❞ كتاب The Book of Knowledge ❝ ⏤ أبو خيثمة زهير بن حرب

 Chain of Narration back to the Author...................................................    7
2. Narrations on the Merits of Ac
quiring and Spreading Knowledge...................    8
3. The Modesty of some of the
Salaf
 in Refraining from Speaking.....................    9
4. Narrations and Commentary on the Forbiddance/Allowance of writing hadeeth...    11
5. The Tafseer of the
ayah
:
“And make us leaders of the
Muttaqoon
”
...............     12     
6. From the virtues of Sa’eed Ibn Jubair and Ibraaheem An-Nakha’ee.................     13
7. The Travel of one of the Companions to Egypt for obtaining one hadeeth.........    13
8. The Dictation of some of the
Salaf
 to their students....................................     14
9. Tafseer of
”Those who are miserly and enjoin miserliness upon the people”
..     14     
10. The Striving of Mak-hool to gather
 Knowledge from different lands..............     15
11. Meaning of “
ayah
” in the hadeeth:
“Convey from me even if it is one
ayah
”
...    15    
12. From the Virtues of Ibn ‘Abbaas and Ibn Mas’ood (
radyAllaahu ‘anhum
).......     16     
13. ‘Umar’s Knowledge compared to the
Knowledge of the People in his time......     18
14. Who are
“those in authority amongst you”
 mentioned in the
ayah
?.............    19    
15. Bringing life to the Hadeeth is through Reminding one another of them..........     20
16. Refraining from answering questions
 on things that never occurred...............    21
17. Tafseer of the
ayah
:
“Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allaah”
...     23     
18. Six Companions of the Prophet who
se Knowledge used to be sought............
25
19. Abu Sa’eed on memorizing hadeeth but not writing them down.....................    25
20. The Reason why Abu Hurairah narrated so many hadeeth...........................    25
21. The Forbiddance of Fatiguing the people with too much Speech...................    26
22. Grading of the hadeeth:
“He would hate that people walk behind him”
.......     26     
23. Narrations on Reporting the hadeeth according to their Meanings..................    27
24. Ibn Mas’ood forewarns: Many Speakers but few Scholars in the Last Days......    28
25. Narrations and Commentary on some of the
Salaf
 erasing their Books.........
28
26. The Snatching away of Knowledge is
 through the Death of the Scholars.........    30
27. ‘Aasim Ibn Damurah forbids people from
walking behind Sa’eed Ibn Jubair.....    31
28. ‘Alee on not knowing what Abrogates from what is Abrogated.....................    32
29. The
Salaf
 on Narrating hadeeth according to their Wordings or Meanings........    33
29. Recording the First Portions of Hadeeth................................................     33
30. Narrations on the Forbiddan
ce of Concealing Knowledge...........................     34
31. Authentication of the hadeeth:
“There are two types of greedy people...”
......    34    
32. Narrations on the Allowance/Forb
iddance of Recording Hadeeth..................    35
33. Abu Hurairah permits a book of hadeet
h written on his authority be reported....    36
34. The
Salaf’s
 hatred of people walking behind them....................................    37
35. Grading of the hadeeth:
“The example of one who acquired knowledge...”
...     38     

ll  praise  is  for  Allaah  and  may  His  peace  and  blessings  be  on  the  Final  Messenger,  his  family  and  those  
who follow him in goodness until the Day of Judgement.  To Proceed.
We  are  pleased  to  present  this,  our  seventh  E-Book,  entitled:  “
The  Book  of  Knowledge
”  -  a  complete  
translation of the classical work
“
Kitaab-ul-‘Ilm
”
 of Imaam Abu Khaithama An-Nasaa’ee (
rahimahullaah
).
This  treatise  is  comprised  of  a  collection  of  
ahaadeeth
  (sayings  of  the  Prophet)  and  
athaar
  (sayings  of  the  
Salaf) on the subject of Islaamic Knowledge.  By read
ing the various narrations, it is hoped that the reader
will benefit and reflect on the merits and virtues of
 seeking, acquiring and teaching knowledge.  The treatise
also provides a first-hand look on how the Salaf’s attit
ude was with respect to knowledge – how they sought
it,  how  they  learned  it  and  how  they  taught  it  to  others
.    There  are  several  narrations,  also,  that  give  us  a  
description of the characteristics of some of
the Salaf, their knowledge and their virtues.
Therefore,  this  treatise  is  of  the  utmost  importance,  
as it provides the reader with an account of the Salaf -
those whom we are obligated to follow and take their ex
ample.  And it deals with one of the most important
topics  in  Islaam,  which  is  Knowledge,  since  knowledge  
is  the  foundation  that  is  required  before  doing  all  
sayings and actions.  Al-Haafidh Ibn 'Abd-il-Barr said:
"The scholars have unanimously agreed that there
is  from  knowledge  that  which  is  a  specified  obligation  upon  every  individual  with  respect  to  himself  
(
fard  ‘ayn
)  and  that  which  is  a  collective  obligation  (
fard  kifaayah
)  –  if  someone  rises  to  fulfill  it,  its  
obligation becomes withdrawn from the remaining people of that area."
3
Imaam  Ibn  Qudaamah  said:  "As  for  knowledge  of  the  Relig
ion,  all  of  it  is  praiseworthy.    It  is  divided  
into
usool
 (fundamental issues),
furoo'
 (subsidiary issues),
muqaddimaat
 (introductory knowledge) and
mutammimaat
 (complementary knowledge).  The
usool
 consist of the Book of Allaah, the Sunnah of the
Prophet, the consensus of the Muslim scholar
s and the narrations of the Sahaabah.  The
furoo’
 consist of
what  is  understood  from  these  fundamental  sources  from  the  meanings  that  are  perceived  by  the  
intellect, such that what is understood from it
is something other than the written wording.”
4
The treatise has been verified by the great schol
ar of our time, Imaam Muhammad Naasir-ud-Deen Al-
Albaanee.  He has provided gradings for many of the narrations as well as notes and commentaries that
give an explanation for some of these narrations.
We  ask  Allaah  that  He  make  this  present  E-Book  a  
source  of  benefit  for  its  readers  and  a  source  of  
guidance for those who act upon what is in it

