Qur’an verses and hadith about seeking knowledge
What is asked of the one seeking knowledge, and what is asked of the one who already has it — which the passages here treat as two different duties. Each one carries its full source and a short explanation of what it was answering.
- Whoever follows a path in pursuit of knowledge, Allah will make easy for him a path to Paradise.Sahih Muslim 2699
- The best among you are those who learn the Quran and teach it.Sahih al-Bukhari 5027
- When a person dies, his deeds come to an end except for three: an ongoing charity, beneficial knowledge, or a righteous child who prays for him.Sahih Muslim 1631
- Seeking knowledge is an obligation upon every Muslim.Sunan Ibn Majah 224
- Convey from me, even a single verse.Sahih al-Bukhari 3461
- The son of Adam will not move on the Day of Resurrection until he is asked about his life and how he spent it, and his knowledge and what he did with it.Sunan al-Tirmidhi 2417
- O Allah, I seek refuge in You from knowledge that does not benefit, from a heart that does not fear, from a soul that is never satisfied, and from a supplication that is not answered.Sahih Muslim 2722
- O Allah, I ask You for beneficial knowledge, wholesome provision, and deeds that are accepted.Sunan Ibn Majah 925
- The tongue is the translator of the heart.Arabic proverb
- The best companion in life is a book.Arabic proverb
- If speech is silver, silence is gold.Arabic proverb
- The best speech is that which is brief and to the point.Arabic proverb
- Knowledge is light.Arabic proverb
- Whoever seeks the heights must forgo sleep.Arabic proverb
- Wisdom is the believer's lost treasure; he takes it wherever he finds it.Arabic proverb
- Ask the one with experience rather than the one with only knowledge.Arabic proverb
- A wise enemy is better than a foolish friend.Arabic proverb
- The best of all matters are those in the middle.Arabic proverb
- Silence is the wisest answer to a fool.Arabic proverb
- And We have certainly made the Quran easy to remember. So is there anyone who will be mindful?Quran 54:17
- My Lord, increase me in knowledge.Quran 20:114
- Allah will raise those who have believed among you and those who were given knowledge, by degrees.Quran 58:11
- Be grateful to Allah. And whoever is grateful is grateful for himself.Quran 31:12
- Does He who created not know, while He is the Subtle, the Aware?Quran 67:14
- Knowledge is of two kinds: that which is absorbed and that which is heard. And that which is heard does not profit if it is not absorbed.Ali ibn Abi Talib
- He who busies himself with the faults of others will have no time to address his own.Imam al-Ghazali
- Whoever desires this world must seek knowledge, and whoever desires the Hereafter must seek knowledge.Imam al-Shafii
- People are in greater need of knowledge than of food and drink, for a person needs food once or twice a day, but he needs knowledge with every breath.Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal
- A deed is not accepted unless it is sincere and correct: sincere, done for Allah alone, and correct, in accordance with the Sunnah.al-Fudayl ibn Iyad
- Knowledge without action is insanity, and action without knowledge is void.Imam al-Ghazali (Ayyuha al-Walad)
- I have never struggled with anything harder than my own intention, for it keeps turning over on me.Sufyan al-Thawri
- May Allah have mercy on the one who shows me my faults.Umar ibn al-Khattab
- My knowledge travels with me wherever I go; my heart is its vessel, not a chest locked away.Imam al-Shafii (Diwan)
