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The Hadeeth of Abu Darda (radhiallahu `anhu)
A man came to Abu Darda while he was in Damascus.
Abu Darda asked him, "What has brought you here, my brother?" He replied, "A hadeeth which you relate from the Prophet sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam."
Abu Darda asked, "Have you come for some worldly need?" He replied, "No."
"You have come only to seek this hadeeth?" He said, "Yes."
Abu Darda then said, "I heard the Messenger sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam say, 'Whoever travels a path seeking sacred knowledge, Allah will place him on a path leading to Paradise. The angels lower their wings for the student of sacred knowledge, pleased with what he is doing. The creatures in the heavens and the earth seek forgiveness for the student of sacred knowledge, even the fish in the water. The superiority of the religious scholar over the devout worshipper is like the superiority of the full moon over the other heavenly bodies. The religious scholars are the heirs of the prophets. The prophets leave no money as a bequest, rather they leave knowledge. Whoever seizes it has taken a bountiful share.'"
(Imam Ahmad, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi & Ibn Majah relate this hadeeth in their compilations.)