The  Shaikh,  the  Imaam,  the  'Aalim  (scholar),  the  
Zaahid  (ascetic)  'Izz-ud-Deen  Abul-Hasan  'Alee  Ibn  
Muhammad  Ibn  'Abd-il-Kareem  Al-Juzree  –  may  Allaah
  support  him  –  informed  us  in  the  month  of  
Ramadaan  of  the  year  614H  in  the  city  of  Mausil  (In  northern  'Iraq)  from  the  home  of  his  brother,  
saying: The Shaikh, the Imaam, the 'Aalim Majd-ud-Deen Abul-Faraj Yahyaa Ibn Mahmood Ibn Sa'ad
Al-Asfahaanee informed us, saying: The Shaikh, the
Imaam Abul-Fath Isma'eel Ibn Al-Fadl Ibn Ahmad
Ibn Al-Akh-sheed As-Sarraaj informed us in the year 518H and in the year 522H, saying: Shaikh Abu
Taahir  Muhammad  Ibn  Ahmad  Ibn  'Abd-ir-Raheem  informed  us,  saying:  Abu  Hafs  'Umar  Ibn  
Ibraaheem Al-Kitaanee Al-Muqree informed us, saying: Abul-Qaasim 'Abdullaah Ibn Muhammad 'Abd-
ul-'Azeez Al-Baghawee informed us that:
1.  
Abu Khaithama Zuhair Ibn Harb narrated to us, say
ing: Wakee' reported to us, saying: Al-A'amash
reported  to  us  from  Tameem  Ibn  Salamah  from  
Abu  'Ubaidah  that  he  said:  ‘Abdullaah  [Ibn  
Mas’ood] (
radyAllaahu ‘anhu
) said:
“Aspire to become a scholar or a student of knowledge, and do not aspire to become anything other
than that.”
2.  
Abu  Khaithama  narrated  to  us,  saying:  Ishaaq  
Ibn  Sulaimaan  Ar-Raazee  stated:  I  heard  Handhala  
report from ‘Awn Ibn ‘Abdillaah that he said:  
“I said to ‘Umar Bin ‘Abd-il-‘Azeez: ‘It was said (to me): If you are able to be a scholar, then be a
scholar.  And if you are not able to do so, then be
 a student of knowledge.  And if you are not able
to be a student of knowledge, then love them.  And
if you can’t love them, then do not hate them.’  
So ‘Umar said: ‘
SubhaanAllaah
! (Glory be to Allaah!)  Allaah h
as indeed made a way out for this
person.’”
3.  
Abu  Khaithama  narrated  to  us,  saying:  Jareer  re
ported  to  us  from  Al-A'amash  from  Tameem  Ibn  
Salamah from Abu 'Ubaidah that he said: ‘Abdullaah [Ibn Mas'ood] (
radyAllaahu ‘anhu
) said:
“Whosoever Allaah intends to do good for,
He gives him understanding of the Religion.”
5
4.  
Abu  Khaithama  narrated  to  us,  saying:  Mu'awiyah  Ibn  'Amr  reported  to  us,  saying  that  Zaa'idah  
reported  from  Al-A'amash  from  Tameem  Ibn  Salamah  from  Abu  'Ubaidah  on  the  authority  of  
‘Abdullaah [Ibn Mas'ood] that he (
radyAllaahu ‘anhu
) said:  
“O people, learn!  Then whoever learns, must act (upon what he knows).

 This treatise is comprised of a collection of ahaadeeth sayings of the Prophet and athaar sayings of the Salaf on the subject of Islamic Knowledge. The Tahqeeq of the book was done by Imam Alalbanee.