# Episode 14: The Seeker of Knowledge **Author:** Dr. Omar Suleiman **Series:** Angels in Your Presence **Published:** 2020-05-07 **YouTube:** https://youtu.be/biYiQw1-lP4 **URL:** https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/angels-in-your-presence/episode-14-the-seeker-of-knowledge-angels-in-your-presence **Topics:** Angels, Faith ## Description The path of knowledge is the path to paradise. The angels lower their wings out of humility to the seeker of knowledge in a special way. But what qualifies as seeking? And what benefits come through it? ## Transcript **[0:00]** There is nothing more blessed than when you're leaving the home and you've got that banner over your head and you've got that angel behind you and in front of you and the angel on top of your head with the reins and what's going to determine what those angels do and say is the intention **[0:20]** that you have as you go out into the world. That intention is to seek knowledge that brings you closer to the creator. Whether that's in the form of going to a halaqa, going to a gathering of knowledge, going to a teacher, going to a classroom, whatever it is, to leave your home with the **[0:38]** intention of seeking or spreading knowledge is the most noble pursuit that we find in the sunnah of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. He said, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, whoever seeks out a path of knowledge, Allah will make the path to paradise easy for them. **[0:59]** He said, no one leaves their house seeking knowledge except that the angels lower their wings in approval for that person. There are many a hadith, the most famous one, the hadith that Ibn Rajab rahimallah wrote the entire book about this hadith, that as a person goes out seeking knowledge, the inhabitants of the heavens **[1:18]** and the earth all seek forgiveness for that person. Whether it is the angels in the heavens or the fish in the sea, each one of them seeks forgiveness for that person as they go out seeking and spreading knowledge. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, the superiority of the scholar over the worshiper **[1:35]** is like the superiority of the full moon over the stars. And he said, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, in another narration that the likeliness of a scholar over a worshiper is like my similarity to you, is like my rank over the lowest of you, meaning the lowest of the Ummah of Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. **[1:54]** Why? Because the seeker of knowledge, the scholar, the one who spreads knowledge, spreads good in the same way that the angel spreads their wings. So you spread good throughout the earth. And there are many different things that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam mentioned, of course in that narration also, **[2:11]** and I didn't go through it in depth, that the prophets don't leave behind dirhams or dinars, but they leave behind knowledge. That's the inheritance of the prophets. So it's a means of connecting you to Allah because you learn about Allah, a means of connecting you to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam because you become an inheritor of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, **[2:27]** a means of connecting you to the angels because they lower their wings in approval for you, spread their wings out, and a means of connecting you to the people because your relationship with them is benefiting them and even the environment. Because Ibn Rajab rahimullah commented on that. What would cause the fish in the sea to seek forgiveness for that person is that a person of **[2:46]** knowledge thinks about the rights of everything on them, and so they treat even their environment with care because they're acting in accordance with that knowledge, and that's embedded within this. So the example of a person who seeks and spreads knowledge to the one who worships Allah subhanahu **[3:02]** wa ta'ala is like someone who earns halal, which is good, and someone who spends spends in the cause of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, right? So spreads that good. And a lot of time when you're thinking about going out to seek knowledge, you're thinking about dedicating **[3:18]** years of study, which is good, and we need people that are able to go out and to spend years studying the sacred knowledge and teaching it properly. But just the blessing of going out for one pursuit of knowledge, right? Instead of watching it live, taking the time out to go **[3:36]** and seek knowledge. If you don't feel like you're going to gain so much from the way that the sheikh is speaking and those types of things are not as charismatic or as exciting as something you'd see online, then go for the blessing of having the angels lower their wings for you and having all of these creations seek forgiveness for you. At the top of them, those highest angels sending their **[3:57]** peace and blessings upon you, showing their approval and their humility to the person who is learning, becoming more humble and being beneficial to everything around them. ## Other Episodes in "Angels in Your