Mu`adh ibn Jabal radhiallahu `anhu relates:

"Acquire knowledge because doing so is good. Seeking it is worship. Reviewing it is glorifying Allah. Researching it is jihad. Teaching it to the ignorant is charity. Serving the scholars is a way of drawing near to Allah because knwledge is the path of extension to the stations of Paradise. It is a companion in isolation and a comrade in distant lands. It speaks to you in solitude. It is a guide to prosperity and a shield against adversity. It beautifies one among friends and is a weapon against enemies. With it Allah elevates people and makes them guides and bellwethers of good.

The scholars are people whose words are sought and whose actions are imitated. The angels long for the scholars' company and comfort them with their wings. Everything, the fish of the sea, the beasts of the earth, the predators of the land and sea and cattle pray that the blessings come upon them. This is because knowledge enlivens the heart against ignorance, illuminates the eyes against darkness and strengthens the body. It transports the servant to the mansions of the select and the righteous and to the highest ranks in the world and the hereafter. Contemplating it is equivalent to fasting and reviewing it is equal to the Night Prayer vigil. With it, kinship is united and the lawful is distinguished from the unlawful.

Knowledge is an imam which leads to righteous actions. It is craved by the people destined for Paradise and shunned by the people destined for Hell."

~ Abu Nu`aym, Al-Hilya