- Whoever does not taste the hardship of learning for an hour will drink the humiliation of ignorance for a lifetime.Imam al-Shafii (Diwan)
- Travel, and you will find a replacement for what you leave behind; strive, for the sweetness of life is in striving.Imam al-Shafii (Diwan)
Questions on this
- How does someone become a Muslim?Qur’an 47:19 · Sahih al-Bukhari 8
- What are the five pillars of Islam?Sahih al-Bukhari 8 · Sahih Muslim 16
- What do Muslims actually believe?Qur’an 2:285 · Sahih al-Bukhari 50
- What is shirk, and why is it treated as the most serious sin?Qur’an 4:48 · Qur’an 31:13
- Will Allah forgive what I did before I knew better?Qur’an 39:53 · Qur’an 25:70
- When are the five daily prayers?Qur’an 17:78 · Sahih Muslim 612
- How do I make wudū’?Qur’an 5:6 · Sahih Muslim 223
- What do I do about all the prayers I’ve missed?Qur’an 20:14 · Sahih al-Bukhari 597
- Can I pray before I’ve learned Arabic?Qur’an 2:286 · Sunan Abi Dawud 832
- Do I have to pray in a mosque?Qur’an 62:9 · Sahih al-Bukhari 645
- Why do Muslims fast in Ramadan?Qur’an 2:183 · Qur’an 2:185
- What actually breaks the fast?Qur’an 2:187
- Who does not have to fast?Qur’an 2:184 · Qur’an 2:185
- I ate something by accident while fasting — is my fast broken?Sahih al-Bukhari 1933
- Is fasting only about food and drink?Sahih al-Bukhari 1903
- What is zakāt, and do I have to pay it?Qur’an 9:60 · Qur’an 2:110
- What is ribā, and why is interest forbidden?Qur’an 2:275 · Qur’an 2:278
- I have a mortgage or a student loan. What do I do now?Qur’an 2:280 · Qur’an 2:286
- What is the difference between zakāt and sadaqa?Qur’an 2:261 · Sahih al-Bukhari 1503
- What food is forbidden in Islam?Qur’an 5:3 · Qur’an 2:173
- Is alcohol always forbidden, even a small amount?Qur’an 5:90
- Do I have to buy halal-certified meat?Qur’an 5:5 · Qur’an 5:3
- Can I still be close to my parents if they are not Muslim?Qur’an 31:14 · Qur’an 31:15
- Is dating allowed, and how do Muslims actually meet someone?Qur’an 17:32 · Qur’an 24:31
- Can I go to my family’s Christmas dinner, wedding or funeral?Qur’an 31:15 · Qur’an 60:8
- What counts as backbiting, and is it really that serious?Qur’an 49:12
- How am I supposed to deal with anger?Qur’an 3:159 · Sahih al-Bukhari 6114
- Do I have to forgive someone who genuinely wronged me?Qur’an 42:40 · Qur’an 24:22
- Can I keep my job if it involves alcohol or pork?Qur’an 2:286 · Qur’an 65:2
- I keep failing at this. Does that mean I was never sincere?Qur’an 3:135 · Qur’an 2:286
- How do I find a mosque or a community I actually fit into?Qur’an 3:103 · Sahih al-Bukhari 6018
- What exactly is the Qur’an?Qur’an 15:9 · Qur’an 2:2
- What is the Sunnah, and how is a hadith different from the Qur’an?Qur’an 33:21 · Qur’an 59:7
- Why are there four schools of law, and do I have to pick one?Qur’an 4:59 · Qur’an 21:7
- Do Muslims believe in Jesus?Qur’an 19:30 · Qur’an 4:171
- What happens after a person dies?Qur’an 3:185 · Qur’an 23:99
- What is ‘Umra, and how is it different from Hajj?Qur’an 2:196 · Sahih al-Bukhari 1773
- What does Islamic dress actually require?Qur’an 24:31 · Qur’an 33:59
- Can a Muslim marry someone who isn't Muslim?Qur’an 2:221 · Qur’an 30:21
- How do I pray when I'm travelling?Qur’an 4:101 · Qur’an 4:103
- How do I make du‘ā’, and does it have to be in Arabic?Qur’an 40:60 · Qur’an 2:186
- When does Hajj actually become obligatory for me?Qur’an 3:97
- Does a child's Hajj count?Qur’an 3:97 · Sahih al-Bukhari 1521
- What am I not allowed to do while in ihrām?Qur’an 2:197
- Can I shower or cool down while I'm in ihrām?Qur’an 2:197 · Qur’an 2:185
