Hadith #260
Arabic Text
حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعٌ أَخْبَرَنَا هِشَامٌ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَقْبِضُ الْعِلْمَ انْتِزَاعًا يَنْزِعُهُ مِنْ النَّاسِ وَلَكِنْ يَقْبِضُ الْعِلْمَ بِقَبْضِ الْعُلَمَاءِ حَتَّى إِذَا لَمْ يُبْقِ عَالِمًا اتَّخَذَ النَّاسُ رُؤَسَاءَ جُهَّالًا فَسُئِل
ُوا فَأَفْتَوْا بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ فَضَلُّوا وَأَضَلُّوا حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ سَعِيدٍ قَالَ أَمْلَى عَلَيَّ هِشَامُ بْنُ عُرْوَةَ حَدَّثَنِي أَبِي قَالَ سَمِعْتُ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ عَمْرِو بْنِ الْعَاصِ مِنْ فِيهِ إِلَى فِيَّ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَذَكَرَ نَحْوَهُ
Isnad Chain
وكيع
هشام
أبيه
عبد الله بن عمرو
English Translation
It was narrated from 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr (رضي الله عنهما) — via Waki', from Hisham, from his father — that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: 'Indeed Allah does not take knowledge away by snatching it out of the people — but He takes knowledge away by taking away the scholars. Until when not a single scholar remains, people will take ignorant leaders as their heads. They will be asked [for religious rulings] and will issue fatwas without knowledge — and so they will go astray and lead others astray.' [Also narrated via Yahya ibn Sa'id, from Hisham ibn 'Urwa — who narrated from his father, saying: 'I heard 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'As with my own ears [directly from his own mouth]' — with the same meaning.]
Quran References
Reference: Musnad Ahmad, Book 16, Hadith 260
Sunnah.com ref: Musnad Ahmad 6498
Islam.wiki ID: IWH-42888