Presence" - [Episode 30: When Allah Loves You](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/angels-in-your-presence/episode-30-when-allah-loves-you-angels-in-your-presence.md) - [Episode 29: Gatherings of Remembrance](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/angels-in-your-presence/episode-29-gatherings-of-remembrance-angels-in-your-presence.md) - [Episode 28: In Your Room Praying Behind You](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/angels-in-your-presence/episode-28-in-your-room-praying-behind-you-angels-in-your-presence.md) - [Episode 27: The Heavens are Creaking](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/angels-in-your-presence/episode-27-the-heavens-are-creaking-angels-in-your-presence.md) - [Episode 26: When Jibreel Descends Upon You](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/angels-in-your-presence/episode-26-when-jibreel-descends-upon-you-angels-in-your-presence.md) - [Episode 25: From Your Mouth to an Angel's Heart](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/angels-in-your-presence/episode-25-from-your-mouth-to-an-angels-heart-angels-in-your-presence.md) - [Episode 24: Struggling to Recite](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/angels-in-your-presence/episode-24-struggling-to-recite-angels-in-your-presence.md) - [Episode 23: From Prayer to Prayer](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/angels-in-your-presence/episode-23-from-prayer-to-prayer-angels-in-your-presence.md) - [Episode 22: The Friday Roll Book](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/angels-in-your-presence/episode-22-the-friday-roll-book-angels-in-your-presence.md) - [Episode 21: The First Rows](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/angels-in-your-presence/episode-21-the-first-rows-angels-in-your-presence.md) - [Episode 20: A Caller from Heaven's Gates](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/angels-in-your-presence/episode-20-a-caller-from-heavens-gates-angels-in-your-presence.md) - [Episode 19: Have You Ever Seen an Angel in Human Form?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/angels-in-your-presence/episode-19-have-you-ever-seen-an-angel-in-human-form-angels-in-your-presence.md) - [Episode 18: When Your Loved Ones Are Dying](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/angels-in-your-presence/episode-18-when-your-loved-ones-are-dying-angels-in-your-presence.md) - [Episode 17: An Entourage of 70,000](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/angels-in-your-presence/episode-17-an-entourage-of-70000-angels-in-your-presence.md) - [Episode 16: The Ultimate Healer](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/angels-in-your-presence/episode-16-the-ultimate-healer-angels-in-your-presence.md) - [Episode 15: No Strings Attached](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/angels-in-your-presence/episode-15-no-strings-attached-angels-in-your-presence.md) - [Episode 13: Be Fair When You Judge](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/angels-in-your-presence/episode-13-be-fair-when-you-judge-angels-in-your-presence.md) - [Episode 12: The Best Supplication](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/angels-in-your-presence/episode-12-the-best-supplication-angels-in-your-presence.md) - [Episode 11: Ameen and For You As Well](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/angels-in-your-presence/episode-11-ameen-and-for-you-as-well-angels-in-your-presence.md) - [Episode 10: The Honor of Your Prophet](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/angels-in-your-presence/episode-10-the-honor-of-your-prophet-angels-in-your-presence.md) - [Episode 9: Your Brother's Honor](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/angels-in-your-presence/episode-9-your-brothers-honor-angels-in-your-presence.md) - [Episode 8: Responding to Your Haters](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/angels-in-your-presence/episode-8-responding-to-your-haters-angels-in-your-presence.md) - [Episode 7: The Banner Above You](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/angels-in-your-presence/episode-7-the-banner-above-you-angels-in-your-presence.md) - [Episode 6: As You Step Out](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/angels-in-your-presence/episode-6-as-you-step-out-angels-in-your-presence.md) - [Episode 5: Switching Shifts](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/angels-in-your-presence/episode-5-switching-shifts-angels-in-your-presence.md) - [Episode 4: Sleep Well](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/angels-in-your-presence/episode-4-sleep-well-angels-in-your-presence.md) - [Episode 3: Fasting While Others Eat](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/angels-in-your-presence/episode-3-fasting-while-others-eat-angels-in-your-presence.md) - [Episode 2: Hold Your Pens](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/angels-in-your-presence/episode-2-hold-your-pens-angels-in-your-presence.md) - [Episode 1: They've Got Your Back](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/angels-in-your-presence/episode-1-theyve-got-your-back-angels-in-your-presence.md)