A Student of Knowledge is blessed

Imam Mālik bin Anas رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه had a student known as the Mufti of Madinah, Yaḥyā bin Yaḥyā رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه. He once said, “On the first day I went to study with Imam Mālik bin Anas رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه, he asked for my name and then exclaimed:

Allah! Allah! O Yaḥyā! Strive to attain the knowledge of Islam!  Let me encourage you with a story.

A young man from Syria of a similar age to you, travelled to Madinah to seek Islamic knowledge. He studied with us, and he passed away during his time as a student. I have never seen a funeral like his, for every student and scholar of Madinah attended it. The great scholar of that time, Rabīʿah رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه led his funeral prayer. He was then lowered into his grave by Rabīʿah, Zayd bin Aslam, Yaḥyā bin Saʿīd and Ibn Shihāb (who were leading scholars of that time) رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَیْہِمْ.

Three days after his death, a person saw the fortunate student of knowledge in a dream. He saw a handsome man wearing white clothes and a green ʿimāmah, sitting on a white horse descending from the sky. The individual who saw this dream asked in surprise, ‘O young man! How did you acquire this rank?’

‘My knowledge of Islam made me reach here’, he answered. ‘For every chapter of knowledge I learnt, Allah granted me a rank in Paradise. Through the blessings of this knowledge, my status continued to increase until I reached the rank of the scholars, even though I was a student. Allah commanded the angels, “Elevate the ranks of the inheritors of My Prophets عَـلَـيْهِمُ السَّلَام! Indeed, I have ordained for students of knowledge and scholars to share the same rank.”’