- I can afford Hajj but keep putting it off. Is that a problem?Qur’an 3:97
- I fell ill and couldn't complete the pilgrimage. What now?Qur’an 2:196 · Qur’an 2:286
- I get intrusive, blasphemous thoughts about Allah. Am I sinning?Sahih al-Bukhari 3276 · Qur’an 2:286
- Should I pay off my late father's debt or go for Hajj?Qur’an 2:280 · Qur’an 3:97
- Is the month of Safar unlucky?Sahih al-Bukhari 5757
- If the Dajjāl only appears at the end of time, why did every prophet warn about him?Sahih Muslim 2933
- What should I do when the Muslim community is divided and fighting?Sahih al-Bukhari 7084 · Qur’an 3:103
- Do crystals, gemstones and amulets have real power?Qur’an 10:107 · Qur’an 4:48
- “No one with an atom of pride enters Paradise” — does that mean me?Sahih Muslim 91 · Qur’an 31:18
- How do I know whose religious advice to trust?Qur’an 16:43 · Qur’an 21:7
- Does doing business during Hajj ruin my intention?Sahih al-Bukhari 1521 · Qur’an 22:27
- I have a medical condition that needs a pad or dressing. Can I still make Hajj?Qur’an 2:286 · Qur’an 2:185
- I put on the ihrām clothes but changed my mind. Can I just stop?Qur’an 2:196
- Someone has offered to pay for my Hajj, but I'm in debt. Should I go?Qur’an 3:97 · Qur’an 2:280
- I found something valuable. What am I supposed to do with it?Sahih al-Bukhari 2429 · Qur’an 4:58
- Does gargling or rinsing my mouth break the fast?Qur’an 2:187
- My gums bleed while I'm fasting. Does that invalidate it?Qur’an 2:187
- Can I cook and taste the food while fasting?Qur’an 2:187
- Can I wear perfume while fasting?Qur’an 2:187
- I slept through suhūr. Is my fast still valid?Sahih al-Bukhari 1923
- I vomited involuntarily while fasting. Do I have to make the day up?Qur’an 2:286
- What exactly are the things that break the fast?Qur’an 2:187
- I reached puberty and didn't fast those years. What do I do now?Qur’an 2:184 · Qur’an 2:286
- I keep putting off the days I owe. Is there a deadline?Qur’an 2:184
- I have years of fasts owed from pregnancies and nursing. What is due from me?Qur’an 2:184 · Qur’an 2:185
- Can I break my fast before I hear the adhān?Qur’an 2:187
- I woke up in a state of janāba without having washed. Is my fast valid?Qur’an 2:187
- I'm ill. Can I stop fasting, and what do I owe afterwards?Qur’an 2:184 · Qur’an 2:185
- I saw someone eating in Ramadan. Should I say something?Qur’an 3:104
- When is the supplication made at the breaking of the fast?Qur’an 2:186
- Can I fast the day after ‘Īd?Qur’an 2:185
- Two scholars say different things. Which one do I follow?Qur’an 4:59 · Qur’an 21:7
- Are penalty clauses for non-performance valid in a contract?Qur’an 5:1 · Qur’an 2:282
- I don't know how many fasts I owe. How do I work it out?Qur’an 2:286 · Qur’an 2:184
- What does shirk actually mean?Qur’an 4:48 · Qur’an 31:13
- What are the sacred months?Qur’an 9:36
- Is Rajab singled out with a special prayer, an ‘Umra, or keeping vigil on the 27th night?Sahih Muslim 1718 · Qur’an 9:36
- What is the ruling on calling to “the unity of religions”?Qur’an 3:85 · Qur’an 60:8
- Is it true that Allah created the universe for the sake of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ?Qur’an 51:56 · Sahih Muslim 1718
- What is the ruling on using Qur’anic verses as decoration, on phones, and selling them?Qur’an 38:29 · Qur’an 20:114
- Is marriage an obstacle to seeking knowledge?Qur’an 24:32 · Qur’an 2:286
- What is the minimum duration of i‘tikāf?Qur’an 2:187
- When do I make up a fast, and when do I feed a poor person instead?Qur’an 2:184
- I went years without fasting Ramadan. Where do I start?Qur’an 39:53 · Qur’an 2:184