Musnad Ahmad 21715

Translation

✧ A man from Madinah came to Abu al-Darda while he was in Damascus and said: What brought you here, my brother? He replied: A hadith reached me that you narrate from the Messenger of God ﷺ. He said: Did you come for trade? He said: No. He said: Did you come for some need? He said: No. He said: Did you come only in search of this hadith? He said: Yes. He said: Indeed, I heard the Messenger of God ﷺ say: Whoever travels a path seeking knowledge therein, God makes a path to Paradise easy for him. Indeed, the angels lower their wings in approval of the seeker of knowledge. Indeed, all who are in the heavens and the earth seek forgiveness for the scholar, even the fish in the water. The superiority of the scholar over the worshipper is like the superiority of the moon over all other heavenly bodies. Indeed, the scholars are the heirs of the prophets; they did not leave behind dinars or dirhams, but they left behind knowledge, and whoever takes of it has taken an abundant share.

Grades by grader

Same hadith, other wordings

• Musnad Ahmad 21716أَقْبَلَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الْمَدِينَةِ. فَذَكَرَ مَعْنَاهُ