, though it were at the shedding of life-blood and the plunging into deeps. Indeed God the Exalted revealed to Daniel: The most hateful of My servants to Me is the ignorant one who makes light of the right of the people of knowledge and abandons the taking of them as an example; and the most beloved of My servants with Me (1)