Aslam

Abraham! I am All- wise and I love every wise man. He said: A learned man is a trust of God on earth. He said: There will be two groups among my people. When both the groups are good, the people are good and when they are corrupt, the people become corrupt - the rulers and the theologians He said: Should the day come wherein my knowledge for nearing God does not increase, let not the sun rise on that day. The superiority of a learned man over a worshipper is like my superiority over the ordinary men.
So see how he linked knowledge with prophethood and how he belittled the rank of the learned man without action, even though a worshiper is worshipping always and he would not have worshipped had he not possessed knowledge. He said: The superiority of a learned man over a worshipper is like the superiority of moon over the stars. He said: There will intercede on the Resurrection Day the prophets, then the learned and then the martyrs. So the rank of the learned is next to that of the prophets and higher than that of the martyrs.

The Holy Prophet said: God has not given any man more excellence than the knowledge of religion and one theologian is more formidable to the devil than a thousand worshippers.
Everything has its foundation and the foundation of this religion is knowledge of theology. He said: The best part of your religion is its easiest and the best worship is (the acquisition of) religious knowledge. He said: The superiority of a believing learned man over a believing worhsipper is seventy degrees. He said: You are living in an age wherein the theologians are many, the Quran-readers and the preaches are few, the beggars are few and the givers are many, wherein deeds are better than knowledge.
But soon there will come over you such an age wherein the theologians will be few, the preachers and the Quran-readers many, the givers few and the beggars many, wherein knowledge will be better than deeds. He said: There is difference of one hundred degrees between a worshipper and a learned man. The distance between two degrees is as the run of a racing horse for seventy years."

The Holy Prophet was once asked: O Prophet of God, which action is best? He said: Knowledge. He was then questioned:
Which knowledge do you mean? He said: Knowledge about God.
They said: We ask you about action but you speak of knowledge.
The Prophet said: With your knowledge of God, a few actions

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will suffice and your ignorance about God will not suffice even though actions are numerous. He said: On the Day of Resurrection, God will raise up the worshippers and the learned men. He will say: O the congregation of the learned men, I have not imbued you with My knowledge but for My knowledge about you. I have not placed knowledge in you in order to punish you. Go, I have forgiven you.