Sunan at-Tirmidhī Ḥadīth [2685] – Superiority of the Scholar Over the Worshiper…

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْأَعْلَى الصَّنْعَانِيُّ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا سَلَمَةُ بْنُ رَجَاءٍ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا الْوَلِيدُ بْنُ جَمِيلٍ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا الْقَاسِمُ أَبُو عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، عَنْ أَبِي أُمَامَةَ الْبَاهِلِيِّ قَالَ: ذُكِرَ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ رَجُلَانِ: أَحَدُهُمَا عَابِدٌ، وَالْآخَرُ عَالِمٌ، فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: فَضْلُ الْعَالِمِ عَلَى الْعَابِدِ كَفَضْلِي عَلَى أَدْنَاكُمْ. ثُمَّ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: إِنَّ اللَّهَ، وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ، وَأَهْلَ السَّمَاوَاتِ، وَالْأَرَضِينَ، حَتَّى النَّمْلَةَ فِي جُحْرِهَا، وَحَتَّى الْحُوتَ؛ لَيُصَلُّونَ عَلَى مُعَلِّمِ النَّاسِ الْخَيْرَ

هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ غَرِيبٌ. سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَمَّارٍ الْحُسَيْنَ بْنَ حُرَيْثٍ الْخُزَاعِيَّ يَقُولُ: سَمِعْتُ الْفُضَيْلَ بْنَ عِيَاضٍ يَقُولُ: عَالِمٌ عَامِلٌ مُعَلِّمٌ يُدْعَى كَبِيرًا فِي مَلَكُوتِ السَّمَاوَاتِ

Book [41]: Chapters on knowledge
Chapter [19]: What has been related about the superiority of fiqh over worship

Ḥadīth [2685]: Abī ‘Umāmah al-Bāhilī (may Allāh be pleased with him) narrated: ‘Two men were mentioned before the Messenger of Allāh (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him). One of them a worshiper, and the other a scholar. So the Messenger of Allāh (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) said: “The superiority of the scholar over the worshiper is like my superiority over the least of you.” Then the Messenger of Allāh (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) said: “Indeed Allāh, His Angels, the inhabitants of the heavens and the earths – even the ant in his hole, even the fish – say ṣalāt upon the one who teaches the people to do good.”’

[Abū ‘Īsā said:] This ḥadīth is ḥasan gharīb ṣaḥīḥ. [He said:] I heard Abū ‘Ammār al-Ḥusayn bin Ḥurayth al-Khuzā’ī saying: “I heard al-Fuḍayl bin ‘Iyāḍ saying: ‘The scholar who works in teaching is regarded a great man in the domain of the heavens.’”