Sunan Abī Dāwūd Ḥadīth [3646] – The Writing of Knowledge

حَدَّثَنَا مُسَدَّدٌ، وَأَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، قَالَا: حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى، عَنْ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ الْأَخْنَسِ، عَنِ الْوَلِيدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي مُغِيثٍ، عَنْ يُوسُفَ بْنِ مَاهَكَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو، قَالَ: كُنْتُ أَكْتُبُ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ أَسْمَعُهُ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أُرِيدُ حِفْظَهُ، فَنَهَتْنِي قُرَيْشٌ وَقَالُوا: أَتَكْتُبُ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ تَسْمَعُهُ وَرَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بَشَرٌ يَتَكَلَّمُ فِي الْغَضَبِ، وَالرِّضَا ، فَأَمْسَكْتُ عَنِ الْكِتَابِ، فَذَكَرْتُ ذَلِكَ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَأَوْمَأَ بِأُصْبُعِهِ إِلَى فِيهِ، فَقَالَ: اكْتُبْ فَوَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ مَا يَخْرُجُ مِنْهُ إِلَّا حَقٌّ

Book [19]: Book of Knowledge (Kitāb al-‘Ilm)
Chapter [3]: Writing knowledge

Ḥadīth [3646]: It is narrated on the authority of ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Amr [ibn al-‘Āṣ] (may Allāh be pleased with them both) that he said: I used to write everything which I heard from the Messenger of Allāh (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him). I intended (by it) to memorize it. The Quraysh prohibited me saying: Do you write everything that you hear from him while the Messenger of Allāh (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) is a human being: He speaks in anger and pleasure? So I stopped writing, and mentioned it to the Messenger of Allāh (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him). He signaled with his finger to his mouth and said: “Write! by Him in Whose hand my soul lies, nothing comes from it except the truth.”